I live in Tacoma WA, and i'm stuck between two corvettes and a couple other models.

I'm considering a C5 z06 or a C6 Z51, used. Can't decide which I like more and which would be more appropriate for daily driving and track warrior (gotta keep up with those m3's and 911's!)

Also given our weather up here where we basically have a wet season for what seems to be six months, how do you guys consider living with your vette as a daily? For those of you who do, what do you do during the week or two of snow we get?

My fallback cars would be a CTS-V or a E46 M3, but right now a vette makes the most sense being that i'm 25 and enjoy a torquey well handling machine.

What would you guys honestly do? Looking to spend 25k or less if possible.

Thanks,
Joe

 

I just helped a friend by a 03 C5Z..It was an ex-show car with 30K miles. The car still had original rear tires.. I drove it home. As far as comfort, the C6 is way above the C5 in the interior noise and rough ride. But the Z does have that visceral race car feel to it.
IMHO, the C6 will make the better DD and long range tourer, and the C5Z will definitely be the best track car..I guess you need to get both..

 

Z06's are great track cars. If you were not using it as a daily driver and wanted the best track car, I'd definitely recommend the C5 Z06. It appears you're more interested in the daily driver aspects, so I'd recommend the C6 Z51 car for that emphasis. It will be much quieter (less road noise) than the Z06 (or any C5 for that matter). The C6 coupe can also haul quite a bit more in the rear than you might imagine where as the Z06 will be much more limiting in what it can carry. The headlights of the C6 are also very good when you're driving in the dark during winter.

I can't really answer your winter weather questions as my car is not a daily driver and it stays in the garage during bad weather. Just note that wide tires and snow do not go together well. You'll need to plan your route carefully. A set of winter tires would probably help a lot too. I know of several daily drivers on this board, so I expect you'll get some good advice from them.

Good luck with your decision!

- Mark

 

I think your description of the two cars is spot on. The C6 while about as fast as the C5Z is more of a GT car. The C5Z is a more raw, visceral driving experience imo. I miss my C5Z for this very reason.

 

Everything I read says snow and a vette is a no no. I believe it if for no other reason than ride height. It wouldn't take much snow to be too much as these cars are very low to the ground.

As for rain, I was amazed when I got on it for the first time in the wet. I don't think it looses much in accelleration, unless of course you hit a slick spot and then you get shut down by traction control. I have a new 2008, so I don't know how it will change as they wear.

I have no experience with the cars you are asking about, but I highly recommend the 2008 or newer. Ultimately, you will probably love whatever you buy.

 

I daily drive my C5 coupe with no issues. I've even driven in light snow.

I'd say to go with the car you like best.

 

I disagree about the DD part.

I used our C5Z as a DD for well over a year and, aside from the suckiness of being stuck in traffic with an MN6, it is comfortable (have done some LONG trips in it), reliable and fun to drive no matter what. It is now my wife's DD and she loves it as well

 

I also daily drive my 2000 Coupe, even in the light snow... no issues yet!!! i would go w the C5Z for sure!

 

my hsuband has a C5 FRC & we have issues with the roof leaking, (well got it all fix now) but the same part is used on the Z06 & you cant get them.

his is a daily driver during the summer/nicer months& I will drive it when weather permits.

I would NEVER drive one of the camaros or vettes in Snow, Not worth wrecking.

I would go & get a FWD or a truck for winter driving.

TACOMA is known NOT to take care of the roads during the winter months.

 

Not to hijack the thread, but my only reason for not using the vette as a DD is how much magnesium chloride Eugene puts on the streets. When the temperature even hints that it might fall below 35 they spray on-ramps and intersections with the stuff. It will corrode aluminum very quickly. If we did not wash it off our jetboats, we would have tiny white stars in the aluminum within 48 hours. If we washed it off right away, we were ok, but leave it on meant a permanently pitted boat.

 

While not owning a C5 or C6 I can tell you that driving a Corvette as a year round dd in our neck of the woods is easily doable with a little skill and preparation. In much of our area there is no salt put on the roads like there is in New England or the Midwest so the issue of corrosion is not significant for a daily driver (We are not talking show cars here). With a second set of wheels and proper tires, driving daily from Everett to Ballard and even the hills in Ballard are doable. A weekly wash is a requirement and wjile that can be a bit uncomfortable in the rainy months just remember ….. you get to drive a vette every day.

Once every few months I jack up the car, slide underneath with simplegreen and scotch brite pads and clean the suspension.


Bought mine 4 years ago with 35k on it. Next week it will turn 100K

 

I have been daily driving an 02 C5Z for 5yrs now with absolutely no issues. I take it to the track on a regular basis too with no issues. How much do you plan to track it? Road noise is not an issue to me because I rarely drive on I5. Depending on traffic and how my driving mood is I averaged a worse case 17mpg and a best of 22.5mpg (yes I keep this info on every fill-up including track days). I recently drove an 08 C6Z and decided to keep mine. It did not provide feedback to me in the steering and in the butt meter the way I was hoping. I would imagine the C6 would be moreso. Go drive both and decide what works for you.

 

What? With all the hippies in Eugene they haven't outlawed that stuff yet? Call your Senator and tell him it is killing a smelt or something!

 

 

Well you can always buy this car
1995 Camaro Z/28 that is truly unique. Came from the factory black with graphite leather interior. Pretty much every option available is on this Camaro, including t-tops to let in the sun.
But it’s what we did to it that makes it stand out. The hood is an aftermarket functional ram air hood based on the 1997 Firehawk. Air flows through a special box that uses a huge Corvette air filter, we have a high flow Holley air filter in there. The hood was painted by Bernie’s Custom Auto in the style of the special 2002 Camaro Anniversary Editions, except we had it painted in shades of blue. The hatch and spoiler were painted at the same time to match. 17” C5 Corvette Z06 wheels in Chrome are mounted with Falken tires.
The standard throttle body was replaced with a dual 52mm assembly, it has chrome valve covers, and a lot of other appearance upgrades in the engine compartment.
Other performance modifications include Hooker headers, a high flow catalytic converter, and Borla exhaust. A Crane Cams Hi-6 ignition box and matching coil work with the 8mm spark plug wires to give better spark (for both improved performance and mileage). Lower trailing arms, an improved panhard rod, and an aluminum driveshaft are included
Inside the stock stereo was fully replaced. Now a Pioneer DEH-F6800MP(AM/FM/CD/CD Changer Controller )runs through upgraded speakers in the doors and back seat area. There is a powered subwoofer in the hatch area. Instead of a CD Changer we have it hooked up for an MP3 player.
This Camaro runs and drives great. For the full price I will include a Hypertech Programmer.
Asking $8000.00 Call 360-894-4590 or email me at fastzhawk@hpiv.net
Engine Compartment

hood's paint

Side view

 

I think we have discussed this in person before Eric. Like you said the C6 is more of a GT type sports car when compared to the C5Z in particular. That improved steering feedback and butt meter feeling is what I characterize as the raw, visceral feel of the C5Z. For a DD I would actually prefer the C5Z myself. I just won't get rid of the C6Z to do it. While the C6Z is imo more of a GT car when you really open it up it can come darn close to that C5Z feel you can get from just driving around town. Just takes a bit more work to extract it.

BTW we need to hook up and do the long trip to Clearview one of these weekends. I rarely see any Vettes when I pass by. I had to hit Schucks this past weekend and there was one C5 coupe representing and that was it.

Getting back to the original question if I had 25k to spend on another Vette I would go with the C5Z. You can pick up a real nice one for 25k and I think you may like the driving experience more. Best thing to do though is drive both a C5Z and a Z51 C6 and let your personal experience decide for you.

 

If you are interested in a modded C5Z, I am thinking about putting my car up for sale. It is an '01 z06 with a 416 LS3 with the usual bolt-ons and quite a few extras. I am willing to let it go for $24k which I think is a steal. PM me for details if interested.

 

Well, I know of an '04 Commemorative Edition Coupe with 9XXX miles that is supercharged.

The older owner died just after he had the supercharger installed. Wido is asking $35K.. The car is loaded.

If interested, PM me.