First post, basic questions
 

Hello all. I am very interested in the C8. My thinking is that what I want won't be available for a "reasonable" cost for a few years. That leads me to a Z06 in the interim. A little about myself. My last sports car was a 991 911S. Loved the car but it was a little too good. To feel like you were doing something you had to be going insane speeds. It was fast but not that fast. I sold it and moved to the other side of the boat. I got a Superformance Shelby Cobra replica. For those of you that do not know Superformance is sold as a Rolling Chassis. You add Engine and Transmission. For an engine I had a local builder make me an Aluminum block/head hydraulic roller 427 FE stroked to 482. It was built for 550 hp and about the same torque. The rears are Michelin Pilot sport, 335-18's. The tires spin in first and second easily. The car is fast, violent and visceral. It is a great car to go for a hour 1/2 drive and really enjoy. No power steering, no anti lock brakes, no radio, no ac, nothing. It is a 2,600 pound go cart. I enjoy the car but you have to be a weather forecaster to take it out and it is a bit wild, a handful for sure. Going away for the weekend in it is not something I would do. I am keeping the Cobra.

I am now looking for something with a roof. My use will be some daily driving during the summer. Maybe some summer trips with the wife for the weekend. A few track days and your basic hooning around. My plan is to buy used so I don't take a big hit in a couple / few years when I sell it. In looking at the used market it seems like most of the cars are basic. There are not a lot of options put on them. Am I reading this wrong or not really seeing what is on the market?

With that said do I need an optioned up car? What are the options to have? I don't really have a desire to modify the car. It anything it would be minor.

Those are my basic questions.

Thanks in advance for your help.

Sweet spot is a 2LZ package and PDR/NAV if you think you will use the camera for track time.

^^^ yup

agreed 2lz and an M7 if u like a stick.

Well Mr. Bill, a friend of mine has a Superformance Shelby Cobra with a 427 and driving that thing is about as scary as anything anyone of us would ever want to tackle....and that's not a compliment on the car, it's way over engined for that floor plan, its a very high horsepower roller skate.
You will find the C7 Z06 to be a great traveling car and fun to just plain drive in reasonably decent weather....no snow or super cold days. You are correct, most of the cars out there are dealer inventoried cars and most option them up. As has been said, the 2LZ interior package is well worth the money....you can easily find the differences between it and the base model 1LZ package. If you're buying used, there's a high likelihood most of what you look at will be the A8 automatic transmission. The A8 is nothing like the PDK in the Porsche, so if that's what you've been used to, forget it. If you want the manual transmission (M7), you'll probably have to look around a bit. I know Criswell Chevrolet brings in a few of the basic Z06's with an M7. but they are Corvette specialists.
Regardless, today's C7 Z06 is really a very fine car and I'd bet you'll be happy with it.

Z07 Performance Package
 

Thanks for the replies, good information.

What about the Z07 Performance Package? The tires would be expensive over time.

I am also a fan of black rims. Easier to keep clean or easier to let get dirty and not look too bad.

I posted this in another thread titled..."Z06/Z07 Consumables Cost".......maybe this will help you. To sum it up in one sentence, IMO, unless you are going to be regularly tracking the car, the Z07 Option is a lot of extra money with little to no value if you are driving the car mainly of public roads and highways.
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....you're probably going to get a mix of opinions on your question....Z07 or not. Your idea to switch to a Z06 is a no brainer, IMO. As far as the Z07 option, I went thru the same thought process when I ordered my first Z06 in 2016 and when I bought my second new one a few months ago. Here is what I concluded and I've never regretted my decision.....
1) Unless you are regularly tracking your car, the Z07 option will very likely not give you much of any advantage on the track. If you are an experienced driver on a road course and accustomed to driving this car, then you very likely would notice a difference, otherwise it would be unlikely.
2) The suspension on the Z06 model is tight to begin with, not like a Viper's but even in Tour mode it will feels somewhat firm. The Z07 is even firmer and if you live in an area where you will be driving less than smooth roads, you will notice that. For me, I don't need that teeth jarring ride.
3) Worried about tires? Neither the base model or the Z06 new car tires will give you a long life, but guaranteed, the Z07's tire will not last as long as the base Z06 tire. Besides that, neither tire does well in the colder weather, but the base car's tire does better than the Z07 model tire. Both tires are the same size and there's no rule that doesn't allow to run the less expensive standard tire on the Z07 car, it's just that you really shouldn't be tracking the car with those "lesser" tires.
4) Brakes. This argument is all over the place. IMO, the base Z06 iron brakes do a terrific job and will last you a reasonable life, but it really depends on your driving style. For normal non track driving, the iron brakes will stop you very well. They are dusty on your wheels, but for less than $200 you can buy new dust free brake pads and have them changed for $100 or less, all 4 wheels. I've done that on my last 5 new cars (two Z06's, a GT-R, a Jaguar F type R and a Challenger Hellcat) and they work great! As far as a full replacement of pads and rotors, you can get that done for way less than $1000 and get very good, quite acceptable, aftermarket parts.

These factors were my basic reasons for ordering the Base Z06 with the 2 LZ option (that's a great option, by the way) and not consider the Z07 option. Either model will make you smile from ear to ear, but you'll save some place in the $6K+ range without the Z07 option, which as I've already stated, is not necessary for normal street driving habits. Good luck!

You're giving us mixed messages. On the one hand you suggest that you've spent a bundle on some exotics and on the other hand you say costs are concerning???
A leftover 18 will save you a quite a few bucks (20% or more) as will the options outlined above.

I am the OP and I never said costs are concerning?
 

I did not say costs were concerning. I did say tire cost would be higher over time with the Z07 package because of the tires.

This car is a gap filler to me until the C8 comes out in more appealing variants. My going in plan is to find a low mileage used car. There are a lot more cars to choose from without the Z07 package.
Based on a quick look at the market it seems I am in the $65-70 range for used and $80-85 for new. Maybe new makes better sense?

Bill..."Based on a quick look at the market it seems I am in the $65-70 range for used and $80-85 for new. Maybe new makes better sense?"

I can't speak for the used car market, but some of the large Corvette dealers are giving huge discounts to unload 2018 inventory. Essentially, the 2018 and 2019 Z06's are identical other then some different colors and possibly the tuning of the MRC system (magnetic ride control suspension). It would not be unusual to find a new 2018 Coupe with the 2LZ package, M7 transmission and a few other things (a $90K list car) being sold in the high $70K area. Those high volume Corvette dealers have some outrageous floor plan costs and can't afford to eat the 2018's much longer. A new car is still new car. Something to consider.....

I have a 2016 ZO6 A8 3LZ with the Z07 package with black rims. I love this CAR!!! The carbon-ceramic brakes are great. The Michelin Cup 2 tires are super grippy on dry roads, however they can be a little sketchy in the rain ( I have driven numerous time in the rain with the cup 2's, I just put it in weather mode and take it super slow and easy and have made it home every time. I'm not going to lie and say it's not scary in the rain because it is, but I try my best to avoid rainy days in the vette.) I only got about 5500 miles on the first set of Cup 2s. I run Super Sports in the winter and go back to the Cup 2's in the summer. Cup 2s are sketchy when they are cold, get some heat in them before you start "spirited Driving".


The car has never over heated however I've have never been on a track with the car. I do however do some "spirited driving" in the mountains and have never had a problem. I have 30,000 plus miles on the car.

Large Corvette Dealers?
 

Who are the large corvette dealers in the midwest?

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I agree the 2LZ with Nav/PDR is the sweet spot, however, that is usually with a new car. When it comes to a used car the 3LZ doesn't bring that much more than a 2LZ. The 3LZ comes with the Nav/PDR standard so you don't have to be looking for the separate option. One option gets you everything.

There are a lot more 2LZs on the market than there are 3LZs so when somebody tries to get a higher price for a 3LZ most used buyers walk and purchase a readily available 2LZ.

Then you have a choice of whether you want Comp Seats or not. Comp Seats provide more lateral support for the Torso than the GT seats so work better on track. There are GT to Comp conversion packages available from some of the GM discount parts vendors if you can't find a car with the Comp Seats.

The option I have trouble finding is the M7. It seems there were a lot of A8 C7 Zs sold. The M7 is a better choice if you are going to push hard on a road course.

[QUOTE=pcguy2u;1598834686]You're giving us mixed messages. On the one hand you suggest that you've spent a bundle on some exotics and on the other hand you say costs are concerning???[QUOTE]
So sorry if you haven't been able to adequately digest things like this so far.There are lots of "exotic" owners who are more than willing to acknowledge that the Corvettes are one of the best "bang for the buck" performance cars anywhere,

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.cor...10c81ce861.jpg
Bill....you're going to have to do that homework yourself, unless one of the Forum members can chime in a response. I bought mine out of state from Criswell Chevrolet. They had 35 new Corvettes in their inventory and I got one of the two left over 2018's. Mine had 2 miles on the Odometer and the car was EXACTLY what I was looking for...it stickered for $90K+ and I got a huge discount off of sticker...HUGE! There is no difference between the 2018's and the 2019's, I am told, except for the availability of certain colors and the re-mapping of the MRC (magnetic ride control) suspension in the 2019 model. The 2018 can be re-flashed to the identical 2019 map, but there is a fee of $350 which may be negotiable if you buy a new one from the dealer. You may have to have the car shipped into your location, I did....I live 200+ miles from Criswell, never went there, never saw the car in person, bought the car, had it delivered and it sits in my garage, still with 2 miles on the odometer. This is a picture of it as I pulled it into my garage, right off the trailer...it's perfect!

I found a few cars. One has competition seats. I have searched around and I am not getting a clear answer. Are the back side bolsters adjustable?

In the 2LZ and 3LZ models they are, don't know about the 1LZ. Have lumbar and side bolster adjustments. In my 3LZ with Comp Seats I inflate the side bolsters so they squeeze my sides when I am on track. That helps keep my upper body from moving around in high G corners.

Bill

I have lived in Endicott, Binghamton and Johnson City
 

I had a chat with my wife about buying the car and she said, "you work hard if you want it get it". So I had shopped around and found a 2018 pretty close. The deal was OK not amazing.
Talking to her later in the day she had some interesting thoughts and comments. She was surprised I was considering a Corvette. Here is Michigan there are lots of Corvettes, GM employees get them they are common. I tend not to get things like that.
I have really not driven a lot of them, never a Z06. At this time of year even if the dealer lets you take it out. it is not really a test drive. The potential $ savings vs the risk of not buying the right car is probably not worth it.

We have a couple trips coming up to places where you could rent a Vett like Vegas so I will probably do that. Throttle back and see if I can get a better feel for the car.

There was some comments about me and "exotics" which is interesting. I feel like I am in an odd place with what cars I might want.

A ZR1 is over the top and hard to handle.
Next on my list is Porsche 911 Turbo(991 used), that is expensive and boring for the expense. But it is so fast and you can drive it every day.
After that is gets more difficult. Audi R8? I am not a Japanese car guy. If you get into a used Lamborghini, or Ferrari is is a money pit and more attention than I want. What alternatives am I missing. With my Cobra as a baseline I need a lot of HP.
Here is the Cobra spinning in first and second short shifting until third.

One paper in theory the C8 is very interesting. After they announce it we will see them driving around a lot. Usually I see muitiple test vehicles driving by. Michigan is an interesting place.