Rayboy1

Good stuff. A friend of mine at work has a 2006 C6 and he seems very intimidated by my 04 C5 Z06. I've never drove his car but he constantly talks about how he thinks his car is faster. I always play it cool and say "maybe..........but maybe not". One day we will see.

rbartick

I bought my car new and I would not sell it for a LS2 or LS3 C6. That being said, if I was looking for a Vette today and I did not own my car I would not buy a C5. I would sell my car for a 2009 Z06.

roll4speed

This is the biggest no-brainer of all time... the Z06 is superior in every way. I think the lines of the Z are so stunning and timeless. It is the ultimate American performance car. Personally, I don't care for the coupe's teardrop rear window. If you don't mind a stick and a hard top then go buy one NOW! You will love it!

Bill Dearborn

Starting now I would go for a C6 Z51 car with the LS3.

It will have a substantial part of the factory warranty left and the performance will be close to or maybe a little better than the C5Z.

Bill

ZeeOSix

Heck, you can probably find a brand new 2008 Z51 for about $10K below MSRP right now.

slacker1201

I just purchased an 04 Z06 Commerative Edition 1 owner with 6700 miles on it for a tad under $30,000. I love the car, I also own an 08 vert. Z51 with a 6 spd. These cars to me are two different cars. My 08 is fast with 430 hp. and my 04 Z with 405 hp just feels like it has more Torque from low end to high end. They both have thier pros and cons so it is hard to pick one over the other, that is why I have them both. If you want the open air feeling then don't buy the Z, if you want some power with an open air feeling then buy a coupe. Actual power to power with the Z and the C6 they feel just about the same. The Z just feels more like it is more of a race car and gives me excellent feedback. The interior of the Z is a little more cheaper than the C6, but overall the Z is a great car for the money. I averaged 27 mpg on my trip back from Michigan when I bought the 04. If I was in your shoes I would personally buy the C5Z and wait until the C6Z's are a few years older. Also the parts and mods on the C5's are a little cheaper than the C6's, so look at it that you can spend more on mods.

I have found that you can get the 02-04 Z for about 24k-30k depending on the mileage. I looked hard and long for my Z and found I would not want an 01 Z because of the problems that they had as well as that was the first year of production. I would never buy the first year of any car. With the fourth coming up and the time of year you should find a good deal out there, just be patient.

I hope this helps you and if you have any questions feel free to PM me.

RAGGDOLL

oh, and what he said

SoCalSteve

I had the same quandry when I was buying my 03 Z06. There was a C6 with the Z51 package - that's VERY close in performance to a C5 Z. I found a nice one with about 20K miles for about $36K.

The Z51 pkg brings the standard C6 up quite a bit - 6 speed, different gearing and final drive, upgraded suspension, and other bits I am sure I am forgetting.

Based on your post, you should look into one of these before you decide.

Hope this helps! Good luck! For the record, I LOVE my Z06 and am happy with my decision.

rockerdudez06

I have an 01 zo6 and thought about trading it in on a 07 c6 at our local dealership.They wanted my Z baaaaaaad.I dove the red 07 c6 a while and knew right away I was keeping my Z. It had power but the ride was a little quiet and soft....I like the interior on the 07 c6.I like the body style of my Z better. It's the 01( Big *** end edition ) I love that rear view.When I wanted to trade my mint 1990 in on the 01 z06 I test drove the the Z. After fifty feet I knew what I had to do.I got the Z the next day.I kept the 90 vette.Sold it a few months after getting the Z.I love my Z and would never get rid of it for a c6.

danziger

AFAIK, the MN6 and 3.42 gears are the same for every 6-speed regardless of package. Somebody feel free to correct me if I'm wrong...
The suspension is tighter with the Z51, but still not as racy as the C5Z. The C6 I almost bought was a Z51 and it was very nice indeed, but the C5Z is just a different animal altogether.

ZeeOSix

From the Corvette Order Guide:

"Z51 Performance Package,
performance-oriented package for
the Gymkhana/Autocross
enthusiast; includes extra cooling,
stiffer springs and stabilizer bars,
specific shock absorbers, larger
brakes with cross-drilled rotors,
specific tires and Z51-specific
6-speed manual when ordered with
6-speed manual transmission."

Sounds like the manual is different with the Z51 package. Didn't find the details of what the difference is ... probably gear ratios.

Also, from GM's website:

"Z51 Performance Package

The available Z51 Performance Package provides a lateral acceleration capability of .98g on the skid pad. The Package includes:

* Goodyear Eagle F1 EMT Supercar tires
* Larger brakes with cross-drilled brake rotors
* Specific springs, shocks and stablizer bars
* Performance gear ratios for the manual and automatic transmission
* Extra coolers"

danziger

To be sure, I posted the gear-ratio question in the C6 section...

danziger

Looks like ZeeOSix and SoCalSteve were correct, different tranny gears in the Z51. Sorry and I promise to do more research next time...

drivinhard

The C6 LS2 Z51 cars used the C5Z06 gear ratio's. Not sure about the LS3 (too lazy to look)

karpetcm

This was my number one reason considering buying the C6 Z51 package over the C5Z but changed my mind either way and gonna go with the C5Z anyway. The gearing just didnt do it for me either, the C5Z felt more nimble and lighter to me, i dont like the look of the flat back end on the C6 reminds me of the older 80's vettes and usually with things like that eventually start liking but not this. Eventually theyll round it off down the road but i still want the car to be lighter and the C5Z is just that.

vettelover84