aka 951

They're amazing (C5 Vettes) in terms of any type of performance. I drove a Z06 along with a 'vert a while back and I was really impressed. Nevertheless, I don't car for the interior or the exterior and purchased a loaded Boxster S instead of the Z06 ( a lot less performance and a lot more $$$). A year and a half later, I'm still happy with my decision. Maybe the next generation Vettes will be a bit classier. In that case, I would consider purchasing the Vette.

Techno Duck

The thing i love about this board is how most (if not all) of you guys have respect for other cars no matter what. On the Mustang boards i goto...no respect for other companys. You even mention a Corvette on those boards and imeditatley you are flamed.

The only Corvette i have personally driven is my fathers 1980. Its a sick car with a real powerful feal to it. I like the interior the most, lots of gauges. Though if i had that car as a daily driver...i would have probably wrapped it around a tree or telephone pole already as i am used to the handling of my 924S (thats always a problem for me in other cars, i expect them to handle like a dream!). Ive sat in the newer 'vettes at the local car shows and personally i really didnt like the interior much as it seemed a bit cheap. Ive talked to a few owners, mainly older guys in there 40's (no pun intended here) and they are usually very nice people. Not sure how many of them actually auto-x, but they all tell me the newer 'vettes handle surpisingly well with all the computer aided features. Personally, i would never want a Corvette...its too common a car these days and i think the exterior styling is getting a bit boring.

MacWolffe

didn't a new Z06 turn out a 1.0g skidpad result with pretty good tires? it was in car and driver i think.

Dlefko

i like the Z06.

turbo944

Best Corvette I ever drove was a 66 big block convertible with the optional A/C. Wowza...that thing could wake the neighborhood revving the motor....unfortunately my friend who owned it liked to hear it burbling at just over idle all the time and fouled a bunch of plugs in the thing....sheesh. He's got a C5 now, haven't gotten to ride in or drive his C5 yet. They are very fast cars and handle very well, that said the computer controls and gadgets make them very much like the 3000GT and Stealth....it really at times takes away from the driver in control (or out of) ability to do some things like really get the car tire smoking sideways. Turn it on for bad weather, off for track days or something. I remember seeing that a good driver (not a pro) was still faster with the stuff turned off than on when tested on a track.

They don't look bad to me on the outside, but as someone else mentioned, the darned things are everywhere. Just like BMWs are nowadays. Nobody can tell the difference except car nuts as to whether you chunked out the extra money for the M package or not. Same problem I had with the 3000GT/Stealth, 300ZX, Supra packages....wide range of prices, almost identical looking cars. The 944 and 951 have more noticable things about them to me with the totally different noses and the underbody tray at the rear, but there also aren't 10,000 of them everywhere you go.... I like that I can park my car in a parking lot somewhere and never have a problem going to the wrong car when I come back out of the store

Fishey

I ran into 3 cars like mine in my life....

Sam Lin

MacWolffe, you're right, all it took was new tires, and they were still street tires! (BFG G-Force KD) No defense about the interior though, that and build quality are my biggest gripes.

My local track events, whether NASA or ProAutoSports or ASRA, the majority of the street group cars are ZO6s and Corvettes.

Sam

Robby

They're impressive- EXCELLENT chassis- great weight dist, etc- they also have a .29Cx- I'm just not too big on the interiors- just can't get into the American cars yet- they ARE getting better though...

AndyK

I think the new z06 is one of the best looking cars on the road! Sure, the interior looks kinda heavy in a GM way, but that car rules!

I would NEVER buy it new though! Get a 2-year old depreciated but loved version!

944, or ANY Porsche is completely different. Refined, built to last...quality. Apples to oranges!

Tom R.

the guy i bought my Z28 from replaced the Z with a yellow Z06 6speed.

the car is nice. real nice. in fact it may be my next car in about 11 years. thats assuming he cares for it like he did the camaro, and i care for the camaro up to his specifications.

My Z28 has the LT1 motor, and is probably making a bit over 300hp. torque is just a light blip away. If the camaro had an IRS and wasnt so big (bigger than my legend coupe was) it would be a monster.

sounds like the vette to me.

i went from a legend coupe to an Aurora. the legend reeked of quality. the aurora's cheapness in comparison to the legend bugged me for a few months. but that all went away after i drove the cavalier rental two weeks with the aurora. man what a difference.

your perspectives change, and you get used to what you have. trust me.

i would take a corvette any day (just not to the train station).

also the specs mean next to nothing in the real world. sure my 944 was better in an autocross than the camaro will be, but the camaro will kill the 944 when i have to take three people, on the straights, and will keep up with most porsches on the open road. etc.

TMH

I started looking at Vettes earlier this year when I wanted to spice up my daily drive. Since I'm starting to get gray hair and drive like a gandma (sic), I thought it might be the perfect car for me. Drove one which was about a mid- to late-80's sunroof coupe. Two things I immediately noticed: 1) At 6'4" tall I could not adjust the seat to keep from significantly hitting my head on the headliner; and 2) Although the car I drove did not have too many miles on it, it was a rattletrap on the inside - Lots of loose plastic pieces, rattles, squeaks, etc. Just seemed to have standard Chevy interior build quality (or lack thereof).

Bottom line: About a week later I bought my 944. It is amazing the amount of room that Porsche has engineed into those cars for tall drivers. Build quality: Top notch. Although this could have been somewhat due to the level of care by the PO of each car, I just don't think that American engineered/manufactured vehicles can ever hold up as well as the German ones, especially Porsches.

Tom

MAS

I've never been much of a Vette fan... but there's no denying that the C5 and C6 are great sports cars (in fact they are almost completely different cars from the older models they replaced). I don't think there's anything that can equal them performance-wise for the money.

-MAS

Tom R.

cant equal the performance of a porsche for the money, and cant equal the bang for the buck of a vette.

something about it being easy to get certain time at an autocross in any car, and then the cost goes up exponentially to lower the time.

i mentioned to a freind driving my camaro that another friend comapred it to the GTO he had way back when. my friend instantly snapped back how superior the camaro was to any GTO. started talking about how any GTO with the power my camaro is putting out didnt have the driveability the camaro has.

thats what made my S2 such a great car. excellent at everything, awesome at nothing, lousy at nothing.

the camaro is excellent at pickup, braking, and roominess & hauling capability, above average at handling, average at fuel economy, fit & finish, and rattles. lousy at nothing. compared to the S2.

alpenweissisnice

I had a '72 Vette for about 5 years as my "toy" - the spot now occupied by the 951...It was piece of crap, road like crap - but a lot of fun...

kinda5150

the 06 is def a quick ride. father-in-law had one for about 6 months. drove it a couple of times. very fast car. loved the seating position and the low roof line. the only thing i didn't like was that it felt heavy. granted it probably is, but it really felt like it. some people feel that this makes the car more solid, but to me it needs to lose about 800 lbs. then it would really be a screamer. i still like the 944 better. with 30k i could do some pretty sweeta$$ things to the 944 and make it much better than the vette. just my .02 worth.