Some guys I know are blowing some smoke in my face saying that a 2004 chevy vette Z06 is a superior car to my c2S. I know the thing hauls A#@ but less style & engineering? I heard this car competes with the 996 TT. Any thoughts on this topic?

 

If you are only measuring raw performance the Z06 will win in just about any category. They have great power and handling. Only problem is their brakes are not fully up to the cars potential, but that is easily solved with aftermarket upgrades.

If you are only comparing looks or design then that is another story.

 

Superior? Superior in what way? We would need to establish the reference points first. We're not exactly apples to apples with a Z06 and 993.

Let me say this. Every time I get in the Z06 I am amazed that they got it sooooo right that time. And when I get in the 993 Turbo I am blown away that they got it so right THAT time. And each time I drive the Boxster S I wonder why no one else seems to be able to get it right like Porsche does. You get the picture... Superior? Man, that's a big word on this topic.

 

JKW hit it right on the head. The Z06 is not addictive. A fun brute yes, but not addictive. Porsche on the other hand is an alternative way to spell addictive... hehehe...

 

The 2004 Z06 is WAY superior to your car. Period. As the reviewers say over and over, ad nauseum.... "Want to win drag races? (At least for now) Get a Dodge Viper. Want a car which laps road courses quicker than most of the world's production sports cars, feels race-car-crisp on the street and is reasonably civil when driven to the grocery store, the post office and the cleaners? Buy a Z06.

The Z06's "FE4" suspension adds specific, higher rate springs and stabilizer bars, unique, fixed-valve Sachs shocks, slightly different alignment, wider wheels and Goodyear's outstanding Eagle F1 Supercar, ultra-performance radial tires.

With a MSRP of $51,585 and it's refined performance, the Z06 is a value-heck, it's a bargain. Even with the Le Mans Commemorative Edition Package, and its $4,335 surcharge, the car still represents one of the better performance sports car buys.

Not only is the Z06 fun and available at a reasonable cost, but it's fairly cheap to operate too. Our observed fuel economy, over a distance of 634 miles was 22.3 mpg which seems to support the GM's composite EPA number of 23 mpg. Additionally, anecdotal evidence we've found on various automotive forum sites on the Internet indicates that other operating and maintenance costs for Z06es are less than some of its competitors, amongst which are: various Porsche 911s and the Boxter S, BMW Z-4, Audi TT and the Dodge Viper.

So...we're back to were we started, with bang-for-the-buck. No question, the 2004 Corvette Z06 has a ton of it."

But... so what, right! You love your car, even though it isn't as fast. You love the way it looks, those swooping lines and curves. It's a classic. You probably/maybe look at the Corvette and think, "Nice, but it's not my style".

No disrespect to the Corvette owners here, but I look at a Corvette and I lust for a minute about owning one, but it's just not MY style. I see the Z06's and drool, but I couldn't even imagine myself owning one. I don't have the cajones to be driving around a gigantic American powerhorse like the Corvette. It's an image thing I don't fit into.

I love my diminutive, little go cart (993). It's cuter than a Corvette and less showy to my eye and taste.

Just my ultra biased 2 cents.

Steve

 

On a session at my club race at Putnam I had to stay out due to a pad change. I went over on the fence and was watching Greg and the big boys flying down the main straight. I was in awe. Watching 993's flying down the straight and the flat six's singing at full song was sureal. My hair was standing on the back of my neck, there is no other car on the planet ( except Ferrari's?) that stir so much emotion in me. Period.
The vette might be a nice car, faster and all but I would never change it over my 993. This is the value IMO that our cars have. I never looked at 0-60 numbers, i always looked at the way a car makes me feel and a 911 has no equal.

 

Well said.

 

I don't lust after a Corvette. I don't care to own one. Do I admire it? I admire the performance. I like performance cars and respect many different types of cars and what they offer. I have never expected or boasted that the Porsche 993 is the one answer to sports cars. That's a good reason why many on this board own many flavors (Tour18, among others).

Whenever someone wants to make the point of how much faster their car is than mine - Corvette, nitrous Civic, etc - I simply agree that it probably is and tell them I didn't buy it to be the fastest guy on the block. It offers a combination of unique engineering and driving feel that isn't available in other cars. I tell them if I wanted a car like theirs I would have bought it. Ten times out of ten it's a less expensive car than mine and they don't have much to say. I've never been approached by a Ferrari owner emphatic with convincing me his car is better than mine.

 

Yes, the Z06 is a faster car. I won't rehash what others have said above, but I will point out a common problem, which is the transmission. I drove sebring just recently, and there was a Z06 I ran back and forth with. He blew his transmission ($6k) Sadly, this was his second one in under 12,000 miles. He had to sue chevy for them to warranty the first. Apparently, a chevy engineer was his expert witness, and he was able to show documentation of this problem happening with frequency. He also said his friend has gone through 3 transmissions in his Z06. Otherwise he loved the car. He was planning to put a racing transmission in, and continue tracking the car.

 

It's an apples to oranges comparison...IMHO. As crazy as it may sound, "performance" is way down on the list of reasons I bought my 993. I won't start listing all the things at the top of the list, because you already know them.

 

I just think I should tell everyone, the 993 Turbo replaced a standard issue 993 C2. I traded it with 70K miles on a new Boxster S.

In about 24 hours I was sick. Not from disapointment with the Boxster, but from lack of having a 993. A standard 285 hp 993 was ( and is ) a totally satisfying car. Totally. The Turbo just put me in a 993 that will match the performance of the Z06. With the panache of a Porsche... hehehe...

 

Thought this was ironic.

harrY

 

Well, I bought my 993 also for performance reasons. But I knew from the beginning, that there are many faster cars around. The complete picture matters, because you can compare anything with anything regarding any issue. Porsche cars have always been more expensive, so a comparision of a Corvette for $ 55k and a Porsche for $ 55k won't work out. A comparision between two contemporary cars in a similar power range is more interesting: 996 GT3 vs. Z06, LT-1 Corvette vs. 993 C2, ZR-1 vs. 964 Turbo 3.3...

I like Corvettes very much. Nice V8. But when it comes down to comparision, you have to hold with it like in racing. You have to define specifications and in this regard price usually doesn't matter. There is no racing series to my knowledge, which classifies by sticker price.

Best regards,

Felix

 

As stated earlier, it is not apples to apples....nor is it either/or...the ideal is to have both, but for different reasons. Different tools for different applications and since we are talking cars, each triggers different emotions for different moods and applications...If I had to choose ONE, definitely a Porsche.

Which car would you be in looking over and wishing you had the other? (if you had to have just ONE)...That scenario would make me a Z06 owner wishing I had the Porsche instead...

 

Well stated. These are all reasons why I am a Porsche owner. Another thought for me is, I can drive my Carrera in the winter time (with snow tires). This is when I give in and use the car as a daily driver (have'nt done it yet). The front engine Z06 would have a tough time. Kudos to Chevy for bringing the Z06 up to par.