2k7997tt

I just had a chance to drive a ZO6 for the afternoon. We drove approximately 2 hours on open highway and 2 hours on the twisties. Here is my final assessment:

Acceleration - A+ Very Impressive

Braking - B+ Performance is great, pedal feels mushy

Handling - C (Steering is loose, if the car travels over bumps in the road while turning the car moves laterally)

Interior - F (Seats are covered with a vinyl looking material and feel like they are stuffed with mashed potatoes, switches are loose-feeling, remainder is cheaply engineered plastic, road noise interferes with exhaust/roar of the V8)

Overall, I give the car a respectable B-. If GM replaces the vinyl seats with a cheap leather simulation, hires a guy named Boris (or any German) to work on the interior switches, upgrades from Tupperware quality plastic, and tightens up the suspension and road feel, this car could make an A-.

I am pleased by my decision to go with the 997TT.

docjackson1

your review is almost a duplicate of the one that car and driver did when they compared the 997tt, z06, and f430. i agree with your observations, although i think that the vinyl is cheep leather. if performance is all you want, i think that the z06 gives you great bang for the buck. the 997 is much more highly refined, but requires us to come up with another 60k or so. by the way, boris is a russian, and they make crappy cars. you need franz.

mastiffdog

It was actually Klaus.

mastiffdog

One important aspect of your review that you somehow forgot to mention:

997TT is $140,000-$155,000 OTD

Z06 is $83,000 OTD

The Z06 is one of the greatest overall automobile value on the market today.

docjackson1

dog-when is your z06 going to be delivered? certainly, when you get that car, the review and comparison that you write, between the vette and the porsche, will be one to read.

Tahoe M3

One thing I dont understand is why GM wont at least offer a full leather package for the Corvettes to at least address the critics. The cost to develop it would be low and it would be big profit on the order sheet. I guess they don't feel their target buyers would be willing to pay for that upgrade. But you would think that most would be willing to pay a few hundred more for better switchgear and better quality materials.

The leather in the C6 is much better than it was in the C5. I remember seeing a C5 Z06 sitting on the showroom floor at a local Chevy dealership a few years ago. As I looked at the glossy, worn, creased leather on the driver seat, I had to remind myself that this was a brand new car. I've never seen such crappy leather, even in the furniture section at Walmart. The leather on my M3 still looks as good as new after 5 yrs and 50,000 miles.

No matter what though, the C6 Z06 is an amazing performer for the price.

mastiffdog

Doc, I will definitely be back, hopefully by next weekend with an objective review as a typical or average street driver. I don't track the cars and I don't street race or drag race, so my review will be more of a general driveability and fit and finish perspective. My car is on Fedex Passport's enclosed van now, it left Kerbeck's this morning.

Tahoe, I am now back and forth from this forum over to the Z06 forum. It's a very different culture and the buyer profile is different. There are lots of great enthusiasts over on the Z06 forum that truly appreciate the P's, BMW's, etc. A handful are staunch vette people and hate anyone else who would ever even think of buying a non-vette. I have had successful, friendly and humorous discussions with them as well. Once you break the ice, these guys are just people who are passionate about the cars - they all mean well.

But I will disagree with you here on the interior. I think it looks pretty nice. To be sure, its simple, but that's what makes it so liveable. The materials are classic Chevy/GM and conform to the long Corvette tradition. I was not surprised or disappointed with the interior. The theme of the car is performance and raw speed, the folks who design these cars don't seem to focus on the interiors.

docjackson1

tahoe-i agree. such a great performing car, and gm can't give the car a comparable interior. as previously mentioned, why not charge 5k more and provide an upgraded interior, as an option? it seems as if they are committed to providing a substandard cockpit. another issue-take your $77,000 z06 into the service dept of the chevy dealership and see if you enjoy your experience. does the service advisor who is smoking a camel as he writes up your visit bother you?

docjackson1

dog-i have owned a vette. give those leather seats a year, and they will look worn and nasty. don't be surprised at the dashboard rattles thar develop. when you are coming down a twisting onramp, and hit a bump in the road, don't be surprised when your car lurches sideways, unlike your turbo. you have had plenty of great cars-you know. but performance wise, you are right, the z06 is a screaming bargain. world class, super car performance, on par with cars 4 times as expensive. if you could only have one sports car, i am sure you would pick the 997tt-it is just nice to have both. your evaluation of both, as an owner, is going to be invaluable.

Whoopsy

Mastiffdog is very right on in his accessment of the interior of the Vette, I had a C5 vette before, a 97 launch car, THAT car had a crappy interior, much much lower quality than the C6, for christ sake there is a half-inch gap between the plastic trim panel on the center console and the radio!! Even that, I positively LOVE driving that car, because once the go pedal is depressed, you won't notice any of those and your focus is on the road ahead, the power of the engine is so addicting it's unbelievable. It's not until I got hold of the CLS55 that I experience the same thrill again.

I traded the vette in when I got my 02 C4S and I positively missed the power of the vette, it seems to me there was no 'punch' in the Porsche, even though the interior in night and day between the Porsche and the Vette, driving the C4S just does not give me the same thrill as in the Vette and it's one of the major reason I got rid of it quite quickly, bottom line is that I got no satisfaction in driving the C4S.

The C6 Z06 is MUCH more powerful that my old vette and I am sure mastiffdog is gonna be a VERY VERY happy man driving the vette.

docjackson1

whoopsy-i agree. i presently have an 06c4s, used to have an 03tt, and am trading in the c4s for a 997tt because i miss the power. i also agree that the grunt of that v8 engine in the z06 is addictive. dollar for dollar, the z06 beats the 997tt all day. but, if money is not going to stop you, most people would take the turbo. indeed, the dog is fortunate to be able to have 2 of the best performance sports cars/gts in the world. his written evaluation will be very interesting to read.

amerlemans

I just don't understand how anyone can say that they think the interior in tbe Vette is "pretty good". Have any of you looked inside a new '06 Tahoe LTZ? The interior in that truck (not taking the wood trim into account here) blows their cars away by miles (including the Z06). Look at the dash board, push on the door panels, touch the temp/audio control *****, look at the leather they put in those. If you blindfolded me and sat me in the drivers seat of the Tahoe LTZ and took the blindfold off, I would say that I am sitting in a Lexus or MB SUV. The Z06 interior quality sucks in a major way compared to their flagship SUV. If they can put that in their top of the line SUV you would think they could make the Z's interior more "European-like".

Tahoe M3

Another GM car that has a nice interior is the Saturn Sky...much nicer than the C6 corvette. And that's in a $20K roadster! Why can't they do it in the $45-65K corvette?

amerlemans

I concur entirely. That Saturn Sky blows the C6/C6Z06 away. Not even close in comparison.

allegretto

I think your FJ may be the sleeper out of all of them for everyday fun!