A couple of Z06 Questions

[RS2600]

I have been lurking for a few weeks and finally signed up today.

I am thinking of getting a new ZO6 after being very impressed with the road tests on it in recent magazines (the Forgasm article springs to mind). Not that I dont trust the USA motoring press but......has any of the UK car magazines done a comparison test of the ZO6 against other sports cars?
The ZO6 sounds fantastic on paper but there again so did the Viper and that gets a right slagging off across the pond. I havent mananaged to actually find one locally to test drive but even then its very hard to assess a cars performance on such a drive.

Most of the reviews Ive read have nothing good to say about the interior but I actually really liked it. I got to sit in a silver one in Walnut Creek CA but it was already sold.

Over on another forum there was a thread on the Z06 and many people on there were saying it has horrendous maintenance and insurance costs. Is there any truth in this ?

[Resist]

Maintenance costs are high yes, but all Corvettes are expensive to repair. Insurance costs are no worse than any other car. Do what I've done with all the cars I've ever owned, get a $1000 deductable. Be sure to get glass coverage but don't get towing. Doing my insurance this way has paid off more times for me than not. Just make sure you put the deductable amount away, so it's there when you need it. You save more in the long run doing this.

[DarkHelmet]

"High maintenance" is relative, many folks opt for an extended warranty (try Universal's) and only your current agent can answer the insurance question for you.

The only thing my wife complains about are the plethora of 50-100 dollar mods and the checks to Sal Zaino.

[TexasRedZ06]

Sorry, I don't have any information on UK tests, but if you are looking for sports cars, you should easily be able to compare whats out there just by visiting the competition (Viper, NSX, M3, Cobra, RX8, 350Z, EVO, WRX STI) Really the Z06 doesn't have any competition in its price/performace range at this time. The Cobra is the closest in performance and price....... if you want a Mustang. The Viper is a great car, if you have the extra $35K+ I would say go for it. Actually I kinda like the 2002 and older Vipers over the new SRT. If you want a nice interior, go with the 350Z, RX8 or M3, but expect performance levels below the LS1 'vettes. Personally, I looked at the Cobra, Viper, M3, 350Z, NSX and WRX. I wouldn't trade my Z for any of them, not even the Viper. The interior of the Z does not bother me one bit. Its very functional, easy to clean and easy to work with. I used to have a 300ZX with a great interior, but it was a bitch to clean the velour and smooth plastic stuff.

I have no idea what horrendous maintenance and insurance costs you would be referring to. The only expensive maintenance item is the tires, but no more than any other performance tire in its size and class. The LS6 uses synthetic oil, so oil changes are not $19.95. A lot of us change our own oil, so you can save money there. Insurance costs are the same or lower for a comparable 2 seat Hi-Performance Sports Car. My wife has a 2003 Accord ($20K car) and her maintenance and insurance costs are the same or higher (except for Comp coverage) than my 'vette. And Honda just had a recall on the new Hondas , so I rib her about that.

You are very close to the January intro of the C6, so you might want to hold tight for a few months. You will probably either want the C6 or you could find a Z06 for a better price at that time, depending on how the C6 turns out. Rumor is the C6 will have a better interior and "similar" street performance as the Z06. Expect the C6 to go for MSRP or higher for the 1st year. Currently you can get your choice of Z06 from our fine Forum Vendors for better than $6K off MSRP.