[wanna_z]

I currently own a 99 BMW M Coupe and my lease is about up. I am considering purchasing a 2002 Z06, as soon as the M Coupe is gone. Of course, I want to do museum delivery!

I obviously have strange taste in cars! Just as the M Coupe's looks are controversial, so are the Z06's. People can’t seem to understand why I would select the Vette hardtop body style over the coupe. My take is that I can’t see what the car looks like from the inside and the cars that I like are usually very fun to drive.

Has anyone else gone from a BMW M powered car to a Z06? If so, how would you compare the two?

I had considered just purchasing a new M3 or M Coupe, but I really like the looks of the Z06 and I have wanted a Vette since I was a kid. I have already had an M Coupe and I have enjoyed it, but I want something different for my next car. The M3 is a great car, but I feel like a sports car should only have 2 seats.

My biggest concern about purchasing a Vette is reliability. The only things I have had to do to my BMW are change the oil and perform the recommended service. The last American car I owned had all kinds of little annoying problems and it spent a lot of time at the dealership, so I have stayed away from American cars for a few years. The Z06 would not be my primary driver, but I don’t want a car that I have to take in for service all of the time. I am also concerned about the service a Vette is going to get at a regular Chevy dealership.

Thanks for any comments you may have!

 

[hcvone]

My 2000 convertible has been in the shop less than my 01' M5 has, now the M5 was only in once and the Vette has not been to the dealer. The M5 went back because the center button of the Homelink garage door opener was not working from the day I got the car, not a big deal.

 

[JT-KGY]

Can't tell you how they will compare..

But I am seriously consider buying a 02 Z06 sometime next year...
(Rick? Any problem deliver to CA?)
I currently own a 97 M3 coupe... As much as I love the car,
it also has little problems from time to time, although nothing
major (other than a new tranny recently).

I love the looks of Z06 (though most of my friends dont...)
and love it's super car performance at a reasonable price..
(want to own a 12.x second car in my lifetime...)

 

[Multicar]

2001 M3

My 2001 M3 was a great car, but it wouldn't start right up first thing in the morning and had a strange clunk from the rearend on lowspeed shifting- 2 known problems according to the BMW message board. Also looked as though the rear bumper , or whole rear body panel of the car, was very poorly fit. The dealer was unable to correct these items.

Overall, the M3 was an amazing car in terms of the combination of luxury, looks and performance. It would get my vote as the single car to buy if you're looking for a 4 door high performance daily driver (or maybe a chipped S4).

The Z06 is more raw and exciting to drive- just a completely different approach than the M.

 

[AgentZ06]

wanna_z... I own a 1999 Dinan M3 and picked up my '02 Z06 1 month ago. The M3 is a great car IMO... good looks, comfy, and fun to drive as you know.

The '02 Z06 is a better car in every respect IMO!

It has way more power, looks better IMO, and is in fact more comfortable than my M3... all at a bargain price.

From one M owner to another... get the Z06 and you won't regret it! :cheers:

Good luck!

 

[maverick]

I switched from M car to Z06 also. Had been waiting for 01 M3 for 1 year and decided to get 99 M until recieving 01 model. I drove 99 model and was not impressed drove the Z06 and fell in love with it. I have driven Porsches and M cars since 1988 but this is a much more fun car and is an attention getter for sure.

 

[No Mercy!]

I have an 01 M3 and an 01 Z06. My Z06 is on the mainland m(Texas) getting some mods I have been driving my M3 in its absence. I love the M3. It is a convertible, and here in Hawaii that is pretty cool. It is slower than the M3 coupe but it is a great cruiser. I am thinking about swapping it for an 02 M3 with the "paddle shifters" called SMG II.

That being said. I can't wait for my Z06 to get home!!!!

 

[RFC]

I went from a 99 M Coupe to a 2001 Z06. I did love that car and I thought it looked cool. Too bad resale value is the pits. For me it came down to 1 thing....performance. I like to go to the track and do high speed autoxs and the Z06 is unbeatable. I have never lost (well except once to another C5 but my suspension was bent).

Like you I never had any real problems with the BMW except an out-of-control rear window wiper. The vette had to go in once for malfunctioning 02 sensor but thats it.

Build quality is as good or better on the vette

Materials used (especially the interior) are inferior on the vette

The vette feels a lot bigger and ungainly but weighs only 50 lbs more and actually handles better.

You will shred your tires a lot quicker on the vette

Motor sounds/feels more refined on the BMW but not nearly as powerful

The M Coupe gets more looks

Oh and BTW I like the vette so much I got me a 2002.

Bob

 

[UKZ06]

We actually went from a vette to a Bimmer. Traded a red conv 6 speed vette for a 2001 BMW X5 4.4i. I still curse my dad for doing that daily. Hehe. it was for my mom, gotta take care of her i guess.... But a Z06 is to come. No big deal Later

 

[Z06M3]

I currently have a 99 6spd coupe, an 02 Z06 and was on the wait list for a M3 coupe. I test drove the M3 when the first wave of demos hit the dealers months ago, but was unimpressed with its power. I figured that the car was just not broken in yet and I didn't hit the engine's sweet spot, as the salesman was in the car with me and asked that I not go above 4500 rpm. Last week when I got the *call* that my allocation was ready, I test drove another, fully broken in M3. This time I took the car out myself and hammered the hell out of it, hitting the rev limiter more than once. While it was much faster than my first impression of it, it certainly was not faster than the car I drove to the BMW dealership in, my 99 coupe, which is noticably less powerful than the Z06. It was, however, silky smooth and the stick just slid oh so nice from gear to gear. The end result is I didn't order the car but I left my deposit there for a 03 M3 coupe. By then I might trade the 99 for more of a family sedan, the M3, and still have the most awesome sports car, the Z06. Just my 2 cents.


Steve

 

[z06vett]

I have owned my Z06 since 1963 and really love the car. 210,000 miles and I fix anything that goes wrong on it without a computer. I also owned a 1997 M3, also a great family car but not a sports car. It was fast but still it had 4 seats. So I went the other way and bought a true go fast comforatable car that can handle, a CLK430. I still have the 1963 Z06 but I am considering selling it. I would buy a 2003 Z06 to take its place, I am not getting younger, over 60, and I want a car I can have fun with while I still can enjoy it.