Comparison the z to a vette

Modshack

LOL....I'd have to do some serious memory refreshes to answer that, but off the top of my head, from a general level of satisfaction with the car, it's somewhere in the top 10...

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Steal my car! (SOLD)...Now Porsche Cayman S
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ImportConvert

The LS7 has known issues with snapping valves due to the oiling system, and the small contact patch of the valve-guide on the valve-stem. It over-heats and causes problems with guide tolerance on the exhaust side.

I have sat in a 370Z (now) and have sat in Z06's. The Z was much better made regarding interior quality and over-all "feel".

I am not a targa top fan, so the Z06 is the only one in the stable I would consider. ZR1 is slightly outside my budget.

ImportConvert

I had a '95 Trans AM that had 170K it. It ran great to, and aside from the previous owner blowing up the auto trans at 140K, and the heater core dying at 165K, it was great. It's why I bought the 01 WS6. GM is hit/miss. I don't like hit/miss. Japanese work ethic is so much better, and when people CARE about what they are doing, and have a good work environment, and seek employment for life, they are going to do a better job. It shows.

ImportConvert

The older generations (before GenY and GenX) are very brand-loyal people, as a rule. Some people will tattoo a brand name on their arm--literally. I am not subject to this mentality, however, and am loyal to what works. I have owned fords, GM's, and now am getting into imports. Everything about imports seems better to me, from interior, to service, to durability, everything. I drove a 370Z today and was blown away wiht hte feel of the car (except the clutch. Horrible)

ImportConvert

I don't own a Z or a 'vette, but my former roommate owned a 2004 C5.

It had a few quirks. It was quick--about like the WS6 I used to own--which was a total pile.

I rode in his 'vette on occasion. It was decent. Had a sqeak here and there.

I traded my 2001 WS6 for a 2002 G20. I used to be completely in the domestic camp, having owned mustangs and F-bodies and the like. Well I got this little 2002 Infiniti G20, and it had a few issues. MOtor-mounts, etc. With 100K miles I expected it.

It had one electrical issue--ignition component, $50 and 20 minutes of my time to replace.

It had maintenance issues--valve-cover gasket (likes to go out on those cars), cabin filtration system (IT HAS ONE! WOW!), etc. etc. Just tiny things.

One thing I noticed though was how solid it is. How well designed it is. Those metal lines under the hood are coated with something to prevent rust. Etc. etc. It's not so much how it was put togather, it is that it is designed with the thought that it should look and feel and run well AFTER it leaves the lot, not just for 1-3 months sitting up and a test-drive.

A perfect example is the 370 'vert I rode in tonight. WE took it over hella rough roads. BAD stuff. I cringed. It didn't even waver. No creak AT ALL. No cowl shake. Nothing. Performed about like my Trans Am did in the acceleration department. The refinement was amazing. Car had about 10K miles on it alread, and the owner dogged the hell out of it regularly he said.

No, it's not all-out as fast as some of the cars I have been in and played with, but it was definitely peppy, the interior was VERY VERY NICE, and it felt IDENTICAL to the one I drove with 5-10 miles or whatever at a dealer a while back.

It is a different car than the 'vette. I am torn between which to buy, myself--a car no faster than what I used to drive, but inifitely nicer, or a car that is about the same, but hella fast. Decisions--they suck. Different cars, though. I would much rather take a girl out in the Z than in a 'Vette, though, as far as comfort and having a good time (regardless of image, etc. I think the girl would ask "What was that creaking?" A lot less).

Zsteve

Now you do realize you are comparing a 2010 car to 2001 and 2002 cars? So the new 2010 2011vette is way better than the 2004 one in all areas so you probably need to ride in one now to get a good comparison. Most cars come a long way from models from 5 years ago or more.

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2010 LS3 C6 Silver coupe corvette

Mythic

I had the chance to pick up a corvette (used) for the price i gave for my Z new. But what got me is the fact that i see vettes all day long, and there are only 2 370's here in Tifton, mine and my buddies. & the Nismo is much rarer...if i was going for shear speed, i would have kept my V10

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2010 Nismo 370z - Magnetic Black, again
2009 Nismo 370Z SOLD

spearfish25

I just had the opportunity to drive a Corvette Grand Sport 6MT during a Chevy test drive experience last weekend. The interior has been improved and feels livable but not luxurious. The driving experience is awesome though. It pulls much harder than our Z and the steering feel is light and extremely responsive. The new vette is an awesome car, but I can't get over the demographic I usually see driving it. Also, too many vette owners think they have supercars. It annoys me.

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2013 Cadillac V-Wagon, RIP Z

ImportConvert

Been there, done that. Rode in a friend's '08 Vert C6. It was fast, yes, but it had noticable cowl-shake and there were at least 2 different "creaks" I could hear, and this going over MUCH BETTER! pavement than we took the Z on last night. The C6 had 8,XXX miles, was a show-car/garage-queen (hence why I couldn't drive it, his insurance forbid it).

My friend's C5 felt a bit more solid if I recall.

The LS3 definitely has more juevos than the Z, but in every other department the C6 failed to impress me.

I am stuck. Do I want a fast car, or do I want a well-made car? Honestly? I want both--for under/equal 60K MSRP. I don't think it can happen.

GingaBreadMan

You can make the Z faster, you can't make the Vette a better overall car.

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Zsteve

Audi S5

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2010 LS3 C6 Silver coupe corvette

96bigbody

Think some of you forgot you could get a 2002 camaro z28 for 19,000. I bought my SS for 24,000 and my used 2001 ws6 with 5k for 20,000. The f-body's are one of the best bang for the buck cars around and can mod them cheap too. The camaro was in the 12's with just a CAI. My 09 370 was 39,000 and the only mod that gives this car any balls is forced induction. Oh..and my z runs hot..the paint is three different shades of white and if you touch the plastic it scratches.

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09 370z Pw 7at touring sport nav...
02 Som trans am ws7.. 408 & T76
96 black impala ss.. 396 & juice

96bigbody

The new mustang is better overall car than a Z.

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09 370z Pw 7at touring sport nav...
02 Som trans am ws7.. 408 & T76
96 black impala ss.. 396 & juice

shadoquad

ImportConvert

I have owned a loaded 2001 WS6 6-speed. The car was a fast POS. Rear-end, transmission, half the electronics, etc. all **** the bed to one degree or another. Worst car I ever owned. My 95TA was a decent car which is why I bought the 2001. Oh well. Now I drive a 145bhp Infiniti G20 and don't regret the trade one bit. It's not fast, but it handles corners at the same speed the WS6 did, and it isn't a POS that breaks literally every other week.

The MSRP on my WS6 was around 36K, if I remember the sticker rightly. The Z MSRP is around 43K, with similar options.

What does that extra 6K get you???

A hard-top (I hated T's, although mine did not leak because I took care of it correctly, they did rattle on very cold days).
An IRS rear suspension.
A NAV system
A Bose sound system (The Bose in my 2002 G20 still sounds GREAT! My 2001 Monsoon sounded like **** when I got the car in 2006).
Door panels that don't crack.
Syncro-rev (Kinda a wash as I rev-match my shifts fine on my own).
Much better weight distribution
A 7-speed auto (if you like slush-boxes...I don't, some do)
An interior that doesn't rattle and sqeek all the time.
Another almost .1 on the skidpad
Resale that doesn't plummet (Wait, your post covered that...)

What do you give up?

A cam(s) isn't really cost-effective.
Stock/stock they are equally quick, but mod/mod definitely not.
That wonderful LSX motor
A back-seat for a muppet
The ability to say "My car has a 'vette motor" to everyone you meet.

Yeah, I owned a WS6, I like the speed at first, but the car was a total POS and instead of fix the problems it had and slap a cam in it for chump change, I got rid of it for a car I wouldn't hate that was slow as hell. I like my decision. I am a quality-minded person. If speed is all you care about, the LS1 F-body is a GREAT! deal.

Here you go, pix of the offending car (2001 MSRP@36K):





Also, I have gotten more compliments on my G20 than I did on the WS6, which really kindof shocked me. The owner of my gym actually stopped to tell me how much he liked the G20 he owned and how reliable and good of a car it was. Lots of women like it, too. Women never complimented my WS6. Girls did, but never women.

G20 (2002 MSRP of around 22K, and check out the interior...oh, 6-disk and Bose w/tape-deck and in-dash CD player too):



370Z interior:


Yeah...I see where that 6K went right there. IRS and the resale value and all that is just a bonus almost.

Oh, don't forget how crappy the economy is. What would my WS6 cost NOW if we account for inflation, around 45-48K?