i owned a 2000 z28 for 7 years and it was truly the love of my life. i had invested a lot of time in it but then about a year ago my $3k stereo system was stolen from the car. leading up to that i started to have all sorts of unusual problems and i just decided it was time to throw in the towel.

i live in downtown dallas and i really couldn't use the power the ls1 had that much anymore, so i decided i'd go to something more *practical* (whatever that means) and purchased a 2007 530i. that has got to be possibly the worst decision in my life. yeah it's slow in comparison, but i knew that going into it. however the kicker that really messes with me is that it has a rated 20mpg in the city and i average 15, which is coincidentally less than what i got with the ls1. i'd rather have speed at 15mpg than luxury at 15mpg.

not only that but i've had it in the shop just about every single month since i've had it. i've had 9 different *major* problems including the most recent fuel leak which was pretty serious from a safety point of view. my car is a CPO but the bmw CPO is a joke and i have to cover the fuel problem which will probably be a couple of thousand dollars.

anyway, for probably the last 3 months i've decided i'm done with the bmw as soon as i can move on without losing a lot of money. i've been eyeing the cts-v coupe which i really dig. i don't think it's the most beautiful car but it is quick and unique. but 70k is out of my budget. i'd really like to wait another 2 years when one of those is a CPO and get it for 40-50k, but with my bmw's track record, i may be broke from fixing it by then. i owe 15k on the bmw but paid 29k and got 5k for my radio-less z28. i can't decide what amount of money i could get for the bmw would make it okay for me to move on.

nevertheless, i think i want to go to a corvette. i've always loved them and had i known the experience this bmw was going to be, would have gone to the corvette first and foremost after the z28. and i've come to terms that i need the speed and 4 seats really is useless for my purposes i've found in the last 8 months of owning a sedan. and after owning a POS foreign car, i no longer believe the "domestic cars aren't as reliable as german cars" crap that everyone who owns a german car touts.

i would really like to look at a z06 and i love the early 2000 versions, but i'm just a little hesitant of not getting something CPO. being a previous ls1 owner, i hate to say i'm uneducated on the corvette family and known bugs/problems. are there any particular years i should stay away from, or any particular ones that are better than others? if anyone has any additional insight as to why a CPO may not be that important, please enlighten me.

thanks for any helpful info!

 

Your BMW "ultimate driving experience" sounds familiar. My friends 5 series with the turbo 6 has been a turd after only one month of owning.
I love my 01' Z06 other than the fact it has the piston rings problem. Uses about a quart every 1k miles. A fix will be done this summer though and 430ish to the rear wheels will be the outcome. All year vettes have the column lock issue but it's a easy and cheap fix. Not a whole lot of other gremlins and Corvetteforum can give you tons of info.
I am kind of curious as to what unusual problems you were having with your Z28.

 

I was considering an M3, but I haven't heard any good BMW stories, unfortunately. So I went with the z06. My family and I have owned many, many used cars (GM mostly), not CPO and they have been trouble-free. Absolutely no major problems (none minor that come to mind, either). The z06 has been in the family for a while, I'm just buying from my father. It hasn't had any issues, is a 2002 that he bought in I believe 2005. The car does not get used excessively by any means, but it's been fine regardless. I would not hesitate to buy one that isn't CPO. I think you'll be fine. Good luck with going to a vette, I'm sure you won't be disappointed!

 

BMWs are built like crap. Actually, ALL of the German cars are built like crap. It's not "foreign" cars. Just the German cars. Audi, BMW and Mercedes got the worst reliability ratings you could imagine in the latest independent studies. But not all foreign cars are bad. Nissan (for example) makes an incredibly reliable car. But I totally understand your whoas about it.


Anyway, back on subject, I've had 2 C5 Z06s and I've had very good experiences with them. Keep in mind that these are still "old" cars, though. They will have their quirks too. My first C5Z had 29K miles on it when it decided the ABS module was going to go bad. However, that's a $50 fix. My current Z06 has had a couple weird quirks too, but all of which have been really easy to fix.

One thing to remember with a Chevy is that no matter how expensive the Chevy originally was, it's still a car you can easily fix for cheap in your back yard. Fancy imports are not so forgiving. They're expensive to purchase and expensive to keep. You might as well look at it as if you're "renting" the car since you have to keep pouring money into it and at the end of the day, you've thrown money away. I see $50K BMWs and Audis that lose 80% of their value long before the Corvettes lose 50% of their value. The reason is because the Corvette is built better and if something goes wrong, it's cheaper to fix.

I daily drive my 2003 Z06. I bought it last March with 19,900 miles on it. It now has 32,200 miles on it. The kicker is that I work from home! So I just love to drive and I drive a LOT.

It's a comfortable and super reliable daily driver that has the power to kick *** when you need to and the class to not have to.

 

I would go far to say that all german stuff is crap. My BMW has been mint since I've owned it. Any car can be a shitbox, even a Corvette.

OP, I had a '99 Coupe & '02 Z06 and they were both extremely fun cars. C5 interiors is far from nice and nor relaxing and build quality is "meh" at best. The performance is there but they are not (IMO) a car to drive everyday and I put 10k miles on my '99 in 10 months or so and 6k on my Z in 3 months.

Tony.

 

I totally disagree... My dad, a bunch of my friends and I all drive vettes as our daily drivers. The interior isn't perfect, no. But it's not awful either. A lot of people say they don't like the C5 interior. I personally don't see what's wrong with it. Ever drive an f-body? Now THOSE have shitty interiors. I had 2 F-bodies, followed by a 90 300zx before I bought a C5 and the interior on the C5 is **** compared to those other cars. Sure it's not the interior you get in an Audi A4 or Mercedes or whatever, but the car is also a different class of car.

You want luxury interior, go buy a luxury car. But the Vette is definitely a daily driver. Name any other car that performs in the same class and tell me if you'd daily drive it... I personally cannot think of a single daily driveable same class competitor as the Vette.

 

Anybody can daily drive a C5Z06, not sure what the problem is here. I've even seen people daily drive their C6Z06's. Damn C5Z's get over 30mpg, comfortable and have the ***** to beat the majority of cars on the road today.

The C5's interior is definitely a big step up from a f-body. Never had a squeak or rattle. Car was dead quiet.

Try to find one with lower miles on it, at least a 02-04. The 02-04's have the HUD, the 01's didn't.
Can't say too much about BMW's, almost bought a Z3 when they came out. Tho I have talked to a few techs at mercedes and they say the car are junk. Always in the shop.

 

^I daily drive mine with custom cam. OP I think you will be happy with a Z06. Like the above said good on gas if you keep your foot out of it and a solid car.

 

thanks for all the responses, guys. well i think my first preference would be an 08+ ls3, and i don't know if i fully understand why people say the cars *wouldn't* be good as daily drivers. is it because of mpg? too cramped to drive? too rough a drive/hit speed bumps, etc? i had my camaro lowered and i hit every speed bump and that's one thing i do enjoy not having to worry with on the bimmer. however, i get worse mpg in my bimmer, so i'm not too concerned with that anymore.

for me at this juncture it's more about the money predicament. i feel like i could hold on to the bimmer a year or two more (provided the maintenance costs don't destroy my bank account) and sell it and lose *less* money via depreciation than if i sell it now after only having it 8 months. out the door i'm losing 7k if i trade it in or sell it right now. i guess i'd have to find an ls3 that's a really good deal to make that trade worthwhile.

thoughts?

 

If I were coming from the BMW, I'd have a hard time going to C5. The C5Z is a great performer, but the interior was only marginally better than my 2002 SS. It would feel like a step backwards to me. The C6 is a nicer ride.

The 08 with the LS3 is sweet, but if your near stock HP 2000 Z was basically fast enough for you, a 2006 or 2007 vette will probably be just fine and cost less than an 08. It has more HP and less weight than your Z so it will be noticeably quicker. I don't like the base suspension, so I'd pick up a Z51 or F55 and tweak it from there.

 

Coming from an F-body, the C5 interior was worlds better. I've been in plenty of BMWs and I honestly don't like their interiors at all. Especially all the red lights and gauges. But to each their own.

The C6 is built better than the C5. They'll have less problems. I wouldn't buy an LS2 C6, though. You're basically throwing away money IMHO. A C5Z is faster than a LS2 C6, handles better, and the main benefit to buying a C6 is the LS3.

If you're going to buy a Vette for performance, get a C5Z. If you want a cross between performance and comfort, get a 08+ C6. The difference between the LS2 and LS3 is incredible. The head technology alone makes it a big step up. LS2 manifold sucks as well... Also, if you plan to mod, all the best mods are coming out for the LS3-type ports.

If you buy a LS2 C6 (2005-2007), you're going back to cathedral ports, a shitty manifold, weaker diff (2005), active handling issues, and so on. You might as well go back to a C5Z and get the better heads, intake, diff and suspension.

Just my 2 cents.

 

C5 , C6 , You can't lose with either. Both incredible cars ...If you want the extra power , go for a Zo6. I've had 2 C5's and now own a C6 , But would be happy with either model.

 

I thought the TA had red (or reddish/orange) gauges. IIRC, red light has less eye burn-in for night time operation. We had red gauges for marine use when my parents had a boat.

 

Yep... The pontiacs have red gauges... I always hated that.

 

You can always dim them. I kinda like the red though.

OP, you may want to hunt for used vettes at BMW dealerships. You may get the most on trade that way. Good luck.

 

After test driving a few Vettes lately, I've come to realize they are light years ahead of the Fbody in terms of ride build quality. No comparison IMO.

Here's a beautiful low mileage 2003 C5Z at a Acura dealer in Van Nuys Ca.
I've considered buying it but I am holding out because this car is extremely modded and came from an auction.

Worth looking at however. It's fast as hell and real clean inside and out.

See thread --> https://ls1tech.com/forums/corvette-...ra-dealer.html


Not saying I don't still love my Firebird, it's been and still is a great car.


.

 

again, thanks for all of the responses. i have found an 08 vette that is listed for 19.5k. the car has always been garaged, clean title, m6, and only 2,300 miles on it. it is 2LT and has the Z51 package, so i think the only thing it is missing is the HUD. it sounds like a joke, but i talked to the guy and he needs cash fast. he had it listed at 36k and waited two weeks on a buyer that finally could not get approved for a loan. he is looking to sell it in the next couple of days to someone that has cash in hand.

well, i am seriously interested in this car, and i do have that kind of cash available if need be. i'm leery of the prospect of buying a $20k car and still owning a $20k+ car, but at least it is only 1 car note (bmw) until i sell it. i feel tho financially that may not be the best decision, just because i have no idea how long it will take to sell the bmw. also i'm still a little curious about the car. the deal sounds sweet if you have the cash, but there sure are a lot of scams out there that are complex only to look legit, but are really scams.

he uses a process called google checkout where you can inspect the car, drive it, get it inspected or any combination of those for up to 7 days before you buy. does any of this sound fishy to you guys? for 19.5k, a basically brand new vette, that is a steal. even if i lose $10k on the resale of my bmw, i'm coming out ahead.

just for kicks i googled "google checkout scam" and there seem to be several car-scam stories. looks like most of them pertain to someone that is out of state and cannot go physically see the car in person, so they wire the money and then plan to see the car later, only to find there is no car.

http://www.google.com/support/forum/...9dc5236c&hl=en

after reading that, i emailed him and told him i was only an hour from him (which is true), and asked to go look at the car. if he emails me back, i think the story will start to check out, but otherwise if i don't hear from him or if he demands to go through the google checkout process only, i think it's safe to say it's a scam.

 

19.5?! That sounds too good to be true. If it is real, though, the that's a ******* steal of a deal. The HUD can be added later (BTW). And believe me you want the HUD. I don't like to drive other cars now because the HUD is a magical thing.

But seriously, if the car is actually $19.5K, I would do it right away. The LS3s are no joke. C6s ride a bit better than the C5s in terms of comfort. The only draw back is that they're more tame in comparison. You'll get less feedback from the road and so on. But I've run door to door with them. They're fast. Believe it. Mash the gas and away they go.

 

well i emailed the guy and told him i wanted to physically see the car before i got involved with his google checkout process, and he did not respond to me (or has not). the more i think about it, the more i'm pretty sure it is a scam. if he needs cash that badly, it makes no sense he would turn down a customer with cash in hand that wanted to circumvent the google checkout process. cash is cash. i could have driven there today with the 19.5k and i'd have the car by now, and i made that pretty clear in my email i could do that if i turned out to be interested further once seeing the car. if he does not respond to me (and it doesn't look like he will), i'd say it's a scam.

 

Correct. Good work on avoiding a head ache. I'm not saying that it's impossible to find a super awesome deal out there, but the odds of finding a good LS3 for less than 25K are slim.

I bought my first Z06 at a super amazing deal back in 2008. The guy was originally asking $36K for it. He wasn't getting any bites so he eventually ended up putting it up for $23.5K. I told him I wanted it, but after a ton of work with my bank (had shitty credit at the time), I was only able to come up with $21K (including money for tax). I told him I had $19.5K for the car if I was going to afford the taxes on it, and he said he'd take it without hesitation. WHAT?! I was prepared for disappointment. Well, I ended up getting a super mint condition Z06 with HRE 540R wheels for $19.5K and the interior still smelled like new car since the car was never driven at all.

So the deals are out there. But an LS3 at $19.5K would be a ridiculous deal.