This ones too easy.....

In 2002 the order was like this at GM....

Top dog....Z06....12.4 at 116......55K

Next........C5 coupe......13.3 at 109.....50K

Next........SS camaro.....13.5 at 106.....32K

Last.........Z28 camaro....13.6 at 105....29K


These numbers are about the average magzine numbers that I saw in 02....They can all be faster/slower depending on driver and track..

The prices can all vary depending on options.....

As you can see the camaro is roughly 20 grand cheaper than the C5...

THATS A HUGE DIFFERANCE IN STATURE....

Any thing you read will say thet got the C5 to have a quicker ET and mph than the SS camaro.....

Usualy 2 tenths and 2 mph.....

The C5 is 300 pounds lighter but the Camaro gets a tenth back from the solid rear vrs IRS and also .05 tenths from usualy dynoing 5 rwhp higher on the dyno due to the same solid rear vrs IRS....

So in truth...If the Fbody driver is good and knows how to get the most out of his rear....

THERES ONLY A 1.5 TENTH DIFFERANCE BETWEEN THE C5 AND SS CAMARO...

PRETTY MUCH A DRIVERS RACE EVERYTIME...


Now with that being a said......With the camaro all your getting is the Vettes LS1.....

Your getting a 160 mph top speed vrs 175....

Your getting a car that everyone has had vrs a car that everyone someday wishes they had....

Your getting a car that will fall on it's face on a road course vrs one that will hold it's own agaist the best of them under 120K


* Heres the best way I can put it.....At my local track that I go to 2-3 times per month....

Theres usualy 10-15 different F bodies there...

Usualy only me or maybe two of us Vette guys...

Some of the camaros run 11's...On Nos with boltons...

I just run High 12's low 13's W/ stock LS6 heads a air intake and 224/224 cam on my 2.73 automatic.....

Who's car do you think everyone comes and looks at and takes pictures of....

The camaro they saw 15 of so far that day on the road.....Or the Vette they see once everyother day....

The camaro that looks just like every other car.........

Or the C5 with the reverse opening hood ....Beautiful engine lay out and brake lights that tell it's History in a glance.....



I JUST THINK IT'S FUNNY WHEN I SEE THESE POST....

Your comparing a 25-33 K car against a 45-58 K car.......

Theres really no comparison.....

That kinda like comparing a C5 to a maserati...

Sure the C5 is as fast as the maserati......But the Maserati cost double for a reason....

 

Its not about the money. That just makes it take a lot longer. My decision was based on when I was about 10 years old. The Corvette was it. Period. All the astronauts in the seventies drove Corvettes. 30 years later I buy a C5 with 130,000 miles. Ya' Baby!! A Vette' in MY garage.

 

Exactly my thinking and what has me convinced at this point to go with the vette. S2000 is a great car in the twisites but parto f the reason for me getting a new car is I want some more power. S2000 is just going to be lacking for me.

I guess the main reasoning behind even asking is that I was being impatient. Right now because of some bills I have a price limit of 23k or so. That either saids a 97-99 vette with a fair amount of miles on it or a low mileage 02 ss camaro with some money to do cams and things. If I wait to April I can raise that limit to 30k easily maybe higher depending how are april sale goes which means I can get a nice 01 or 02. Maybe come spring the 02 Z06 will be in my range.

Now here's something that has me thinking at this point. If your planning to modify particularly cams and what not wouldn't it be better to get a lower mileage and newer c5 then go with the z06? Seems like if your going to modify the car not much reason to get the z06 unless you want the hardtop. Shrug maybe I'm missing something but seems like yo ucould get lower mileage car and have more money for mods.

Anyway thanks for the opinions. Reminded me why I want ed a vette in the first place and no reason why I should get impatient and not wait another 8 months to get a car I'll truly be happy with.

 

You could by a vette with less that 40k miles on it easily for 23K. If your buying an F-bod I'd do an 01 SS you could probably pick one up for quite a bit less than 23K.

I know where you can get a bad *** SS with less than 19k miles on with a list of mods that would impress anyone and probably close if not over 500rwhp NA for around that price.

 

23k is my limit not something I really want to reach right now. Maybe in two weeks it will be different when we finish up the big sale right now.

The vette is definitly what I want. Well provided my test drive goes good but from everything I've seen it's the best car out on the market for me. The quesiton is though do I get a Z06? or do I just get a nice condition FRC with under 40k miles and mod it ?

I guess we'll see if I have 4k after the sale to put down on the car I might do it but that means I have to drive the vette in the winter this year. Can always get a ride to work though if it's snows or roads have salt on them. Fortunatly the owner of the stores lives across the street from me.

 

My advice on the Z06 is this. If your going to mildly mod it, like H\C and headers then I would go Z06.

If your going to go all out and do everything to the car, I'd probably find a 98 with low miles in good condition or an FRC (I like the looks better)

My car will have a power adder and some new shocks pretty soon but thats about it. At least in the near future. JMHO.

 

I thought the main different from the Z06 and C5 H/C anyway?

Pretty much all I plan on doing anyway is a H/C all I really want is low 12's on street tires. Probably upgrade audio if it's bad as I hear other then that.

 

NOOO there is quite a bit more than that. Its been gone over a hundred times. The big difference for me was the different gearing in the transmission and the heads which with headers and a Tiny cam have made over 400rwhp on my car

The suspension is quite a bit different
Brake pads
Thinner windshield
No sound deadning
Light strong wheels with GY SC tires
Exaust manifolds
Intake

Thats just the stuff off the top of my head there are other differences as well.

 

haha... someone was quoting magazine numbers and top speeds. I've had my camaro over 160, how fast have you had your vette?

The ZO-6 has a lot of differences from a regular corvette, I thought the same but was correctly corrected.

 

Well pads and stuff are small things but suspension I didn't realize it was that much differtent. Thought it was the same as the z51. I guess I'll need to look it up. Main thing that worries me is the lack of sound deadning. I don't see the need to drop 200pounds on a car like a vette just to get that .1 second more on the 1/4. I'm not to big on rediculously noisy sports cars. don't see the need to give up to much creature comfort especiall yfor a car that I would put a good 10k on a year. I guess I'll pull up the website with the differences of the vette years and models and take a look at them. Best thing to do thought soudns liek to test drive a Z06 and regular c5. I've found a few zo6 with under 30k miles for about 29k which is nice.

Sounds like I need to test drive though.

 

I would have to agree with the people who said the cars are different..

The cars are really different. They both, for the most part, have the same goal; which is "haul ***". The camaro will satisfy those needs cheaper than the vette, but the vette achieves a satisfaction that you just dont find in an f-body (at least i havent) The F-bods are really cool/fun cars no doubt, but once you expirence a Z06 i think 85-90% of the people will not want to be without. I dont even own a Z06, but evey now and then we get one at our dealership, and i am lucky enough to take it for a short cruise. Once you get back in your f-bod, you realize how nice the vettes really are.

 

I had a 03 coupe with the Z51 suspension and I traded it for my 04 Z06. The Z06 has the FE4 suspension which is a lot better than the Z51, but does ride rougher (no surprise there). The most noise in a Z06 comes from the rear tires, so if you buy a rear partition that seperates the trunk area from the cabin area, that is eliminated. The Z06 also has wider tires front and rear, and a better tire compound ( runflats on reg C5 vs F1 supercar tires on the Z06). The Z06 has better flowing exhaust, titanium cat back system. In fact there is no reason to replace the Z06 titanium cat back unless you want more noise or unless you have a 427. I am running Long tubes with high flow cats and a 3" x-pipe with the stock cat back and put down 411 rwhp with a cam and exhaust and underdrive pulley. I have seen the Ls1 C5s with heads and cam putting down similar numbers, which says a lot about the LS6 heads. So in summary, the Z06 can save you money on heads and a cat back system! Also the transmission is geared lower, which equates to around a 3.80 rear diff vs the LS1 C5 trans with the same 3.42 rear end gear. So it is like having gears from the factory in 1st thru 3rd without sacrificing top end speed. The Z06 gives up a few amenities, like telescoping steering, adjustable bolster, removable tops, tire pressure monitors, etc. But it is targeted for performance enthusiasts, so it is not for everyone. I don't miss any of the features I gave up for the Z06. The clutch is better on the Z06 due to factory hp difference, and it is lighter than a coupe or conv. Also the Z06 has rear brake ducts to cool the rear rotors. I could go on all day, but I will spare you all of the details.
I will give you one last example, Both me and my uncle had a 03 coupe. I sold mine and got a Z06. I added cam, headers, x-pipe, under drive pulley & computer reprogram. He added cam, headers, x-pipe, under drive pulley & computer reprograming AND stage 2 heads, Corsa cat back and convertor. So I put down 411 rwp and he put down around 380+ rwhp. He does have a auto though which hurts rwhp some. With a 6 speed he would have around 400 rwhp with that setup. But I didn't buy heads or a cat back and don't need a convertor and my car is still faster. So there is a lot to be said about going with a Z06 as far as saving money on things that are already better than a C5 coupe or conv. Mainly suspension, tires, heads, catback and gearing to name a few. OK I'll shut up now...LOL!

 

Shrug well I happen to come across a beautiful 00 Coupe with onhly 25k miles on it for a very nice price of 24k. Need to call the owner to find out what options it has and to go take a look at it. however if the pictures are any indication to how nice it is then I'll sacrifice quite a few options like hud that I can add on my own anyway. I want a Z51 suspension might even sacrifice that at this point. I don't think I've seen a cleaner vette for a fairer price.

Now if I can just sell my car in the next week or two lol.

 

If it doesn't have the Z51 suspension, then if you upgrade you can go with the FE4 suspension.

 

exactly what I was thinking. I can always upgrade the suspension I can't always fine the perfect used vette. And the color exterior and interior are one of my top 3 choices. beautiful car at least in pictures.

I prefer to have active handling though as I can't ugprade it. And the memory seats seem to be a big benefit on keeping the leather intact.

Sound bose would be nice but I have a JL 12w7 and jl amp + some JL 6.5 xr's and a alpine head unit I can put into the car already if need be.

Shrug can't think what other options would bhe improtant that I can't add anyway like HUD which I do want.

For a one owner vette at that price in show room condition it's tough to pass up. I'd really like to sell my car before I do it but if test drive turns out good I guess I'll shoulder two payments for awhile. Wasn't even going to buy one yet but at this price I don't see how I can pas it up. Goign to give him a call this weekend and see what the deal is. Thank god I've had a good month sales wise and this major sale were havign is goign good least. I'll be set to go money wise come november.

 

The reason I posted magazine times is because they have less variables...

They had the same drivers on the same days at the same track..

They had actual GPS equipment to tell what the top speed was..

The car really WAS showroom stock.......

Most magazines say 4.6-4.9 0-60 mph and 13.1-13.4 W/ a top spedd of 171-176 for the C5

Most magazines say 5.0-5.3 0-60 mph and 13.5-13.8 W/ a top speed of 158-161 for the camaro...

You cant go by top speed from your speedometer...

My speedometer has said I was in the 170's twice and in the 160's many times...And in the 150's ATLEASTE once every two weeks...

But unless it's actualy GPS verified you have no idea how fast you were really going...

Just take the example of your speedometer at the track.....What it says when you cross the line and what your timeslip says are usualy different...

In my case usualy 2-3 mph....I can imagine at 170 plus mph it's off by atleaste a good 5 mph.....

Then theres also the road and degree of hills.....The magazines take these cars to perfectly straight and level test courses/ airplane strips.....

Even a 1-2 degree decline that you wouldnt even notice would give your car a considerable push...Or visa versa with an incline..


Now back to the 1/4 mile magazine times I posted.....

EXAMPLE....The fastest stock 02 Z06 at my track here in Hawaii has only went 12.7 at 112 mph...

There are tracks in the mainland where stock C5's have went 12.6 and stock camaros have went 12.9

Dose that make C5's and camaros as fast a the Z06? Heck No!!!!!

They were just freakishly strong for stock and ran on quick tracks...That same Z06 that ran the record of 12.7 at 112 at my track would go to the same track were the camaro ran 12.9 and run an 11.9...

This is exactly why you cant compare stats over the net...

So lets say you take both a stock C5 coupe and a stock SS camaro to the same track and one is a little quicker than the other...

It still dosent mean anything cas there is still a huge variable...THE DRIVERS

The magazine test eliminate all the variables....

And if all the different magazines are testing and pretty much saying the same thing then it's probaly true.

So I stand by my origional post that that C5 has a 10-13 mph top speed advantage...And a 1-2 tenth advantage on the strip.

The fact that the camaros 20 grand cheaper and still comes so close in straight line performance will always be hard for Vette guys to accept..

The vette has a slightly higher mph 10 a typical 108 vrs a typical 105

But the camaro is much better suited for launching and makes the differance up right there....

ANYWAYS.....There both nice but I do think the money part is important....

Money means stature......When I see someone pull up in a camaro...I think nice car...32 K

When I see someone pull up in a Vette I think nice car and he must of done somthing right...55K

When I see someone pull up in a Viper I think Nice car.....Must be loaded....82K


People are talking about how cheap C5's are right now when you can get average mileage 98's for 20K...

How many people actually have 20 K to just go put down on a car?

The people who normally do have money like that would just go buy a 04 or 05...

Most people who are buying these 20K 97's and 98's are financing them....Most banks wont go more than 2-3 years for a 97 or 98....

Your payments are still gonna be around 700$....

These cars arent cheap no matter what the year....

You go finance a 2001 or 2002 camaro for 17 K and not only are you 3K cheaper...You can also finance for 3-5 years...

Your payments could be in the 300-400 range....

I know youve got the money for your purchase.....But to the average person who finances even a 97 C5 would be a hard task for them to afford.

 

Dude you need to find a new bank. Not saying anyone should finance a car for more than 3 years, but I financed the 98 vert for 5 years at 6% interest because I don't want my wife to think she can trade it in anytime (expensive mindgame but one nonetheless)

So there are financing options out there, EVEN MORESO for cars like vettes, BMWs, Ferrari's etc. Shoot when I was 20 and had no credit I got my 70 LT1 roadster Ford credit financed me at like 12% 4years at the time I could not have gotten a NEW car for a much better rates.

 

Good luck with your purchase, I hope you can find the car of your dreams. When I am driving mine, it is like being on drugs or something because I'm on a high just being behind the wheel. It doesn't matter who is or isn't faster, only that I am enjoying the driving experience.

 

thanks I haven't even talked to the guy yet. But I came across this car last night at 1am. And I jsut can't get it out of my mind and the price is beautiful. I'll prob only have a 2grand to put down on it but whatever start of new year I'll throw another 6k down and refi it.

Going to give the owner a call and see what I can do.