The area you live in must be seen as a high risk area. To be paying that much with a perfect record at 33 something is up.

I pay $72 a month for full coverage and im 26, with a couple minor violations against me.

 

Definitely check your insurance rates. I was only paying $56/month full coverage on my 2002 Z06 when I was 21. I have the multi-vehicle discount as well as multi-policy. My 2000 WS6 was only $46 a month full coverage through AAA.

I'm 22 now, and everything is still under my name. Most people don't believe me when I say that, but it's true. $56 full on Z06 and $53 liability on my 93 pickup - both listed as pleasure vehicles. Perfectly clean record. Your credit score plays a huge part on your rates (I know it's stupid, but it's true) so I'm guessing that is why my rates are so cheap.

 

E46... to played out, poseur crowd, hella expensive repairs. Hence, women love it big time

STi and Evo, great if your goal is to impress the import crowd, but you won't score points anywhere else. STi also takes some coin to get into the 10's if thats your deal. Evo is a bit better at going places faster. Corner carving, they both roughly cancel out. Fun little daily commuters though, infinitely so with precipitation on roads.

As for the vette, same basic platform, you can still say you have a Z06 if it's a Z06. FRC's are a bit more rare if I recall. And if I can find the latest Corvette magazine, they discuss the value and depreciation of each year of the C5 generation. FRC, Z06; whichever floats your boat; I'd lean a bit towards the FRC as it has lower miles.

I don't know exactly how much you plan to abuse your car or your expectations out of it.
Here's some things I've tried:

Engine & transaxle: don't get an abused one; cant stress that enough. Primary concern: oiling for engine and wheelhop.
Enjoy the unlimited possibilities of a LSx platform. But please please please... don't wheel hop like it's cool. You'll be pissing benjamins that way.

Brakes: some halfway decent rotors and pads is about all that's required, you can splurge for 4/6 piston brakes, but negligible effect for daily driving. Ducting is a good idea as well, homemade or expensive they do the same damn thing with nary a minute difference.

Suspension:
-04 Z06 suspension + sticky tires = damn good performance, you can generate some oiling issues every once in a while depending on track.
-Full T1 suspension + sticky tires = really damn good performance. Expect oiling issues depending on your track. With a competent driver, you'll shock the hell out of a lot of newer cars with a lot higher msrp.

-Coilovers... don't buy into them thinking its worlds better performance. The coilovers have hella better ride quality, so if thats your intent, then yes; I recommend them. If it's performance... wait until you can max out a sorted T1 spec and some tires; then revisit the issue, then expect to shell out a lot more for that remaining tid bit of performance. Otherwise, it's a wash until it's that last iota.
Ask yourself this: Comfort or Raw?

Cosmetics: throw some D's on that *****! Hahaha, jk... if you throw gaudy 20's on it you should be taken out back behind the shed. Classy wheels make or break the cosmetics. You can count lowering as part of the cosmetics as well. lowering is mandatory for a street rod.

and happy car hunting!

 

Insurance will surprise you, make a call and get a quote before purchasing. As stated before by another poster, if you're going to mod like crazy, won't matter which you get; if bolt-ons are about it, do yourself a favor, chip in the extra couple of grand, and get the Z. Performs better in every category. In stock form, it will spank the holy crap out of a coupe.

Good luck, but honestly, you can't go wrong with either! They're both awesome vehicles.


rt

 

The whole reason for this debate is, we all know when you spend less for something almost as good you really feel better and actually enjoy the slower, older version. This will be my pre-graduation present to myself. I am enlisted in the Army and soon to be a contracted Cadet at Penn State. 18 months before commission I am eligable for a $25,000 2% loan through USAA... it is a personal loan so I could spend it on anything. The payment will be $450 per month for 60 months. As a Lieutenant my drill pay will almost cover the note it self and I am sure I will have a decent paying job coming out of there to say the least. Right now I am in a 1998 Accord which I sold my dumdumdumdumdum for and it will be paid off by that time so I will have two cars. I guess I see more piece of mind in spending less, for the older lower mileage example considering they will both get my rocks off anyways.

It is a fixed roof or bust, I don't want a coupe or a vert plain and simple. I'd like to think that FRC's actually feel more solid, not so rattly. I have never driven one though

I've only driven two 1999 A4 Verts, 2001 A4 Coupe and a 2004 zO6 but I never got to get on the zO6 besides a sprint to 10mph over the speed limit... I was in a rich area too so I never really got to dive into a corner or rip it a new one enough to fall in love with it. Where as the Verts and the Coupe I got it on the highway, I drove it normal... I played with it a bittt.

 

If the z is in good condition get the z06.

 

asfdf

 

Nice car Sir, I am currently enlisted up for E-5 but the contract process has started for PSU ROTC. I have my dodmerb on the 17th and 18th and hopefully that goes through, usually the scariest most up in the air part of the contract I think considering they are usually health *****. I am actually going to be paying for my toy with the USAA Cadet loan I am eligable for 18 mo before commission which is junion year ish.

I have also thought of a CTS-V... I wouldnt mind having the extra room but I hear the rear ends of the CTS-V are weak as hell as are other things. That has the LS6 too I think.

I am worried however because when I was on active duty for training my mother did not use my money to pay my bills, she used it for her self and so my credit card was not paid in so long, my car payment and other things through my credit union as well as my star card where neglected for 5+ months as well and I am still trying to clean it up and get it all current. I hope that because my credit is shaky because of all this that it will disqualify me from the USAA Cadet loan.

 

if you are doing H/C, then there is no point in the Z06 unless you REALLY need those rear brake vents or you want to say you have a Z.

i have an FRC and couldn't be happier

 

Like your car in your sig...

 

I have a FRC. If I could have found a nice z for the same price I got my vette I would have bought it. I paid cash because I didnt want to finace or get a loan for any amount, and when I was looking the 02 z06's were still about $28-30K. I had $22k. So they were out of my range.

 

The FRC/Z06 body style is the stiffest, built on the convertible chassis, and then reinforced with a nice B-pillar.

FRC&Z06 > coupe and vert

 

I can't stop looking at your car... do you have any high res you can send me? I want all your good ones. R1ckyB0bbyyy@yahoo.com

 

No man unfortunetly I dont. I want to take some because I just lowered the car, but I want to wait till my wheels get done and the rear fascia is painted to get the whole effect.

You know I started talking about this topic to my wife and came to the conclusion that if I had to do it over again I would probably still get my car. Now if I had $30k I would have probably got a z06, but if the same situation occured over again with the lessend market value of the z06 so close to the purchase price of my car. I would have still gotten the FRC, and just used the left over money to go H/C. Because that is basically what a z06 is right? A H/C FRC...

I change my vote to a FRC. Get the FRC and have fun modding.

 

Your right on the H/C being different. The intake manifold is also an Ls6, the front and rear windshields are lighter, different suspension, and a few other things.

 

I wanted a Z06 so I got a Z06, the FRC can be equal if not better for less money if include the purchase of the car. Also insurance is not bad, I pay $108 a month for full coverage on a 2001 Z06 and a 1999 Silverado and I am 21.

 

The other thing is... what if it's a 2001? and not a 2002 zO6... seem to be different cars. 380hp and first year zO6 quirks vs... the 405hp Z

 

HOLY GOD!!! I WANT UR CAR!!!!!

 

I'm not knocking the z06's at all. I like them, but I feel the only real differences are the heads, cam, catback, ls6 intake, and transmission. Now in my opinion the windshield being lighter is not a big deal, nor is the suspension because that can be upgraded to something better then z06 anyway. You can get better heads, cam, intake, and an equal or better catback. The different gear ratio in the z06 tranny isnt a big deal to me either. Those are just afew of the things I weighed out when chooseing a C5 for myself. If I would have had $26k to spend, I might be driving a z06 just because i could have gotten a newer year/model vehicle. Some of those things I dont consider a "big deal" might be a lot to someone else because they dont plan on changing the H/C/I like myself. What I'm tring to get to is, to each, their own. Or however that saying goes. The way I weight out cost and performance of a vehicle might be different then the next guy. So get what you can afford and what will allow you to mod it the way you want.

Jon

 

USAA Federal Savings Bank
April 08, 2008 Policy Number 1 — XXXXXXXXXXXXX
Policy Term — 12/26/07 to 06/26/08
Total premium prior to savings
Total policy discounts & savings
Premium after discounts & savings $1,260.08
($684.27)
$575.81
This is a summary of your current Auto Policy as of 04/08/08.

Drivers & Vehicles

Name Status Relationship DL # DL Type
BRIAN F ZETTLER Operator Self D00308275 Regular
2003 CHEVROLET CORVETTE Z06 (VIN: 1G1YY12S235104344) $575.81


SORRY EVERYONE I MIS SPOKE.... $95 a month... Not on my parents policy, I have an 03 Z06 I had 1 ticket at the time. I own my car out right so that might help and have 770 credit.