TopNotch02

shoot, i paid 6,900 for my ls1 t56 from an older man in the country. saw the deal an immediatly drove 3 hours for it. only had 53,000 miles(57 now). that right there, was the best deal i will ever get in my life.i finally gotta ls 6spd!!!!!!!!!!!!!

SOMbitch

iTrader: (8)

C5 would be my choice.

I love my T/A but the only reason I have one is because I have a couple of young children and am one of the few who actually uses the backseat for something other than somewhere to throw ****. I DD a Z-71 and just found the appearance and weight advantage over a GTO too much to resist.... I am a GTO fan too as my first car was a 68 GTO vert......

Benjamin Russick

iTrader: (1)

It all comes down to what you are going to do with the car.

Daily-driver with occasional 1/4 mile flog? GTO>C5>TA

*****-out 1/4 mile car that sees a rare weekend on the street? TA>C5>GTO

Sunny day driver that will be respectable on any kind of track with mild bolt-ons?
C5>TA>GTO

I've had two of the three and can tell you that you should always have a firm grasp of what you want to do long-term before pulling the trigger...

stunna p

iTrader: (4)

i vote for a vette, f bodys handle like dog ****, vettes handle much better.
also f bodys if your tall can be an issue. me 6'5'. i think i can fit a vette better.

1320n12

Alot of the decision is personal choice if you havent drove all of them thats where u need to start.
I cant comment on the GTO as Ive never drove one but I would never own an F body I dont like how they feel and drive. I just recently got a C5 Vette you really need to drive one to appreciate them. Also now is a great time to buy a C5 the prices arent going to go much lower on them as long as u dont over pay its not going to lose as much value like the others.

'02TA

You can make any car fast, but some cars are more suited to certain duties. More importantly it's about which car looks best to you and your comfort level inside it.
Everybody is different and what is DD'able to one guy isn't to another. I can DD my C5Z just fine but some guys can't. I have a unique perspective because I had an f-body for years and now have a C5Z and my cousin has a GTO that I'm in and drive pretty frequenty. I have a good basis to give an opinion so here goes...

For a DD it's down to personal taste because there all comfortable and drive well but I would say that if I had to put an order to it, it would be GTO>F-body>C5, understand that this is really an opinion case because to me there all about equal

For Strip duty F-body>C5>GTO for obvious reasons

For Auto-X car C5Z>all

For the best all around car that could perform some Strip, Auto-X and street duties I would pick the C5Z...which I did pick and love it

Fatbum

iTrader: (1)

If I could do it all over I would buy a C5 Targa top. I hate the look of the FRCs and Z06s because the *** is so huge. The lightweight makes up for not having the LS2, and its a much better platform all around. I'm sure you can find a modded one for cheap.

Then just buy a beater for 4 seats when you need it. If you only want one car but need 4 seats, then go for the GTO, the quality is way above the f-bodies (in my opinion)

Jazz-LT1

iTrader: (2)

I'd also say C5. Since you're looking for an automatic that eliminates Z06's and FRC's. Still it will keep its value and you can likely find a car with typical bolt on mod's for a good price. The GTO is heavier and like the F-body won't hold it's value as well as the Corvette. The other factor is that when doing performance mods the Vette has a HUGE following and there are more mods for the car than you can even list.

I'm starting to seriously look for a C5 Z06 and expect to be picking one up later this spring.

bigbadjon

a goat looks like its out of an old gran prix...my FRC turns heads all day long and women love it to death. C5 is the the only way to go for me..

USArmyZ28

iTrader: (3)

I still say WS6. It looks like something satan would drive.

Vettes = extremely common.

GTO is really nice too, 6.0 great interior and has great potential to be a DD with bite.

BlkBird2000

iTrader: (10)

Nothing looks better than a ws6. c5s and the gtos look a little to plain unlike the trans am. My car handles pretty decent. Although i've never driven a c5 or gto before.

ta, c5, gto

JD_AMG

They handle like **** stock, yes, and when setup wrong (sportlines for example) yes. Setup right they will easily out handle a stock C5, mine does.

bigbadjon

wow i dont know who was driving that vette you out handled... maybe some old dude that cant drive cuz no straight axle TA witch i would take any day over a goat will not i repeat not out do my c5 with Z51 setup... a friend of mine had one with all QA1 under it ans 19"s and it wont happen sorry. he didnt have anything good to say about and yes it was on a road course...

i like the looks of a WS6 but i feel thats a quarter mile car and mess around with your friends a bit and a c5 and up vette is good all around and im 6'8" and its my dd all summer and i love it...friend of mine is 6'8" also he loves his black c5 to death, a goat is something u get for your wife so when u have to drive it ,its heavy *** is actually fun if thats whats got you parked in at home..lol

Swamp Goat

Original owner of a GTO, so bias is obvious.
If 4 seater a plus, the GTO rear seats will hold 2 full size adults in excellent comfort.
Getting back there is a trick though.
I had Fbods, and know exactly how worthless the rear seats are...

This car was my alternative to a C5Z since I have 2 kids. I can run rings around most Vettes or Fbods, but it was insane stoopid $$ compared to doing an Fbod up. Things like ring and pinion sets, suspension bushings, driveline parts.

I will keep this car forever.

RPM WS6

iTrader: (3)

For you the GTO was a good call, since you needed the seats, but a similarly modded vette or F-body would be faster. Which is why I say that the GTO should only be an option if you actually need the back seat, or just truly like the car based on style/appearance. But if you're planning on building a weekend warrior and seating space isn't a requirement, there is really no reason to pick a GTO over the other two. It's the least desireable platform to build any sort of track car (road or 1/4 mile) out of the three.

00blacka4

iTrader: (7)

buy the trans am...gto is to heavy and not very tasteful...c5 is still just an ls1 and you can get the trans am as light as the c5....im not bias i have a camaro...i bought it because it was lighter than the ws6 and it had 28000 miles..

NC01TA

Whatever choice you make will be a really nice ride. I would not be ashamed to be in any of the three cars mentioned. I personally prefer a car that you do not see every day of the week and I am talking about a T/A convertible. I can go months without seeing another one. I imagine if I lived in FL, TX, or CA I would see a few more. I see a Corvette almost every week and the GTO styling is my least favorite of the three mentioned. Enjoy your purchase whenever you pull the trigger.

Swamp Goat

Agreed 100%. I needed a highway power cruiser, and the GTO build quality, road manners and powertrain design was superior to anything else on the market. (EDIT: in my price range. The M5 was too much cash!!)

Because I am a typical needs-head-examined-gearhead, I had to add few hundred horsepower anyway, overweight pig of a car be damned.

JD_AMG

Well that makes sense seeing that QA1s are drag shocks and down right horrible for handling, while the heavier 19" arn't helping any either. I've driven a base C5 and my car easily handles better because its setup correctly. Get in a 4th gen with proper suspension and you will be amazed, its not the same car by any means.

bigbadjon

Depends on what you are going for here, some people find strait line racing boring. When it comes to all around performance (handling, braking, acceleration) the C5 easily takes the cake.
And unlike the Fbody it wont warp the stock rotors from normal braking, isn't held back by a solid axle, and doesn't have horrible suspension from the factory.
When you're paying more for the Corvette your getting better harwardware, double wishbone suspension, 50/50 weight distribution, and better aerodynamics.[/QUOTE]

lol well YOU said it all rite here...nothing else to say