Hey guys,

i am in the market for an lsx powered car. i can not make up my mind. it seems like every 2 days i am deciding on a different car. i had a 2000 trans am years ago and loved it, but had to sell it at the time due to financial reasons. here is my list let me know what you think.

2000+ trans am - found them for around 10-13k with under 30k miles.

99-00 c5 - prices are all over the map. average is around 40k miles for 15k

05/06 GTO- able to grab them for around 15k with under 30k miles


I have cash ready to go but cant decide what to pull the trigger on. i like the gto because its an ls2, nice interior, more of a comfy car..but they are a lil boring on the outside and very heavy. but have seem them do well with mods.

i love the styling of the c5. no back seats is annoying at times but do-able. only gripe is the years that i can afford only have the ls1 motor..which seems a bit slower then the gtos stock.

last is the trans am, mainly like em because they are cheap, parts are all over, but they are a little dated looking to me and rattle alot.


any car i get will be auto, i want to do a stall and bolt ons...dont want to dip into the motor. sorry for the long *** post, just want to see what you guys think.

 

Daily driver or weekend fun? How important is the back seat thing? I'm with you...each has its ups and down. I'd go GTO for DD or either of the others for the weekend car...just my opinion.

 

I'm back n forth in my mind on a '02-'04 C5 Z06..I have a DD that will be paid off soon.

 

I would go with the vette because its probably the lightest of the three. There is always something nice about saying you have a vette. And really how often will you use the back seat.

 

IMO go for the vette its lighter, rides decent, looks better than both T/A and GTO, and and you've already owned a T/A so go with something different this time around the vette and T/A will be faster than the GTO with bolt ons because of weight.

 

I would avoid a GTO for any purpose except for a daily driver. It's appearance is too boring for a weekend toy, and it's too heavy for a race car. But it would make a nice DD.

I'm not a huge fan of C5s, appearance wise, so I'd probably go with the Trans Am.

When I buy a Corvette, it will have to be a C6 or a C4. There is something about the *** end of a C5 that I just plain don't like. Looks too damn big.

 

A C5 shouldnt even be in comparison to a GTO or T/A, IMO.

 

Id vote gto, but Im bias. you can get the weight down on them, I have gotten mine down to 3420lbs. when I go to the track. about 3600lbs. when I dd it.
Yeah I agree, she is not the most beautiful car,lol. but I kinda like the sleeper look.

 

You know, people always say they want the Trans am or Camaro cause they want a back seat, but the only thing that ends up back there is your jacket or hat.

I vote C5

 

GTOs are great DDs. but if you can get a clean low mileage fbody id go for it.

 

GTO C5 Fbody. What i would get in that order.

GTO mainly wins out because of the interior. Not really comparable to the other choices IMO

 

I have had 2 ls1 camaros and have a vette now and the girlfriend has a gto. I got the vette because I wanted something different after having 6 fbodys. As for the gto I just dont care for them and the way they ride. Im not knocking the gto.its just my opinion. As for the vette it is hands down the best bang for the buck. im not regretting anything about the c5. But I miss my SS and if anything were to happen to the vette or I get it payed off I will go back to the Fbody. the vette seems to ride the best also.

 

WS6.

C5's are everywhere and there is nothing visually appealing about them and the interior feels even crappier then the Fbody interior. You can reduce weight on any car.

Second choice would be the 6.0 I think full bolt on GTO would beat both of them out.

 

LS1 Corvette is definitely not the best "bang for the buck". That title goes to the car that offers the most power and performance per dollar. It's possibile that you got a killer deal on your C5, but generally F-bodies are cheaper and (LS1 for LS1) will make the same power and run almost the same ETs. In other words, nothing from GM really beats an LS1 F-body in the dollar for dollar, or "bang for the buck" performance category. Not saying that the C5 doesn't have it's advanatages, but that's not what this category is about.

This is true, but why pay more for a bunch of stuff you're going to rip out anyway then? Plus, you'll have to reduce weight on the GTO just to get down to stock F-body weight, on the other hand you could pull weight from the F-body and be even further ahead. If there was no LS1 F-body, then the GTO would make more sense as a race car option. But the IRS and extra weight put you at a disadvantage from the begining.

The GTO is a lot of good things. It makes a great daily driver with plenty of guts. It's got 4 seats that you can actually sit people in. It has nice leather. BUT, there is no arguement that can be made for a GTO being a *better* drag race platform than an F-body. Not to say that they can't be fast, or that they can't be made to destroy an F-body. But it's going to be more work and more money. So the only reason to go that route is just simply because you want to build that particular car. Nothing wrong with that at all, people build all kinds of race cars. But if you just want to go fast on a budget, the GTO is not your best option.

 

i vote for the c5. those things are sexy as f**k

 

[QUOTE=RPM WS6;12754684]LS1 Corvette is definitely not the best "bang for the buck". That title goes to the car that offers the most power and performance per dollar. It's possibile that you got a killer deal on your C5, but generally F-bodies are cheaper and (LS1 for LS1) will make the same power and run almost the same ETs. In other words, nothing from GM really beats an LS1 F-body in the dollar for dollar, or "bang for the buck" performance category. Not saying that the C5 doesn't have it's advanatages, but that's not what this category is about.

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.

 

I think when most people talk about "bang for the buck" it's in regards to street acceleration. F-body and C5 are pretty much even there, making the cheaper car the best bang for the buck. Few people that buy any car will actually take it to a drag strip, and even fewer to a road course.

 

Vette, resale value trumps the others. Also, Vette buyers generally have plenty of disposable income, so are more likely to pay extra for any mods you have performed.

 

new for new I agree the fbody probally is the best bang. But for the cars he listed for the prices he listed i say the vette is.

 

I've been in this boat before. Depends on what your going to use the car for. But to make sure if I was you, I would test drive all 3, well at least the GTO and Vette since you had a ta. Then make your decision.