Just another data point...I felt that the Turbo was better for me in the following terms - steering feel at all speeds, the feel of each individual driving control and the balance of these controls relative to each other, the confidence it provides at all speeds, all weather performance, daily practicality (including the two rear seats for my kids and better turning radius), sight lines from the driving position, it's "smaller" look to the "edges" from the driver's seat, it didn't feel like I was sitting in a tub, interior and exterior looks, build quality, warranty, and dealer service.

 

Exactly! Plus is FAST AS HELLLLLLLLLLLLLLL! and GORGEOUS!

 

The Porsche's steering feel is better at speed, too, but the advantage is less than at slower speeds.

With regards to controls, I never liked the Turbo's shifter. Its throws are long and the mechanism feels cheap. The Z06's feels more robust, has shorter throws and better shift stops.

I really don't get the "sitting in a tub" feeling in the Z06, though I do in the Viper. The Porsche's rear and side vision is better, but the Corvette is not hard to see out of.

Exterior looks... well that's really subjective, but I think the Z06 looks much more exciting without being a boy racer. Let's face it, the newer Turbos don't have the looks of the old. They're too conservative. If that's what you want for every day use, great. I don't use this car every day.

The powertrain warranty on all 2007 GM products was just increased to 5 years or 100K miles. Not too shabby.

Dealer service... well that's hit or miss for both brands IMO. My local Porsche dealer couldn't fix easy things sometimes. They also chose to ignore a defective clutch that caused problems. I had to go to another dealer 50 miles away. Luckily, I live near one of the biggest Corvette dealers in the country... they've worked on a few Corvettes!

In the end, it's what car you desire, which idiosyncrasies you'll tolerate and, most importantly, if you have fun in it the thing. It seems like PorscheC4 is a die hard Porsche lover - judging by some of the posts of his I've read - and thinks Porsche can do no wrong, is the end all sports car, etc. I don't feel this way. You can't change most people's minds about anything, especially something they're passionate about, and that's not what I tried to do here. Just what I thought was an interesting comparison from an owner/previous owner of both.

 

Yea, I am pretty much a die hard Porsche fan, also a diehard lambo fan as well. i like what i like because what I like excites my senses. i guess thats really the point youre trying to make in your post. and thats what i was trying to make in the post before. everyone likes something unique to their own tastes. we come here to share something we all have in common, a love for the P car. of course there are man others here but we still all share that passion.

 

Just to comment on the whole 'Porsche can do no wrong'. i dont think Porsche is perfect per say(i.e. putting sunroofs on the new 997 GT3), but i do however feel that amongst the high end car makers they(prob along with lambo) do THE MOST right. they give you a top of the line car, performance that everyone still sees as a benchmark some 40+ years later in the cars heritage, they give you luxury(which is one of the the things the corvette seems to miserably fail at, and IMO does), they give you exclusivity(although production has been keeping up with the everlasting and CONSTANT demand for theese cars) and they give you a look that is just plain out of this world IMO. when i see a P car in a pic, etc it looks amazing, but seeing one, and most importantly, driving one excites all senses.

 

Sometimes trying to do the most well or satisfy too many people isn't necessarily a good thing. "Let's make it fast, but make the power delivery tame enough for everybody". "Let's make it quiet enough so it doesn't bother anybody (this aimed mostly at the Turbo)"... etc., etc. Porsche is the king of the satisfy everyone sports car. Obviously, they want to appeal to the most customers they can, but it's the enthusiast who sometimes suffers. Porsche is not the only company who does this, of course, but IMO they're one of the biggest offenders. This excludes the GT cars.

For me, the Turbo (in stock condition) was a neither here nor there sports car. It wasn't an exciting enough nice day or Sunday sports car. For me, the Z06 has more character... it's certainly no Zonda F, but it's got character.

The Corvette fail at luxury, and miserably?? What other luxury items could a person want in a sports car? There's Nav, mp3 CD, heated seats, auto climate control, memory everything, on board computer that tells you all kinds of engine, fuel and tire pressure info, heads up display, etc. No, it doesn't have a leather lined interior, but $$$. Bottom line... I like Porsches and will likely buy another, but in the mean time I don't feel shorted in the Z06. I know what qualities the Corvette lacks compared to the Porsche, but in certain ways the Porsche is also lacking.

Hopefully the future will bring even more exciting and desirable sports cars.

 

Having leather and nav and auto climate control does not equate to luxurious. Anything you touch inside the car and tactile feel of every button or switch is cheap in the Vette - on purpose of course to reduce costs and to deliver such a bargain. Thats what I mean when I say luxurious. Think leather quality, quality of the soft touch plastics etc.

 

I do agree somehwhat, but then again, the car is 70K. Some of the features I liked, such as the door opening buttons, the heads up display etc. What got me was that the interior of the Z06 still feels better than the Ford GT, which is horrible inmo. On the ford, you can push the dash in with your fingers.

 

I agree with the what youre agreeing with from gmoney's post. BUT, looks at a Cayman S, a Boxster S, an M3. Those are all 60-80K cars as well, and are MUCH more luxurious than a vette. i think mainly its about keeping costs and weight down because this is what makes the vette fast. the fact that is all made of plastic and a lot of it. Porsche, lambo, ferrari, they give you performance, looks, sound, and dont really skimp too much.
ROB, as long as you are happy with your car, thats great! to each his own and you found something you like, and thats all that matters.

 

I've got news for you, unless you get full leather in a Porsche (I know it's standard in the Turbo), the standard dash and door material has nothing over the Corvette. In fact I think the Corvette's dash and door material is a little nicer. Soft to the touch with a nice matte finish. The C6 switch gear feels quality enough and Porsche isn't using much better (the C5 switch gear was much worse). The leather and structure used for the seats certainly isn't the best and not of Porsche quality, but I've definitely seen worse. That's an area for improvement. Nicer seats would go a long way towards improving the Corvette interior's overall quality feel.

The Corvettes center console plastic isn't the best, either, but a factory painted console is available (cheap, too - $395 for gauge cluster pods and center console).

The Corvette certainly drives well, though. It feels tight and substantial. 997 rigid? Probably not, I only drove a 997S one time. If feels as rigid as the 996, though.

Bottom line... the Corvette's quality is much better than before, and almost just right. A few tweaks and...

 

I'll respond once more and then leave it alone, this is a Porsche forum and not the right place to toot the Z06 horn. With regards to the cars you mentioned in the Z06's price range, come on, they aren't on the same planet as the Z06 performance wise - in any category - or MUCH more luxurious. Somewhat, yes.

The Z06 is ALL made of plastic?? Try carbon fiber fenders, magnesium engine cradle and roof structure, titanium con rods, aluminum frame, etc. There's a dry sump system and six piston front brakes, too. There's money spent there.

I am happy with the car, thank you. I'll probably also be happy with whatever Porsche I buy in the future. It's all good!

 

I owned an '05 C6 (I know we are talking Z06 here but just humor me..the interior, fit/finish is the same as the C6) for a little over a year. It was my first Vette ever. I will admit the 400 HP and 400 ft lbs of torque was wonderful.......at first. Shortly thereafter, I realized what I gave up in feel, fit/finish, style in my M3 was not there in the Vette and it was more important than the sheer raw power of the Vette. To me the vette had a great amount of numbness with no "tires to steering" responsiveness at all. The interior was straight out of a Tupperware catelog. The control/radio ***** resembled a hupcap off of a '78 Buick. The thing that really got me was when I washed around the taillights, the entire bumber cover caved in about four inches. At that time my wife was standing behind me and her comment was "Yeah, that makes me feel real safe riding in that thing"...Long story short, I currently own a Porsche and will for a long time. No more Vettes for me.

 

I just spent the weekend at PIR Raceway with my 07 z06. I did not get passed by any porsches but passed many. Other than the cgt no other porsche will touch this car at the track sorry.

 

You seem pretty sure of that...you didn't run against the 997TT did you? Could be a close one.

 

No one can discount the performance of the Z06. Its world class albeit in a raw, cheap, plastic kind of way.