Just asking what would you prefer to buy? They are asking this same question in the porsche forum . I told him come in this forum and ask the same question. I think both cars are great.

 

That's a really tough question. Both are great cars, the C6 most likely will be less in price and depreciate quicker. Bang for your buck factor the C6 is hard to beat. As far as upgrades the C6 would need wheels, tire, suspension and brakes. That's an easy $20k.

The 996 TT, would need suspension, wheels, tires, good set of track brake pads and you would have a fun all around street or track car for around $10k in upgrades.

Just my thoughts on this, completely different cars, front naturally aspirated V8 VS. rear flat six turbo. I personally don't care for turbo cars for driving on street or track, just don't like to wait of the turbo to spool up, the torque of a V8 with the instant power is a great feeling!

 

if you get the vette make sure its an 08+. LS3 is a great motor

I would go with the vette

 

uhh...no

suspension - 2-3k
wheels/tires - 4-8k
brakes - 2k

thats 8k on the low side (depending mostly on how crazy you get with the wheels) and 13k on the high side.

No where close to 20k "easy"

coming from a c6 z06 owner.....it will depend on whether your looking for an upscale, refined, comfortable, well put together, high performance sports car or a ***** to the wall, raw power, non refined sports car with a inexpensively mod-able platform with high HP capability for minimal $$

thats my 2

 

Both are fun cars once you start modifying them, but stock I would give it to the Corvette. Especially if you choose a Z06. Also with Z06 their is no real need to upgrade the brakes or suspension, wheel choice is up to you. However, a 996 TT with 500+ whp makes for a very fun car, plus they have nice interiors. You have a tough decision ahead of you, best of luck.

 

the corvette ONLY if its a z06...

if not the porsche.

 

996 turbo is a beast and cheap right now
Plus they are indestructible

 

For what? Daily driver / weekend warrior or track car? I'd choose the 996TT for the former given creature comforts and C6 (Z06 preferably) for the bang-for-the-buck mod-ability.

 

Zo6 for sure as far as which corvette considering .

 

If I was looking for a garage queen and had money to blow I'd get the 996. If I was looking for something I wasn't afraid to take to the track and drive the wheels off of day in and day out I'd get the c6. It's amazing what Chevy has transformed this vehicle into over the past 15 years. Can't wait to see the next generation.

 

The 996 is an older model. Nice but still dated. The corvette (i'm a little bias) is a great car. Mods will make them even better. Let's not fail to mention that the C6 will likely still be under factory warranty and that will help when it comes to unexpected repairs.

 

A few ideas and thoughts in random order:

Get the newest car you can afford.

Warranty is king

Twin Turbo vs pushrod V8... Turbo cars are more proned to little issues like boost leak and what not. The older they get, the more they do it.

I'd only consider a C6 Z06 or a late 996 or early 997.1 Turbo.

Older Porsches don't love super low miles, they like to be driven hard, so the catch is finding the right balance of low miles but not too low.

Whatever you do, you will likely find a younger lower mile Z06 which stock for stock is a better all around car performance wise and acceleration wise than a stock 996TT.

Interior/ergonomics wise, the Porsche has richer materials, but unless you get into a X50 with Carbon Fiber and all the trimmings they look a tad dated. A 2LZ Z06 has nice features, nav and modern amenities I enjoy, despite having chinsy finish in some areas. Stock seats suck on the Vette if you ask me. The Vettes can get warm in the foot well after a long drive, and obviously visibility is good, but you are in a wide low slung car, so it's not great. (which I love)

I test drove a 2002 996 with K-16 Hybrid turbos and the interior CF bits were warping around the vents, and the leather was creased even for a 29K mile car. This was a bad example, car wise, but told me i was looking at too old a car, as I could see it would be needing a slew of things. Alignment, tires, brake pads, and who knows what else..

Power wise the 600hp was decent but not the same thrust my old Promotive car had. Perhaps it was the smoother delivery?? And even with the K16s, I don't think it could outpace a stock C6 Z06. Again just tushy dyno telling me this. But the car fell on its face each shift, which in the Z, 1st goes to nearly 60, 2nd nearly 80 and 3rd is 120ish. Hard to beat that when a car weights 3100 and has 500hp/470tq.

Driving feeling wise. To me both are purest cars. Both hyper connected, though the Z06 could use a set of seats to really let you explore the capabilities. Rev matching the 996 into turns is amazing as is the sound and feedback and immediacy of everything. But then you have the V8 that snarls like nothing else! I've realized that the Z06 has such long legs, that you can't really row the gears as much as you'd want.

For an occasional track day car, I'd always prefer a rear wheel drive car personally.

Cost of parts. You get hammered with Porsche, with service, parts, mod parts etc. The Z06 you can walk into pep boys and get your oil change for 60 bucks, and pickup spark plugs and lug bolts if you need em. Not happening with zee Porsche. Price you pay to play.

There is an elite-ness to Porsche. A certain elegance that's unspoken but recognized by other purist Porsche drivers. Often this is silently acknowledged by a flash of lights coming from other 911s.

Supercar feel. My 2006 Z06 looked and performed like a supercar in every way. After I installed recaros and a beefier wheel, it was a monster. It was also the ONLY car I never did engine mods too.
Plus you get a ton of neat features like dry sump, aluminum chassy, magnesium engine cradle, carbon fiber fenders etc...

FUEL. With Oil prices hammering us, I love that the Z gets 27 by GMs notes, but I used to get 30+ mpg on the highway! NUTS!! Porsche will get in the mid low 20s.

Looks. Subjective as can be, but I think the 993 and 997 are prettier than the 996. But there is a scrappiness to the 996 that I like. Especially when they do 60 to 130 in 5 seconds flat!
I think a Z06 lowered on stock bolts, is incredible. With tires, seats, pads and harness you can be the terror of most autoXs and track days. Period.

Stigma wise. Both Porsche and Vette drivers have been regarded as a$$holes in some places... Depending on where you live, you will be received differently. We just moved to the country, and muscle cars and domestics just get more love!


Best of luck! BTW I just finished doing paperwork on a 2011 Z06!

Good luck with your search!

Greg

 

Is he going to track it?
If so, he will NEED to get a Z06, that has the dry sump.
If not, on left hand sweepers LS3's grenade motors due to oil starvation (wet sump)

 

Corvette if you are young with no kids, or old and your kids are grown.

911 if you are middle-aged with little kids (or dogs).

 

Cant go wrong either way. I would do an extensive test drive on the both of them before making a decision. If you want a pure sports car go with the Z. Nothing for the money can touch that car. Parts on it are also a LOT cheaper. Both have plenty of aftermarket so that is a wash. The 996 TT is really a special car as well. Your talking about a car that was 120k+ new. The prices on them now are truly unreal. The AWD is great for getting all of that power down and a porsche has a feel to it that nothing else really has. I love both cars and have nothing but respect for the both of thm. Remember at the end of the day you are the one who has to drive that car and enjoy it. If it were me I would drive them both and whichever one was more fun to drive that would be my pick. Best of luck either way and let us know what you do and post pics of whichever beast you decide to purchase.