all vettes were cool until the 80s...

the 80s vettes ruined the name for a lot of us...

They are now starting to appear on everyones radar becasue the performance is undeniable all together, and virtually irresisitable when you consider how much they cost...

however, those 80s vettes absolutely killed it for me... now they are simply known as "best bang for the buck" cars to the majority (NOT ALL) enthusiasts...

and given the choice... you would be hard pressed to tell me that the majority of auto enthusiasts would choose a zo6/zl1 over a comparable performing foreign competitor if price was not the issue

I am not talking GM/GMC trucks, or race cars or any special Jay Leno Pratt corvette, lingenfelter, etc.... just z06 or zl1 vs the foreign competition that are in the "same" performance category... I put the corvette at the bottom of the list, regardless of performance, when the company it keeps performancewise is Italian and German and maybe British/Indian...

So go ahead and kill me at the autocross or whatever... I think that in MOST cases, if price is not the determining factor, most people would pass on a corvette...

If I am wrong, why is Wilcox driving Porsches, BMWs and Mercedes? Because he can... and because he values other attributes other than just performance... (no offense Wilcox... just using you as example)

Otherwise we would all be in vettes... wouldn't we?

JMHO of course...

 

I totally agree with PJ. I owned a vette when it was the best sports car i could afford (and i loved it). These days I look find happiness in other things besides raw horsepower. Your comments are spot on. I guess I'd still say the ZO6 is a great product, especially for the price. it provides an amazing experience for those who don't want to spend in excess of $150K for a car.

 

I guess the 80s ruined it for you. Here's a weird one... The 80s ruined Porsche for me. I had a 88 951 "S" then a 88 930. I spent so much money just trying to keep the 930 from leaving the track *** first.

When I went shopping for a car recently, I considered the 996 GT3, the Exige, and the C6 Z06. I finally (to my surprise) was able to drive a GT3 in Texas. While it obviously wasnt going to be as twitchy as the old ones, I coudnt help but feel like under hard braking when the car wasn't *totally* sorted that the rear was going to come around again. Also on corner exit, I was alway careful to keep my line under slight oversteer for fear of snap-oversteer to the other side. I just wasnt comfortable. Lastly, the car rode as roughly and with as many squeaks as my then-coilovered STi. The idea of driving the car back to Oregon wasn't all that appealing.

Finally, it was finishing up it's 3yr warrantee. There-after I was in Porsche-maintenance land on my own, and like I said, I had owned a 930.

As a motorcycle analogy goes, I've owned some really nice bikes. I had a 996 SPS a few years back at the same time that I owned a ZX-12. I put 5 times the miles on the ZX-12, had much more fun on it, and sold it for 1/3 the depreciation. I just couldnt go 10/10ths on a bike with all that CF fairings. I seriously considered dressing it in previously wrecked 748 duds. That way no-one at the track day would think I was an over-spoiled ***** (I couldnt even get folks to loan me tools, apparently I was suddenly made of money). I take a GS650 and everyone was my best friend.

Lastly, I didnt want to spend money superfluously. I have 2 kids under the age of 5 and might have more. How many of us non-lawyer/doctor/dentists can realistically spend an extra 30k$ on a nicer interior when college for your kid will be $500,000 each? Is it worth 25k$ to have that much better looking of a car? I drive on the inside.

If money was no object, I'd have one GT2 and a 67 427/435 convertible Vette. I'm as much a nice-car fan as any of you, and i put what money I can where my mouth is. And so I bought a new (with warrantee) no squeak, no rattle, comfortable, very quiet, commutable, FAST AS HELL Z06. Seriously... sideways in 3rd gear at 70mph fast... stock. Only mod I've got is a spare set of Hoosiers on an extra set of stock rims.

And I am soooooooo freakin' happy with it So to each their own.

 

Well the 80s Porsches were only a pipe dream for me... I could not legally drive until 1990... so maybe growing up dreaming about them is what has made them my car of choice today...

I hear what you are saying about kids... We recently had our first child and I was being responsible getting the 996 GT3 ($80K, 6900 miles, cpo) and not the 997...

Interesting point that you make on the maintenance... I purposely bought a Porsche because the amount of maintenance is low when compared to a lot of other cars... I wanted a car I could drive to the track, flog, and drive home and so far that is exactly what I have done... In the almost year that I have had it - tires, brake fluid, oil, and replaced a clutch that was abused by the previous owner.

Heh -- I totally repect what you are saying.. z06 is an animal and as everyone will attest to... best bang for the buck FOR SURE.

Although, I would like to point out that your stated "money no object" choice is a PORSCHE and a vette from the late 60s... turns out we are not all that different... because I would pick up a GT2 as my first choice as well and maybe a 1984 corvette

And to the motorcycle ****** that would not lend you a tool because you were on a ducati... F them, what a bunch of ******... same type of jerks that get a good laugh when the see a z06 owner waiting for a flatbed on the side of the road... thinking to themselves "that jerk deserves it -- who does he think he is in his $75K vette... g d Mr. Big shot jerk"

It is beyond me that someone would resent someone else for having something nice...

There are some local guys up here in Seattle with some very very nice toys... toys that are so far out of my league I cannot imagine ever having them... now they are not "jerks" because they have a nice toy or multiple nice toys... they are just jerks to begin with.... Just kidding!!!! I am so psyched for them and happy that they "share" them with the rest of us.

Ohh well... we are not all that different... we both like GT2s.

PEACE OUT OF THE VETTE THREAD

 

Why is it that mark is the first person I thought of when reading this? Then of course Bruce.

Oh BTW I agree completely no time to hate more time to drive. Sorry to much time with the Dalai Lama.

 

Say what you want about the 'vette, but we all know that the 'vette gets 'em ....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_B9fE...eature=related

 

The best part about Corvettes is that it allows you to rock an American Chopper style mustache while driving it, in a way that a Porsche can't.

 

you are quoting me out of context...

mark has nice toys?

 

jeff,

hehehe! i saw a guy in a corvette the other day and his tshirt said "mustache rides for free". ackkkk!!! hhaha!

i think he raided mitchel's tshirt drawer!

wait...then who has the mullets?

 

how did I get dragged into this

I like the Z06 for what it is. I will take a GT3 over it though

 

You Porsche guys don't know anything. Z06,GTR and everything else in between rules. Peace out.

 

Those would be Camaro guys.

 

hehe....gotcha!

 

I would absolutely crack up if I could own a "Mustache Rides, Free" T-shirt.

One of the benefits to working at Nike (other than being one of 3 Z06s and *surrounded* in Porsches and BMWs) is that there is a serious appreciation of low-brow humor. We actually have a pub here on campus.

I could wear the Mustache Rides T-shirt with some jeans and some Dunk Low Special Editions and get some pretty sweet props from all my employees

We already have an Org chart that has everyone's picture as a Southpark character, like you guys have been building.

 

^^lol! well, if i run into him, i'll ask him where he got it and pass the info your way! hehehe!