996 VS C6

Any opinions on a 2005 C6 Corvette vs. a 2001 Carrerra.

Porsches are more than acceleration numbers, hp and torque, and lap times. The driving and ownership experience is something unique. The C6 sounds like it's a fantastic car and I wouldn't hesitate to drive one if offered. This is truly subjective as is any car buying decision. I would not buy the first model year of any car and thus look at the ZO 6 when it comes out. I much prefer the looks and driving experience of the 996 to the C5's I have been in. The C6 will be more of everything the C5 is not, but it's not a Porsche. A ZO6 C6 may someday accompany my 996 in the garage, but it will never replace it.

Very difficult decision. I think it all depends on your own personality, your needs, and your desires in a car. Like others have said, comparing statistics is only one facet. If you drive your car at 10/10ths (not many of us do), then overall performance is a high criteria. If you're going for a 3 year lease then in 6 years you can try them both!

I came within an inch of buying a ZO6 before deciding on my 02ttX50. There are a lot of good things to say about Corvette ownership (I've had 2). 1. Service is nearly free compared to a Porsche 2. Dealers are much more plentiful 3. They are great highway cars- excellent directional stability, fuel mileage, and performance. 4. They are great fun to drive At this point, having owned 5 Porsches (still have 2), I'd buy the new Corvette as the new improvements create a huge advantage. I can definitely see a ZO6 in my future. AS

The C6 with the X51 package sounds incredible. From what car magazine writers have said, it sounds like the total package, acceleration, braking, handling, etc. Vettes are near the top in almost all performance categories and are really nice cars. Personally, I like the way the C6 looks. However, there is no substitute.

Thanks for the input

Forget the specs. Drive both and buy the car that you feel most passionate about.

For what its worth, I bought a 2000 C5, modded the hell out of it, had a lot of fun with it, loved it alot, and would never, ever go back to owning a Corvette. Its an awesome car (even the C5) by the numbers and something worth doing for any sports car enthusiast (even more so the Z06), but for me, it left a lot lacking. GM produces so many Corvettes (>35,000 per year) that it just stops feeling special. Also, a lot of corners are cut in delivering that kind of performance for the money. The C6 seems like it will be better, but Im still expecting a GM parts bin feel: it's inevitable. With dealers, service, etc. I found that Chevy dealers (while cheap and plentiful) are so abysmal that it doesnt matter. I had all of my work done at a Vette specialty shop. At the GM dealer, unless you're VERY lucky to live near a VERY good one, there's no difference between you and a guy driving a Cavalier. In some ways, you may get WORSE treatment due to the envy factor. My first trip to a Chevy service center was my absolute last. Like the Viper, the Vette is a great car that is unfortunately made by an extremely downmarket manufacturer (to be fair, thats what keeps these cars cheaper than the imported competition they compete against). If you have a laser focus on peak performance numbers and acceleration figures, the Vette is the way to go. If you want a sports car to do more intangible things like "make you feel special" (as silly as that sounds), proceed with caution...

What are the brakes like on the C6? I thought about and test drove a C5 when I bought my 996, and it was a very different car. The Vette is an American muscle car that handles extremely well. IMO it lacks some of the finesse of the 996. If I had to complain about something, and please correct me if I'm wrong, its the brakes. I think the C5s all had single piston floating front calipers. Is this true on the C6? I can't find any specific information on Chevy's website. That said, I realize that the cost of a big brake kit is way less than the difference of the cost of a 996. If I bought a Vette I think I would immediately add better brakes. At the track, the Z06's pull away from me on the straight, but unless they have upgraded brakes, I can outbrake them by maybe 100 feet. Chevy has made a great car, esp for the money. They beat Porsche to market with the active suspension! The two cars are just different, and as someone else suggested, go with what you like driving.

Road and Track, Auto Week, Car and Driver, and Motor Trend gave the C6 excellent reviews. According to them the C6 has a much improved interior and its performance is outstanding. GM products have been improvong in quality over the last few years, but unfortunately for them the perception is that a GM car is still garbage. I think it takes about five years for perception to catch up with reality. So for those who don't need a rear seat and aren't turned off by buying an American car, it wouldn't hurt to test drive a C6 as one of the earlier posters suggested. It may take some time to do this however, since it will be many months before you'll see one in a showroom. By the way a well equipped C6 will run around $48K and that's about in the '00 C2 price range.

Easy decision for me, at 6'6" there is no way I fit in the Corvette up till now, so unless they made some changes to the interior my choice has been made for me. If I fit in the C6 then I would have to have both, because I could never give up the 911.