355 or new Z06?

Ok, if I had to choose, I'd go with the 360. Easy decision!

But I'M NOT SELLING THE VETTE!

 

The person driving the vette and the ferrari in your example are f-in idiots. No one in their right mind would think such a thing...either parties if they are real car guys. Car guys look past the badges...maybe you don't. Nav system is optional...bells and whistles...not all standard equipment. Those are NOT the reason a "vette is the way to go." Vette owners have a certain feeling about their cars...same as ferrari guys. This can go back and forth forever. When i get my vette...i'm not gonna think I was in a Ferrari when I see one...that's stupid.

 

Jeff, I applaud you in your desire to make the Ferrari/Corvette decision.

And to help your decision making process, whatever you do, don't take anyone too serious here on this forum if they don't have the "stats".

In all fairness to "chatters that post here", he or she, may not have the actual experience about buying a Ferrari.

Seems like, not meant to insult anyone, but many of the posters here, haven't even owned owned a Ferrari. So how do they know? (check their profiles)

All Ferrari enthusiast certainly have a right to express an opinion (owner or just an enthusiast)! But if I was making a buying decision, I'd certainly want to focus on Ferrari owners, or as it relates to this thread, Corvette owners, etc.

This is not meant to offend anybody, just an issue to consider if you are looking at buying a Ferrari, Corvette, or any other car.

I hope your buying decision goes well.

 

"just" to keep this thread interesting.....

The new C6 Z06 looks to be one special car. Engineering and execution wise it will be heads and tails better than any American sportscar has a right to be.
Looks to be a "Tour-De-Force" effort at an "almost" everymans entrance fee.
This years first production cars will most likely suffer from dealer gouging of $15-20K. Best to wait another year and let reality take hold, especially in light of GM's profit (or lack there-of) sitution. Heck, come next spring the Z probably could be had for a couple thou under MSRP PLUS a cash back incentive to boot.

GM NEEDS to sell LOTS of cars, lest they become the "Fiat" of North America!

On an aside note.....keeping my feet wet in a "restomod" project...doing a '66 Mustang Fastback with a crate 302, 4 link rear and air shocks. Needed a "rude and crude" to balance against my fine Italian machinery..355, Lancia Scorpion and 308QV powered Lancia Stratos replica.

The Vette can wait. I had a new '87 back in the day for a couple of years. It was my only car then and it made the winters in Chicago interesting driving.

JD

 

Z06 or 355?

I've had 2 x 355's ('95 355 spider, '98 355 f1 gts) and 2 x C5's (2000 convertible, 2001 Z06).

In terms of love & lust it's the 355 all the way. The sound of the engine exhaust wailing through 7000+ rpms can't be matched by the Z06. In terms of pure lust appeal the 355 is a winner.

However.... from a usability and track day point of view the Z06 is by far the better option. I was always worried about tracking my 355 f1 gts on the basis that I really couldn't afford to have a major incident with the Ferrari. I bought the Z06 as just my track day car and have put only 8000 hard miles since I bought it back in Oct 2001. It's also a more practical road car than the Ferrari as you can use it and not have to worry about where you park etc. The Z06 trunk and interior are much more practical than the Ferrari.

In terms of reliability the Z06 has been completely bullet-proof. The spider blew out a header and was off the road for weeks until Ferrari replaced it. The f1 gts never really had any problems other than having to fix up the nose paint regularly but I was always concerned that the f1 gearbox & clutch would be a gift to my dealer that would keep on giving. The Ferrari's interior is definitely more fragile but obviously much better in terms of quality. I really wanted the F1 gearbox when I changed from the spider although with hindsight the regular gearbox is much more involving and enjoyable once the novelty wears off.

The Z06 V8 roar on the track is significantly different to the Ferrari but impressive nonetheless. In terms of exhilaration, the 355 wins hands down, especially if you have a Tubi. A mandatory option in my view.

Value for money: Z06
Track performance: Z06
Road performance: Z06
Reliability: Z06
Cost of ownership: Z06
Practicality: Z06
Fun/Lust/Pure enjoyment: 355

Which would I buy again? 355 GTS

 

This is a hard one. The new z06 has 500hp. 500hp! For me, if I was getting eaten by maintenance bills, or just sick of paying them (I mean, that is good money just getting thrown out the window every couple of months), I would go the cheaper route which would be the z06. For the price and ease of maintenance nothing can hang.

 

your probably right about the guy in the Corvette not wishing he were in the Ferrari. He is probably too redneck to appreciate it (only referring to Corvette people who cant appreciate the difference in a Ferrari here). I should have stated that whoever is behind the two cars in say a BMW at the red light might say "look at that Ferrari" but I doubt they will say "oh golly, wow, a Corvette, never seen one"

 

actually what I say is "wow look at that ferrari" and "wow look at the c6". Real car guys don't discriminate by badges on hoods.

 

Yep. I saw a standar C6 the other day (black) - I just had to stop and take a look!

 

my point exactly, saw one the other day.

 

To add fuel to the fire, consider that Car & Driver, in the March 2005 issue, has the Corvette coming in Second Place to the .... Porsche Boxter S, even though the Vette beat it in every major timed performance category.

(Tim Taylor /Home Improvement "Hhhuuuunn?" whine inserted here)

Seems that C&D (pg 52, issue) saw that "The Boxer serves up the quintessential sports-car experience."

Although not a Z06, the Vette did have a Z51 handling package; and regarding that: "What we got was a relatively placid expressway ride but a logbook full of complaints about wallow, vertical bobbing, and nervousness at the limit. Slightly robotic; insulated steering doesn't help confidence levels."

Don't get me wrong, I still really like Vettes, having owned and raced a handful of them, but I think that the heart of that C&D article is what this FerrariChat thread is trying to get to.

Finally, they state that although the Boxer ... "feels gutless next to the Vette, ... it's balanced in all that it does."

Key! That's what sold me on the F355. It has the overall balance of attributes like acceleration, braking, styling, etc., that's lacking in a lot of contemporary rivals.

FWIW, Al

 

I have owned a 355, 360, new Maserati and several Vettes. I just bought a 2005 Porsche Boxster S and it is by far the best handling car I have ever driven. I agree with the C&D article that it will feel less powerful than the C6, it should because it has a 280HP six versus a 400HP eight. That being said, it is a 5 second 0 to 60 car. Sorry to plug the Porsche but I think it should be considered by anyone looking to spend $55K or more on a sports car.

I think the C6 is a big improvement over the C5 in terms of the interior but it still suffers from the quality inherent in the GM parts bin. A new Z06 will probably cost the same as a 355B but I think the 355 is the better balanced car. It won't be as fast as the Z06 but the interior although older is still much higher quality IMHO and I believe that it may be the easier car to drive at high speeds. I have some racing school and track time under my belt and I think that newer Vettes in general are good value for the $$ but for me, they tend to plow a bit around the track. The brakes also tend to fade faster than brakes did on my Ferrari's. This is probably all meaningless if you will never track the car or autocross it. If what you want is a good all around car that you won't see many of....then get the 355. Be careful though, I would only buy one that has recently had the engine out 30K service completed. If this hasn't been done, you are looking at $8,000. That is a far cry from a $30 oil change at Mr GoodWrench!!

Good luck with your search and feel free to PM me with any questions.

 

Interesting posts.

You need to understand what criteria you're applying to a buying decision. Then, buy a car which satisfies that criteria. There are many different criteria being "debated" in this thread - all valid for their respective holders.

Over the years, my main criteria has been the fun factor. e.g., How big is my smile after driving a car, and how long does it last. "Fun" for me is comprised of a little bit of everything; performance, feel, looks, exclusivity, etc... The definition has wildly changed for me over the years.

My "fun" award currently goes to my 360 Spider. No other car, for me, is even close. Over the past couple of years, I've owned 2 vettes (latest an '02), 1 911 ('02), 2 360s, 1 550, and a Maserati Spyder (among other things).

I sold my vettes because I couldn't get enough fun factor out of a front engined car (even though they are tremendous bang for the buck). They just "felt" like every other front engined car I've owned (albeit faster and better handling!). Even my 550 daily driver "feels" like a "normal" front engined car under most of my driving conditions. Thus, it would never be my only "fun" car.

I have a lot of "fun" with my 911 and 360 because they feel and sound so different because of engine placement (feels different than a regular front engine car). This coupled with the many other characteristics differentiates them from say, a rear engine VW bug for instance. ;-)

Tim