993TT VS Z06

I am thinking of getting either a 2004 (new) Corvette Z06 or a 1996 Porsche Twin Turbo. I know this is an apples to oranges comparison, but I just want to solicit opinions here! The performance of the 2 cars is surprisingly similiar, but the Porsche will cost $30,000 more even though the car is 8 years old.

Thanks,
Scott

 

A 911TT (993) is a much more desireable car to own IMO. What are you looking for in a car? Pure straight line power? Track? Both cars are very capable. For me, the fact that everytime I drive down the street I see 40 corvettes would lean me towards the 911TT.

 

Netviper asks a great question: what do you seek with this car? They are vastly different. The Porsche is all wheel drive & turbocharged & air cooled--a relative maintenance nightmare compared ot a small block Chevy but much better at holding its value. Kinda hairy on track...but not as bad as the old 2WD Turbos. The Z06 is probably the 2nd best performance car value in the US right now (behinf the Mitsu Evo8), and they are selling well below list...and used ones depreciate like rocks. Fit beter brake pads & fluid, an oil cooler & a tranny cooler, and you have probably the best ready-made track car platform out there. Light, easy to drive (mostly) rear drive, and balanced, it makes a SUPER track car, and is relatively easy & cheap to maintain...but there is no cachet or snob appeal (except among track cogniscenti, who truly appreciate a well-driven Z06).

Whaddaya wanna do, Scott??

 

I am generally a car nut. In the last 10 months I have had a 355, new 360 and a new Lotus Esprit. All three were great for different reasons. I have not found the perfect car and probably never will.. That being said I like the looks of the 993TT and the performance/value of the Z06. Again, I now they are radically different. I just love performance cars and am looking for a good overall package. The new Z06 can be had for $10K off sticker so that;s about $43,000. The 2001's are selling for around $33,000 (although they sold for $10K over sticker when new..) so I am not worried about depriciation that much. The 96 993TT will cost around $75,000 for a low mileage pristine car.. Just want to hear pros/cons of everyone, especially if you have driven both.

 

I have driven both. If you want a pure track car that you can beat the crap out of weekend after weekend, buy the Z06...with warranty! ;-)

If you, as a certified car nut, want one of the best (and best looking) sports cars ever made (IMO) but don't intend to track it very much if at all, buy the 993TT.

 

If those 3 cars didn't hold you fancy for more than 3 months each, you will never be happy with your choice/restriction of cars.

 

You will spend much more to own the Z06 in the end. Think about a 50K car that will be worth 25K in 3 years when you go to sell it. Now think about a 75K car that will be worth 65K in 3 years when you go to sell it. No comparison. The longer you kep the vette, the more you lose. Their rate of depreciation is much higher than the porsche. The vettes fall in value like a chearleaders panties on prom night, fast and for sure. I bought a 2001 BMW M3 conv. at the same time my neighbor bought a 2001 conv. vette. When we sold 2 years later, his was worht 15k less than mine. Ouch. The porsche is just a better sports car though.

 

Screw depreciation and all that.

I have an old PCar (964) and it is quite good at what it does, But a Corvette with similar money put in towards upgrades will kill a PCar.

I love my 964 like it is the last woman on Earth, but a used Z06 with similiar dosh in upgrades is a hard, hard choice.

 

Z06. Go for a 2003, and save even more money.

 

Alan,

Don't forget that he will be paying about 25K less for the Z06 and that it will come with a full warranty. If he tracks the cars and blows a motor I would much rather have the warranty. So mechanical issues are probably a decent factor.

 

As others have said they are two different animals and you've provided limited info. But here's my take; I've owned a number of Corvettes and Porsches and currently own a 993 track car- 1996 non-turbo.

IMO one is a great value the other is a great car. While I loved the Vettes I owned they simply never came close to the Porsche in terms of quality, reliablility and joy of ownership. I also agree with the comments on depreciation and will add that I bet the Z06 will depreciate much faster (and look a lot older- unlike the Porsche) once the new Vette comes on line.

Finally I will (sadly) state that I never owned a Corvette that didn't have a leaky top or that was correctly fixed the first time by a Chevy dealer. The dealers were also particularly adept at avoiding warranty issues. Even at it's worst Porsche dealer service is far superior IMO. Their replacement of all early 993 engine wiring harnesses (some of which have the potential to cause fires) is a good example- they replaced them all at their cost, provided loaner cars and didn't wait for a court mandate or NHTSA. These cars are closing on ten years old. Can you imagine GM doing that? I can't.

 

Why have you not considered a Viper GTS as well??? I'm sure it could handle any Z06 and 993 turbo. The viper is slower to 60 than a 993 but pulls back to even by 100 and keeps pulling ahead until it reaches top speed. I believe car&driver had a good comparo test of the viper/993/nsx.

A 993 turbo will be much faster than a z06 to 60 and 100. Remember the 993 weighs 200 pounds less than the 996 and has only 15 less horsepower. I have a test where a 993 and 996 are compared side by side and the 996 jumps out front through first, but after that the 993 pulls away every time. 993's are quoted at 3.8-4.0 zero to sixty and z06's are 4.3-4.6.

The main problem with a Z06 or any american car.....the interior sucks. Period no argument. Also I have already seen 2 Z06's this morning and haven't seen any porsches much less a 993 turbo. The only good thing about a Z06 is your service will be cheaper, but along with cheaper service comes rookie wrench monkey's who might not be a trained to repair your car like a certified porsche mechanic.

Hope this helps!!

Jeremy

 

Scott I don't know where you live in Jersey, but I work at Armen chevrolet over in Ardmore, PA and we have a commemorative edition Z06 in now the one with the stripes and carbon fibre hood that you can test drive and try out. If you are interested call 610-649-0300 and ask for Tod Gomer and tell him Erik Panichi told you to call. Z06's are perfect cars because they really can be driven daily maintenance is no different then on any other chev. for the most part and they are a lot of bang for the buck.
Erik

 

That is the best Z06 by far I think.........the blue is nice and the lemans heritage lets people know you are more about turning than straightline speed.

Oh something else I thought of......Z06's will depreicate like crazy as soon as the new 400hp C6 vette comes out. Who's gonna paymore for a Z06 when you can get a stock C6 that'll match it. Also the C6 looks better and the interior is way beyond the C5's.

 

I think they have incentives on the current vette. I know in my neck of the woods, they've got something like 2,000 cash back. They might be discounted more as they clear the lots for the c6's once c6 production starts.

I agree with you on the c6 interior. Quite a leap in quality, fit, finish, and appearance. Love the new DVD navi option. And something tells me that the new 6.0L Ls2 will make more power than the 5.7L Ls6. They probably rated it at 400 horses so as not to step on the toes of the 405hp z06. Would be interesting to see the dyno's once they hit streets. I think it'll make a bit more, and perform just as good (if not better) than the c5 z06.

 

actually quiet a few people i know in our local corvette club dont like the c6 sytling as much as the c5..we shall see

 

the current c5 corvette has been very reliable!!! it gto the best jd powers premuim sport car rating for intial quality and the consumer repair rating is better than the 996....my c5 2001 cab. was driven 28k miles with a single problem and no squeeks or rattles..the most trouble free car i ahve ever owned,..other c5 owner will tell you the same

 

You probably are right the traditional corvette guys won't like it, but the newbie which Chevy is trying to capture might. I think they made the car 6 inches shorter and 2 inches narrower in order to get some of the m3/911 crowd according to an interview motor trend had with a GM exec. Reducing size will obviously make it easier to hustle around corners.

I think it is a step in the right direction with available xenon's, standard cross drilled's(larger too), better interior, and the styling cues.

 

I liked the later C4 Vettes, and disliked the C5s, I find myself liking this C6; all based simply on styling.

 

you have to compare price ranges. If you dont mind spending $ you can get a LPE TT corvette for $60-$70,000. i would pick between that and the porsche instead of stock vs stock.

Given the choice between a 2001 TT or a Z06 I would take the porsche. I have yet to drive a 993 though

 

We will get a new C6 at the dealership near late summer. We already have a waiting list 13 people long and we just started it a little while ago. These cars will be really hot. The interior will be better then the C5 but not by much IMHO. My Dad owns an XLR and the C6 will use the same nav system and have very much the same interior layout if you see the pics the door armrests and everything are a la XLR only worse. Instead of hard plastic there is now soft vynal(sp) all over the dash. But, for what they are they are great cars for $50k you get a car that will keep up with $200k cars almost!
Erik

 

NINE NINE THREE TWIN TURBO WITHOUT A DOUBT!!!!!

 

Why is it that a car, so perfect for just driving around aimlessly, has a navigation system?