C5 Z06: The good, the bad & the ugly?

IIRC 2004 was the first year they had a carbon fiber hood and the last year for the C5. I like the C5s stylistically more so than the C6s.

Caio,
George

 

One of the best buys you will find... just get rid of the Goodyear crap rubber. I have many friends with C5 Z06's and they are very reliable and can be taken to the track and be driven daily. The car is very easy to drive and is very forgiving... unlike Vipers.

You can get a gem for the low $30k's.

 

Where's SSINISTER? He knows a LOT about C5Zs.

A nice 02+ C5Z can be had in the low to mid 20s.

RMX

 

I have an 07 C6Z and got a 00 C5 roadster for the GF

The interior on the C5 is crap. I hear there are some ferocious C5Z's out there

There is plenty of stuff to mod it with and you can have lots of fun w mods

If you want to get serious send the engine to Katech and they can build you a 600hp+ engine that runs on premium fuel

As with any road car I'd upgrade the brakes, suspension, install a roll bar, harnesses

Better bet is just to buy a Bad C5Z already built you can probably find a bad to the bone C5Z for $30-$40k

 

Even less...558 RWHP for $27k.

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c5-corvettes-for-sale/2439085-f-s-03-50th-anniv-z06-supercharged.html

RMX

 

Hard to beat that for Bang for the Buck

You cant buy anything new with anywhere near that performance for under $150k or so

 

I have an 04 Z and it has been perfectly reliable, although I only have about 25K miles on it. Other than changing the oil, replacing the brake pads and tires it hasn't had a single issue.

I run autocross and some HPDE's and the most important upgrade is to get some cooling to the front brakes for more serious HPDE work. There are spindle ducts available and plastic brake ducts from the C6 z cost almost nothing and can be modified to fit with a hack saw and a razor knife. The stock wheel bearings will go south after a while on the track, but there are upgraded bearings available that are close to bulletproof.

The clutch fluid needs to be changed regularly with a turkey baster (just drain and replace the fluid in the reservoir every couple of months) to prevent clutch sticking.

Overall, it is an excellent track car. It doesn't have the power of a C6Z, but it seems a bit more taught and is IMHO more fun to drive. If you have a hard on to get more power you can do engine mods and get up to 500+ rwp in short order. The C6Z's seem to have more oiling issues despite the dry sump but you aren't going to find either to be a problem unless you are using Hoosiers on the track. It is a relatively safe car, but it is also very fast on the track. If you are putting racing tires and running speeds like a T1 car, you should think about a cage. On street tires probably not, but the car is so fast that it is stretching the limits of safety of a street car if you are putting it on a fast track on real serious rubber.

In short a C5Z is a true dual purpose car that with minimal mods can be a really fast weekend HPDE car and you can drive to work during the week. It isn't expensive to run and it is strong. There are faster cars out there, but not much faster and in terms of speed/$ it cannot simply be beat...

Go over to the Corvette Forum and there is an autocross and road racing page in the general area. There are tons of track rats hanging out there and they can answer any question that you might have about tracking the car.

 

Here I am.

The C5Z is IMO one of the best bang for the buck performance cars out there. Only thing is finding a nice, low mileage one that is stock and not abused with less then 30K miles is getting harder and harder as I am finding out. The ones that fit the bill have owners who think they can get 30K for them. They are a low to mid 20K car at best. So I am still looking. Might even go with a regular '99-'00 C5 FRC and build that up and a stock '96 LT4 C4 (I think these are great future collectibles).

The things to look for:
Leaky rear axles, very common and about $600-900 to fix.
A ECU that had battery acid leak onto it. Some of the OEM batteries were bad and leaked.
The steering column lock bypass needs to have been done, or do it. NOT the GM fix, buy an aftermarket kit for like $50.
Check under the nose for damage, very common to find bent radiator supports etc from owners not being careful with driveways etc.
Look for leaky rear window seals.

That is the gist of it, nothing too bad. And yes the C5 interior is crappy. The later C4's are even better. But your paying for a chassis and engine, not interior.

The cars are great on the road course and drag strip. Do a few mods, like new tires, upgraded shocks and your set.

As said before, the clutch fluid needs to be changed alot, and I'd replace the crappy OEM shifter too. Don't worry about reliability, the GM LSx and LTx engines are super strong and go 150K with abuse with only minor up keep.

Any questions feel free to ask.

 

If you're reasonably handy with a wrench, Corvettes are pretty easy to work on yourself. I've had some electrical issues with my C6 (Service Active Handling message, random airbag lights, hatch motor issues) but managed to fix them pretty easily myself. I love tearing into the car when I can. Just replaced all the stock Bose speakers last night and am getting ready to install an insulation kit (I insulated the doors last night when I had the panels off). I've had the brakes off the car, changed the stereo out, hardwired my V1, etc. It's my daily driver.

People really seem to love Corvettes, too. Great car.

RMX

 

I have heard nothing but great things about the C5 Z06. I have yet to hear anything negative about it.

 

I have owned 3 C5 Z's (the last two were supercharged) and the only complaint was a low and fairly rough ride when used as a DD. When looking at one, always drive and make slow right and left turns because the limited slip clutch pack can go bad and clunk pretty bad.

 

I had a 2004 C5Z (black/black, not the carbon fibre one). Traded it for a 997S this spring after about 56,000 miles.

It was pretty reliable mechanically, little stuff did break off now and again. It rode like a truck, was noisy,...I always had the feeling that it was geared too high, like a drag racer almost, and that the steering was too slow on center. This was compared to my 1995 ZR1 which I owned at the same time; a far more refined car.

I bought it as a daily driver, but ended up giving it to our stepson and taking back my old high miler 993 Porsche for the daily grind.

Maybe I am getting old, but this kind of pummelling to save a few thousand dollars or a few tenths of a second over a comparable Porsche is just not my cup of tea any more.

 

Had one and hated it. Every conversation starts with "it's good bang for the buck".

The performance is great, the ownership experience sucks.

 

Care to expand?

 

The C5Z rode like a log wagon and at 30K had rattles and just a general feeling of a bunch of loose parts going down the rode together. Other than a big amount of go, a stout transmission and a nice size there wasn't anything pleasant about it. The C6Z was miles ahead in refinement and as much as people complain about the interior I didn't mind it. It cracks me up when people complain about the inside, then put tacky license plate frames on and redo the interior to look like a coffin. The dealership experience wasn't bad either.

It's the incessant "you've got a fast car and it's cheap too" banter that is a buzz kill for me. Hey, a Big Mac is a ton of calories for the dollar too. Let's all go there. Screw Ruth's Chris steak house.

I've got 3 track/race schools in the C5's and C6's at Pahrump, NV. It will really make you appreciate the car on the track. The last day of one of the schools was the start of a Corvette meet of some kind. What a bunch of jerks. By a far margin the most snotty group to the people working there I've seen. The conversation was an endless stream of vette vs. Viper babble. I came back and sold my C6Z. I guess it's just not my thing although I really tried to love the car.

 

+++...and that is the last time I try to be polite about it, too...

 

My 2006 Le Mans Blue Z06 was a much better car all around. Never really had a problem with it so the dealer was (thank god) out of the loop for the most part. Once the C6's get into the low 40's, there will be some seriously fast cars out there since the upgrades aren't that expensive.

 

I love my Z, its super comfy, the AC & Nav are excellent, and there are tons of mods out there

I've done Lots of work on my car, next up is a carbon fiber driveshaft and some sway bars

Seeing as the C7 will probably be some kind of abortion and the C7 Z will have a 5.5 or 5.7
I'm seriously considering buying another Z

I really like Jetstream blue, I'll probably do a nice tan leather/alcantara interior on that with a 60s Ferrari look

 

Quoting you in your first post, "hard to beat bang for the buck". There it is, that's the remark most heard. Just read the thread. You can pimp it up all you want but it's still cheap first.

Glad you like yours. Owning mine sucked.

I looked at a ZR1. everyone was huddled around talking about what a great deal it is. I don't care if it goes like a Saturn rocket I'm still not interested.

 

You are aware not everyone can afford a Ferrari or something like it right?

Bang for the buck is important. People who say it isn't are one of two things. Rich, or snobby.

 

I love JSB too, cyber grey as well.

 

Yep, I'm very aware. No problem there.

Buy an old 911 or an old Vette and people say it's a cool car. Buy a C5Z or C6Z and people point out how cheap it is for what you get. Just like you did in your post on this thread.

You've got 1000's of posts and don't pony up for a subscription. Now that's good bang for the buck too.

 

Sorry, you didn't like it. The stock interior is very tupperware, I had to swap that and lots of other stuff

The way I look at the Z is that Chevy gives you an excellent starting point w amazing performance for the $. If you take the $ you's spend buying a Porsche GT3 and sink that into a Z it will smoke the GT3s I've never found a GT3 that can hang with me yet

I love Ferraris too but I track the hell out of my Z, doing that w an F in this economy just doesn't make sense to me. I can get a lot more track days done and risk a lot less $ and still drive the F's whenever I like. Its a win/win for me

 

People who also own exotic cars that have gotten beat up by a "cheap Vette" also say it doesn't matter....people will agree to disagree. Some just have tactful ways to do it, others act a little butt hurt.