I'm considering a Z06...

[kridgley]

Hey:

I am looking for a car car to drive daily, that still has oomph and style. I currently own a 1975 L82 automatic, but she's getting old, and really shouldnt be driven every day. I also want to start a body-off restoration on it. I am writing here to see if there are any draw backs to the Z06. I will be buying this after I graduate from college, 2006. How does it handle in the rain, etc. If you all think that a Z06 shouldnt be a daily driver...I am open to any suggestions on a good daily driver to get (BUT STILL HAS POWER). Any help will be great, thanks.

Kevin

 

[bossvette]

I drove my 76 for 4 years but the gas milage was killing me so I bought a 97 it is a Coupe with a 6 speed and Z51 suspension. I have over 5000 miles on it since August 6 th so I guess you could say I like it

The coupe has much more room and is lower priced has enough performance for a driver the only thing I don't like is its too quiet, but Santa should fix that

 

[Tuna]

Cadillac CTS-V!

Not exactly our daily driver - yet :L - but it's got 2000 miles in 2 months.
LS6 power, 4 doors, 6-speed, nice trunk with fold down rear seats. Gas mileage is a little less than the Vette but it's got 400 lbs more weight and 3.73 gears.

The "V" and the "ZO6" come with Supercar tires and they are not the best in the rain - okay , but there are better rain tires. Neither are worth a damn in snow and ice.

My daily driver is my LT4+ 92.

 

[MsSchroder]

Drawbacks:

1) The supercar tires are not so great in the rain. However, they have my balding civic tires beat hands down. With a bit of careful driving they are not much of a problem.
2) The tires don't last a very long time, especially when you have the uncontrollable urge to blast away from everyone in the pack at every light. ...And you will
3) if you drive in a lot of traffic, the heavy duty manual transmission can be a bit tiresome.

Living in Georgia, I've never driven in the snow so that might be a bit of a problem in Delaware.

Other than that, the car is a great daily driver.


Tammy

 

[TODD L GRIFFITH]

As a northeasterner, I have another vehicle (01' Cheverolet Silverado Ext. Cab 4x4) that I drive in the wintery weather. During the winter, I do drive the ZO6 when I know there will not be any snow. Last year, coming back from a long buisness trip, I did get caught in a snow storm with the Z. She got me home, but not without some white knuckle moments, and getting stuck twice where I lost my momentum to oncoming traffic. My neighbor had to plow me out, before I could pull her in the driveway, thank god he was around. I would not recommend driving a Z in the snow. Hills are the worst with little snow cover, traction in the slush is non existant. I see you are in Deleware, so slush is a possibility. The Z in the rain though is very good. My 94 C4 coupe was not as good in the rain with better all weather tires. (Goodyear Corvette spec. Z rated run flats)

 

[Edmond]

Driving any Vette' in the snow is like ice skating without skates. :L I've been caught in the snow before and it wasn't fun for me. I imagine that it would be worse in the much more powerful Z.

 

[kridgley]

thanks for all the great posts guys ..
Todd...here in delaware HILLS are non existant :L
all in all, i think i could use this as a daily driver, some of my friends told be to get a viper .... well i test drove one a few days ago, and NOT fun (well it was fun but it wouldnt be a daily driver). I love corvettes too much after I got this 75 and rot rid of my boring firebird ....IM HOOKED!!

 

[TODD L GRIFFITH]

Well I think you are very familiar with your weather than I am, so get the Z and enjoy!!!

 

[kridgley]

TODD, well said



I will soon be joining the ranks of the Z

-kevin

 

[DRTH VTR]

As a northeasterner, I have another vehicle (01' Cheverolet Silverado Ext. Cab 4x4) that I drive in the wintery weather. During the winter, I do drive the ZO6 when I know there will not be any snow. Last year, coming back from a long buisness trip, I did get caught in a snow storm with the Z. She got me home, but not without some white knuckle moments, and getting stuck twice where I lost my momentum to oncoming traffic. My neighbor had to plow me out, before I could pull her in the driveway, thank god he was around. I would not recommend driving a Z in the snow. Hills are the worst with little snow cover, traction in the slush is non existant. I see you are in Deleware, so slush is a possibility. The Z in the rain though is very good. My 94 C4 coupe was not as good in the rain with better all weather tires. (Goodyear Corvette spec. Z rated run flats)

This is what I have experienced, too. My 2002 Z06 is the only car that I own. I have been caught in the snow twice, and it is absolutely the worst snow car that I have ever driven! Otherwise, it is fine as a daily driver. I think that stop and go driving would get tiresome with the 6 speed, but I don't mind it in ordinary traffic.

 

[TODD L GRIFFITH]

Hey DRTH_VTR,

Really not a car to get caught in a 1/2" of snow even lol! I got stuck at the bottom of an off ramp, because I couldn't see over the snow bank the plow left to see if traffic was coming. Fortunately, a guy stopped and pushed me out. That storm was about 24" of snow. If the car is on dry snow it's not as bad. It's the wet heavy stuff that is real bad I've noticed.

 

[Patrick]

The Z06 as a daily driver

It's an awesome, head-turning vehicle that you will really have fun with. But there are some things to consider:

1. Handling in Snow
All corvettes generate their power from the rear, and have very little weight there. The Z06 is an even lighter, more torque-generating version of the C5, so that increases the problem. I myself got caught in late January of this year in a sudden storm on the way home. The storm was severe enough to get I-25 closed when a series of trucks jack-knifed on the road. When I came to this closure, right at the start of the uphill climb over Surrey Ridge, I lost all my momentum, and ended up not being able to go any further. Had to get AAA involved to get a tow home.

2. Tires
I am dreading the day I have to replace the tires. They are unidirectional, so once mounted, they stay on that side of the car. And the front and rear tires are different sizes. Thus, they can't be rotated to extend tire life. I've heard horror stories about people spending upwards of $1500 to replace all four. Fortunately, I believe some of the CAC's Vendors, like TireRack.com, can help to defray those costs somewhat.

3. Manual Transmission
The M6 is a blast. Just my humble opinion, but if you are going to own a sports car, you really ought to have the manual transmission to truly appreciate it. Running through the gears on a spirited romp through some nice scenery is like a form of therapy for me. But- Tammy is absolutely right. If I have to drive downtown, the manual can easily become a burden, rather than a joy.

I guess when I sum up all of these, my Z06 is my pride and joy. My baby. And I do my best to take very good care of her. Which is why I had to break down and get a reliable, front wheel drive vehicle as a bad weather day driver. I've been through one Rocky Mountain winter/spring with her, and that's enough to convince me that I don't want to subject her to that kind of treatment again. Even after the snowfall stops, between the sand and gravel put down on local streets, and the mag-chloride put down on highways, the backs of the wheel wheel wells and the under-carriage are already showing scuff marks and fading. I don't want to make that any worse.

-Patrick

 

[JBsC5]

Certainly a Z06 is daily driver capable and as far as snow I would strongly recommend buying a set of 1997 to 1999 rims for 200 dollars and then buy some snow tires..

With a set of snow tires for the winter months....the Z06 will be a great daily driver..

Enjoy and its a blast to drive and own!

JB

 

[BLUBYU]

I dunno ....

A Z06 is a lot of car to drive everyday .... the first rock chip would send me through the roof ..... I can't fathom the thought of road salt all over it ...

 

[DRTH VTR]

There are all kinds of Corvette owners. Some like to drive them lots, and can accept the wear and tear that comes with that. Others like them as show cars and want to keep them in as perfect a condition as possible. My own bias is that the Z06 is for "the extreme performance enthusiast" (Dave Hill?) and that a car does not "perform" while sitting in a garage. I am not rich, so I cannot afford multiple cars. I enjoy driving the Z06 so much that I would not want to drive anything else, anyway.