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Something wrong with Z06's?

H

hoover33

Guest
Hi,

I'm new here and considering buying a Coupe or Z06 within the next year. I was looking around through several "used car" sites onlines, as well as other common places like eBay, and I noticed something that confused me.

About 75% of the used Vettes (I only looked at years 2001 and 2002) I saw being sold were Z06's (as opposed to Coupe or Convertible). I was under the impression however, that Z06 retail sales represented a very small portion of the overall Vette retail sales (Coupe and Vert being much more common). Taking these two pieces of information together, I can only conclude that practically everyone with a new Z06 is trying to get rid of it. If this is the case, why???

It might make a little bit of sense for 2001, as anyone who had the money and interest to buy one then was obviously very interested in performance, so they are selling their 2001 and trying to replace it with a 2002... but I simply can't understand why I saw so many "used" 2002 Z06's being sold with less than 10k miles on them. Is there something wrong with them? I've browsed though a lot of info online, and the only thing I've noticed is that a lot of people were complaining about the center console getting hot (which IMO definitely shouldn't happen), and lots of road noise (which really isn't a "problem" with the car, but could explain why some people are apparently getting tired with them so fast).

Thanks in advance for any help you can give me. I apologize if this has been addressed in another thread already, but I didn't see it anywhere.
 
Thanks for posting, and welcome to the forum.The short answer is no, there is nothing wrong with the Z's- any more so than any other model made by any manufacturer. If you check other forums, you'll learn Acura had a major transmission problem with the TL (if you believe forums), and the list goes on...

Since 2001 was the first year, there were teething problems. The main one related to excessive oil consumption in the new engine. It affected some cars under some types of usage. Long story short, it was corrected with a redesign for '02, and GM is fixing the affected engines under warranty. Otherwise, the problems are basically the same as the coupe and vert.

As far as a disproportionate number being sold off, since it's a somewhat non-utilitarian and expensive car, you'd have to know what percentage of other cars of its type and price are being let loose in this economy. Arguably, at this point there aren't others of its type, and due to the economy some owners may have run into money problems and had to sell.

This year, almost one out of every four vettes built was a Z (8194/23 percent), so it's not as if it the numbers are small. The situation is compounded by the fact that since its market is smaller, the resale market is also smaller. Therefore, Z's may take longer to sell than other vettes, so they'll be in the ads and on the lots longer in some areas. And, since some may be abused, potential buyers may prefer to spend the extra money to buy a new one, further shrinking the used market. Lastly, you'd have to know what car, if any, replaced the Z. If it's a regular vette, they picked the wrong one to begin with. If it's another type entirely, any vette would likely have been the wrong car. If money was the issue, it may not have been replaced at all.

As for more Z's being online, in some places the car is rare and demand is high, and people are trying to take advantage of that on the internet to get more money. File the ebay cars under that, and, yes, a number of '01 owners did indeed upgrade.

The two issues you raise, road noise and console heat, have been associated with vettes, and other cars of their type, from their inception. In the Z's case, part of it is a packaging problem, part of it is associated with the high performance components and part of it is attaining a level of performance at a price point. There are quieter tires, for example, but they sacrifice performance. Insulation adds weight. OTOH, aftermarket tires and heat/acoustical insulation are available, as are acoustical partitions. It could be argued that they should be included in the price of the Z, but in that case, the solution is to buy a vert or a coupe; that's why they are the way they are. Or DIY a Z. Granted, a number of people wish GM would put the engine in the other vettes, but until that happens, one has to make a choice. Those who do not investigate as thoroughly as you may make the wrong decision. Drive as many as you can, and see for yourself.

Everything is relative. If you have never taken a car back to a dealership in 20 years of buying- as one fortunate poster was- and have to take a Z back, then from your point of view it has a lot of problems. If you've never owned a vette or a two-seater, that'll make a difference, too. Perception depends on what you've owned, and what you've experienced. Local driving conditions and usage play a part.

I'm not an apologist for GM. Certainly some Z's and other vettes have problems. That's unfortunate, but there's no reason I'm aware of to single out Z's. There have been similar threads on this elsewhere, and when owners said they had no problems, they were accused essentially of lying or being blind and justifying their purchase. Apparently, no evidence of problems is evidence of concealed problems, if you remember the '70's.

The other possiblity is that they were simply telling the truth. FWIW
 
I really don't think it's the individual's car that is the reason they are selling, it's the economy... lots of people were fortunate enough to be doing well in the market during the 90s, then after 9/11 they watched in horror as their net worth plumeted. Many lost their jobs when companies downsized hoping to have a better bottom line. There have been a couple of guys on several forums who were lamenting about having to sell their new rides,(not just ZO6s) so I have a feeling that's what is driving the current flood of Corvettes and particularly the ZO6 into the market place. JMHO
vettepilot
PS: I'm retired so I am one of the lucky ones.. no alarm, no job, no worries.
 
Could just be b/c they want to move on to something else...some people lease a car, and it seems they swap vehicles every 1-2 years or so. Me personally, i buy a car b/c thats what i want. i dont care about re-sale value or all that. I'm not buying the car as an investment, i'd buy the car to drive it...whats the point on having a car if it sits in the garage? Unless you've got something seriously collactable, like a Shelby Cobra, or 67 L88, ZL-1 or something...but even then, i wouldn't NOT drive it.....i'd still have my kicks w/ it ;)
 
Also factor in the Z06 is somewhat a limited use car.... while it is very easy to drive and comfortable etc., It lacks the top off cruising ability that the regular Corvettes have... you can only go fast safely at certain times, and I believe that some of the current Z06 owners came to realize, while they love the power, they don't use it as often as they thought they would, and may want a coupe or convertible to replace it.
 
If I had to guess why so many Z06s were for sale, I'd say that the owners are getting ready for their 03 Z06s. My instincts say that more 01 and 02 Z06 owners are ready to sell and move on to an 03 Z06 than 01 and 02 coupes and convertibles.
 
I traded in my 99C5 A4 for a 2001 3K mile ZO6...

Great car..I'm having a blast..I highly recommend the car if you don't plan on taking that targa top off which sad to say I rarely did..

The Z is one bad @ss machine.

Go for it and enjoy!

I sure as hell do!

Everytime I turn that key..

Sure its a little louder..sure the rides just a bit stiffer.. but everytime you take an on ramp or off ramp..this car is positioned perfectly..its like a slot car..

Want a little bit of luxury to go with one of the worlds best sports car..get a coupe or convertible..

Want the full treatment.. that extra .05 %..get the Z ..

Many consider that tradeoff after the fact.. I didn't.. The Z is totally civilized but the Coupe and Convertible are just a slight bit closer to comfort..

Thats why they are being sold. (IMHO) its a reality thing..decide before you buy..not after.

Best to take one for a ride if you could..
 
Maybe some ZO6 owners feel alienated.... They don't see any other cars on the road, but if they would just look behind them....
:L :L :L :L
vettepilot
 
Good Observation!

Hoover33 noted the same or similar event that took place back in 1998. The C5 has barely been out a full year when a large number of the coupes were showing up in the market place.

This is a very common situation that seems to take place when a new model is first released on the market. As to the 02 Z06 being out there in any large number forms is not the case. The appearance is deceiving as like most of us we are just looking in the areas were these cars are more commonly sold. In Fact, there are more ZR1 for sale (over 150 in the month of April) in this current market than any other model Corvette. I do have to admit that we are also selling a larger than normal amount of convertibles on the open market since January, 2002.

As someone mentioned, the economy has a big effect on this market too.

I am curious as to the source that supplied RWD the numbers on the Z06 percentage for 2002 model. The local regional rep here told me that it was closer to 35%. But I have learned that these factory people are sometimes a little off with there numbers. Post me RWD when you have a chance.

I hope everyone is having a nice summer...........

Stan
 

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