1) How much "better" will this car be in comparison to a V6 Camaro? I know this is kind of an obvious question, but I still think it is worth asking. My Camaro is a great car, but as a whole it feels "heavy" when doing daily driving, so much so that it becomes a bit of a pain for me to drive. Though the V6 packs 323 HP, the car as a whole feels like it is lacking. I'm pretty well versed on the straight-line metrics for both of these cars so I know the ZR-1 will be better, but how will a ZR-1 feel from a handling perspective? I really just want something that feels light and agile, most of the time, but can pull like a freight train if it needs to.
The ZR-1 isn't a light car. On top of that it has wide tires which makes slow speed maneuvering feel heavy, the clutch is ok enough for something that does 0-60 and traps like the zr-1 will but it's still heavy for DD. I haven't driven a new Camaro so I can't really comment on how it will feel vs a zr-1 but you should be able to see more out of the zr. Early zrs have a fairly loud trany whine and the seats are hard to get in and out of but hold you much better then the later seats.
2) This car will be used as a daily driver and will be my primary and only vehicle. I know the LT-5 will be rock solid, but are there other things that I should be aware of that could hinder my enjoyment of it from a daily driving perspective? I feel like the stock stereo system would probably need to be replaced? And I am concerned about the seats/interior falling apart simply because they are getting kind of old. Are these things cheap/manageable to upgrade?
it's a 20 + year old car. The major parts f the LT5 should be fine but there are other things that are going to keep coming up that need to be fixed. The Bose is rubbish, the power key may need to be rebuilt, the secondary system will probably leak, the plenum will need to come off quite a few times to deal with injectors, starter, plugs...lots of stuff. I was worried about DDing a 1997 honda, there's no way I'd DD a ZR-1, there's no cheep part of owning a corvette. Tires on these cars are going to run $700-$1600 and that's just for rubber. How much is premium running you out there? Two years ago is was $4.30/gal if I remember correctly. you'll be in the teens for MGP around town. Probably mid-20's on the highway
3) I know these cars are pretty old and will need some "standard" 20 year old car maintenance (replacing fluids, changing plugs, wires, etc). I don't have much under-the-hood experience aside from doing some simple bolt-on mods. Would these things be pretty easy for me to handle/ learn? I do work right across the street from Corvette Mike's in Anaheim so I do have professional help available, but I heard those dudes charge a premium price for their work. Plus, part of the reason for buying the ZR-1 is because I do like tinkering, but because I've always had relatively new cars I have never really had to for fear of messing up something, or for fear of voiding a warranty of some sort.
there's not a lot of places that work on the zr-1 and corvette mike isn't one of them. I can do some basic work on cars, but I can't work on the ZR-1. I'm lucky to have a chevy dealer near by that either still has lt5 mechanic on staff or knows how to read a manual. they've done my injectors and my ac compressor in the last two years. But I've known these guys for years and a friend of mine works there. As a novice you can't really "tinker" on a zr-1. there's not many bolt ons for these cars mods require taking parts off, porting them and putting back on.
4) If I do purchase one of these I am hoping to keep it for a very long time. I would probably mod it in order to get the most out of the car. How much more power could I expect from fairly straightforward mods? Every time I search ZR-1 mods and the like I do see some good recommendations (like exhausts, headers, a chip, etc) but I never know what sites to look at in order to find these mods. Usually when I find ZR-1 parts they are for OEM replacement. I ask this mainly because I want to get an idea of how much modding a ZR-1 would cost.
headers, exhausts, and a chip are going run you probably $1300 just in parts, header install takes 8 hours, roughly. the last quote i got for exhaust install was $300. for the price of other stuff, check out www.zr1specialist.com I've never worried about suspension work because the ZR-1 doesn't really need help there in my opinion. people have lowered the car but i dont' think it really needs it and I've never been a fan of coil-overs on street driven cars. Doug Rippie Motorsports seems to be the leader in c4 suspension kits.
Let me pose you this, I was in your situation not long ago...the cars you're looking at are all very expensive to maintain. The germans even more so, a know a guy who is a service writer at bmw and in talking with him i would never own a non-warranty bmw, though a buddy of mine had an F10 m5 and that thing was fast, but you can't own one for more then 5 years. you're looking at cars that while you may be able to afford the car, you may not be able to afford the upkeep. Have you checked insurance on a zr, on the other cars you want? its not worth it to go into debt or not being able to save money just to own a car. it's a car, it'll be here tomorrow and 10 years from now. get yourself set up and on track before worrying about a car. Honda makes a perfectly fine car, so do other makers. Others will disagree with me here, and i'm sure it's going to happen soon, there is no way, I say again, no way I'd own a zr-1 as my only car.