New member, former C5 Z06 owner, considering a ZR-1

[diamond zr1]

ADAM/I live just outside of San Antonio/Cibolo/Glenn,Mark and I get together often to work on cars/I have a large shop with lifts,so if you do get a car/Glenn sold his zr1/come on over/we also have a bbq and had 50 or so last Oct.//look forward to meeting you/Glenn really thought your z06 was special but bought a real clean 04/joe

[edram454]

Adam, I have recently sold my zr1 to buy a c5 2003 z06. Looks like we are going the opposite directions. I loved my zr1 but love my z06 better. I find it more user friendly, more powerful and kind of holds in value better but who cares about value at this point. try to get a modded zr1 so it can be relevant compared to new cars coming out. zr1's have a great history and a story to tell. rare they are. If you get a stocker I hope you just like cruising down the boulevard and no spirited driving. It is a buyers market on these zr1's so be picky and pick the best of the litter. I strongly suggest you buy modded. I see you are in texas so you can go to Corey Hendersons shop and he will take care of your beast if you do buy one. Good luck in your search.

[Kevin]

holds value better? aren't they down to 10-15,000?

[edram454]

yes they are down but not as bad as the zr1. you can expect to pay 20-25k for a nice z06.. if properly modded more. trust me, there is not a 5k mile c5 z06 selling at 21k... a car with that mileage would go over 30k easy. all corvettes are down. I saw a 2009 zr1 in the high 40's! but nothing is tanking like the zr1.

[Patriot Dude]

Originally Posted by edram454

yes they are down but not as bad as the zr1. you can expect to pay 20-25k for a nice z06.. if properly modded more. trust me, there is not a 5k mile c5 z06 selling at 21k... a car with that mileage would go over 30k easy. all corvettes are down. I saw a 2009 zr1 in the high 40's! but nothing is tanking like the zr1.

Thanks Ed for the advice in your earlier post. I'm not a drag or street racing guy and I'd be perfectly fine with a stock ZR-1, it would be no slouch I suspect but the stock power delivery probably isn't as hard hitting as aC5 Z06 but perhaps has a little more up top and a longer power band. I'm certainly no expert. I think the weight and gearing is probably what helps the Z06 the most.

The values are tough to pin down. I sold my 03 Z06 with 15k miles for $26,000, I was the 2nd owner and it was extremely mint, I paid 27k three years ago with only 14k miles. I lost nearly nothing other than a set of tires and my taxes.

Because the ZR-1 cost so much more relative to a C5 Z06, I think they seem to be undervalued even more. A very low mile C5 Z06 sells for about 1/2 of it's new price, it seems like the ZR-1 sells for around 1/3rd and that is without adjusting for inflation.

I'm hijacking my own thread talking about car values, they're worth whatever someone is willing to pay and I guess that sums it up, but I would expect the ZR-1 to be worth more in the eyes of car collectors.

Thanks to all of you for your welcoming and hopefully I can get a chance to check out some of your cars and learn more about the ZR-1. I really need to sit in one and see what the interior is like, etc. I thought my C5 seemed big.

[1991KOTH]

Originally Posted by edram454

Adam, I have recently sold my zr1 to buy a c5 2003 z06. Looks like we are going the opposite directions. I loved my zr1 but love my z06 better. I find it more user friendly, more powerful and kind of holds in value better but who cares about value at this point. try to get a modded zr1 so it can be relevant compared to new cars coming out. zr1's have a great history and a story to tell. rare they are. If you get a stocker I hope you just like cruising down the boulevard and no spirited driving. It is a buyers market on these zr1's so be picky and pick the best of the litter. I strongly suggest you buy modded. I see you are in texas so you can go to Corey Hendersons shop and he will take care of your beast if you do buy one. Good luck in your search.

Sorry but are you implying that stock Zr-1s are slow? They are by no means slow, and with minor mods I am door to door with my father's 02 Z06. The z06 is a great car yes, and I think both Zs pull just as hard, having driven both extensively.


Sent from my iPhone using ZR-1 Net Registry

[DRM500RUBYZR-1]

Originally Posted by edram454

yes they are down but not as bad as the zr1. you can expect to pay 20-25k for a nice z06.. if properly modded more. trust me, there is not a 5k mile c5 z06 selling at 21k... a car with that mileage would go over 30k easy. all corvettes are down. I saw a 2009 zr1 in the high 40's! but nothing is tanking like the zr1.

Really?

ONLY the ZR-1?

No others?

Just the ZR-1?

Amazing!

Marty

[5ABI VT]

We were just having this discussion in a facebook group. I was talking as politely as I could because we were just expressing our opinions and there isn't really a winner but... it was about a c5z and the c4. The c5z was and is a better car. On paper, the numbers, the advancements. BUT, what the C4 ZR-1 has the c5 z06 will never have. And that is the beautiful LT-5. The history/legacy of the king of the hill. The sound of the LT5. Especially a built up stroker LT5... you really need a ride in one I can tell you that much the rarity and collector value.

For me the c4 is a far more beautiful design. I do like the c5, it ranks much higher than the c6 in my eyes. It was a beautiful evolutionary change in the 'round' era of the automobile. But theres a lot of bland in it that turns me off. The interior is too big, spacious. It looks like my 4th gen Camaro inside with a shared stereo and controls etc. It has a truck based engine. heads , mild cam call it ls6 voila. another sbc. Sure it makes great power and has large potential but the sound I never liked too much especially vs an uncorked LT5.

Then theres the special factor with the hood open. Its happened to me on 3 occasions. One was a hydrocarbon dipped everything z06 engine compartment, they other all mirrors and chrome underhood.. the other just a minor carbon fibered' c6 zo6.. where I popped my hood beside them and they either shut their hoods, or got in a drove off to another section of the lot . Those cars have nothing on a c4 with the clamshell open with a cleaned up LT5 and engine compartment. That will be timeless.

You mentioned it felt too big inside.. and that's one reason I LOVE my c4s. I feel like im inside an exotic when I drive it. The high sills and tight cockpit. I blew a lot of minds at the autoshow asking people to sit inside and tell me what they thought. The c4 is a love or hate thing which is all the better for me that its not a for-everyone interior.

By the sounds of it you would be happy with a stock zr-1. Id suggest headers and exhaust so going back to stock is easy and a bolt-on affair. Also if you are handy and don't mind doing work yourself... it will save you a ton. these are easy cars to work on except for internal engine work.

[Patriot Dude]

Originally Posted by 1991KOTH

Sorry but are you implying that stock Zr-1s are slow? They are by no means slow, and with minor mods I am door to door with my father's 02 Z06. The z06 is a great car yes, and I think both Zs pull just as hard, having driven both extensively.


Sent from my iPhone using ZR-1 Net Registry

Stating the obvious here, both ZR-1 and Z06 are special models above and beyond a regular Corvette, the Z06 probably benefits from a few years of engineering, the older ZR1 can't be faulted for that. The ZR-1 was however a much greater leap in performance both among the C4 and supercars at the time. They still seem very close in acceleration which says a lot about how advanced it was, and it still stacks up pretty good. It will always be a lot more unique, whether that translates into higher values is up to the buyers.

[XfireZ51]

I drove both cars back to back one day prior to buying my ZR. I loved the
quickness of the Z06 and th handling balance. But for a long stretch, I found the Z06 just plain chintzy and cheap feeling. I much preferred being nestled in the C4 cockpit. I sat IN the ZR and ON the Z06. And u can't tell me the ZF shifter isn't better than the cables of the Z06.