SL65amg

Do you guys think this car is a viable alternative to buying a $100,000 German car?

It will probably smoke almost anything under $200,000, and supposedly GM says they've designed it to be alot more comfortable to drive than the Z06 also. It will have somewhere between 620 to 650 HP, carbon ceramic brakes, carbon fiber body parts, etc. etc..

The Zero to 60 should be in the very low 3's, and it should hit the 1/4 mile in the 10's easily. Top speed should be the same as maybe the new Porsche GT2. Chip tuning should be pretty easy now that it is FI. 700+ HP shouldn't be a problem.

Any thoughts?

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pigman

If only GM would get rid of the vette name for the car.

One of the reasons I drive a Mercedes is for the safety just in case I'm in another high-speed wreck and I don't think that GM beast is going to offer the same level of protection. Horsepower now is getting to be like megapixels. How much can most people really do with 10 mega pixels and how much can someone do with 700 or, in a few years, 1000 hp? When everyone else has 1000 hp, will we want 1200?

chiphomme

It depends on the interior quality. Corvettes have always had crap interiors.
If I were going to drop $100k or less I'd probably go with the GTR. The GTR seems like a more sophisticated car (eg all wheel drive).

Timeless

Two doors won't work for me...but looks like a nice car.

SemiSilentBob

That's the big turn off for me with the Corvette, the cheesy interior. The new body style is nice but open the door and you would think it's a Malibu.


Bob

hrothgar02

Isn't a $100K 620hp Vette like an all you can eat sushi buffet? It may appear to be a good deal but in the end the experience is marred by poor ingredients (i.e poor fit and finish / crude engineering / poor interior / poor long term quality).

A professional driving took me around a road course in a 2007 Z06 and while it was a hoot, I would never plunk down $75K+ for a Corvette. I would much rather get a new base Porsche 997 or a used 996TT. Just my $.02.

Chappy

Is this the "Blue Devil" vette they've been working on?

Jim Brady

Vette boards say sticker is going to be around $120K. Add the premium for the early models and its in the $150K range. There going to make 2000 @ year till the body style cycles out.

Ya it'll be fast and the tuners will bump the 620 up. At that level the perfomance is really traction dependent. I had a mild interest in the Zo6 but QC and the fact you have to take a 120K car to a chevy dealer will be a huge turn off.
Welcome to the second coming of the muscle car era. Fuel costs and govt. regulations will soon kill the fun just like in the early 70's.
Jimmy

Jakpro1

Heh heh heh, on behalf of all of us Kompressor guys, welcome to the heat soak zone Vette guys.

Get ready for posts on the Vette forums like

"Not sure what happened? Racing on a warm Spring/Summer day and all the sudden it went limp on me. "

and if no shutoff,

"Was getting on it hard the other day and now she is making a knocking noise. Kinda like I got detonation or something"

Welcome to the jungle baby.

MarcusF

From today’s Wall Street Journal –

One of the features that is expected to set the ZR1 apart is carbon-fiber body panels that the company guarantees will last a lifetime. The carbon fiber is lathered with a clear coating that costs about $2,000 a gallon because of a rare additive.

Bodywork may be expensive.

sd964

It might not have a great interior, but most of us will be looking at it from behind.

Remember, the Ferrari F40 had a cable as a door handle and no radio.

SL65amg

You are probably right, the ZR-1 will for sure be wickedly fast not only in a straight line but also on a track and/or in the twisties. Braking will be unbelievable with those Enzo FXX carbon ceramic huge brakes. Chip tuning will be sick too, probably getting another 100 horsepower and 100 more lb/ft of torque out of it right away will happen for sure and alot cheaper than upgrading a German car obviously. They really need to work on the interior though that's true. They need a paddle shift transmission also...
but the rumors are that the all-new corvette (which is coming in what? 2011?) will have finally a much upgraded interior that it deserves. We'll just have to wait and see.

rbaker

You guys might be surprised as to how good the Vette really is... I just picked up a 2008 Z06 and frankly it blows my AMG away for driving & visual appeal. Performance in every category is not even close, the exterior appeal is far greater and the interior is not as bad as you might think. Heck, even my uppity GF likes the interior. The interior is not up to AMG's standards, but with the carbon fiber console & extended leather on the dash & doors, it's pretty nice. The touch screen/voice activated NAV works better than my AMG (and waaaay better than her Idrive BMW), plus it has heads up display, a real limited slip and 3 mode traction control with competition mode. I get more compliments when I drive the Z06 than my AMG and frankly, it puts a 10x bigger smile on my face. Not to mention the ability to have 2cd gear spin the tires at 60MPH when you roll on it getting on a fwy, which mind you only took a tick over 2 seconds to go from 40 to 95...

Another way to think of it is this... is it better to spend $2k+ for custom interior bits to make it smell/feel nicer, or to put even more money into a German engine & void the warranty & still have a car that's not as fast? A few guys on the Vette forums in bone stock 2006 Z06's (even with the slippery stock run flat tires) have already cut high 10's to 11.1's in the 1/4 mile, bone stock. Can we say faster than an SLR?

I've owned more German cars than American, but lets face it... the BMW/MBZ dealers will void your warranty if you look at your AMG funny just like South Bay MBZ did when my wonderful C55 engine started to tear itself apart from the inside out, and all they said was "No Problem Found" the first time then "it's not covered" the next and leave you with a $30k bill to replace your engine. My Chevy dealer knows I'm gonna be tracking & modding my Z06 & said "no problem long as you're not pro-racing it". I even test drove the 911 turbo before buying this & still went with the Z06. It's more comfortable & practical to drive on the street than the 911, even if it doesn't feel like quite as precise a surgical instrument. Steering feel is better than AMG & all the new BMW's I've driven though ('08s received improved steering, shifter, trans & suspension calibrations). As my 3rd car it's not my daily driver, but it is certainly capable of it.

SL65amg

rbaker, are you considering upgrading to the ZR-1? And if not, are you gonna throw some mods on your Z06 to make it even faster? Like a supercharger, etc..?

Congrats on the vette, it must be awesome to drive!

rbaker

I looked at the rumors about the new ZR-1 and so far have no plans to get one. I don't think it's worth the extra $$ and the hassle (for any car) to be an early adopter paying ridiculous amounts over sticker. Besides, the Z06's limits are already so high I'm not sure where they're going to make the ZR-1 that much faster. The Z06's I've seen supercharged aren't any faster than stock until you get past 80-100 as the cars are already traction limited. Remember that even a stock Z06 has almost 500ft lbs of torque, and over 505HP while it weighs only 3150 lbs...

After driving it for a month, I can see that the most important mod is for me to become properly familiarized with her & learn the limits (and how she reacts there). Also I need to practice how to launch the car correctly as it has more than enough power to roast the tires at will (even with those huge 325/30/19's out back), so proper throttle management is key. For now, I'm not worried about power mods. I may just change seats & have a couple of interior bits recovered in nicer leather. Later on, maybe replace the run flat tires with PS2 or PSC's which would improve traction & overall perf enough to be the best $$ mod I can think of. Possibly coil overs at some point, but it feels pretty nicely calibrated as is

MB_Forever

+1

I would wait a couple of years after the ZR-1 has been out then pick a used one up for much cheaper

drvalidus

I totally agree with rbaker. As an ex-Z06 owner (2006), the Vette was a sweet ride. Beautiful to look at and a hell of a lot of fun to drive. Interior was really not bad and the onboard computer system is really impressive! After a couple of years, I sold it because unless it's on the track, it's near impossible to really appreciate the 505 HP. (except for 3 second thrills because once you hit 100mph on the highway, you really can't do anything else except to slow down!) For a daily driver, it was just too much torque! Try trying to drink a starbuck's coffee while driving a Z06 in the city. Not possible unless you want coffee burns and stains.

The AMG is truly a luxury car compared to the Vette. A really, really fast luxury car.

As for the ZR1, that is just an stupid amount of HP in my opinion. And I bet, 99% of the people couldn't even tell it from the Z06 by just looking at it.

neilbo75

Funny, people criticising a "stupid amount of horsepower" in an AMG forum.

Fact is, it's the $200K and up 'super cars' that can't compete with the new super 'vette, not the other way around. Try 7:30 around the North Loop of Nurburgring. That's much faster than an SLR.

The fastest car will always sell well. For the sake of GM, I just hope the ZR1 has enough of a "halo" to move all those Malibus and 4x4s rusting away on the lots.

Jons95c36amg

I've seen the new ZR-1 in person. At first it looks like a Z06. Untill you get close and see the transparent hood,huge brakes, carbon fiber roof,and of course the ZR-1 badges. I think its a bargain if you want just raw performance.

da_guitarist

That is a LOT of car my friend. It's not much luxury, but with enzo and veyron brakes, a 600+hp engine, and carbon fiber body panels....not to mention looks AMAZING! If you're looking for a performance car, i believe that's it. If you want a luxury car with lots of performance, you're a different buyer.

neilbo75

Amen. I'm looking for luxury and performance. If I'm going to add a supercharger, I want to add some more leather as well.

And, if fact, Chevy has been adding leather to the interior of the 'vette. But MB and AMG have still got a half a lap lead.

lkfoster

Jeremy Clarkson seemed to like the one he drove through Nevada and Utah on last Sunday's Top Gear episode. He mentioned it against an Enzo as I recall, but no mention of anything German.

AMGOODNESS

it will be super fast without a date. but the car does not look the part. it may not simply be a ZO6 with clear see through bubble on the hood but that is definitely what it looks like. if you see the C6, ZO6, and the ZR1 all sitting together there is not much difference. For the money i would just buy the ZO6 and call it a day. oh, by the way the interior for all three cars is virtually identical.

people who buy corvettes have always loved corvettes or want raw performance at a great price. i would much rather spend my money on a german car or other exotic that has some refinement and performance.

da_guitarist

I believe you hit the nail on the head.