Can you give me an idea of C5 values in uk please

[z06tim]

No problem Johnny. Thanks for your post. Some interesting info there too.

Not sure if i'd heard the same symptom of oil blown thru the vent in the rear axle. I think it can be past the axle seal too. And often LHS. Usually you can tell, as it is somewhat spun all over the place, as i believe it only leaks when in motion.

Edited by z06tim on Monday 18th August 22:11

Edited by z06tim on Tuesday 19th August 13:02

[LuS1fer]

I owned a 2003 C5 Z06. It was a good car but. for me, the manual transmission impeded any pleasure I tried to get from it, even with an aftermarket Breathless shifter. It's not a great box - though I am short so sit further forward than many.
The 2002 Z06 had many improvements, like sodium cooled valves and softer rear suspension to allow better traction out of corners.Tthere was also a "rumour" they produced nearer 425 than the 405 horses claimed although why the hell they would do that remains a mystery.

I have to confess that the C5 Z06 was also a car you had to go really fast in to get any fun out of. My old C4 Auto with a piddling 235hp was a lot more fun, simply because it was far less competent and more of a "hooligan".

So, if you do go for a Z06, I'd try and drive it first.

The other issue is that I think the early C5s had a different computer so tuning it with an aftermarket tuner can be problematic. I had that issue with a 98 Z28.

[johnnygriff]

LuS1fer, thanks for that perspective. I must admit, it's often I've thought the best fun cars that I've driven have been those with about 125hp.

For sure, I don't want to make a mistake as I like to keep my cars long term. I will take a test drive and, hopefully. it'll not be a disappointment.

I'm thinking of the C5 Z06, as for me:

- Great bang for bucks with a great sound.
- Reliable and reasonable running/spares costs.
- Need a car I can do long distances (1000km a day) on a mix of roads.
- Quick enough to do a few laps of my local track.
- It's got "curvy" bodywork which is my wife's principle requirement for approval.

[z06tim]

LuS1fer raises a good point about the shift effort in a manual C5. It is quite a physical car to work around the gearbox. I don't mind this too much, as it gives me confidence that the trasmission is robust enough to handle all that torque. I would say if you are used to a snickety little MX5 gearbox, you may be a little disappointed. All you can do really, is take a test drive to see if it suits you.

One thing worth checking is for very black clutch fluid in the reservoir. This is clutch dust that gets past the seals in the hydraulics, and it can accumulate pretty quickly if you are doing hard launches. Regularly changing the clutch fluid is also possibly one of the single most important "services" you can do on a C5 to mantain good clutch pedal feel and better shifting. I wouldn't mind betting the cars with the worst shift feel have less well looked after clutch hydraulics.

I'm not sold on the idea of any of the aftermarket shifters. Again, I would say you really need to try before you buy. Common sense, says a shorter shifter will have increased shift effort, although I'm sure the aftermarket probably has ways around this. The other issue you may have with aftermarket is you lose some of the NVH properties designed into your OEM shifter. This may mean you have some pretty unacceptable vibrations through the shifter. Horses for courses and all that jazz...

[anonymous-user]

z06tim said:

Common sense, says a shorter shifter will have increased shift effort, although I'm sure the aftermarket probably has ways around this.

One point to bear in mind is that faster shifts tend to "rush" the synchromesh which can lead to increased wear. Of course, that all depends how accurately you can rev-match with your right foot before asking Mr Synchromesh to take up the slack.