Discussion
In fact, the total was nearer £26500 but look on Auto Trader and you'll see what a Z06 sells for in the UK. That cost is based on a car costing $35500 which in my case was a 2002 model. The 2001 model goes for less than that -around $32000-$33000 for a car with up to 15000 miles on the clock. The 2001 model Z06 has "only" 385bhp rather than 405bhp.
When I say landed, I mean before SVA work which, assuming you can do it yourself, costs as follows:
Rear light conversion kit - £160
Side repeaters - £25
Fog light - £3
UK C5 sidelights - £78
Various wiring, connectors, fog light switch - let's say £50 to be on the safe side.
You can download the 178 page SVA manual to guide you.
SVA test fee - £150
Registration and road tax.
Check out my thread here:
www.aacint.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=3017&whichpage=2
and my SVA mod page (yet to be finalised as I've yet to have the test done) here:
www.cardomain.com/memberpage/627465/2
A lot depends on the exchange rate at the time and it won't stay high forever. However, if you're the type who wants to see, buy and drive straight away, you may mind this a frustrating experience just to save over 10 grand.
When I say landed, I mean before SVA work which, assuming you can do it yourself, costs as follows:
Rear light conversion kit - £160
Side repeaters - £25
Fog light - £3
UK C5 sidelights - £78
Various wiring, connectors, fog light switch - let's say £50 to be on the safe side.
You can download the 178 page SVA manual to guide you.
SVA test fee - £150
Registration and road tax.
Check out my thread here:
www.aacint.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=3017&whichpage=2
and my SVA mod page (yet to be finalised as I've yet to have the test done) here:
www.cardomain.com/memberpage/627465/2
A lot depends on the exchange rate at the time and it won't stay high forever. However, if you're the type who wants to see, buy and drive straight away, you may mind this a frustrating experience just to save over 10 grand.
Wayne - now you've had the chance to use the Vette for a while has it moved ahead of the Z28 in your preference or are you looking to sell the Vette at a quick profit and keep the Camaro?
www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?f=23&h=&t=107560
At the time I bought my Vette the dealers were selling Camaros too and in my opinion it was "no contest" at any price. In engineering and quality terms I felt the cars were miles apart. I'd previously looked at Firebirds and come to the same decision. C5 still stands up well after 5 years ownership so I'd expect your Z06 to trounce the Z28 in every way (except rear seats suitable for small kids only).
www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?f=23&h=&t=107560
At the time I bought my Vette the dealers were selling Camaros too and in my opinion it was "no contest" at any price. In engineering and quality terms I felt the cars were miles apart. I'd previously looked at Firebirds and come to the same decision. C5 still stands up well after 5 years ownership so I'd expect your Z06 to trounce the Z28 in every way (except rear seats suitable for small kids only).
This is a difficult one to answer because I've yet to have the car SVA'd so I've only driven it from Bristol and round Cardiff a few times...a few times more than I should because I loved driving it.
When I bought the Camaro, I would agree that it was "no contest" because the suspension was a little too soft, the car was a little too flexible and the back end would wag when flinging it out of a hard 3/4 circuit roundabout. Now the Camaro was a car I had long lusted after so getting one was an occasion. It had far more power than my old 230bhp C4 Corvette and was far better built. Because I need 4 seats, I spent about £4000 on it, changing the suspension, uprating the roll bars and strengthening the chassis and improving the looks so that it now handles really very well, goes like stink and looks amazing IMHO and all for less than a £15k outlay over the last 3 years. So the Vette comparison isn't stock for stock.
I was expecting the Z06 to totally blow me away and to some extent, it did, but you get used to having a fast car so the effect is lessened. It is a lot faster, of course, and with over 100bhp more and less weight, it's not surprising but how often do you ever truly use full throttle. I had a blat with a pair of large capacity motorcycles last week in the Z28 and it certainly wasn't disgraced and left them on the fast sweeping bends. In other words, very rare is the situation where I've been crying out for more power in the Z28. It's been beaten once, nay, crucified, by a Cerbera, in a straight line. It has more than enough power to dispense with just about everything else I encounter, including a new 745i.
So I'm very attached to my Camaro. It's a bit of a superhero alter-ego, a 4 seater Vette. So after driving the Z06, I was expecting to be disappointed by the Camaro when I got back into it and see it "in a new perspective". But no, I still love it, auto box and all which can be prompted to drop a few cogs once you get used to it. I also love driving the Z06 but that's because it does what it damn well should do for that price sort of thing - it's a sports car with bespoke design which is why the Camaro still amazes me - that it can be so good for the money and with relatively few mods. Because they're cheap in the US (and here actually), they're treated as a basic car to which any number of modifications can be made and until you can afford those mods, you've still got an LS1 powered car. Some guy even put a message on my Car Domain site asking why on earth I'd bought a Z06 when I could have bought a Camaro and supercharged it making it faster than a Z06 and I can truly understand why he asked that question.
I have no plans to sell either one and I'm sure the Z06 will blow me away totally once I get out there with it and use it as a new benchmark. Given the wrench it took to get rid of my C4, a flawed vehicle indeed, I can only say that these cars inspire a close emotional bond. It really hurts to let them go. However, I didn't really "bond" with my Z28 until I modded it and made it what it should have been. LOL.
The things I find odd are that the Camaro is a cheap car in the US and yet the interior is just as good as the Vette and although it doesn't have the electronic gizmos in the instruments or the HUD, it's all the better for it. Keep it simple. It still has electric seats, mirrors, windows but they're all exactly where they should be with nice chunky switches. The carpeting in the Camaro is better quality, the construction of the car is, in many areas, better quality, the seats are better and there are a lot of compromises in the Vette that don't exist in the Z28. But then in many ways, they're chalk and cheese. I'm not complaining about either really! For the money I paid, they're both fantastic but the Vette's interior is OK but you know you paid for the engine. I think what I'm trying to say here is that the Camaro is a damned good car, far, far better than most people give it credit for. The Vette is the next level but when you're in the realms of high power outputs, the relative gains from 300bhp to 405bhp are less startling, less pronounced and while ultimately the Z06 is going to trounce the Z28 in the same way that TVR did, it will only be when it really comes down to it hammer to the floor stuff. The satisfaction I get from the cars is still immeasurable.
I've been through this a hundred times on the American car forums though. There is something about an American car which is indefinable. They have true character and few who buy them ever want anything else.
When I bought the Camaro, I would agree that it was "no contest" because the suspension was a little too soft, the car was a little too flexible and the back end would wag when flinging it out of a hard 3/4 circuit roundabout. Now the Camaro was a car I had long lusted after so getting one was an occasion. It had far more power than my old 230bhp C4 Corvette and was far better built. Because I need 4 seats, I spent about £4000 on it, changing the suspension, uprating the roll bars and strengthening the chassis and improving the looks so that it now handles really very well, goes like stink and looks amazing IMHO and all for less than a £15k outlay over the last 3 years. So the Vette comparison isn't stock for stock.
I was expecting the Z06 to totally blow me away and to some extent, it did, but you get used to having a fast car so the effect is lessened. It is a lot faster, of course, and with over 100bhp more and less weight, it's not surprising but how often do you ever truly use full throttle. I had a blat with a pair of large capacity motorcycles last week in the Z28 and it certainly wasn't disgraced and left them on the fast sweeping bends. In other words, very rare is the situation where I've been crying out for more power in the Z28. It's been beaten once, nay, crucified, by a Cerbera, in a straight line. It has more than enough power to dispense with just about everything else I encounter, including a new 745i.
So I'm very attached to my Camaro. It's a bit of a superhero alter-ego, a 4 seater Vette. So after driving the Z06, I was expecting to be disappointed by the Camaro when I got back into it and see it "in a new perspective". But no, I still love it, auto box and all which can be prompted to drop a few cogs once you get used to it. I also love driving the Z06 but that's because it does what it damn well should do for that price sort of thing - it's a sports car with bespoke design which is why the Camaro still amazes me - that it can be so good for the money and with relatively few mods. Because they're cheap in the US (and here actually), they're treated as a basic car to which any number of modifications can be made and until you can afford those mods, you've still got an LS1 powered car. Some guy even put a message on my Car Domain site asking why on earth I'd bought a Z06 when I could have bought a Camaro and supercharged it making it faster than a Z06 and I can truly understand why he asked that question.
I have no plans to sell either one and I'm sure the Z06 will blow me away totally once I get out there with it and use it as a new benchmark. Given the wrench it took to get rid of my C4, a flawed vehicle indeed, I can only say that these cars inspire a close emotional bond. It really hurts to let them go. However, I didn't really "bond" with my Z28 until I modded it and made it what it should have been. LOL.
The things I find odd are that the Camaro is a cheap car in the US and yet the interior is just as good as the Vette and although it doesn't have the electronic gizmos in the instruments or the HUD, it's all the better for it. Keep it simple. It still has electric seats, mirrors, windows but they're all exactly where they should be with nice chunky switches. The carpeting in the Camaro is better quality, the construction of the car is, in many areas, better quality, the seats are better and there are a lot of compromises in the Vette that don't exist in the Z28. But then in many ways, they're chalk and cheese. I'm not complaining about either really! For the money I paid, they're both fantastic but the Vette's interior is OK but you know you paid for the engine. I think what I'm trying to say here is that the Camaro is a damned good car, far, far better than most people give it credit for. The Vette is the next level but when you're in the realms of high power outputs, the relative gains from 300bhp to 405bhp are less startling, less pronounced and while ultimately the Z06 is going to trounce the Z28 in the same way that TVR did, it will only be when it really comes down to it hammer to the floor stuff. The satisfaction I get from the cars is still immeasurable.
I've been through this a hundred times on the American car forums though. There is something about an American car which is indefinable. They have true character and few who buy them ever want anything else.
It's a good point you make that there's no shortage of power in the Z28! There's little on the planet quicker than the big TVRs but the prospect of owning one with all the build and reliability issues, no anti-lock etc is not something I would consider. As you say once a car is powerful enough to be "very quick" it matters little whether you have the ultimate bhp in real world situations. The chassis mods you have made sound as though they tidied up the soft stock handling very well. I always liked the look of the F cars and did quite a lot of work on whether to get one - including with a Dutch GM dealer. After the C5 launch a lot of people said there was too much F car in the looks anyway! When the C5 became an official UK model I could not resist and was straight out with my cheque book having seen one on the road in USA. Probably just as well as the warranty turned out to be needed although since then the service dealer network has reduced. At least the ones that remain are reasonably serious about these cars.
You're going to love that Vette!
You're going to love that Vette!
Well, my SVA preparation is finally complete. The rear amber indicator bulbs arrived from the US and have been fitted and the side repeaters are all wired in and they all flash correctly. Phew.
The UK C5 front sidelights are on and working.
The rear fog light and switch are in and working AOK. My thanks to Ken Skinner for reassurance on the foglight positioning.
The tints are off and the windows are deglued
Had a heartstopping moment when I idly pressed the hazard warning switch and nothing happened. Had to strip it down again to find that there was a rogue connection where I tapped in the foglight. Phew again.
SVA test on the 5th July and fingers crossed.
Learnt something interesting as well - the trim that runs from the base of the windscreen around the top of the door is so tightly torqued that they have a tendency to snap. Mine has a very clean 90 degree snap about a third down the driver's side of the windscreen. Z06Vette.com say this is quite normal and although it can be replaced under warranty, it can be very messy. Think I'll leave it.
The UK C5 front sidelights are on and working.
The rear fog light and switch are in and working AOK. My thanks to Ken Skinner for reassurance on the foglight positioning.
The tints are off and the windows are deglued
Had a heartstopping moment when I idly pressed the hazard warning switch and nothing happened. Had to strip it down again to find that there was a rogue connection where I tapped in the foglight. Phew again.
SVA test on the 5th July and fingers crossed.
Learnt something interesting as well - the trim that runs from the base of the windscreen around the top of the door is so tightly torqued that they have a tendency to snap. Mine has a very clean 90 degree snap about a third down the driver's side of the windscreen. Z06Vette.com say this is quite normal and although it can be replaced under warranty, it can be very messy. Think I'll leave it.
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