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And honestly? I can't find anything in my price range that excites me as much as my 'Vette does. I've been looking online as well as reading reviews about a few vehicles:
2008-2009 BMW M3
2009-2010 Cadillac CTS-V Sedan
2008-2009 Mercedes SLK55 AMG
2011 Shelby GT500
2011 Chevy Camaro SS
2008-2009 Porsche Cayman S
2007-2009 Porsche 911
Then I started to think what I wanted in a sports car. Badges mean nothing to me, I don't care what brand it is nor what others think of me driving it. I want something fast, fun, and loud (styling). I don't want something tame, I want to step on the gas and be GONE. Plus it has to be a stick, I wouldn't ever commit the crime of buying a (gasp) automatic sports car.
I went down the list and compared the specs of my current '05 Corvette with those of vehicles I'd consider purchasing and none of these vehicles can really top a 'Vette in terms of performance. Forget hugging curves and going around twisties, I want 0-60 in a bit over 4 seconds with a top speed nearing 200 mph...all while achieving nearly 28 mpg.
I would LOVE to own a superexotic such as a Ferrari but...I can't afford the entry price nor the upkeep. If I could get a 2002 360 Modena is great condition for my price, I'd hop on it but...I don't see that happening.
I guess as of now, I'll just wait and keep my '05.
For that kind of performance you should be looking into newer vettes or the Nissan GTR. Right now it might be out of your price range but it all honesty it's just about the best all around sports car out there. To beat it's performance you'd need to step up to one of the newer exotics or the ZR1 Vette.
As for the Automatic thing in a sports car. I understand the need to shift your own gears but the new crop of dual clutch automatics are superior in every way.
I think you're realizing why everyone always says Vette's are the best bang for the buck...because they are. There are maybe two cars in existence that come close to touching the Vette's dollar to performance ratio and that is the 2011 Mustang GT and the Nissan GTR. If neither of those appeal to you, you're going to circle right back to the Vette. There are other options in that price range, like the BMW M's, Mercedes AMG's and Audi S's, but they all give up some performance for luxury. The Porsche is a nice blend of everything, but pricey and not nearly as straight line fast as the Vette.
Have you considered maybe playing a bit with the Vette you have? A supercharger system is pretty cheap and you'd end up with a poor mans ZR1. Another option would just be enhancing what you have with some exhaust work, midrange aggressive street cam and a tune. You would end up with around 475 or so to the wheels. A major performance boost and sound boost, while still retaining the drivability.
NO offense with regards to the GT-R but I've heard some nightmare stories about maintenance and other associated costs for them. (Like a 7k brake-job)
Couple that with their initial "game the system" launch control which you couldn't use much before voiding the warranty and I just get this skeevy feeling that they built a car to do great on tests (and it's certainly a heckuva car) and kept the costs down by not engineering it to hold up for the long haul, keep weight down or both.
NO offense with regards to the GT-R but I've heard some nightmare stories about maintenance and other associated costs for them. (Like a 7k brake-job)
Couple that with their initial "game the system" launch control which you couldn't use much before voiding the warranty and I just get this skeevy feeling that they built a car to do great on tests (and it's certainly a heckuva car) and kept the costs down by not engineering it to hold up for the long haul, keep weight down or both.
I'm in no way a GTR fan at all, you can find some of my posts about them in other threads mentioning some of the same issues. There is a lot of BS surrounding that car and I wouldn't personally recommend one. However, on the dollarerformance front, they are among the best out there....you just need to ignore all the other BS with them, lol.
I'm in no way a GTR fan at all, you can find some of my posts about them in other threads mentioning some of the same issues. There is a lot of BS surrounding that car and I wouldn't personally recommend one. However, on the dollarerformance front, they are among the best out there....you just need to ignore all the other BS with them, lol.
I agree.
I guess I should be clearer that if your max budget is say....50k. You might not want to go all the way up to 50k when buying a GTR but rather hold some money back for the possibility of higher maintenance and repair costs than on *some* other types of vehicles.
I guess I haven't looked into the GT-R much, may have to give it some consideration. And $50K is my max budget because I know what I want to pay out of pocket and how much I will get for my 'Vette.
And yes, I was actually quite surprised at this price point how few vehicles can actually compete with a 'Vette dollar-for-dollar performance. BMW's and Mercedes' don't do anything for me, the Porsche's are nice but can't match performance, and the Shelby and Camaro are both fairly porky. I LOVE the CTS-V but...I really do like having a two seater on a sunny Arizona day.
I may also look at an '08+ 'Vette because of the new 6.2L they put in that year. Maybe a Z06 but not sure what exactly that would cost for my insurance, my 'Vette convertible is actually fairly cheap all things considered.
I guess I haven't looked into the GT-R much, may have to give it some consideration. And $50K is my max budget because I know what I want to pay out of pocket and how much I will get for my 'Vette.
And yes, I was actually quite surprised at this price point how few vehicles can actually compete with a 'Vette dollar-for-dollar performance. BMW's and Mercedes' don't do anything for me, the Porsche's are nice but can't match performance, and the Shelby and Camaro are both fairly porky. I LOVE the CTS-V but...I really do like having a two seater on a sunny Arizona day.
I may also look at an '08+ 'Vette because of the new 6.2L they put in that year. Maybe a Z06 but not sure what exactly that would cost for my insurance, my 'Vette convertible is actually fairly cheap all things considered.
My Z06 insurance isn't that bad, probably won't be much different from you 05' if you have it rated as "pleasure driver".
I will warn you that tires on the Z06 will run you up towards 2k a set once you add tax etc. and probably won't last more than 15k miles even if you are kind to them. Oil changes at the dealership aren't terrible...80-90 a pop and the car tells you when to do it and for me that's been every 5k miles or so.
Just don't detroy a rim....those are about $900 and are only available OEM.
So go for a newer Vette, then slap a blower, cam, suspension, brakes, and intake/exhaust on it. You'd come out for far less than $50K, and have a car that would blow the doors off most exotics. And you'd have a car that's different from most others. Do some electric cutouts on the exhaust for when you really want to make some noise. Maybe some custom paint for visible loudness. You're still out for well under $50K.
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erformance front, they are among the best out there....you just need to ignore all the other BS with them, lol.
