'03 or '04 - if you're changing the shocks it doesn't really matter. I think the best thing about an ASP car is the seat since you can put in a racing seat! The worst part of the Z06 is the seat because they designed it for a 50+ year old guy with a beer belly. So as a mid-size female I slide all over the place when driving. Hence the kneepads since I have to hold myself up with knees wedged against the door and the console. Unless you plan to get a bar and a harness....Annie Bauer wrote:Since I tend to keep cars for such a long timeI need one that I can easily resell when the time comes. So, a street prepared Vette is really out, even if I could get comfortable driving it to events (which I can't...).
An '04 garage queen is what I'm looking for...
Despite all of the negative things about to come out of my mouth, I still love driving my Z06 and haven't found anything else I've wanted to own since I bought my first one in 2001.
Don't get an '01 unless you can update the control arms to '03 or '04. The bushings don't stay in the '01 arm and you have to replace the entire arm at least once a year if you autocross. I haven't changed an arm yet in my '03. Plus the '01 is trigger happy. They fixed this in later models. Something to do with the cam and the drive-by-wire, I believe. The '03 is much more benign. The '01 was a beast but a lot of fun.
If you buy a garage queen and then start autocrossing it regularly and driving it every day, no doubt you will experience many of the Z06 issues that a garage queen owner will never come across. There is a long list including fuel senders (sensors - I forget now), seat back adjusters, etc. Mainly minor, but irritating items. I've tried to put them all out of my mind because most of the problems occur in the first 20,000-25,000 miles of driving.
The Z06 makes a great autocross car and pickup truck. I haul plenty of tile, stone, and cabinet samples when I go to see clients. But notice I can go see clients in my "truck". You do have to be careful what you put in the dip in the "trunk" as well as what's in the "cup holder" and the center console - you could bake cookies these areas get so hot.
If you lower the car to proper autcross height (which is not all the way lowered), you will have a great time crossing driveways sideways at 2mph, getting stuck on top of speed bumps, and otherwise trying to maneuver a low car with a very long nose. And everyone wonders why I consider the front air dam disposable.....
On the plus side, it's great to autocross a car with air-conditioning, power steering, and a stereo. Oh yeah, and POWER. And TORQUE. And it's sexy. But I guess the Subaru has all of that as well - except for the power, torque, and sexy part. What about your Porsche? Is it leaving?
Leslie
We have one a local dealership we are interested in - hopefully it will be still for sale next weekend!
