drove my first american car today - 986 Forum - The Community for Porsche Boxster & Cayman Owners

djomlas · 02-10-2007, 02:16 PM

o yea, well its pretty much a production drag car, it hauls ass, wher the boxster has none of that, so if someone is looking to ro and rape all the ricers in something, this wold be a very good choice, and hp/$ upgrades are pretty much free compared to boxster, even thought its weird to even say that you need to upgrade a 500hp car, lol.
i had a 412hp car, and it was awesome, but i wuld slow down to a 15 to just take a turn, scary ****************, but off the line there nothing better than guttd american musle car.

glad u liked it,

kls · 02-10-2007, 02:42 PM

I was at the Portland car show a few weeks ago and, as always, looking for the next dream car. I sat in a corvette and it had a feel of excitement that I didn't get from anything else there. I had a '67 vette in the 70's and it was fine, but I've not been a big fan of Chevy's since then. Just sitting in the vette made me think I could try it again. From everything I've read the new vette is no slouch in the handling department either. The Consumer Reports article on dream cars gave the 911 top honors, but the vette was very close, and much cheaper.

MNBoxster · 02-10-2007, 03:06 PM

Hi,

I think the C6 and especially the Z06 are World Class. Lots of import guys still won't give them the respect they truly deserve though...

Happy Motoring!... Jim'99

Brucelee · 02-10-2007, 04:10 PM

The C6 has so much torque it pretty much doesn't matter what gear you are in.

Anyway, the 6 speed click shifter is the bomb. I would buy that if I were in the market over rowing the gears.

Great car, great price.

Adam · 02-10-2007, 05:26 PM

Bavarian, was it a C6? Your post didn't say. I'm guessing it was from your post since C5's can be bought for next to nothing these days. I have to echo what Bruce says about the torque, it just goes no matter what gear you are in. I spent about 10hrs of seat time behind the wheel of a 05 C6 and it was fun but I'm still keeping the boxster S. I must say I liked the power though...plus it had a better shift feel than my boxster.

racer_d · 02-10-2007, 06:13 PM

I've instructed in a couple of C4 Vettes over the years. Lots of Torque/Power but ****************ty brakes.

I've instructed in a few C5 vettes. Much better than the C4s. Better brakes (but still not "porsche" brakes, better handling, sterring feel and shifting.

Haven't driven a C6 Vette, or a Z06, but they can only be better overall.

One feature I truly hate on the Vettes is the 1-4 shift lock out. Unless you really mash the pedal in first, the computer makes you upshift to 4th instead of second. On the other hand, the motors have so much torque that on the street its hardly an issue, but an annoyance on the track.

For me though, they (vettes) just don't do it. Too big (wide, heavy) and none of the delicate balance and feel that my Porsches have spoiled me for. The new regular C6's have so much performance potential, that it takes a skilled driver to feel comfortable at their limits. Yes, they are faster than your Boxster and may cost about the same. Not sure they are better.. just different!

super66 · 02-10-2007, 06:25 PM

I think I like the C5 over the C6 in looks....the C6 ditched the pop up headlights and that is such a vette thing....

The C4, quite possibly the worst breaks ever!!!!

I came close to getting a yellow C5 convertible witha black top....maybe the C6 will grow on me over time....

John V · 02-13-2007, 06:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by djomlas

o yea, well its pretty much a production drag car, it hauls ass, wher the boxster has none of that, so if someone is looking to ro and rape all the ricers in something, this wold be a very good choice,

I've spent a bit of time in C5 and C5 Z06 cars. Obviously both cars are significantly faster in a straight line than a Boxster or Boxster S.

But they will also positively rape a Boxster around an autocross course or open track. The suspension on C5s and C6s is fully adjustable front and rear for camber. They don't require a lot of static camber to handle well, because the suspension was properly designed to have an excellent camber curve (you can't say that about a Boxster). The ride height is adjustable from the factory. The cars are set up very well for track and autocross work, right out of the box. In fact, the factory goes so far as to recommend alignment settings for track, autocross, and street. Pretty cool.

The C5 is a car that initially feels very large, but its quick steering, fast responses and forgiving nature make it feel much smaller and immediately inspire confidence. Once moving quickly, they feel light, small and nimble. A C5 Z06 is only 3050lbs, pretty close to a Boxster S weight (mine is 3000lbs on the nose, 2960 with the fancy wheels). They are fantastic handling cars.

The one area where they are really lacking is in handling FEEL. Somehow Chevy hasn't found a way to acheive the wonderful steering feel and chassis feedback of a Boxster. Supposedly, the C6 was a step in the wrong direction in this regard, but again I haven't driven one.

If they can fix that for the C7 and keep the weight in check, it will be my next car. If I hadn't bought my Boxster for competition purposes, I'd own a C6.

Perfectlap · 02-13-2007, 07:13 AM

my two cents:
apples and oranges really...
for the track I'll take a c6 or zo6 over any Porsche any day of the week.

But we don't live on the track do we?

The peformance of the car is world class as proven in Sports Car racing but the styling and wheels are still disappointing and stuck in the 90's. The performance to match any Ferrari yet it looks inferior when parked next to a F430 or 360.
The interior of the Z06 is vastly better and I actually prefer it to the newer stuff from Porsche but c6 still needs lots of work. It still screams 'rental car'. And not to mention the "gold chain" driver stigma.
Ford was able to make the Ford GT look truly exotic so it is possible in America. Can't understand why Chevy still can't get it right. I'd be pissed if I were an engineer over there. All that work to make it perform and the design guys are five steps behind.

John V · 02-13-2007, 07:16 AM

The interior of the C6 isn't the best, but IMO it's as nice or nicer than a base 986 interior in terms of fit, finish and quality of materials. As far as stying goes, I think the C6 is positively beautiful. I don't like the fit of the headlights the best, but the rest of the look is clean and purposeful.

Of course it's not going to look as exotic as a Ford GT or a Ferrari. Would you pay $60k-$120k to upgrade your Corvette interior to that of a GT or an F430 if you still had a Corvette afterwards? $60k is about the price differential between a C6 and a GT. The Corvette is built to a price, and the money goes into the stuff that matters - the chassis and drivetrain.

Perfectlap · 02-13-2007, 11:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by John V

The interior of the C6 isn't the best, but IMO it's as nice or nicer than a base 986 interior in terms of fit, finish and quality of materials. As far as stying goes, I think the C6 is positively beautiful. I don't like the fit of the headlights the best, but the rest of the look is clean and purposeful.

Of course it's not going to look as exotic as a Ford GT or a Ferrari. Would you pay $60k-$120k to upgrade your Corvette interior to that of a GT or an F430 if you still had a Corvette afterwards? $60k is about the price differential between a C6 and a GT. The Corvette is built to a price, and the money goes into the stuff that matters - the chassis and drivetrain.

well I was referring more to the more important exterior styling than the interior.
but...
I don't think the C6 or Z06 even looks like a $60K car let alone $120K.
To me both look like a $40K car, Tops. Its looks aren't bad but sooo bland.
The wheels look like they came out of the wheels section of the Sears Auto Store.
There is nothing on the car that would make it memorable. 100% Vanilla.

Do you know how many people have stopped me and thought my car looked like a $70K car? They couldn't believe me when I told them that you could find a very similar one for under $30K.

The styling on the C6 and ZO6 are really no different, you would have to look closely to tell them apart.

John V · 02-13-2007, 02:39 PM

Hm. To each his own, I guess. The looks of the Boxster are probably last on the list of things I would list under "positives." On the other hand, I absolutely love the looks of the Corvette, both vanilla and Z06. Nothing more than personal preference really.

Wheels are easy to change. A nice set of CCWs would set the car off nicely. At least Chevy spent the money to equip the car with factory wheels that are strong and light - unlike Porsche, who chose to equip the Boxster with 30+lb wheels, with the exception of the lightweight 5-spokes like you have.

I love the feel of the car too, that's why I chose it over a C5 Z06 which would have been an awesome competition car as well. Excellent, just different. The Boxster is hard to beat; it has a vice-free chassis with neutral handling from the factory. Absolutely brilliant for a car with four struts.

z12358 · 02-13-2007, 03:21 PM

Excuse my ignorance but aren't the Corvette's body panels made of plastic? I guess, that's how what looks like a large car can only weigh about 3000lbs. Looks almost like cheating.

Seriously, if that's true how come other sports cars haven't picked up this "secret" way of shedding weight? A plastic Boxster would come out sub 2500 lbs.

Z.

mtch · 02-13-2007, 06:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by John V

I don't like the fit of the headlights the best, but the rest of the look is clean and purposeful.

I also read the the headlights were the result of time lost during the 24 hrs of LeMans while driving with headlights. I think it was 2003. The C-5 won, but lost a lot of time due to increased drag of the flip up head lights. The race team complained, and Chevy responded.

I love the lights of the C-6. In fact, if the C-5 had the lights of the C-6, I would have bought one instead of my Boxster.

eslai · 02-13-2007, 09:34 PM

I've driven my friend's C6 (also has a Borla exhaust on it) a few times. It's a VERY different experience from my car.

Big power, but I missed revving the engine--you never need to get over 2000 RPMs in the Vette really. Hell, the thing will idle up a hill in fourth gear!

Hate the cheap interior and all the squeaks and rattles he's got, and the clutch took a while to get used to (and I'm pretty sure that all clutches are hydraulically-assisted these days--the C6 just has a heavier pressure plate than the Boxster probably, and for good reason). The C6 also feels a lot bigger when you're driving it, even though it's really not a big car at all.

He has a big problem with the gear box though. If he tries to shift into third gear quickly, often times the car ends up in a half-engaged state. It's a common report among C6 owners apparently.

Not the car for me, but I love the way it looks and damn, that's a fast car!

Oh, and I'm not diggin' his headless-dwarf steering wheel:

But GM's already fixed that issue.

super66 · 02-14-2007, 05:56 AM

[QUOTE=eslai]

sweet, looks like he got the chevy blazer steering wheel package

yeah, not that big of a fan of the interior or lack of pop up head lights....

Bavarian Motorist · 02-14-2007, 06:26 AM

Now I am really effin' kicking myself, guys.

I didn't get a 'Vette cause I wanted the convertible which is about 9k more...

Now I just found out that the coupe version has a removable roof panel standard, and you can even get that as a glass roof as a 750 dollar option.

Now I am severely depressed.

Oh well. I'll just enjoy my lovely Box for now

Perfectlap · 02-14-2007, 07:04 AM

[QUOTE=super66]

Quote:

Originally Posted by eslai

sweet, looks like he got the chevy blazer steering wheel package

yeah, not that big of a fan of the interior or lack of pop up head lights....

gee I need some coffee, it took a whole five minutes before I figured out
that its a head, two arms a big belly and two legs.

Dr. Kill · 02-14-2007, 10:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Perfectlap

gee I need some coffee, it took a whole five minutes before I figured out
that its a head, two arms a big belly and two legs.

Thank you for clarifying. I didn't get it until I read your post.

z12358 · 02-13-2007, 07:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by John V

The one area where they are really lacking is in handling FEEL. Somehow Chevy hasn't found a way to acheive the wonderful steering feel and chassis feedback of a Boxster. Supposedly, the C6 was a step in the wrong direction in this regard, but again I haven't driven one.

...and, to me, FEEL is mostly what matters when I take my Box top-down in the twisties.

Z.