would you own a C5 Zo6 as your daily driver?

I know this may be out of place here but I know a lot of Viper owners have owned vettes thats why I ask. I have found a pretty good deal on a 2004 zo6 with 21000 miles on it. I test drove it but had to take the sales men with me so i couldnt really tell what the power is like. I would buy the car for my daily driver and wanted opinions on how it compares to the GTS's. Anyone with any experiance please give me some insight on your feelings of the car on all aspects. Also Im keeping the GTS so dont worry about that leaving me. Will never and I mean never happen.

Nates GTS Viper said:

I know this may be out of place here but I know a lot of Viper owners have owned vettes thats why I ask. I have found a pretty good deal on a 2004 zo6 with 21000 miles on it. I test drove it but had to take the sales men with me so i couldnt really tell what the power is like. I would buy the car for my daily driver and wanted opinions on how it compares to the GTS's. Anyone with any experiance please give me some insight on your feelings of the car on all aspects. Also Im keeping the GTS so dont worry about that leaving me. Will never and I mean never happen.

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Absolutely I would have a C5 Z06 as my daily driver. You betcha. I actually prefer the C5's over the C6's because I like the looks of the retractable headlights.

I'm sorry I can't give you any comparisons to the GTS.

While we're on the subject ... Everybody here seems to treat their Vipers with almost reverent respect and loving care. The cars get washed with a spritzer of fluid and then very, very light touch with the microfiber towel. No dust is allowed to accumulate, scratches are buffed out until the finish is better than the factory could do. Then we buy another car to use as our daily driver. Why don't we all keep treating the Viper we have now with the same delicate touch, and then buy another Viper to use as our daily driver? We could wash that one a bit more often than our pristine one and we can be driving Vipers all the time.

Do I dare say it............ 03/04 Cobra to this day, I miss my '03

But back on topic; HELL YEA to a DD Z06

I absolutely would. They're cheap, affordable to maintain,look good and fun to drive.

Go for it !

I would do it in a second. There is nothing wrong with a Corvette.
(They don't compare, or even come close to our Vipers' but... Hel, they even put a blower on it and the ACR still beat it at "The Ring"....)

Corvettes are very cheap to mod. and maintain.......

For a DD.

Nope. I'd get an SRT8 charger.

Bambam,
I love your signature. Made for a good laugh this early in the morning.

Had a couple C5 Z06's before out Gen 3 and Gen 4 Vipers - I liked it well enough - like many said not huge smile like my Vipers but it was pre-Viper days for me. The z06 was noticably more enjoyable vs. non.

What color?

I tracked and street-drove my 2002 Z06 for 110K miles, not a SINGLE thing went wrong with that car, ok yeh I had a valve spring go. that was IT.

rear wheel drive, so be careful in the winter...'04 has the newer shocks. very 'forgiving' car, you can turn on/off TC and AH as you wish to drive parts are relatively INexpensive compared to the Viper

go for it.

Yes, But i really like the C6 ZO6 alot

Very nice car the Z06, not crazy over the roof line on the previous generation but its a personal choice. Have to agree with SkyBob though, why not buy a used Viper for a daily driver? Either car would **** in the winter or when its cold. Maybe the Vette with its nannies might be somewhat better in the snow, but come on who drives a Vette in the snow?

I drove a Caddy CTS-V (same driveline as the ZO6) and loved it as a DD. Until the day I got caught in a snowstorm. Even with ETC and Stabilitrak, I had to stop at a hotel. I have a Hemi GC now!

With the exception that Vettes are seen everywhere, a ZO6 would be an awesome dailey driver. +1..........reliable too.

+1 I like the C5 over the C6. It looks better and the price is ridiculously right at around $20-25K

Vipers make great DD's as well...

They are GREAT cars.... I bought one brand new in 2002 (Electron Blue). In 2 years, I accumulated 54,000 miles on the car. Drove it in rain,snow,etc,etc. And if I spent a few hours detailing the car, it was tough to tell from new.. I sold the car in 2004, for a GTS. In 2 years and nearly 60k miles of driving. The car was COMPLETELY trouble free. Go for it.

Yes, I have one in the garage sitting next to my GTS right now. It is an awesome all around car and much easier to live with on a day to day basis especially since you can park it without attracting all the attention the GTS does.

I would definitely drive a C5 Z06 as a DD, but I actually loved my Gen III as a DD for 36K miles.

Absolutely. Had one for a few years - 60k miles. Plan to get one next year as a second DD. Not expensive to maintain and good car overall. I like the C5 Z over the C6 Z too.

Good luck.

my viper said:

Absolutely. Had one for a few years - 60k miles. Plan to get one next year as a second DD. Not expensive to maintain and good car overall. I like the C5 Z over the C6 Z too.

Good luck.

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I did too.... Until I drove one... The C6Z is an amazing car!!!! Light years ahead of the C5.

TAXIMAN1 said:

I did too.... Until I drove one... The C6Z is an amazing car!!!! Light years ahead of the C5.

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Oh, I am sure it is. Just that I like the C5 body better similar to how I like the Gen II over III/IV. Have not driven a C6Z though.

Would you have any other vehicle available for those winter days when snow or ice is on the roads?

For about 5 years in Kansas (15-20 inches of snow per year), I had a C4 Vette as my only car. I had to "hitch a ride" with others on some heavy-snow days, but it was mostly workable.

Bought a 2000 C5 coupe that I used as a daily for a number of years, New England winters included. They are great all-around cars and I would not have a worry about your picking one up for the same purpose.

I will say one thing... unless you LOVE the FRC style roof and lack of convertible top or removable panels... I suggest not getting the Z06. For just a few bucks you can have a base C5 outperforming a Z, but enjoy the open top driving at the same time.

Good luck. Not a bad choice of daily whip!

The one im looking at is red with 21000 miles. I get them down to 25000 for it and am going to trade in my 05 stage 3 srt-4 thats putting down 350 hp to the wheels. Its always been a great car but think i may have outgrown it. Also i have a ram srt-10 that i drive in bad weather and another regular 00 neon if i had to. Whats different about the 04 than the 01-03 zo6. I know the 01 only had 385hp but what are any other differences. And thanks for not burning me on this i know alot of people could have made this thread turn out bad.

I really enjoyed the vette a lot, thought it was the best car for the $$$ you could get until I met the RT/10.

Sure don't agree with the C5 being superior in any way though.

02 thru 04 Z06's are pretty much the same other than some super minor things like chrome lug nuts etc...

Only exception is the 04 commerative edition which has a CF hood.

Nates GTS Viper said:

The one im looking at is red with 21000 miles. I get them down to 25000 for it and am going to trade in my 05 stage 3 srt-4 thats putting down 350 hp to the wheels. Its always been a great car but think i may have outgrown it. Also i have a ram srt-10 that i drive in bad weather and another regular 00 neon if i had to. Whats different about the 04 than the 01-03 zo6. I know the 01 only had 385hp but what are any other differences. And thanks for not burning me on this i know alot of people could have made this thread turn out bad.

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2004 they upgraded the shocks, performance-wise, that's it. I THINK the wheels were somewhat lighter too, but they are still the same look-gunmetal grey.

Lemans color was available with the CF hood.

thanks for the help everyone. i just might go pick it up in the am

I had a 200 FRC, it was a great car. The best part is that they get ridiculously good mileage on the highway. For twenty grand you simply can't beat them.

I own both a 2002 GTS and a 2003 Z06 electron blue, both factory stock. The Z06 is my daily driver, it's comfortable enough to drive everyday and gets very respectible gas mileage, high teens around town and got up to 27.5 mpg on the highway, it gets just as good a mileage as my wife's Accord. Its has more than enough power to get by. It's not a torque brute like the Viper, but it does have very good linear power. For comparison, I did the quarter in 12.4 on my GTS and a 12.6 on my Z06, both on factory stock tires. The Z is much more forgiving, easier to learn and flog around, whereas the Viper there's a learning curve and the pedals skewed to the left although it seems easier to me to heel/toe with the Viper. I've since swapped out my Goodyear F1SC's on the Z for PS2's and the PS2's are noticeably better tires, quieter and grippier. Driving around town even at stock height, you still want to be careful on steep dips and driveways as well as those parking lot tire stoppers.

Issues I had since owning it: Steering column lock, which I now have a column lock bypass (CLB). Right side window motor got stuck one day, I just took off the door panel and banged on the motor and it freed itself working again. Rear diff oil purged out from the top vent valve on a prolonged high speed run, just refilled diff oil. Active handling/ABS service on the DIC (Driver Info Center) display, this gizmo pops up every now and then, and I still don't know if it's the ABS module or a bad connection/ground. Nearly all electronic related, except for the diff oil purge. Other than that, no mechanical issues to speak of. I flush out the brake and clutch fluid once a year and change the oil when the oil life gets down to 20%, also about once a year. These are common for C5's. If you can live with that, then you'll enjoy the C5 Z for a daily driver as well as I have.