What to get: 2006 Z06 or 2006 911 S?

[mondego]

corvette isn't a poor mans sports car. it's the only truly affordable sports car out there with usable v-8 power.

as for impressing customers? never EVER try to do that with a car. you're right on that. there's only one true way to impress a customer..........deliver on your promises. excellent service, and/or product. if you need anything else to impress em with, then you're doing something wrong.

 

I agree, although it's not that I'm trying to impress clients with a car. I'm just after a good middle ground. Just as you can have too gaudy a car, you can have too 'inferior' a car as well. When a client with a $50 million net worth comes to meet the guy who is going to handle his $5 million mortgage, he'd be a little concerned giving all his financials and personal information to someone in a beat up '85 Camry... he'd probably think, "does he really know what he's doing?"

I've seen that kind of reaction when I was younger and just starting the business out of college. I met a couple clients in my regular cab Ford Ranger and there'd often be that initial look of concern. It's not a terrible thing to deal with, and if you're honest, knowledgeable and provide good service like you and some previous posters mentioned, then it will still work out in the end. My point is that if I'm going to spend $50,000 on something, why would I want it to be a potential handicap or make my life more difficult? It's not the most important aspect of buying a car, but it's one of them.

What's interesting about this thread is that I find the attitudes of the people in the central states towards cars to be refreshing... there's such a vitriolic reaction to the "image" of the car being important. Whereas if you look at the locations of the guys that are in coastal areas (or foreign countries), they seem to understand the reasoning behind it. I've always thought about moving from California and seeing what life was like outside of it... this little discussion definitely makes a case for it   

Also, I really like the exterior of the Dodge Viper - it's a great looking car and would be a blast to own. It falls into the same category as the Z06 - power and performance but an overall lack of interior build quality and creature comforts (much more so than the Corvette). Not that it matters so much on the Viper... it's not after the daily driver customer base. It's more of a weekend/2nd car. I definitely have a soft spot for the Viper. It's in the price range of the Porsche and Z06, but like I mentioned earlier it's just not functional enough to be a daily driver (which is what this car will be).

[moot]

Why not get a Viper or Vette and do the interior yourself?  Nothing forces you to keep everything stock.. I don't expect those clients would look down on tastefully done custom interior.

[mondego]

Why not get a Viper or Vette and do the interior yourself?  Nothing forces you to keep everything stock.. I don't expect those clients would look down on tastefully done custom interior.

That's a good question. I'm not the biggest fan of aftermarket interiors, which likely stems from the fact I've never really seen a good one. I suppose the exception would be classic cars. Some of those look amazing when done right. I'll have to search around and see how much that costs with respect to the results I could expect to get from it. If you have any pictures of modern cars that have had their interiors redone, please post them!

[REVRAND]

Sorry but German engineering wins over muscle car girth............Porsche all the way, much more refined car.

As fart as speed you'll be on the six O'clock news before you even come close to eithers top speed............then you can choose the drivng option of the prison bus or your cellmate........hehehe    Good Luck in whatever you get....KEEP THE RUBBER DOWN!  


Mondego- F.Y.I. check out some of the work that West Coast Customs does.......I think they are by far the industry leader (in my opinion) of aftermarket interior work..........

[CAP1]

I agree, although it's not that I'm trying to impress clients with a car. I'm just after a good middle ground. Just as you can have too gaudy a car, you can have too 'inferior' a car as well. When a client with a $50 million net worth comes to meet the guy who is going to handle his $5 million mortgage, he'd be a little concerned giving all his financials and personal information to someone in a beat up '85 Camry... he'd probably think, "does he really know what he's doing?"

I've seen that kind of reaction when I was younger and just starting the business out of college. I met a couple clients in my regular cab Ford Ranger and there'd often be that initial look of concern. It's not a terrible thing to deal with, and if you're honest, knowledgeable and provide good service like you and some previous posters mentioned, then it will still work out in the end. My point is that if I'm going to spend $50,000 on something, why would I want it to be a potential handicap or make my life more difficult? It's not the most important aspect of buying a car, but it's one of them.

What's interesting about this thread is that I find the attitudes of the people in the central states towards cars to be refreshing... there's such a vitriolic reaction to the "image" of the car being important. Whereas if you look at the locations of the guys that are in coastal areas (or foreign countries), they seem to understand the reasoning behind it. I've always thought about moving from California and seeing what life was like outside of it... this little discussion definitely makes a case for it   

Also, I really like the exterior of the Dodge Viper - it's a great looking car and would be a blast to own. It falls into the same category as the Z06 - power and performance but an overall lack of interior build quality and creature comforts (much more so than the Corvette). Not that it matters so much on the Viper... it's not after the daily driver customer base. It's more of a weekend/2nd car. I definitely have a soft spot for the Viper. It's in the price range of the Porsche and Z06, but like I mentioned earlier it's just not functional enough to be a daily driver (which is what this car will be).

if it helps ya any.....a buddy of mine owns a viper. he pulled the engine 2 years ago, sent it to the company that builds em for dodge(these are true race cars), had em rebuild it, and add a supercharger while they were at it. he puts around 780 hp to the back tires.
 he's owned late 90's corvettes, and this viper. he likes the viper more.

 funny thing you mention about regions.  i had to call yellowbook today. each and every person i dealt with was so nice, it was almost disgusting(in a good way ). i asked one of them where in the country they are. she said they were in iowa. my reaction? "oooooo THAT'S why you're all so nice!!"

 turns out she hears that at least a dozen times a day.....and mostly from us on one of the coasts.



i'd still take the vette. v-8 rumble, crazy fast(if you want it)

 that's something people that've never owned a fast car don't understand. it's not that we need that extra power. it's not that we need that extra speed. it's just knowing it's there.
 plus, it adds to the fun getting to the speed limit. 
 it's been sooooooo long since i've had a fast car on the street......(insert the drooly thingies here again)

[moot]

That's a good question. I'm not the biggest fan of aftermarket interiors, which likely stems from the fact I've never really seen a good one. I suppose the exception would be classic cars. Some of those look amazing when done right. I'll have to search around and see how much that costs with respect to the results I could expect to get from it. If you have any pictures of modern cars that have had their interiors redone, please post them!

I don't know any such links, and I do know that pretty much any custom interior I've seen didn't do the car justice.. But given the latter, there's got to be a big demand for tasteful interior craftsmanship..

[CAP1]

Sorry but German engineering wins over muscle car girth............Porsche all the way, much more refined car.

As fart as speed you'll be on the six O'clock news before you even come close to eithers top speed............then you can choose the drivng option of the prison bus or your cellmate........hehehe    Good Luck in whatever you get....KEEP THE RUBBER DOWN!  


Mondego- F.Y.I. check out some of the work that West Coast Customs does.......I think they are by far the industry leader (in my opinion) of aftermarket interior work..........

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< has worked on enough of that "superior"  german engineering, that i'd never own one. ever.

 well.......a beemer if it had a good portion of the FULL warranty left. 

a porshe only before an audi or saab though.......

[CAP1]

That's a good question. I'm not the biggest fan of aftermarket interiors, which likely stems from the fact I've never really seen a good one. I suppose the exception would be classic cars. Some of those look amazing when done right. I'll have to search around and see how much that costs with respect to the results I could expect to get from it. If you have any pictures of modern cars that have had their interiors redone, please post them!

i'd be willing to bet that if you took a new car like that vette to a custom interior shop(one that does excellent jobs on 50's or 60's cars) they'd be able to do some REALLY impressive things to it. tastefully too.

[REVRAND]

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< has worked on enough of that "superior"  german engineering, that i'd never own one. ever.

 well.......a beemer if it had a good portion of the FULL warranty left. 

a porshe only before an audi or saab though.......

So is there a car that ya don't have to work on..........have yet to see a maintanance free car being sold. I feel it has ALOT to do with the owner. If something is taken care of the way it is suppose to be it should last longer..........

[CAP1]

So is there a car that ya don't have to work on..........have yet to see a maintanance free car being sold. I feel it has ALOT to do with the owner. If something is taken care of the way it is suppose to be it should last longer..........

you missed my point.

i've been fixing cars for nearly 30 years. i work on everything....'cept jags.....effin HATE them.......

but i digress.

 fords, chevys, dodges.......some engineering nightmares from each, but nothing compared to mercedes, porshe, audi, saab.

 the watercooled 911(i think it's a 996 or something like that) i've been lucky enough to not see.....but they have cooling system problems that seemingly will cost you an engine. all of the porsches i've worked on were rattle-traps. things rattled. they weren't comfortable to sit in. they didn't feel as if they accelerated, turned, or stopped any better than "lower" cars.
 
 audis, and volkswagens,,,,,,,,"superior" engineering at work in the cooling system(again). some german engineer(rocket scientist?) saw fit to place a PLASTIC impeller onto a knurled steel shaft on the water pump. wanna guess what goes bad n em?
 yep!! you got it!! the water pump! the thermostats go bad too. usually before 50k miles. i've replaced sooooooo many of them, i can do it in my friggin sleep.

 bmw(and i LIKE beemrs) has over-engineered the thermostat(funny....cooling system AGAIN). they use what's called a MAP controlled thermostat. what this does, is add an electric heating element to the stat. it's computer controlled.
 i've replaced THREE of them this year alone. o yea.....they trip a computer code, which if one isn't careful, can lead to an incorrect diagnosis.

 haven't had too many common problems with mercedes...although i just replaced a catalytic converter assembly in a c240.....it was only 3 years old, and the dealer told him it was out of warranty. that cat. cost just over $800, plus labor. that's about 3 times the cost of a cat in almost any american car.
 my only gripe with benze in general, is that they're not comfortable to drive(to me). i don't like the handling, acceleration, stopping,.,.....and they ALL smell funny inside.

so now......lets look at chevy. cooling system problems?  nope. i think i've replace a half dozen thermostats that were bad since i started working on cars. usually just do them as maintenance if the cooling system is opened for something else.
 water pumps? yep...don plenty of bad water pumps in chevys. usually with well over 100 k on the clock.
head gaskets? i don't think i've EVER seen a chevy v8 lose a head gasket.
 with the exception of the head gasket, the same is true for fords and chryslers.

 someone mentioned cadallics..........northstar engine(in my opinion) is pure junk. i'd almost take a german car over that engine.
 bunches of customers with major problems with their aluminmum cadi engines.

 you do, however make a good point about how well a customer does or doesn't maintain their car. i've seen a wide range of this. in the above mentioned cooling system problems, it seem irrelevent, although it does affect other things.


 BTW........the corvette.........i believe still uses a good ole pushrod v8. 

[BigPlay]

Why not get a Viper or Vette and do the interior yourself?  Nothing forces you to keep everything stock.. I don't expect those clients would look down on tastefully done custom interior.

lol I would.  What would you do to the interior other then the manufacture has already done? Change seats to a respected seat manufacture is all I would even attempt, maybe a steering wheel but much more would devalue any of the mentioned cars.

[BigPlay]

i know.....so if the z06 owns the porshes, then the zr1 flat out embarrasses em. 

still for less.

Cap the ZR1 is the only Vette that even comes close to the GT2 and 3 or turbo. The GT is by far a more sophisticated and expensive car then the ZR1 and if I was able to afford a GT then it would be a no brainer.  The standard 911 is in the $70,000 range like the Z06 so I can't see where you price difference is.

[BigPlay]

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< has worked on enough of that "superior"  german engineering, that i'd never own one. ever.

 well.......a beemer if it had a good portion of the FULL warranty left. 

a porshe only before an audi or saab though.......

Are you factory trained to work on said German cars cause if you not then your really imo are not able to make a realistic comment. Just from a safety standpoint the German side of car building wins hands down, my guess is you never been on the Autobahn either so getting a car up to it's true potential is something that is difficult if not impossible on the standard hwy here in the states. So knowing that you have 600 horses means little unless you want to just spin the tires.

[jdbecks]

this is what car I would buy, it costs $50,000 its Powered by a Chevrolet 5.7 litre V8, I bet not a single one of your clients will look down on you. Yes its a replcia, but as long as you dont put AC Cobra badges on it, and pass it off as one who cares. Or you could pretend it is one, if I owned her...I would not have any cobra badges or anything.





that car is so damn sexy, I would turn down any women for a drive in that!

[Die Hard]

Don't confuse advanced engineering with reliability. German cars are advanced and highly refined, but not more reliable than most other cars. Japanese engineering is reliable (for the most part). I prefer the German.