I will be in the market for a C6 ZO6 (2008 or newer) or a C6 ZR1 sometime after the new C7's are introduced. I have been doing some research on both models and was curious if anyone here on this forum can provide an unbiased opinion on both in terms of how they differ maintenance and reliability wise. Does the ZR1 require more maintenance than the ZO6, is it more costly to maintain, is one more reliable than the other?

Also, if you could chime in on which you would own and why, that might be helpful. I have asked the same question on the corvette forums but I can't seem to get an unbiased answer. If someone here on this forum has driven or own both, I would really appreciate your insight. Thanks!

 

Call 21st century muscle car in Dallas and ask for Matt. 972.417.7177. Tell him Mike johnson with the Blue Z06 suggested you call. They have a very nice low miles 600 HP Z06 for sale and they can answer your questions as they specialize in GM. I belive there are some pro and cons. the longevity and cost of the brakes alone on the ZR1 are more expensive and not affective until they are very hot. Never the less, the ZR1 is a great car. It would be a tough decision for me given the power a ZR1 is capable of making.

 

Get iron rotors as replacements when the CCM brakes expire? This will reduce the cost quite a bit.

(If not tracked, the CC brakes will last a long time)

 

Mike, thanks so much for the information. I am not yet ready to buy. I am holding out for the introduction of the C7, not because I plan to buy a C7, but because prices should drop across the board on all C6's. I will call Matt and pick his brian on this. Thanks for the contact!

 

Right on! always welcome to call me as well. 469.337.5728

 

I dont own a Z06 or ZR1 but I do own a base C6, and planning on upgrading to a '08+ Z06 in the next couple of years. Like you I'm waiting for the C7 to be announced so that all of my options are laid out. In the meantime, I've done enough research on both the Z06 & ZR1 to be fairly knowledgeable about the platforms, and have several C6 brothers that do own & drive both of the C6's versions you are interested in.

Neither car has anything that I would consider troublesome or unreliable. If anything, their much more reliable than German/Italian/Japanese competition. Maintenance is fairly affordable on both models as the car itself is pretty simplistic. Z06's have had a few engine failures here & there, but its almost always due to aftermarket modifications or crazy abuse (dragstrip & roadracing cars). All C6's use the same basic GM small block as a starting point.. the Z06 with 7.0L of capacity is the "big bore" member of the family and what you could theorectically consider the one to be more concerned about. But again as long as internals are kept stock and modifications are fairly mild, its nothing to worry about.

As I stated in another thread.. any 2007 or newer GM product comes with a 5yr/100k powertrain warranty. So try and buy as new as possible, so you have as much warranty coverage as possible. I dont think the ZR1 brakes are a huge issue unless you are roadracing the car, as someone else said.. with regular street use they last plenty long. Eventhough its supercharged, the ZR1 should be a little bit more reliable if this is something you are thinking about putting over 100K miles on. The bottom end of the LS9 is beefed up pretty strong from the factory and made to handle much more abuse than the factory 638hp. That said, the Z06 will retain its value better.. as it is widely expected that the C6 bodystyle is the last time you will see you historic 427 engine offered in a factory GM car.

 

i bought a new z in 07 and put 50k felony fun miles on it .....i can only guess what kind of insane fun the zr1 can provide. life is short get the zr1.......one can never have too much power....and a warranty

 

Daekwan,

Thanks for your insight. The car I choose will remain stock (engine wise at least). While I have always prefered N/A engines, I am leaning towards the ZR1 only because it just seems a bit more special/unique. However, I will have no issue pulling the trigger on a ZO6 if the right car/deal is to be had.

I am not sure If I agree with you that the ZO6 will hold it's value better. Production numbers are high on both vehicles so I think the ZR1, being the "flagship" model will always hold its value better, all else being equal of course. If production numbers remain low and if it's important for you to find a car that will hold it's value, I think the new 2012 427 Convertible is the car to have.

 

Paul.. I agree that N/A is the way to go if possible. Forced induction, AWD, dual clutch transmissions that shift faster than any human could.. are "cheater" solutions in my opinion. There's no doubt these solutions provide more hp/liter, more traction/acceleration & quicker shifts.. which all equal higher performance. But there is just something to be appreciated about the old school power & performance from a big cubic inch N/A engine, RWD, manual tranny car.

Sounds like you and I have looked at the same vehicles. I've looked at the prices of 2009 's since it was the first year that both the Z06 & ZR1 were sold. MSRP on the Z06 is about $75k, and they average about $55k used. MSRP on the ZR1 is about $110k.. and they average about $87k used. Keep in mind that most 2009 Z06 were already being sold with heavy discounts, while 2009 ZR1 were being sold for MSRP sticker + any extra dealer markups due to their first year of availability.

http://www.cars.com/for-sale/searchr...MENT&pgId=2102

Looking at 2010 you kinda see the same thing. Same MSRP.. but again the ZR1 is already depreciated down to mid $80's! While the Z06 is holding pretty strong in the mid $60's. Anybody who bought a new '10 Z06 probably paid around $70k for the car brand new.. and its still valued in the mid-$60s on the used market. The ZR1 may be the flagship car, but the resale value makes it seems like its original sticker price was artificially high. (Or it could just be that not many people are willing to pay $100k for a Corvette).

http://www.cars.com/for-sale/searchr...102&yrId=27381

Its gets REALLY ugly when you look at used 2011's. ZR1's again have dropped to the high $80s, and the car is barely over a year old. Where used 2011 Z06s are still mid $60's!!

http://www.cars.com/for-sale/searchr...102&yrId=34923

Theres even a 2011 ZR1 listed for $79,999 from a GM dealer in Wisconsin! Considering the milage, I wouldnt doubt the price.. I just hope you like velocity yellow lol. Atleast you still have 4 years of factory powertrain coverage left on this vehicle. This is also a 3ZR trim level.. meaning it has the leather dash and sticker was around $120k!!

http://www.cars.com/go/search/detail...nal&listType=1

Either way you will come away satisfied. The ZR1 is actually the better buy on the used market, thanks to the quickly dropping prices and that someone else has already taken the big depreciation bite for you. I know Im being nitpicky but just wanted to point out that the depreciation on the ZR1 is real. I've seen low milage '09 ZR1's go as low as $75k during the winter months. As time continues to pass, I strongly believe you will see the same trend where the 427 Z06 continues to depreciates at a slower rate than the supercharged 6.2L ZR1.

Probably the most important point is that C6's depreciate most within the first 3-4 years of ownership. So if you can find a low milage 3-4 year old garage queen (and trust me there are plenty of them!!) its the best bang for the buck. There are plenty of these garage queens with less than 5,000 miles and are still in showroom new condition. Some even come with an extended factory warranty (GMPP warranty).. making them an even better buy. Thats exactly the deal I got with my C6.. it came with a 6yr/72k GMPP extended warranty.

Good luck man and definitely let us know which one you decide to go with.

 

Daekwan, thanks again for the info and links. To be clear, yes the ZR1 has depreciated more, initially. But 10, 20, 30 years down the line, I am sure the ZR1 will always bring more. I am doing my best to remain patient as I look forward to a lot of great deals on C6s as the C7s are introduced. That being said, I probably need to stay off these forums, all these beautiful cars are making me impatient!

 

Referring back to the original question I would definitely go with the ZR1 IF you dont plan on going overboard with mods. The LS3 is a great engine and I am sure most vette guys would agree it is more reliable and less prone to failure than the LS7. The ZR1 would be limited to ~ 750 HP with upgrades unless you tear out the oem supercharger. The ZR1 is much smoother is every category (and every sense of the word) over the Z06.

I have owned both and although I prefer a NA Z06 over the ZR1, I always was very aware of the valve train issues which are not uncommon in the Z06. Many vette guys will argue there are no inherent issues found within the Z06 but I call BS, the failures are certainly above average. IF you plan on modding the Z06 the 1st thing I would do is upgrade the valve train. I owned a monster Z06 with ~ 900WHP and extensive mods including every upgrade convievable to protect the engine, valve and drive trains. You would (most likely) not have the same issues with an LS9 (LS3).

They are both great cars but if plan on keeping the vette for many years I would defintely go with the ZR1. If you plan on bldg a big HP monster I would consider a std LS3 and upgrade from there.

 

Thanks for the information. Very helpful! I am learning from others that they too had issues with their valve trains when modding their ZO6s. Apparently, some stock ZO6s, although rare, have also had valve train issues. This is def something I will keep in back of my head if I decide to get a ZO6. Thanks again!

 

I would get a Zr1 if i was you.

 

I've got an 08 Z06 and can barely get any traction on the stock tires....can't imagine 638 hp vs 505........lots of spinning for sure...