2015 Viper TA 2.0 vs 2015 Corvette Z06

[GTP231]

I'd rather buy a house

[cam02ss]

Sounds like you should get the viper, even though it's likely going to get beat by the new ZO6. You can sit there and argue all you want about semantics that I never brought up. Fact of the matter remains that most vipers and ZO6s wont be going to the track, so they need to be livable cars for those people, otherwise they aren't going to sell. And if a car like the ZO6 or Viper doesn't sell, it's going to go away fast. Better get a viper while you can if that's what you want, because it isn't looking good.

I don't care about what my neighbors and boss drive. I'm going to buy the better car. I've sat in both cars and I don't notice a dramatic difference in build quality between the two. I'm more concerned with performance, and I'm not sure what Viper is going to compete with a 78,900$ ZO6. Judging by the sales numbers, people don't think too much of the Viper's apparently nicer paint.

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I don't know which car I'm going to be purchasing at this point. I have a deposit down on a Z06 at Stingray Chevrolet in Tampa and can have bolt ons done immediately. For me, it'll come down to do I want another Chevy, or do I want to try something new. I dislike the rear end of the Vette and dislike the front end of the Viper. I like the interior of the Viper more, and like the exhaust sound of the Z06 more. It's a toss up. This is a weekend/fun car for me, so "livability" goes out the window. In my opinion, it would suck to daily drive either car as wear and tear would take its toll. As for price, the $84,885 base price Viper is better aligned to compete with the $79,885 base Z06 now. The cost of both cars balloon drastically from those base prices once options come into play. It took less than 5 options for my Z06 to cross the $100k threshold. You get a bare bones car for base...if that's what you want, so be it.

I'm glad you've sat in both cars. When are you purchasing your Z06?

[cam02ss]

I dont know why, but I hate this color...give me silver, black, red, white...anything but this lol

I'm not fan of that color either. Black or the new Orange will look killer

- - - Updated - - -

I don't think you can go wrong with either car. That's just my opinion. From one of the members over on Corvette Forum:

Hi Will,

Sorry I couldn't get back to you sooner.

After the ridiculous debate that ensued with the recent thread regarding Z07 ride quality, I decided to do my own fact finding. The idea that the new Z07 was essentially a race car just didn't makes sense to me.

If the Z07 was truly designed for the purpose of racing, why wasn't weight cut from it? Even the Z28 is available with radio delete. In fact, some dealers have chosen not to order Z28's because the market for them is relatively narrow. How many buyers could there be for a Z07 that is so harsh that it shouldn't be driven on the street? How many of these cars does GM believe it can sell? If those that claim this car isn't meant for the street are right, who in their right mind would plunk down $100K for daily driver that shouldn't be driven everyday?

Having come from a C6 Z07 to my current ZR1, I have not only become accustomed to the magnetic ride control (in Sport) and the ceramic brakes, I actually prefer them over other performance cars I've owned. Because I had my mind set on another Z07, I decided that I was going to get a truer sense of whether it could be driven everyday.

With the help of my dealer Matt Saxe, who owns Saxe Chevrolet, and his friendship with Josh Auden's parents, I was able to communicate directly with Josh. Prior to today, I had no idea who he was. But, it turns out that Josh is a GM lead performance engineer, who works specifically on vehicle dynamics, related to ride and handling at the Milford Proving Grounds. More importantly, Josh is an in-car test engineer and did A LOT of seat time in all of the Corvette models...including the Z06/7. Both on the track and on the street...in all weather conditions. This includes Death Valley and the Winter facility at Kinross.

His job is to provide a ride quality that meets customer expectations. When not in meetings, Josh's day is spent putting cars through their paces. Everyday. Mile after mile. Logging data and tweaking performance variables.

When asked to summarize the Z07, he said "The FE7 package is definitely track-focused, and has been developed to be very capable out-of-the-box on the race track." But what about everyday driving? "With magnetic ride control in the tour setting I find the overall ride quality and impact harshness to be quite tolerable. It's definitely a matter of perception and is relative to the vehicle you may be using for comparison purposes, but I don't think a customer who is currently driving a C6 Z06 would find it objectionable for street use at all."

So, what does he want people to know? "The Z07 package is definitely impressive!"

Interpret this how you wish. Clearly, Josh is one of a very select group of people on the planet that have spent a lot of time in the car, fine tuning it's handling and performance characteristics. Unfortunately, some members would find a way to discredit him and have others believe he doesn't even work there. For that reason, I agreed not to throw him to wolves, and have his name bandied about.

He did mention that he i open to answering other questions. So, let me know if you have any, and I will try to get them answered.

Cheers,

Jeff

[Spaz]

Aww. cam02ss and Spaz like each other.

[cam02ss]

Here's the build list for the Z06:

2015 Z06 coupe
G8A Velocity Yellow
3LZ Equipment Group
MEP 7 Speed Manual
ERI Battery protection
J6E Black Brake Calipers
Q6U Black Wheels
FAY Carbon Fiber Dash
AE4 Competition Seats w/ Suede Inserts
IWE Upper Suede Trim
I06 Navigation
CFZ Carbon Fiber Ground Effects
Z07 Performance Package
C2M Carbon and Glass Roof Package
DTW Carbon Flash Hood Stinger

[theorangeguy]

I don't know which car I'm going to be purchasing at this point. I have a deposit down on a Z06 at Stingray Chevrolet in Tampa and can have bolt ons done immediately. For me, it'll come down to do I want another Chevy, or do I want to try something new. I dislike the rear end of the Vette and dislike the front end of the Viper. I like the interior of the Viper more, and like the exhaust sound of the Z06 more. It's a toss up. This is a weekend/fun car for me, so "livability" goes out the window. In my opinion, it would suck to daily drive either car as wear and tear would take its toll. As for price, the $84,885 base price Viper is better aligned to compete with the $79,885 base Z06 now. The cost of both cars balloon drastically from those base prices once options come into play. It took less than 5 options for my Z06 to cross the $100k threshold. You get a bare bones car for base...if that's what you want, so be it.

I'm glad you've sat in both cars. When are you purchasing your Z06?

Im a pretty big fan of the SRT interiors myself "anything 2012 and later"...the controls they have built into the screen in the center of the dash are really really cool and are actually really functional. I know GM has similar things as well with the new Z06, but SRT has definitely done that piece of the puzzle the right way...up until the sting ray, GM only had a couple of buttons you could press and it would acknowledge what mode you were in, but it didnt give you a suspension break down of what each shock was doing, g forces, what corner of the car is braking more than another, etc etc etc...the C7 looks like they fixed that. With that said, I know if I put a C5/C6 Z06 in track/performance mode it will go around a track, it just wouldn't tell me what it was doing while I did it...but I like seeing what each corner of the car and what certain pieces are doing on a screen...its just how im wired.

Based on the previous Z06's i've driven they have all handled better than just about anything else i've driven...but the viper in particular has a great footprint to go around a curvy track. Im looking forward to seeing how both cars do in the twisties.

[cam02ss]

Im a pretty big fan of the SRT interiors myself "anything 2012 and later"...the controls they have built into the screen in the center of the dash are really really cool and are actually really functional. I know GM has similar things as well with the new Z06, but SRT has definitely done that piece of the puzzle the right way...up until the sting ray, GM only had a couple of buttons you could press and it would acknowledge what mode you were in, but it didnt give you a suspension break down of what each shock was doing, g forces, what corner of the car is braking more than another, etc etc etc...the C7 looks like they fixed that. With that said, I know if I put a C5/C6 Z06 in track/performance mode what it would do...but I like seeing what each corner of the car and what certain pieces are doing on a screen...its just how im wired.

Based on the previous Z06's i've driven they have all handled better than just about anything else i've driven...but the viper in particular has a great footprint to go around a curvy track. Im looking forward to seeing how both cars do in the twisties.

I think the new Z06 is going to be a badass car, and maybe my opinion on the Corvette will change once it's out, but it was day and night from the C7 to the Viper that I was in. The Laguna leather in the Viper is unreal, the fit and finish in my opinion was of better quality, as was the center screen.

One thing I will say about the Viper, is that the cabin certainly "envelopes" you more than the Corvette. I'm 5'8, so being comfortable isn't an issue for me. I can see where a larger person would have issues. Personally, I like that. It was like sitting in a rocket capsule which is how I want to feel while driving a car of that caliber. I hope the Z06 gives the same impression.

I still maintain that both are excellent cars, cater to two different types of people, and in the end both will give an awesome driving experience. I like that the Viper is mostly hand built, is produced in lesser quantities, and therefore is more rare. There certainly seems to be an "exclusive" feeling that comes along with owning one. I think that Dodge should usher in some new changes to the car including larger carbon ceramic brakes, something with the engine, and keep prices realistic for what the car is.

I know what I like and dislike on the ZR1, so we'll see what the Z06 is like when it's fully released. I have a feeling that both Chevy and Dodge are going to have some changes coming up over the next year or so...ZR1 for Chevy and motor changes for the Viper, so honestly I'm tempted to just wait and see what comes down the road a little ways.

[theorangeguy]

Im a pretty big fan of the SRT interiors myself "anything 2012 and later"...the controls they have built into the screen in the center of the dash are really really cool and are actually really functional. I know GM has similar things as well with the new Z06, but SRT has definitely done that piece of the puzzle the right way...up until the sting ray, GM only had a couple of buttons you could press and it would acknowledge what mode you were in, but it didnt give you a suspension break down of what each shock was doing, g forces, what corner of the car is braking more than another, etc etc etc...the C7 looks like they fixed that. With that said, I know if I put a C5/C6 Z06 in track/performance mode what it would do...but I like seeing what each corner of the car and what certain pieces are doing on a screen...its just how im wired.

Based on the previous Z06's i've driven they have all handled better than just about anything else i've driven...but the viper in particular has a great footprint to go around a curvy track. Im looking forward to seeing how both cars do in the twisties.

I think the new Z06 is going to be a badass car, and maybe my opinion on the Corvette will change once it's out, but it was day and night from the C7 to the Viper that I was in. The Laguna leather in the Viper is unreal, the fit and finish in my opinion was of better quality, as was the center screen.

One thing I will say about the Viper, is that the cabin certainly "envelopes" you more than the Corvette. I'm 5'8, so being comfortable isn't an issue for me. I can see where a larger person would have issues. Personally, I like that. It was like sitting in a rocket capsule which is how I want to feel while driving a car of that caliber. I hope the Z06 gives the same impression.

I still maintain that both are excellent cars, cater to two different types of people, and in the end both will give an awesome driving experience. I like that the Viper is mostly hand built, is produced in lesser quantities, and therefore is more rare. There certainly seems to be an "exclusive" feeling that comes along with owning one. I think that Dodge should usher in some new changes to the car including larger carbon ceramic brakes, something with the engine, and keep prices realistic for what the car is.

I know what I like and dislike on the ZR1, so we'll see what the Z06 is like when it's fully released. I have a feeling that both Chevy and Dodge are going to have some changes coming up over the next year or so...ZR1 for Chevy and motor changes for the Viper, so honestly I'm tempted to just wait and see what comes down the road a little ways.

My dads SRT has the Laguna interior and it's pretty freaking legit...I didn't understand why he wanted that so bad and why he spent so much time trying to find the car he wanted with that interior until we went and picked the car up. It's very very nice.

[cam02ss]

My dads SRT has the Laguna interior and it's pretty freaking legit...I didn't understand why he wanted that so bad and why he spent so much time trying to find the car he wanted with that interior until we went and picked the car up. It's very very nice.

Which SRT vehicle and year does your dad have?

[theorangeguy]

Which SRT vehicle and year does your dad have?

2013 SRT 300c with the black chrome package and laguna interior. It was a Chrysler executives car actually...he found it about 6 months ago and we flew up north to pick it up. Had about 4,000 miles on it when we drove it back to Nashville. He's a pretty big dude so he likes big cars lol the brakes and suspension are very very surprising.

[67CamaroRSSS]

I'd rather buy a house

Here in SoCal that's only the down payment...

[35th-ANV-SS]

I'd rather buy a house

Here in SoCal that's only the down payment...

Must suck paying so much for so little.

[FasstChevys]

Must suck paying so much for so little.

So little.........say 1 million bucks for a little shack - 45 year loans, and the list goes on. What more could you want??

[theorangeguy]

Here in SoCal that's only the down payment...

it is insane up and down the west coast...the northeast is pretty bad as well. A million dollar house in my neck of the woods is actually a million dollar house...in California its a 3 bedroom home

[SiggyZ]

2013 SRT 300c with the black chrome package and laguna interior. It was a Chrysler executives car actually...he found it about 6 months ago and we flew up north to pick it up. Had about 4,000 miles on it when we drove it back to Nashville. He's a pretty big dude so he likes big cars lol the brakes and suspension are very very surprising.

Sorry, but I'm eyeing the red Acura NSX back there.

[theorangeguy]

Sorry, but I'm eyeing the red Acura NSX back there.

those are cool cars but they are kind of slow compared to what else is in its class...thats my only issue with them. They handle great as well.

[cam02ss]

Stryker Orange GTS, gun metal stripes with Siderwinder II Hyper black wheels

[GTP231]

Here in SoCal that's only the down payment...

Must suck paying so much for so little.

it is insane up and down the west coast...the northeast is pretty bad as well. A million dollar house in my neck of the woods is actually a million dollar house...in California its a 3 bedroom home

Glad we moved to Delawhere

[SiggyZ]

those are cool cars but they are kind of slow compared to what else is in its class...thats my only issue with them. They handle great as well.

They are, you're right, but they were incredibly well engineered cars and always turn my head when i see one.

Here's the current NSX concept car.

[Zinergy]

NSX was a cool car. Still looked silly when my friends modded 01 GTP pulled a car length or two on one.