Roush Me, a rented Z06 and Las Vegas (Saleen content)

[marcus95]

Especially on the 575 comment...and the 360.

Thoughts on the Ford GT? I notes today that R&T gave the nod to the new ferrari in their comparison.

On the Z06. Probably the best buy going bar none. And, the A/C works....very important here in Southern Fla.. I rarely buy new cars but if zI was to buy a new car, for a toy ride, the Z06 would be the ticket. A neighbor of mine has one on order( through a friend that works in GM supply) so I look forward to a ride soon ( December delivery).

Dan

Dan.

I have yet to drive the new 430. I am looking forward to it. Someone I know that has an SLR is giving himself one for christmas. As far as the Ford GT, it is the easiest car to drive fast that I have ever driven. It even understeers a bit unless you coax it out. Totally solid. Completely refined. I would be lying if I didn't tell you there was a hint of Pantera in it for a second. Probably from the tone behind your ears. I think it's worth 150 but not what they are still getting for them. I'll also tell you that GT3 is hands down the most tractable car at it's limits. I did not push the GT as the owner was with me. The C6 Z06 felt lighter than the GT.

 

[marcus95]

Sy1172,

This a healthy thread you started. Just the kind of thread that gets linked to the Corvette forums.

 

[SVT Saleen]

Well, that was certainly enjoyable. Toss a few well aimed turds on the table then depart to watch the resultant fireworks (mixed metaphors intended).

Seriously, when I first read the stats on the C6 Z06 I was relatively impressed. Then as it became apparent Chevy still didn't see fit to update the car with a DOHC V8, non-transverse leaf spring suspension, etc. I was less than impressed. Then considering the projected price of $65K+, I was even more underwhelmed.

Personally, I have never much cared for Chevrolets & the Corvette in particular, considering all the hype about it being "America's only true sports car" & other such nonsense. And no matter how hard GM, Chevy & the American automotive media try to pass it off as a "world class" sports car the equal of the European manufacturers, it simply will never be considered in the same rarified atmosphere as Porsche, Ferrari, etc.
Such attempts, like the C5R/C6R ALMS/LeMans effort, seem more like marketing ploys than a real corporate commitment to international competition.
Frankly I'm surprised Chevy has continued the ALMS/LeMans effort after they finally won LeMans a couple of years ago under very favorable circumstances (they were & are the only true manufacturer supported team in the GTS class). GM's usual modus operandi is to grandiously announce some new racing effort, hopefully win a championship or two, then once their domination is challenged by another manufacturer, quietly slink away claiming that they "accomplished what we intended to do & therefore we have nothing else left to prove" before the losses mount to an embarrassing level.

I still remember about 8 years ago when Cadillac bragged about their prototype sports car program; a program destined to failure because GM admitted it was intended to be primarily a marketing effort to establish the Cadillac brand in Europe. When the program indeed failed miserably with not a single race win, GM pulled the plug after only a couple of years announcing that "we never intended to challenge for the overall win @ LeMans, but we accomplished our goal of marketing Cadillac in Europe."

But that's just my opinion.

 

[98 Saleen Cobra]

HAHAHA this true indeed, let not forget that the S7R was so fast that they actually had to wiegh the car down because it was to competetive and no one would have beat it... so yea there's my point SALEEN ALL THE WAY. I mean damn they had to put wieght on the car because it was so fast.. ahaha i don't know why anyone would consider a Chevy..

 

[sy1172]

All I am trying to say is that I love my Saleen and all but I gotta say that it doesn't hold a candle to the Z06 in many areas. After driving the Z06, I came home from Vegas and was rather underwhelmed with the Saleen. Sure, it sounds good and all but the seats sqeak, the interior fit and finsih is awful, the plastics are subpar (not so great in the Z06 either) and I could go on. For the money, nearly $60K here (not what I paid of course) there are a lot of other things to consider and quite honestly I will look elsewhere the next time around. My 7 year old daughter heard about the Z06 and she immediately said, "you're not selling the Saleen"......supposeI'll have to get both

I bought the Saleen because it is rare, is fast, looks great, easily modifiable, rather cheap (the $39K I paid for it, not the MSRP) for what you get, (a 400hp, 4 seater with a blower, limited production, rear wheel drive car that sounds awesome) but were it just my wife and I then there would have been a Z06 in the garage. The Saleen is the weekend car and is certainly convenient for taking to the shore (PA for beach )and mountains.

Like I said, I suppose the best thing to do is to keep the Saleen and buy a used 02-04 Z06, then everyone is happy Which reminds, me I need to get back to work.

 

[Bowtiesblow]

You guys are blinded by brand loyalty.

 

[sy1172]

I agree with you on that!!!

 

[ExtremeSaleen]

My car will pull 1.2G on the skidpad...

I'm curious how you came up with that number? And you're doing high 10's? That's pretty impressive. What is your setup?

 

[marcus95]

You guys are blinded by brand loyalty.

I totally agree also. Hey, I think these "turds" that have been thrown on the table created a nice set of Chevy vs. Ford jabs. Countour, if I can talk my wife out of the new Range Rover S/C I'll have my Z06 in January. We can get the wives together, leave them at the mall and go rip on the car. I know your blood is entirely blue oval type A, but you will love this car. Trust me.

Anyone else that is posting Chevy stats on the car from the manufacturer of a magazine article and have not driven this car yet you have no idea what I'm talking about. No harm intended with that statement. It's not all about how much power you have, it's how it's distributed to the ground and how the suspension works with the car. Has anyone ever heard of Ken Bjonnes
2VNA that runs high 10's? he he.

Yes, as for the Vette still being a pushrod and having rear leaf suspension (well a variant of ) I praise Chevy for not leaving the pushrod behind, getting that kind of hp with no power adder, and a GM warranty I can take it back and make them fix it. If you guys have any experience with the C5, with cams and headwork the regular C5 becomes quite the monster in it's own right.

I'm a Saleen guy and always will be. Until there is an 11th commandment that says I can't own a vette and a S351R in the garage at the same time I'm gonna run with it.

As for brand loyalty, all of us who currently own a Saleen Mustang are the reason Steve has still been in business over the years. I feel as a product the Saleen Mustang stands apart from the rest (dead Camaro), well for now at least. Hey, I had a 89 IROC 5.7 and loved that car until the vapor lock started to miff me and my mechanic.

 

[Saleen Mike]

if I can talk my wife out of the new Range Rover S/C I'll have my Z06 in January.

I still think if you pick up a '06 you owe it to yourself to take a look at the Callaway

 

[sal07b]

I totally agree also. Hey, I think these "turds" that have been thrown on the table created a nice set of Chevy vs. Ford jabs. Countour, if I can talk my wife out of the new Range Rover S/C I'll have my Z06 in January. We can get the wives together, leave them at the mall and go rip on the car. I know your blood is entirely blue oval type A, but you will love this car. Trust me.

Anyone else that is posting Chevy stats on the car from the manufacturer of a magazine article and have not driven this car yet you have no idea what I'm talking about. No harm intended with that statement. It's not all about how much power you have, it's how it's distributed to the ground and how the suspension works with the car. Has anyone ever heard of Ken Bjonnes
2VNA that runs high 10's? he he.

Yes, as for the Vette still being a pushrod and having rear leaf suspension (well a variant of ) I praise Chevy for not leaving the pushrod behind, getting that kind of hp with no power adder, and a GM warranty I can take it back and make them fix it. If you guys have any experience with the C5, with cams and headwork the regular C5 becomes quite the monster in it's own right.

I'm a Saleen guy and always will be. Until there is an 11th commandment that says I can't own a vette and a S351R in the garage at the same time I'm gonna run with it.

As for brand loyalty, all of us who currently own a Saleen Mustang are the reason Steve has still been in business over the years. I feel as a product the Saleen Mustang stands apart from the rest (dead Camaro), well for now at least. Hey, I had a 89 IROC 5.7 and loved that car until the vapor lock started to miff me and my mechanic.

amnit: This damn thread. So, there I was, on my way home last night thinking about this thread. When I find myself at Voss Chevrolet. Guess what, they have a 1300mi 2004 red Z06 on the lot. So, I take it out for a spin. DAMN! That car pulls hard through all the gears, handles like it is on rails, and has an interior that makes you feel like you're actually "in" the car as opposed to on top of it. Very, very, nice car. Then again the $42,900 sticker was very nice as well. Thinking, thinking...$hit... I keep up with Saleen specific sites to avoid temptation, and here I am in a quandry... Who posted this anyways???

P.S. Funny you should mention Ken. He's the one that did the engine work and swap in my car. He's a good guy!

 

[sy1172]

Sal07b, that was me who posted the thread

See, you agree with me on the Z06, it's a different car than a Saleen and your description of sitting in the car apposed to on it is exactly right. $42K for an 04 with that mileage is a steal....buy that now!!!! I am looking at an 02 with 12K in black for $39,999....haven't made it to the dealer yet, assuming they'll take $35-37. Straight up trade for my 04 Saleen with 5K miles perhaps......so tempting.

 

[sal07b]

Sal07b, that was me who posted the thread

See, you agree with me on the Z06, it's a different car than a Saleen and your description of sitting in the car apposed to on it is exactly right. $42K for an 04 with that mileage is a steal....buy that now!!!! I am looking at an 02 with 12K in black for $39,999....haven't made it to the dealer yet, assuming they'll take $35-37. Straight up trade for my 04 Saleen with 5K miles perhaps......so tempting.

Well, thanks a friggin lot!! In all fairness, you have to remember, there is a huge difference between my Saleen and that car. Mine started off at 215 fwhp (a crappy headed non-PI N/A car). The original motor was basically a boat anchor . I swapped to an 03 crate motor with goodies (see sig.), but I'm still N/A so my rwhp (now that it's broken in a little) is about 300. If I had a s/c car, or an S351, the story might be a bit different. The Z06 is bar-none a step up from my car (doubt anyone would argue that). The reality is, I'm heavily invested at this point. Mrs. Sal would kill me dead if she even knew I drove the Z06...lol I couldn't afford the Z06 when you factor in the alimony and child support I'd incur...

 

[sy1172]

I did a calculation of the things I have done to or added to my Saleen and it adds up to over $4,000 in 7 months. Do the math and that is ~$571/month, easily covering a Z06 payment. Hmmmmmmm, kind makes me wonder what the hell I am doing! My garage would look damn sweet with an SC281SC and a Z06.

 

[marcus95]

the thread lives.

 

[sy1172]

Damn good thread if I don't say so myself

 

[Bowtiesblow]

True but is it worth driving a Chevy??? I mean really the damn thing will probably break in a month. I dunno me personally Saleen all the way and get me on Sear Point with a 06 Z06 and I'm tellin you I will be at least two seconds faster.
But like I said that's just me...

#1 You drive a Ford, so you really have no room to talk about quality. #2 Unless you have one hell of a Mustang (500+ RWHP) and about 10K in suspension mods, there is no way your going to beat the ZO6 around the track. Just by reading what you've said already show's how little you know about cars, espacially just a "Chevy"

 

[S281SC#08]

looks like tempers are flearing

 

[sy1172]

OK, that's just a stupid thing to say Bowtiesblow. I know a lot about cars and have owned many of various types. I do have to say that this is my second Ford and likely the last. I had a '92 notchback as a fun car years back. All I am saying is that my Saleen is really nothing to brag about in terms of interior or even handling when compared to a Z06. Dollar for dollar they list for about the same price new, both sports cars, both sold to a similar demographic. The Ford I drive is not my everyday car, it's a weekend fun car, I drive an Audi S4 as my everyday car thus likely part of my problem with interior issues since Audi is probably the best there is in that realm. My post started stating that the Z06 offers much more than a Saleen. Today, as when new, a buyer can get a 04 Z06 for the cost of an 04 Saleen and heve a better engineered car. The Z06 feels like a go cart on rails, the steering is spectacular, the suspension incredible and the power intoxicating. Drive only a Saleen and you'll think it's the best thing out there so I suppose this is all relative. I will be driving a Ferrari 355 in Italy next month and will think the Z06 is crap.....again relative to your knowledge and experiences. I have owned some great cars (BMW 5 series, Audi A and S, Saab Aero, GMC Syclones, Camaros, Firehawk, etc) and am very impressed with the Corvette.

So just because I own a Ford, I can't talk about quality???? How does that make sense . Look what Ford did with the new Mustang, fit and finish is finally acceptable. That was from customer feedback partially. But I won't say a word of course

Lastly, so I'll buy a used Saleen for $40K and a used Z06 for $40k and then I'll need to spend another 10K on parts to beat it....hmmmmm, that seem odd to you??? You spend your money how you like but that sounds kind of dumb to me

 

[sy1172]

oops, that wasn't directed at me huh? Oh well, Bowtieblows still deserved it.

Sorry