My quest for a Z/28

[rcandiloro]

I've been on this forum before. Previously owned a 2014 ZL1, which I really loved. Traded it in and got what was my dream car for a long time, a C6 ZR1, which I still have. Love the car, unbelievably fast, great daily driver, etc. However, I have always been in love the the Z/28. To me there is simply nothing on the road that is as badass. When it got to the point that I was constantly online looking to see if any were available near me, I figured it's time to get serious. I live in Clovis, CA but the closest one is in Stockton and is $59k. I'm looking at one in Vegas for $45k....just gotta figure out how to reasonably get this done. Not really much point to this post other than to publicly acknowledge my quest for this amazing car. I am extremely envious of all of you who own one. More to come......

[z28monster]

If my memory serves me correct, you've been on this ongoing quest before/for a while. If you're still thinking about pulling the trigger and think the Z/28 is the baddest thing on the road - a valid point - then pull the trigger and join the club!! I remember your having that ZR1, I believe - which is a bad-ass car in it's own right; I had a 2011 Carbon Edition but sold as the Z/28 drove so much better and the C6 seats are just down right horrendous to look at and sit in.

[69L48Z27]

Good luck. A handfull of new ones still left across the US.

[The_Raging_Bull]

Monster..
Well I too love the Z/28, but in all fairness it's a track car, and its DSVV handling system is that of a track car. On a pan hard surface where the asphalt has ripples in a corner, it can feel rough. In a C6-Z06; in the same corner > the car is much more composed if not faster. On a track car the Z/28 is a match for the Z06.

The Z/28 is the only car I've ever done a 180 degree turn at 50 mph, flat like a brick with no body roll, and as the car came arond to finish the turn the rear of the car pivoted (wiggled) into final 90 degrees of the turn, then disappeared ar 55 mph in the opposite direction as fast as you can blink your eye. It shocked my friend who owns a 911GT3-RS... his comments were it was more composed that his Porsche in that single sweeping blinding fast 180 degree turn. I think his verbatim quote was: Holy Zhit- did you know it would do that!!!??!!...I said Holy Zhit- no!!

So each car has their own blend of handling issues. I accept the rougher handling on rougher sections of road, as I make it my goal to drive on streets in Tulsa nd Broken Arrow where the road is smooth and true (as Oklahoma can have some challenging roads). But my wife would tell you that she loves the Z06 handling.

Which is the reason I kept my C6-Z06 as I got my Z/28. The C6 Z06 is a car of unique properties and has a spot in my heart too.OP good luck in your quest>>you are going to love it when you get one ... buy as close to brand new as possible.

[hjdca]

My recommendation is to not limit yourself to the nearby states. I live in California and I found mine in Tenn. from a dealer with 200 miles on it. I was the first official owner. I bought it for mid $40's and paid approx. $1900 to ship it to me with Reliable Carriers. Just make him send you a bunch of detailed pictures, ie. like the front of the bottom rear quarter panel, etc... so, you can really validate the condition of the car. The air conditioning ones all seem to have the CA smog sticker compliance underneath the hood... See my other posts to find out exactly what is needed to bring it in out of state to CA.. I have almost 4K miles on mine now and it runs perfect, it does not burn a drop of oil. Pretty stout cars. You will love it.

[VOIT]

Don't short change yourself, get your best deal on a new one, fly there, drive it home.
It will be a fun drive home and you can break it in at the same time.

I did it, and drove it home Memorial day weekend LOL

1000 mile trip home!

[Raven87]

I too am a huge fan of the C6 Z06 and ZR1 yet I've not owned one of them yet. I have had two C7s and they were great cars but to me, the C6Z cars are special in their own way.

[flipstyledsm22]

Originally Posted by hjdca

My recommendation is to not limit yourself to the nearby states. I live in California and I found mine in Tenn. from a dealer with 200 miles on it. I was the first official owner. I bought it for mid $40's and paid approx. $1900 to ship it to me with Reliable Carriers. Just make him send you a bunch of detailed pictures, ie. like the front of the bottom rear quarter panel, etc... so, you can really validate the condition of the car. The air conditioning ones all seem to have the CA smog sticker compliance underneath the hood... See my other posts to find out exactly what is needed to bring it in out of state to CA.. I have almost 4K miles on mine now and it runs perfect, it does not burn a drop of oil. Pretty stout cars. You will love it.

^^^This!

Plenty of reasonably priced Z/28's in the US and transporting cost is very minimal. Good luck on your buying adventure and hope to see pictures soon

[Supercup]

Originally Posted by flipstyledsm22

^^^This!

Plenty of reasonably priced Z/28's in the US and transporting cost is very minimal. Good luck on your buying adventure and hope to see pictures soon

+2 - my buddy and I both are from S.Cal and we bought new last October mine came from Baton Rouge and his from Kansas - both with 20 miles on them brand new. Both $53k - we paid $1,500 for enclosed transport shipping.

Registering them in CA required smog certificate and safety inspection, plus fees and taxes. Not a big deal to get done.

At that time the most options were in TX, but they were not as aggressive on price. That has changed as a number of cars have sold now and shown up here in the low $50k range (all new cars).

If you don't need new then I would shop price for sure - lot of low mile cars that start with a $4x,xxx - as long as you get from dealer or from reputable source with full check out, you can probably get a pretty nice pre-owned Z for mid $40k range. Lot of car for the money!

Good luck finding the right car for you. You will be glad you got one.

[FLOW TIE]

They are going fast now as $$$ have come down. I think the market has found a sweet spot. I got mine for mid $50's as did many here.. Could I have gotten a better deal if I'd waited? Sure. But I'm still ok knowing I got around $20k off a brand spankin new baddass car!

I'm telling you, driving this car is like being on a ride at 6 flags!!!

Just do it, you won't regret it!!

[rcandiloro]

So, literally a day after I posted, a Z/28 showed up in Fresno with only 400 miles on it. Went and test drove it this morning.......I had never actually driven a Z/28 so my short drive left me with a few distinct impressions compared to my ZR1. First off I love the short throw shifter in the Z/28. I also really loved the way the engine made power and the exhaust sound. Not as fast as my ZR1 obviously, but that's not a priority for me. The clutch grabbed late, much different than my ZR1, and not as smooth, so that took a little getting used to. The cockpit is very spartan as you all know, but again, it's a purpose built track car so not surprising. Bottom line, I came back and parked it next to my ZR1 (which is absolutely immaculate by the way, I'm a freak and they were drooling over it). The Z/28 looked more badass.....different car obviously, but for me I think I'm just a muscle guy at heart. Then the sales manager dropped the bomb.....(super great guy, very knowledgeable about cars, used to work at a Chevy dealer and knew everything about the Z/28....total car guy).......he tells me "Now, I have to reveal to you that when you see the Carfax it will show that it was in an accident. Apparently when the last dealer got the car someone backed into it, but I'll show you there is no damage." Crap!!! Then I notice that the front fender extensions (not sure what they are called, but they accomodate the wider tires) had come off in the middle. Not sure if that is common, but the rear ones were fine so I don't know if it was caused by the "accident". We opened up the engine bay and he showed me every stress point and said "See, no damage anywhere, but it's on the Carfax so I had to tell you." They're asking $57k. So now I'm spooked......other than that the car is brand new, again only 400 miles on it. And under warranty. We are currently negotiating to see if we can make this happen....

[rcandiloro]

Am I wrong in thinking no way I should pay what they are asking for a car that shows an accident on the Carfax? The bottom line is, and I'm not buying the car thinking about the resale, but when it comes to that I'll get destroyed on the value....thoughts?

[Supercup]

With accident history that is a $45k car at best. Without the accident history it still starts with a $4x,xxx. Just walk away and you will find another with no bad history at a reasonable price.

The fender flair you noted is something that is not uncommon when you bump the front splitter it will pop that off and some have just had it come loose - the 3M tape they used did not hold. that is something the dealer should fix under warranty for you.

Frankly if the dealer did not even fix that, they are not paying enough attention to detail and as such I would take my business elsewhere!

[rcandiloro]

Originally Posted by Supercup

With accident history that is a $45k car at best. Without the accident history it still starts with a $4x,xxx. Just walk away and you will find another with no bad history at a reasonable price.

The fender flair you noted is something that is not uncommon when you bump the front splitter it will pop that off and some have just had it come loose - the 3M tape they used did not hold. that is something the dealer should fix under warranty for you.

Frankly if the dealer did not even fix that, they are not paying enough attention to detail and as such I would take my business elsewhere!

I'm thinking the same thing, which is why I did walk away. That is one thing I actually have no problem with, even though I'm passionate about cars, and especially the Z/28. I was honest with them, told them basically what you did, though I didn't put a price on it. Now that I've driven one I'm more and more convinced that it's the car for me, just gotta be patient and find the right deal.

As a side note, it's not a Chevy dealer, it's a BMW dealer. Side story, the dealer, and the Porsche dealer next to it, was purchased by a former pro baseball player. This Z/28 was in his collection....he brought it to Fresno from Arizona thinking it would be a better market to sell in.