GT500 vs C6 Corvette

[wcjr]

I am sure this topic has been discussed before. I currently own a 08 Bullitt and this is my third Mustang. In about a month I will be graduating college and I have been thinking about upgrading my car. The two options I have considered are a used GT500 and a used C6 Corvette.

I know that several guys on here own both cars or have owned both. I would just like to see the consensus on which car most would purchase. I will probably buy a daily driver soon so more than likely I will just be driving the vehicle for pleasure but I may still drive it to work, etc.

Basically what I am looking for is a fast car in stock trim that won't kill me on maintenance, repairs, etc. and that has a decent resell value.

Also would like to see which people prefer: auto or manual on the Corvette. All of my Mustang's have had manual transmissions.

 

[F8LBITEva]

GT500 is a couple grand away from 700HP right out of the box.

 

[wcjr]

I know most people will pick the gt500 since this is a Mustang site. The Corvette just seems like a more exotic car than the gt500.

 

[phinhead34]

GT500 is a couple grand away from 700HP right out of the box.

+1 tons of power potential compared to the vette for the $$$$$$$$$

 

[nitemarestang]

C6 Corvette Manual

 

[FL-Orange]

I'd take the GT500 over a non-Z C6.

 

[tj04cobra]

Used GT500, then save up for a 3.4 or 4.0 whipple!

 

[SLVRBLT]

Gt500

 

[Camaro_94]

I picked the C6 vette (6 speed).

Its my dream car.

 

[Blk04L]

Me, Gt500. There are so many Corvettes around here. Probably more C6's than V6 stangs. lol

 

[monX]

I'd take the GT500 over a non-Z C6.

Exactly

 

[32ValveRom]

I'd take a Saleen X over a C6

 

[ChiSVT]

LS3 Vettes are total monsters with a few mods, they don't make big dyno numbers like the GT500 but a 480-500rwhp LS3 C6 is a force to be reckoned with. :rockon:

That being said, I think I would go with the GT500. If you had asked me a year ago I would have said the C6, but the GT500 has grown on me a lot since then. To me the car has way more presence than a Corvette, especially with some nice wheels.

The GT500 is also more comfortable, bigger and a lot of fun to drive around town with all the low-end torque produced by the blower.

An LS3 C6 is a better all around performance car. It handles better, it's lighter and deceivingly fast, (top-end monster). Stock for stock an LS3 C6 will pull on a GT500.

It does look sexy too, just not as aggressive as a GT500..Also, while it doesn't scream like a blown GT500 they sound really mean with a nice cam.

A C6 with some CCWs..:rockon:

Edit : I just realized that C6 above has the Z06 rear fenders. I love the way that looks, 10 times better than a stock C6.

 

[mustangbee]

idk id probably take the GT500, not b/c i like anything else better about it except extra room.

its a close one. i would opt for a 11' GT, save a ton of cash and still have a new car, with loads of cash left over for mods.

 

[GTRdone]

^ what he said. I voted for a C6 but that's because I loved my C6 Z06 so much. I just got into a 2010 GT500 a few days ago and it's badass. I feel like if you want a GT500, wait a few years and find a great 2010 so you can get the great looks and the iron block. The Corvette would be a nice change-up. Hint: Just spray the Vette. :beer:

 

[ChiSVT]

idk id probably take the GT500, not b/c i like anything else better about it except extra room.

its a close one. i would opt for a 11' GT, save a ton of cash and still have a new car, with loads of cash left over for mods.

Yeah, if you shop around there are dealerships selling allocations for $3-4K off MSRP on new 2011 GTs. Nothing like a brand new car..:thumbsup:

^ what he said. I voted for a C6 but that's because I loved my C6 Z06 so much. I just got into a 2010 GT500 a few days ago and it's badass. I feel like if you want a GT500, wait a few years and find a great 2010 so you can get the great looks and the iron block. The Corvette would be a nice change-up. Hint: Just spray the Vette. :beer:

All GT500s through 2010 have an iron block, the only ones that don't are the 2011s. The 2011s are going to be animals with 120lbs off the front of the car. Ford is claiming 1.0Gs on the skidpad and I bet a nice reduction in ETs, less wheelhop and more traction. Also a larger intercooler which = less heat soak.

It's not your usual Aluminum block either.

"The SVT engineers actually had a reason for going with the iron block in the first place. Mustangs like the GT500 and its Cobra ancestors often end up being heavily modified for use at drag strips and race tracks, and the SVT crew wanted to make sure the standard block could stand up to the rigors of those significantly higher outputs. They chose not to use an aluminum block until they had a chance to develop one with the same strength as the iron version, and that time has now come.

We recently had a chance to sit down with GT500 chief nameplate engineer Jamal Hameedi in his office at SVT's headquarters to learn more about what's new for 2011. Switching to an aluminum block was a bit more complicated than simply digging out the casting molds that were used for the GT. The engine in that 200+ mph supercar used a dry sump lubrication system and featured iron cylinder liners. The new GT500 engine is derived from the structural design of the older block but retains the wet sump system used in other Mustangs. The real magic is something that most owners will likely never actually see.

Last June we learned about an award that several Ford researchers had received for a cylinder bore coating system they developed called the Plasma Transferred Wire Arc (PTWA) process. The Ford press release at the time framed the award in terms of fuel efficiency and gave no real hint about what was about to come. It now turns out that the first production Ford to use the PTWA process will be the 2011 GT500.

Nissan actually licensed PTWA from Ford for use on its V6 engine in the GT-R.
The heart of the PTWA process involves feeding a steel wire into a device that heats it up to 35,000 degrees Fahrenheit and then sprays it onto the aluminum cylinder bores. Ford is not actually the first company to use a process like this. Similar mechanisms have been used to coat the fan blades in jet engines for a number of years. One of the primary differences is that Ford is using PTWA with a conventional steel alloy rather than some super exotic aerospace material. Ford isn't even the first automaker to use this specific coating process. That honor falls to Nissan, which actually licensed the technology from Ford for use on its V6 engine in the GT-R.

Hameedi believes that Ford has an important advantage over Nissan. Anyone that has ever used a teflon-coated pan is familiar with the problem of the non-stick coating peeling off over time. In the past BMW has also had issues with the nickasil coatings prematurely separating on some of its aluminum blocks. Getting any dissimilar materials to adhere to each other is always a problem, so the initial surface has to be specially prepared in order for the coating to have something to hang on to. Nissan licensed Ford's coating technology but used its own surface preparation process. According to Hameedi, Ford's surface preparation works so well that even after engines have gone through a full durability cycle the bores still look like new.

Using the PTWA process allows the block to have a thinner surface coating – only 150 microns deep – that is just as tough as one with cast or pressed-in iron or steel liners. However, using less material results in lower weight. According to Hameedi, the GT500 block is 8.5 pounds lighter than the sleeved GT version. Overall, the complete engine is 102 pounds lighter than the 2010 cast iron engine. The steel coating has also helped Ford reduce the internal friction of the engine, aiding both efficiency and power production. "

2011 Ford Shelby GT500 finally gets aluminum engine, loses 120 pounds — Autoblog

 

[jasil]

GT500 for me........unless we are comparing it to a Z06 then I'd pick a Z06.

 

[tj04cobra]

Ah since you've had 3 mustangs, a vette would be a great change up as someone else said. Find you a nice 06 Z06. But a GT500 with the 3.4 crusher or 4.0 super crusher kit would be sick. Bye bye stock motor lol.

 

[pho_phizzat]

Yeah, if you shop around there are dealerships selling allocations for $3-4K off MSRP on new 2011 GTs. Nothing like a brand new car..:thumbsup:

+1 to be the first one to bone in it is priceless.....



Also it depends on what your needs are,

If you are like me and need/prefer a back seat then gt500 has you covered.

I have seen thousands and thousands of c6's and very few gt500's
So to me it seems a gt500 is a more rare thing to see.

 

[cobrkilrl]

I have an 09 GT500KR. 540hp at the engine. Another 1000.00 I can have that at the rear wheels. With a dyno tune maybe a little more. I love the room and comfort and being black on black looks just damn pissed off on the street. I cannot stop anywhere without someone coming up and wants to look/talk about the car. I prefer it over the C6. Now if you want to compare it against a C6ZO6, then I would have to think really hard about it but would still probably take the GT500. I traveled to texas this past weekend in mine. Best fun I've had in a long time. Ran my buddy's 08 ZO6. Stock for stock. He beat me by a car length maybe a little less. Need driver's mod on my part and he has a little less weight to deal with but damn it was fun. He was a little suprised at how well the GT500 performed. Die hard Vette man all his life. I think you should drive both and then decide which is better for your application. Either way, your going to have a lot of fun.