Would You Trade Your Z06 for a ZR1?

The ZR1 has officially replaced the Z06 atop the Corvette lineup. But should you make the upgrade?

It’s a conundrum most of us have faced at least once in life. You buy the latest and greatest sports car and enjoy the heck out of it for a year or two. But then, something even better comes along. And suddenly, your “old” car just isn’t the coolest toy on the block anymore. So you begin to think about trading up. And this is exactly the scenario currently facing Corvette Z06 owners like Puttnutt24, now that the Corvette ZR1 is upon us.

“I’m sure I am not the only Z06 owner thinking about if it would be worth moving up to a ZR1. I own a 2017 Z06/Z07 M7 in Watkins Glen Gray Metallic. To date I have installed a Corsa Full Exhaust w/Black Oval Tips, LG Motorsports Drop Spindles, Xpel Paint Protection and CQartz Ceramic Coating. The car is beautiful and even more importantly, is mine. I do hold the title. 

Now, back to my question. Is the new ZR1 worth losing ownership over and aquiring a car payment? Is the price of the ZR1 really worth the cost over a well equipped Z06? What do you Z06 owners think?”

For capevettes at least, the performance gap between the two doesn’t justify the added cost.

“I like the new ZR1. But, like the last generation ZR1, the performance disparity between it and the Z06 doesn’t stimulate me to buy one. I only have 8,600 miles on my current Z06. My next new ‘Vette will be the C8/mid engine Z06.”

Can’tHave2MuchHP agrees, and goes into serious detail about why he feels that way.

“Personally, as a massive Corvette guy, for the first time I say no. It’s not worth it. The Z06/Z07 is fast. Really fast. The ZR1s are only going to be marginally faster on the street and under 120-130 mph. The LT5 is certainly a more powerful and better engine with PI and DI and the 2650 blower. But in stock form, under 100 mph, traction is going to dictate that the ZR1 really isn’t that much faster.

An owner in the ZR1 section already posted that he only got 1 more mph on the same stretch of road that his Z06 got. Both A8 cars. Now I’m not saying the car isn’t fast, because it is. It IS faster than a Z06, and I’m sure the ZR1 will neuter basically any car in the world around a track. If that’s what you are after, then yes, it’s probably worth it to you.”

Plus, he makes a great point about how chasing the “latest and greatest” supercar will always burn you in the end.

“If the C8 Corvette comes out and it’s mid-engine, even the base model Stingray with possibly 500-550 hp, INSTANTLY the front engine Corvettes become old news. Not that they’re not fast and suddenly are massively outdated. But the words on the tip of every car guy’s tongues are going to be mid-engine Corvette. And if I just spent $140k on a ZR1, only to be outdated a model year or two later, I’d have to upgrade again. I personally am going to enjoy my Z07, wave at the ZR1 guys, and have a great time. And when the C8 comes out, I’ll be first in line.”

And somewhat surprisingly, that’s exactly how most everyone feels about this topic. Unless you’ve just got a bunch of money burning a hole in your pocket or you have to have the latest and greatest ‘Vette, it appears the ZR1 has little to offer over the Z06. But we still want to know what you think! Head over here and tell us if you’d make (or are planning to make) the upgrade.