Corvette C6 Z51 Review - Best Sports Car Under $25K?

For under $25,000 you could have a mint Honda S2000 or an equally mint Chevrolet Corvette C6 Z51. But which is the better sports car - the Japanese lightweight or the American bruiser?

[Rghfish]

Having driven an S2000 and owning a Corvette, I can honestly say....well, I own the corvette. I think that says it all.

[HP]

It's nice to see an Asian car aficionado who can also appreciate American muscle cars. I think with the steering wheel, what you get might depend on which trim level your car is. I owned a 2006 Chevy Monte Carlo with 3LT trim level (the highest non-SS trim) and mine had a leather-wrapped steering wheel with audio and cruise controls on the wheel.

[fuckucatchmerr]

I own a C6 and my girl has a S2000. That’s how it should be.

[ThePacerX]

"There's too much power, I don't know what to do with it..." Welcome to the real, non-sewing machine performance world. And that's only 400hp...

[LAroyalprimal]

Corvettes are streetable race cars, s2ks are sport cars you can race.. slowly.

[longhlam]

Good honest, unbiased review. Respect.

[genericdenizen]

Nice review. I’m lucky to own an original NSX, and when the new one came out, I drove it...and bought a new Corvette Grand Sport with a manual transmission. 465 lbs of torque lets me pass anyone on an enjoyable back road, no need to wait.

[studio-flash]

In the UK...i have always gone to Classic and American car shows..i was told by a classic C3 iwner that the best thing about Corvettes..obviously the looks and style is fantastic but the low end torque is amazing..yeah the high end speed is great but you can't do those high speeds most of the time. So low end torque..infact torque throughout is brilliant. Good review great looking car..V8 engine is amazing.

[testing]

Thanks for the honest review 👍 As an S2K owner, it's kinda slow, and by the time you get into its power range in any gear you're well over the speed limit already, this is frustrating in public roads, it's gotta be driven at the track to enjoy it.

[Reiffan]

I had both and beleive me S2000 has no grunt, no torque in every rev. The C6 6.2 was the best car i ever had. S2000 is a bicycle against the C6.
And i'm living in Europe, top speed is 304 km/h on german Autobahn measured by navigation System, S 2000 made just 240 km/h
Now i'm looking for the C6 ZR1. Its a lot faster than C7 Z06 especialy from 200 km/h to 300 km/h

[larrysementini]

What a deal! Loved your presentation, honest and fun. I'm envious, loved the Borla sound. Lots of luck with it. And with your family!

[JonHeckendorf]

Excellent review. I don't understand why the hateful comments. Sign of the times, I guess. Thanks.

[Spinnaker]

My wife and I own a 2003 S-200 with 70, 000 miles on it. We just bought a 2010 Corvette LT-1 base with 6 speed manual and it has just under 7, 000 original miles.

Both are stock unmolested cars.

The best part of the S-2000 is exclusivity. Ours has the optional hard top with stand and hard top cover. I prefer the look of it with the hard top. The rag top is new O.E.M. It was a daily driven and garaged every night and the headlights are looking a little faded. Not bad enough to replace them YET. Its a semi retired garage queen now and driven maybe once a month. It still looks new.

What I am coming to understand about the Corvette C-6 base is that the ride is very smooth and the interior is large and very comfortable.

They are both wonderful vehicles. But if it were a choice for purchase and not daily driven I choose the S-2000 because it's unique.

Want a comfortable daily driver? Get the Vette.

[chomptriscuits]

Great review. An actual personal perspective given by someone who can organize their thoughts logically. Thorough and interesting. I think I'm ready to get one.

[jjohnsonondell]

I have a 2005 C6 z51 and a 2004 S2000. S2k is more fun and more enjoyable car to drive but the corvette is faster in all aspects and more comfortable. Most people would rather have the C6, but it doesn't have the soul or passion of the S2k.

[TheSaturdayNights]

"That's the problem when you put your foot down, you cant be a coward"

[stephenboneau]

A fair review, bro. Although I don't own one yet, I do love how the vette is so versatile as a daily driver and the LS engine delivers the power so well. Another great Japanese car that runs well against your Honda is the Subaru BRZ.

[verdict]

Your reviews are the best man! Always look forward to hearing your perspective as a fellow JDM enthusiast.

How about a 300ZX (Z32 obviously)?

[ricky_ricardo]

Hey Man, I like your review.. lots of good points and helping me make a decision

[studio-flash]

Great review..C6 Corvette is such a cool car.