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this situation can be easily compared to another situation every 16 yr old boy has to deal with. your loving girlfriend decides she wants you to be her "first". you know the risks but decide 1 time wont be any issue! then she is pregnant your life changes forever and that decision cant be reversed. the same can be said for owning a 650 hp car and only 1 short blast down a dark road wont be bad. having the maturity to own such cars usually comes from making bad decisions and learning from them. this case however could be deadly or life altering. knowing the difference between a 200 hp car and a z06 and being able to suppress those urges to go fast are only learned thru time and experience

(these tidbits of wisdom are spoken by a 61 yr old dude who at 16 had a 400 hp gto and proceeded to wreck the car 3 times by driving way beyond my abilities and lucky I didn't kill myself or someone else)

mikepacheco

GM, My Grandson is 12, in 4 years he will be 16, I'm thinking of giving him my ZO6, the more I read, I think he should get another car 1st. Any thoughts?

MikeNSF

rtv900

In the 90's when I was in high school my brothers friend got a C4 ZR1 as his first car. He drove it to school that first day, totalled it on the way home on day ONE.
No joke day one.
true story, not making any of this up.

tonyferello

Yeah I was looking and I don't think the Z06 is the one I meant, that thing is CRAZY. A Z51 stingray is the one I was looking at which goes for a LOT less

BlueDevlZ06

Great to see that u have a goal and willing to work hard to achieve it. My advice is much like others here, work hard, be patient, invest some money first in a home or IRA. If you can keep that strategy, the world is yours kid. As far a a Z06 in the hands of a young driver, that could be dangerous. They are incredibly powerful and are best in the hands of an experienced driver. The insurance would also be an insane payment. Easier to just keep saving a few more years and get a lil more seat time. Good luck on your endeavors kid

EuG

Please DON'T do it!

I got my 1st car when I was 19 and it was used '85 IROC Z with 5.0L LG4 motor (150 HP)
At the time I thought it was a monster, but now I thank God that it was a slow POS , otherwise I would certainty be involved in a very serious crash!
I had many many close calls doing EXTREMELY stupid **** which I'm sure most of us have done while young and stupid LOL

Be safe!

Dads2kconvertible

Essentials first, toys later. Prioritize things that will better you for the rest of your life like education/earning power, then housing, transportation, investments. When you have the financial resources to take care of all your essentials then consider using extra money for toys.

Definitely consider the total cost of ownership because insurance for an 18 year old is typically rather expensive and sports car tires are expensive and don't last 40 thousand plus miles like traditional tires do.

Rdubfalco

Just my .02

You are fortunate to be in the position at your age to even be thinking this way, let alone buying a C7Z06.
If you can swing it responsibly then go for it, enjoy the only life you'll have and do it care free.

Thomasmoto

C7 Z06 for 16 YO first car? NO!!! Very bad idea.

JD'S WHITE 93

I would suggest you hold off for a Zr1

Mr. Gizmo

i would suggest a daily driver beater to go along with the c7z. It won't be practical for a daily driver going to school and work.
start with a reasonable car now at 16-- save for a healthy down payment and in 3 years the c7z may come down in prices quite a bit by then. Insurance may be very expensive.

Mr. Gizmo

I would give the young op some props. His post demonstrates a lot of thought and wisdom. This young man seems to be very responsible and may be mature enough to do very well with this car.

onebadcad

Do what I did at 16, focus on more important things like fake IDs, chasing *** and pounding beers on the weekend.

As you grow older you can throw money away on the lesser things, like American V8s and real estate.

tonyferello

Absolutely. I don't have the money, but I understand why it's a bad idea from a performance standpoint. Any corvette will be a MASSIVE upgrade in ponies from the little ford focus I drive right now. I think it's all about if you deserve to be driving a car with high power like this. Obviously, some kids will get a corvette and think they own the world, then crash 5 minutes later because they wanted to race a Porsche on a highway. I think at such a young age, responsibility is a big factor in owning one of these cars and some people just don't have it, besides, If I land one, ill really need to know the car before I can trust it. No point in buying a car for 50 grand and then crashing it because I wanna show off

rtv900

totally
see my post #43, true story
Friend in high school, C4 ZR1 at age 16, drove to school, totalled on the way home that very first day
nobody hurt, lesson learned

Noblebro175

I don't own one nor driven one or any corvette for that matter. Originally, before covid and after selling my 16 Cadillac Vsport....the XTS (AWD) version...something I saw on YouTube alerted me. This guy on there was able to achieve 40 mpg with lean tuning (safely) a C5 base coupe. I checked car insurance rates. Way cheaper than my previous Cadillac. Hmm, so I started looking . C5Z06 could get 30+ mpg. Still cheap on insurance and then , could be found for under $20k. I was sold. Started watching every "best year C5" etc on YouTube and joined here. Wouldn't ya know it, I learned I could get a C6 ls2, then well...Ls3 and before I could blink I found out I wanted no less than a HCI C6 Z06. The ZR1 is still still pricey and car insurance was still way reasonable (06 or the older years compared to a 2013) Z06. I have a friend with a 17 C7Z06 and it's crazy! His is automatic, sighh, but even with him being experienced driving all kinds of cars he says it'll get away really easy .

Even while I lurk here and the C8 sections, because their just wicked and fast, a true super car. I still lean on the C6 Z and many will say it still has the raw driving experience i want. Even though it's now a small block, it's still a 427 and that alone is like a dream for me. I'm 42 and grew up in my father's muscle cars and 4x4 trucks with stroker motors, etc. I'd suggest you consider a C5 Z06 , look thru the classifieds here. Many are built ( 450whp) or have a supercharger on them (600+whp). Honestly, I think a stock one will be more than you can handle. Not beating on you , just saying these cars set records back then. Their still fast today. It's more than going red-light to red-light in a Corvette. Their a complete package IMO. Drive some. Drive some C6's. You can buy a C6 ZR1 if you're considering a C7 Z06.

What is it about the C7 Z06 that makes your heart thump? Would a cammed C7 GS do it? Would a 9 second C6 Z06? Whats your plans or goals with the car? Check car insurance rates ( full coverage with low deductibles), figure saving for things like maintenance, tires,etc. How much do you plan on driving. I commute over 300 miles a day so mileage is a important factor, but then again plan to only drive my future Corvette a few days a week.

Will you be paying cash? If not, im not sure but even at 18 or 19 you may still need a co-signer? Have you started working on your credit. ? Where will you store such a fine ride? What about winter months ? Alright, I'll shut up. I wish you the best of luck and if you really want one, get at it.

jimbob8915

I dunno what to say. Growing up with less powerful cars with no nannies was probably way more dangerous than a C7 Z06. I did some stupid , stupid stuff in my 1985 Mustang Gt at 18. Way less power but no traction control or antilock brakes. I could actually drift that 85 Mustang GT. Something I would never try in a Z06. If you drive a Yugo like an ******* it will kill you.

Warp Factor

I had a ton of seat time in much slower cars before ever having something as fast as a C7ZO6. Some of these slower cars were fast, for their day, but nothing like a C7Z. Glad I had that experience under my belt before getting something a lot faster.