Unfortunately 2nd place is the first loser. That is the mentality of a racer.
OK, was going to go there yesterdayā¦ twice as much for first looser is a no-brainerā¦ reason the weighting on the decision was low tooā¦ however, thanks for pointing that outā¦
Speaking of second place,etc., Iām active in the local car enthusiast world and I know lots of guys with Porsches and Corvettes and Ferraris and almost none of them do track days. In fact most of the Ferrari guys donāt even drive their cars other than to Cars and Coffee type meets. And many of the cars are heavily modified-----and then parked. That, I donāt get.
I do not recall anyone justifying buying the more expensive car because it laps faster.
But, like audio, spending more with diminishing returns makes perfect sense if ultimate performance is something one values. And easy to rationalize with Corvettes as the performance/dollar ratio is so good.
Did not imply or state justification. You did ask my decision basis and I thought I addressed that abstractly, concretely, and with an exampleā¦ this is about decidingā¦ thought precedes action, then action is justified. Decision is thought, not justificationā¦ those two activities are separate.
I think a lot of hi perf car enthusiasts including myself donāt have much road race / track experience and the thought of crashing the car trumps the chance to see what it can do on a closed course. That is one of the reasons I always had skilled drivers in my race cars except drag racing. I wasnāt very good at that but the chances of running off course are pretty small. If I had a few extra bucks I would definitely buy the ZR-1 just for the curb appeal. And yes the Corvette is the biggest bang for the buck as far as I can tell. I think the base trim model goes for somewhere around $50k and still has enough power to get you in trouble pretty quickly.
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Totally agree and if I was a collector and had a big enough garage, I would probably have bought the ZR1. However, not practical from performance (not going to track it), and or from a collector stand point. A very good comment on the price/performance as you and Elk have addedā¦ one of the reasons I canāt wait till this summer when we get to see the mid engine Vetteā¦
Full Disclosure: I just threw away my invite to the school you get invited to when you buy the carā¦
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Just like those with excellent audio systems who listen only to perfect recordings.
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If the ZR1 would have been available when I bought my Z06 I might have got one just because they look so damn cool. I donāt think I will be in the market for a new Corvette for a few years at least though. The one I have is the first one I have ever been owned.
My wife told me to go ahead and buy the ZR1 if I wanted and keep the Z06 but I couldnāt justify it mentally.
The Z07 track pack is a nice addition but I didnāt want the bigger brakes, stickier rubbers or racing seats so I am good with the one I have.
Thanks, my thoughts exactlyā¦ Z07 package had nothing I wantedā¦ hell I did not even get the 2nd level comfort package on the Z06. It just looked so bad A$$. I am not a track guy, never pretended to beā¦ It took seconds to make that trade off for Z06 & Z06 w/ Z07 package or ZR1 and my wife was pushing me for the ZR1ā¦ same as your wifeā¦ 
Full disclosure: My wife is 5ā11" and ~175lbs and hates race car seats. The reason I bought my 61 Vette was my wife did not like the new 2014 C7 race seats that I wantedā¦ the stock seats she loves and so do I. They are very comfortable.
I love every single aspect of this car, every line, interior, rims, red calipers, color (blade)ā¦ the first time I ever went on a lot and saw the exact car I wantedā¦ was weird cause there was no car like it in 200mi.
Also, I have 1800mi on the car and just started going over 4K on the tac and it is just WOWā¦ you are rightā¦ 0-60 in 1st, 2nd gear and then 6 to 7 gears leftā¦ it is a beastā¦
Wait til the first time you do the 1-2 paddle shift at 6500 RPM with your foot on the floor. It will take a week to wipe the smile off your face. 
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Yeahā¦ you knowā¦ when Celeste and I lived in Calabasas, CA we went out for a Vette buy. She drove the 2014 Vette Grand Sport (never a fan) and did not like the car so the next day I bought a 61 Vette w/ 350ci and 400HP 4 speedā¦ just been redone. Anyway, years later my sweetie and I said enough of the resto-modding and back to owning production Vettes. So, every (3) years we will get a new Vette so 2022 (2nd year mid engine) we will get a new Z06. I have had enough of the classics and staying with the production carsā¦ We had our fun and now back to productionā¦
Completely agree
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haha no corvettes or porsches here.
All manual transmissions, though, for the win.
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Thumbs up for the R32!
The ZR1 was tempting as it was a little less than $10,000 more than a properly configured Z06/Z07.
And the ZR1 at the base $122,000 already includes such performance goodies as carbon ceramic brakes. For the ultimate track monster, all one needs to add is the track performance package (performance suspension, aero goodies including the carbon fiber high wing, Super Sport Cup 2 tires). A killer deal at $3,000.
A well-equipped track-ready ZR1 for less than $13,000 more was thus exceedingly tempting.
For non-track types please let me know if you ever drive a Z07 and provide me with your impressions. The improved suspension, etc. is apparent to me - and highly enjoyable - on the street. It is therefore desirable for me even as a daily driver. I would find your reactions interesting.
The other Corvette I really enjoy is the Grand Sport. Incredible performance and handling at an astonishing price. A great car.
Excellent choices!
All that was great till I got to Grand Sportā¦ just not a fan at allā¦ sort of like the soul sucking SUV fan of GSā¦ just from a looks perspectiveā¦ C07 - going DOT slicks, not looking to replace the DOT slicks every 10K miā¦ practicalā¦ however, not a track guy, so there you have itā¦
Full disclosure - fit the non-track type, just never drove oneā¦ criteria is importantā¦ I did stay in a hotel onceā¦ I forget the specific advertisementā¦