Anyone here own a C5 now or in the past? I'm considering buying one but one of my concerns is how the clutch and gearbox will feel after owning a S2000. Yeah I know I need to go out and test drive and I plan on doing that soon. Anyone with lots of wheel time behind both cars care to comment specifically about the clutch & gearbox? Or any comparisons / contrasts are welcome.

 

The C5 shifter will feel clunky compared to the S2000 but you will get used to it.. and with the broad torque curve you don't have to shift as often. The feel of the two cars are very different so you need some back to back test drives.

 

I installed a B&M Ripper in my C5 shortly after I bought the car back in 2000 (it was an '01 model). I drove that car 4.5 years and with that B&M Ripper shifter, it really had very, very positive and direct throws.

It was a great car and I had a blast owning it for 4.5 years.

 

I can comment, I suppose:

The C5 gearbox is not the greatest- it tends to be notchy. I've hear a short shifter eliminates this, though I have not done it yet. The clutch is not an issue at all. It's not really any heavier than my GF's Scion tC and it modulates very easily.

Brakes are great.

Power is fantastic.

Interior is only so/so. Some people hate it, I don't really mind.

Suspension is great- especially the Z51. Firm, but not punishing.

The car will feel a lot bigger than an S2k, but you learn to drive it just fine. The only issue being its low ride height. If you are not careful, you'll drag the nose.

I have a convertible and I love it. It's not a power top, but it opens and closes quite simply and the top-down appearance is VERY sharp.

If you have any more specific quesitons, let me know. My former roommate has an S2k, so I've driven both.

 

I was surprised how few C5s have manual trannys. Looking on autotrader.com, 80% are automatic. Lame, IMO

 

It's been like that for quite a long time. What is suprising however is that it seems with the C6 it's suddenly shot back to close to 50/50. I don't have any actual hard sales/build numbers, I'm just going by frequent dealer inventory searches. In fact it seems as if I've seen more manuals than automatics, if this is actually the case I wonder what it is about the C6 that's caused the sudden shift? All I can figure is that either early adapters are typically more apt to buy manuals, or that the C6 is appealing to buyers that the past few generations didn't.

 

Do a search. This topic came up before. My #1 feeling, going from a S2000 to a C5 Z06, was I now drove an aircraft carrier. I mean the impression of being much bigger was immediate. I miss the high-rev and drop-top nature of the S2000. After that, well, I like being the bully 99.x% of the time on the street...

 

[QUOTE=YBS1,Oct 28 2005, 06:17 PM] It's been like that for quite a long time. What is suprising however is that it seems with the C6 it's suddenly shot back to close to 50/50. I don't have any actual hard sales/build numbers, I'm just going by frequent dealer inventory searches. In fact it seems as if I've seen more manuals than automatics, if this is actually the case I wonder what it is about the C6 that's caused the sudden shift? All I can figure is that either early adapters are typically more apt to buy manuals, or that the C6 is appealing to buyers that the past few generations didn't.

 

Or maybe the early cars for whatever reason (parts issues?) were mostly manuals?

 

My C6 is an MN6, but I wouldn't consider an auto in any sports car. With the '06 model you can now get shift buttons on the wheel, so maybe you'll see it switch back. In '05, the auto was 4-speeds and it was widely understood that GM will have a 6-speed auto for '06. I have never owned a C5, but those that have and now have a C6 have commented that the manual is much better in the C6 which may also account for the movement towards it at least in '05. Lastly, concerning constraints, while there were many back at first release, the auto was not one of them that I recall. The biggest constraint was with the vert which was why mine came in in February versus Oct/Nov as it was supposed to.