C6 Z06, C7 Z51 or Shelby GT350? or may be something else altogether?

C7 Corvette.

I have a C6 Z06. The motors are prone to failure for various reasons not related to the valve guides. Oil starvation is one issue, seems to be more prevalent with the early cars prior to 09 when they added more oil capacity. The dry sump is not a good setup overall regardless.

For 09+ you probably won't get oil starvation, but the coating on the titanium rods can come off and you get titanium shavings all through the motor.

With my 06 the motor went due to oil starvation at around 60k miles. My friend had an 07 that went due to oil starvation at 30k miles. Another friend had an 09 with 10k miles on it where the coating came off the rods and cause the motor to fail.

The thing is a ticking time bomb overall in stock form. My motor is rebuilt with forged steel rods. And yes, I did have the valve guides done when I first got the car.

In reply to Harvey :

Thank you for curing any desire I had for one.

It seems like the reliability of regular vehicles has become incredible. It seems like performance/fun oriented cars may still lag behind by more than one might think. Or are we just too cynical?

Common wisdom on this forum/this thread is:

Modernish BMWs should be avoided, for multiple reasons.

VAG products have improved some, but have electric issues.

GT350 has engine issues.

C6 Z06 has engine issues. C6 regular has other engine issues.

LT1 in the C7 has issues some times. (Personal experience with LT1 was far less than favorable)

FRS/BRZ/86 is not up to normal Subaru/Toyota engine standards.

Miata is still the answer, but ND1 transmissions are made from tissue paper.

​​​​​​Porsches have nutso maintenance costs. 944 is solid.

What's left built in the last 15 years?

Wow talk about bias.  That article was all about how perfect Porsches are.  In fact they called it the most reliable car made.   
  Hmmm 

Does that mean all those reports on these pages of Porsche problems were lies?   
 

Then they went on to talk about it being a super car.   By starting with British cars of the 1920's?    Cars like the Morris?  Which to my knowledge has been out of production for 40+ years? 
     
  Ford invested hundreds of millions of dollars into Jaguar in the 1990's and for a while were rewarded with the top position of the JD Powell  survey.  
    
  The OP is looking for a reliable sporty car of the last 15 years.  Jaguar certainly filled that.  
 

In reply to Snrub :

I'm not as cynical on the Twins. I've owned one, and still follow the community, since late-2014. The vast, VAST majority of blown engines fall into:

Guys who go FI - rod ventilates block and/or wipes number 4 bearing.
Guys who go track with aero and super sticky tires - wipes number 4 bearing.

Im a huge fan of the C6 Z06. Its probably my favorite modern vette, and my guess is it will probably hold its value best in the coming years. I think theyve probably already hit their depreciation floor. I was watching them a few years ago seeing them sneak into high 20s and low 30s, and im seeing similar examples (before the used car craziness) for high 30s low 40s. The only real worrying part is the heads, but if your willing to spend to get that done quickly then go for it.

I also love the GT350s specifically the voodoo engine, but the reliability stories are scary and on top of that Ford was giving people trouble warrantying them, especially when used for motorsports even just HPDE.

The C7 Z51 has proven to be pretty reliable. I havent seen anything common or scary enough to really make me thing twice about getting one.

Snrub said:

It seems like the reliability of regular vehicles has become incredible. It seems like performance/fun oriented cars may still lag behind by more than one might think. Or are we just too cynical?

Common wisdom on this forum/this thread is:

Modernish BMWs should be avoided, for multiple reasons.

VAG products have improved some, but have electric issues.

GT350 has engine issues.

C6 Z06 has engine issues. C6 regular has other engine issues.

LT1 in the C7 has issues some times. (Personal experience with LT1 was far less than favorable)

FRS/BRZ/86 is not up to normal Subaru/Toyota engine standards.

Miata is still the answer, but ND1 transmissions are made from tissue paper.

​​​​​​Porsches have nutso maintenance costs. 944 is solid.

What's left built in the last 15 years?

Camaro SS 1LE

Snrub said:

It seems like the reliability of regular vehicles has become incredible. It seems like performance/fun oriented cars may still lag behind by more than one might think. Or are we just too cynical?

Common wisdom on this forum/this thread is:

Modernish BMWs should be avoided, for multiple reasons.

VAG products have improved some, but have electric issues.

GT350 has engine issues.

C6 Z06 has engine issues. C6 regular has other engine issues.

LT1 in the C7 has issues some times. (Personal experience with LT1 was far less than favorable)

FRS/BRZ/86 is not up to normal Subaru/Toyota engine standards.

Miata is still the answer, but ND1 transmissions are made from tissue paper.

​​​​​​Porsches have nutso maintenance costs. 944 is solid.

What's left built in the last 15 years?

I'm sure every car has its flaws and every car has its strengths. 
 If you follow the herd that's what you get.  
 But isn't it time to consider what you really need?  Are you going racing?   Well forget reliability. Nobody has made a fool proof car that will last indefinitely on the race track. 
   Are you a poseur?  Hey, no judgement.  Do you Just like to drive around in something others may not have?   That's legitimate. You earned the right.  But realize a small probably tiny percentage will have race it and if you get one of those then you'll have to deal with those issues.  
   Me? I'm a racer.  I want to buy cars owned by poseurs. There is a lot of good left in those. 

In reply to racerfink :

I like mine, but the C7 Z51 still outperforms it. I believe even on a road course (and definitely on a drag strip) which is where the 1Le is in its element. I only chose the Camaro because I like the styling, and Ive done too many clutches, trans and diffs in c5s, c6s and c7s to never want to do one again.

Also the Camaro wouldnt be any more reliable, engine wise, than the C7 since they share the LT1, there are a few issues with valvetrain and carbon build up but nothing common enough for me to care.

In reply to frenchyd :

Miatas, C7 Z51s, C5 Z06s and Camaro 1LEs are generally considered to be very happy being flogged around a track night and day. This is not a comprehensize list, just what I know of the top of my head.

In reply to Opti :

I came from a C5 Z06..speaking about Camaro 1LE, any specific year(s) to look for?

ea_sport said:

In reply to Opti :

I came from a C5 Z06..speaking about Camaro 1LE, any specific year(s) to look for?

'16 up.

Rodan said:

ea_sport said:

In reply to Opti :

I came from a C5 Z06..speaking about Camaro 1LE, any specific year(s) to look for?

'16 up.

16-18 cause they are prettier. Really I dont think too much has changed besides the tune adding even more crackles and pops and the auto being added just recently. Later years you can get the 2SS 1LE which comes with more convenience things, but they are pretty rare.

996 Turbo is basically bullet proof, as are almost any 911 GT3/GT3RS, Cayman GT4 or 2009 forward 911/cayman/boxster.  My Golf R has been perfect, outside of a broken front passenger Oh Shizz handle.  I've put 100's of thousands of basically trouble free miles on VAG products. 

In reply to docwyte :

Are the 987.2 Cayman/Boxster really that much more reliable compared to the 986 and 987.1 ones? Other than the IMS issue being taken care of, what other improvements does the 987.2 have compared to the 987.1? For track day will it not have oil starvation issue?

In reply to ea_sport :

Bore scoring is the other big one. Improved oil scavenging. Don't have the AOS issues.

In reply to ea_sport :

Yes, they really are quite a bit more reliable.  As mentioned, no real issues with bore scoring, no IMS issue and the AOS isn't an issue

Just getting back from NCM in a C7GS, holy E36 M3. Just amazing balance, serious tire stuffage (315/335 NT01s), hella reliable, comfortable interior, and lays absolute salami during Intermediate/Advanced sessions. I highly recommend that route if possible.....

Hear me out..... consider the Jaguar F-type R, if youre okay with autos.

Snrub said:

It seems like the reliability of regular vehicles has become incredible. It seems like performance/fun oriented cars may still lag behind by more than one might think. Or are we just too cynical?

Common wisdom on this forum/this thread is:

Modernish BMWs should be avoided, for multiple reasons.

VAG products have improved some, but have electric issues.

GT350 has engine issues.

C6 Z06 has engine issues. C6 regular has other engine issues.

LT1 in the C7 has issues some times. (Personal experience with LT1 was far less than favorable)

FRS/BRZ/86 is not up to normal Subaru/Toyota engine standards.

Miata is still the answer, but ND1 transmissions are made from tissue paper.

​​​​​​Porsches have nutso maintenance costs. 944 is solid.

What's left built in the last 15 years?

Veloster N's have proven to be bulletproof on track (so far). Also mentioned is SS 1LE which may fit the OP's criteria (loosely) 

yupididit said:

Hear me out..... consider the Jaguar F-type R, if youre okay with autos.

I came here to suggest this as well. 

goingnowherefast said:

Snrub said:

It seems like the reliability of regular vehicles has become incredible. It seems like performance/fun oriented cars may still lag behind by more than one might think. Or are we just too cynical?

Common wisdom on this forum/this thread is:

Modernish BMWs should be avoided, for multiple reasons.

VAG products have improved some, but have electric issues.

GT350 has engine issues.

C6 Z06 has engine issues. C6 regular has other engine issues.

LT1 in the C7 has issues some times. (Personal experience with LT1 was far less than favorable)

FRS/BRZ/86 is not up to normal Subaru/Toyota engine standards.

Miata is still the answer, but ND1 transmissions are made from tissue paper.

​​​​​​Porsches have nutso maintenance costs. 944 is solid.

What's left built in the last 15 years?

Veloster N's have proven to be bulletproof on track (so far). Also mentioned is SS 1LE which may fit the OP's criteria (loosely) 

How do you write off all modernish BMW's and then toss in the dinosaur 944 as "solid"? BMW made a namesake building sport sedans that were fully capable of heading to the track after a round of golf at the country club with your family of 4 (as long as there were no infants in rear facing seats but why would infants be golfing anyhow). 

Granted they have lost most of there credibility over the last 10 years but there are still a serious contingent of cars that can smack down hundreds of HPDE laps without a sweat passing automobiles with MUCH higher power numbers in the process. 

Also didnt see the Civic SI listed are they pretty bullet proof because they have no problems passing me on track.

In reply to dean1484 :

Is it really reliable?

In reply to ea_sport :

doubt it. I work with an ex Jag tech and he said they kept him in the money for a long time. Dont have any specific experience with that model but he was their pretty recently and said nothing modern from this is reliable or inexpensive to repair. He really likes them to, but he doesnt own one.

In reply to ea_sport :

The  5 or 6 F-type R owners that I know say they're reliable. 2 of them came from C6Z Corvettes, one has everything from chevy's to McLarens, one tracks his 2015 F-type R often, and the other lives in Italy so he probably never seen a reliable car before.