I love Corvettes, but I can't get over the fact that the interior on the C5 is virtually identical to that of the Sunfire. I owned a Corvette at one point, and let me tell you, maintenance and repair costs aren't nearly as bad as comparable sports cars - 911, whatever, but don't think it's like owning a Honda. When shit breaks, you pay the Corvette tax. There are a lot of major components on the Vette that are unique to it and no other GM cars. Overall, the C5 Z06 is still a fantastic bang-for-the-buck performance vehicle, if you can get over the craptastic GM 2000's interior. At 30k, you can actually easily pick up a base C6, which has about 400hp. I would take that over a C5 Z06. Still afflicted with GM Interior-itis though. Same steering wheel on it as their minivans and Cobalts. It's still more refined than the C5 Z06.
If you go the Vette route, pick up the 08+ C6 with the LS3. | 