I do not own one, but my dad has been through some vettes and I have had the joy of being able to drive them(z51, Grandsport, 427 and now a 15' Stingray). He is in his late 50's and loves his Stingray non z51 because it has the power, handling, looks and fun factor and ride comfort without the price tag of the z51. A big thing to note as well is that he does not track the car or do AutoX. His 427 had the magnetic ride, track suspension and the z06 wheel/tire set up and he disliked it because how aggressive it was. I loved it though because of how harsh it was and how you felt everything.
At the end of the day I think it matters on your budget, what your going to do with it and how you want it to ride.
I don't know if you have yet or not, but check out Rick Conti at Coughlin Corvette. My dad has purchased all his through Rick and he does a really good job and really knows the cars. http://www.corvetteconti.com/blog/