FLYNAVY30 said:
A 99-00 FRC or an 02-03 Z06????
i'd go with the Z06.
i wouldnt have any problem owning a 99-00 FRC... prefer the 00 cause it's got hud (just to have all the options) and the bigger cam over the '99 (even though you said you'd change it). any car it'd have to be low miles. the FRC has a nice history to it preceding the Z06s and is even rarer in numbers than the Z06.
but in the depths of my conscious, having had the Z previously, i might think... desire... to have a 'Z06' and to have even the slightest regret... i'd say i'd (you'd) be better to get the Z06.
hey, that's just the way i am. but think about if you have ever, even the littlest, regretted not buying one thing over another and sometimes paying for it in the end... and if you think you'd have that feeling with the Z then i too would tell you to get what you truely want... the Z.
sure you'll have the money to mod the FRC immediately but doesnt mean you will immediately or the mods happen over time. sh!t happens ya know.
the Z already has crazy power (340-350+ rwhp and 12's in the 1/4) from the factory. some would be happy what it does out of the box and can mod slowly over time.
i got the 'slower' '01

... took me 3 years to finally mod with the kooks and the sucker still scares the hell out of me now and then even though i may just be up to '02+ power levels now and am ok with taking my time before my next mods.
i love the stance of the Z with the wider wheels from the factory. u being a previous Z owner, i'd think with the FRC, top priority would be intake, h/c, headers/exhaust (you have 4 cats in an ls1 exhaust!) in one shot to get the power up to respectable levels. otherwise you may feel like a sitting duck with only 300rwhp max. and the wheels cause you gotta have that stance ASAP.
with a frc, I'd go an aftermarket wheel to look different than to follow the Z06 route (kinesis?). those things alone is a hefty drop of $$$ right after a purchase eh?
will82 had posted mods in stages which look good and cheap but in reality will always run a little over than expected. i mean, look at the list...
Do you see labor cost anywhere on that list? even if you do everything yourself, even the h/c install yourself like you did the headers... you HAVE TO factor at the very least in dyno tuning which i didn't see on that list. $400-500 a session and could be a couple of sessions if you break down the engine mods in different stages.
people have had their opinions but i will just say... I LOVE MY '01 Z and say there are good ones out there.
ok, i'll say it again... I LOVE MY '01 Z... i got one of the first ones. Gots power to scare the he!! out of me still. And yes, it does drink some oil (dunno how much cause I don't drive enough)... enough oil to say "so what?" it still runs like stink in over 4 years and i suspect for however long i keep her.
if the oil issue does keep ya from the '01s then i guess you should also think about it.... the oil tsb did include 99-2002 corvettes.
fun thread.
good luck with your decision and let us know.
don