View Poll Results: Would you rather build it or buy it?
Build it myself
19
48.72%
Buy it built
20
51.28%
Voters: 39. You may not vote on this poll
Buy it or build it?
Drifting
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 1,947
Likes: 8
From: Redwood City CA
Buy it built. Save thousands!!!.....and the forum "can be of great help"
Kind of long but true and verifiable forum story !
I purchased a o4 coupe w/stroked forged ls2 402 w/486 rwhp built and installed by A&A in oxnard, flt level 5 tranny, pfadt coil overs,vigilante torque convertor,cray wheels etc. etc.....it has it all, the owner spared no expense!!!........he paid 40k plus for the car new, he provided reciepts for 25k in alterations......plenty of vettes built as well and some even built better and stronger, I am sure
........ this is where this forum can be of great help.......if you find a vette for sale by a forum member and you like what you read in their sale add you can go back and check every post they have ever made, every thread they started, and go to thier profile and find some of their friends but you can really watch the car be built via their posts......that's what I did. Found an add on here that really got my attention, went back and read everything the seller ever said on this forum, checked out the vendors rep via the forum and then pm'd a half dozen of his friends and those that he had talked with via the forum a lot and they all pm'd me back and all spoke highly of the car but most important is that they spoke more of the stand up character of the seller........now I live in Fl and the seller and car where in SoCal.........anyway if you are thorough in your research you can find a professionaly modded vette and yep he admitted he gassed her some (if you buy a modded vette and the seller says he never gassed her-RUN) anyway be thorough, don't be bashful..... I paid 23 and change for a almost 70 k car with 36k miles on it..... so I said all that to say be patient, use the forum, and let someone else make all the investment that it takes to mod one of these beast right!!!!
Kind of long but true and verifiable forum story !
I purchased a o4 coupe w/stroked forged ls2 402 w/486 rwhp built and installed by A&A in oxnard, flt level 5 tranny, pfadt coil overs,vigilante torque convertor,cray wheels etc. etc.....it has it all, the owner spared no expense!!!........he paid 40k plus for the car new, he provided reciepts for 25k in alterations......plenty of vettes built as well and some even built better and stronger, I am sure
........ this is where this forum can be of great help.......if you find a vette for sale by a forum member and you like what you read in their sale add you can go back and check every post they have ever made, every thread they started, and go to thier profile and find some of their friends but you can really watch the car be built via their posts......that's what I did. Found an add on here that really got my attention, went back and read everything the seller ever said on this forum, checked out the vendors rep via the forum and then pm'd a half dozen of his friends and those that he had talked with via the forum a lot and they all pm'd me back and all spoke highly of the car but most important is that they spoke more of the stand up character of the seller........now I live in Fl and the seller and car where in SoCal.........anyway if you are thorough in your research you can find a professionaly modded vette and yep he admitted he gassed her some (if you buy a modded vette and the seller says he never gassed her-RUN) anyway be thorough, don't be bashful..... I paid 23 and change for a almost 70 k car with 36k miles on it..... so I said all that to say be patient, use the forum, and let someone else make all the investment that it takes to mod one of these beast right!!!!
Team Owner
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 43,084
Likes: 33
From: Raleigh / Rolesville NC
What would you rather do? Buy a C5 fully built(Forged engine, HC, FI, built transmission, suspension, wheels, etc) by someone else or buy one stock and build it up yourself? It's certainly much cheaper to take the former vs the latter but I'm curious what C5gen has to say on the topic.
For me specifically, I'm fighting with myself over the issue now. I have a '99 FRC worth realistically 15 - 17k IMO, and have 15k available that I had planned on spending on a blower, high end wheels, suspension, brakes, and some aesthetic upgrades. However, looking at C5 pricing I can replace my FRC with another C5 that already has everything above and then some for almost the same price.
For me specifically, I'm fighting with myself over the issue now. I have a '99 FRC worth realistically 15 - 17k IMO, and have 15k available that I had planned on spending on a blower, high end wheels, suspension, brakes, and some aesthetic upgrades. However, looking at C5 pricing I can replace my FRC with another C5 that already has everything above and then some for almost the same price.
BBKs $6,000 to $8,000
Wheels to fit over the BBKs $3,000 - $4,000
New tires $1,500
Suspension, $2,000
That is $12,500 -$15,000 and have not got to the blower and other engine mods needed to accommodate the blower
Plus an LS1 block out of a 99, may not be the best option for too much power additions.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 892
Likes: 1
From: Pittsburgh PA
Well I doubt he was going to put BBK's on the car...
I would rather build myself, although you can save a ton of coin buying it already built, noone has the same taste as me and it's nice getting to know everything about your car so when something goes wrong you can find and repair the issue.
Also, if you search the forums for used parts you can save a TON. I've been on here forever stealing up deals and saved alot of money vs. new.
I would rather build myself, although you can save a ton of coin buying it already built, noone has the same taste as me and it's nice getting to know everything about your car so when something goes wrong you can find and repair the issue.
Also, if you search the forums for used parts you can save a TON. I've been on here forever stealing up deals and saved alot of money vs. new.
Safety Car
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 4,050
Likes: 1
From: Los Angeles CA
I can't really say because I don't have the money to do either. But if I did I don't think I'd be opposed to buying a built up one that was close enough to the way I wanted it anyway. You can potentially save thousands by buying one already built. The only issue would be who did the work? It would have to be done by a known shop. Otherwise I'd rather built it myself and by "myself" I mean a shop of my choice doing most of the work like blower, tune and such. I don't want some backyard mechanic doing engine rebuilds and tunes.
Race Director
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 18,643
Likes: 14
From: Norman Oklahoma - The Only State in the Union with no Blue Counties!
A couple of years ago my vote would have been different. Buy it built in this market and tear it down to make sure it was done right!
Race Director
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 11,060
Likes: 291
From: Pasco WA
The smart way, is to buy somebody else's labor of love. You'd be missing out on the great satisfaction of really learning your car from the inside out, and the $$$ saved by DIY. If you plan on keeping the car forever, or close to, then by all means DIY. It's alot of fun and very satisfying. If you are not in the game for longterm, get a car already modded, and save. Most of the previous posts have stressed the importance of making sure your modded car was built by a "reputable" or "professional" Corvette mechanic. This saddens me, because I did all the mods on my own car, using top of the line components, great care and love, and a lot of trial and error. My '02Z has only 16k miles, and I started my early mods like wheels/CAI/headers, when there was only about 2500 miles on the odometer. I know the quality of the work done, and the care taken, but according to some posters opinion, if it doesn't have a binder full of receipts from LG or Lingenfelter, etc. to stay away from buying it. In my case, I hope to never sell it, but consider this prejudice if you plan to build it yourself. Either way, good luck with your Corvette experience. Speaking for myself, it's the greatest automotive experience ever.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 2,000
Likes: 2
Personally I would buy something already built. Just don’t have the patience I use to working on cars. 3-4 years ago I would say build it yourself. One thing is you should do as much research as you can on the previous owner when buying a moded car so you pretty much knew what you are getting and how it’s been treated. Nice thing about buying a forum car is most likely that is possible.
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Race Director
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 12,466
Likes: 886
From: Fort Wayne IN
2025 C5 of the Year Finalist - Modified
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Build! It's part of the fun.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 3,066
Likes: 0
St. Jude Donor '06
If the owner has all the documentation and the build was by a reputable tuner/builder, I say buy it already built. Definitely want to go over the car with a fine toothed comb though. Find out what the owner is like, did he beat on it, race it, how many miles since the build, why is he selling? Several things to consider...
Mod's add nearly nothing to the price of these cars. So you're getting lots of valuable parts for next to nothing. If the build is in line with what you want, probably will save thousands over building it yourself.
Good luck
Nick
Mod's add nearly nothing to the price of these cars. So you're getting lots of valuable parts for next to nothing. If the build is in line with what you want, probably will save thousands over building it yourself.
Good luck
Nick