Good morning!

Im looking at a 2000 FRC to purchase. The car has just over 60k on it. I would say the car is about an 8/10 both interior and exterior for the age.

Heres where I need some input. The car has some modifications to it. It has LS6 heads with Ferrea valves, Speed inc cam, Patriot Valve springs, Fast intake manifold, Vararam intake, FLP headers, and Borla Exhaust.

What is your opinion on buying a modified car such as this? Keep looking? Buy it?

The car runs great, and shifts nicely. If I were to buy, I would swap valve springs almost immediately. For the car, I think it's priced good not great.

Any input would be greatly appreciated.

 

Price and why is the person selling it?


I tend to shy away from modded cars for reasons of either abuse or something is wrong and the person wants to ditch the car now.

 

Modded cars can be a bonus or a nightmare. Bonus - Seller added goodies he's not getting $$ back on. Nightmare - was it done right, who did the work, why is he selling?

As stated, some are comfortable, some not... There's plenty of C5's out there.

Good Luck!

 

Thanks for the quick replies.

I am somewhat comfortable buying modified cars that I verify run and drive ok. However, I have no background in Corvettes which is why I came here for some input.

The price is $15k and they are selling it because they are looking to purchase a C6Z. The current owner is similar to me in that I buy and sell a car at least once a year when my interest turns to something else.

 

I love mine, it's been a great car, Of course Very little of it is still stock but I planned that the day I bought it, There are some really nice cars out there, Take your time.

The Mods on the car your looking at are the building block basics for adding performance, if you do buy a stock one and do the same mods it will add up quick, Like others have stated, who did the work would be the most important question for me, If its done by a a reputable shop then you will most likely have very few problems with whats been done. Simple things like looking at how wiring and hoses are routed say a lot to me, if someone took the time to do the simple things right then they probably took care in the more labor intensive mods IMHO

Good luck

 

Personal opinion, for many reasons I would not purchase a car with internal engine mods.

 

I'm not sure why you would swap valve springs. They are already aftermarket.

How long have the mods been on the car? If it has many miles, the bugs (if any) are already worked out. Being you are one to turn and burn cars on a whim (not a bad thing) you have to look at resale. Stock will sell faster than modded.

 

I have read some things about the Patriot springs having a small life span so I figured I would change them. The mods have been on the vehicle for a little over 10k.

 

I tend to stay away from performance modded cars unless I know exactly who did the mods and that they are a trusted shop. Then it would depend on what mods were done to the car.

 

I wouldn't completely shy away from the car. It's a heads/cam car using factory heads, not some crazy build.

Wouldnt be a bad idea to replace those springs and get the tune checked, but if you're confident in the tuner it may not matter. Drive it hard with several high rpm shifts to make sure there are no impending clutch/trans issues before you commit though.

 

Depending on the cam profile that's roughly about the window for valve spring check and service anyway so you'll likely be performing that work quickly after purchase.

I'll echo others; if your comfortable with it go ahead. Do know the C5 market is super saturated though so you'll for sure be able to find another car should you not buy this one.

 

I would have no problem buying a car with bolt ons.....CAI, Headers, Exhaust, wheels etc. I think I would shy away from one the motor was opened up on. Unless I knew the car and who did the work.

If you are planning on purchasing this to play with and then dumping it for something else....People are going to be asking themselves the same questions when you are selling.

 

I would change the springs right after bringing it home.

 

I would pass on that one, too many fish in the sea to start with a question mark. And that applies to the electronics as much as the mods.

You might check out the improvements made for the 01 run, where they finalized the design of the body control module, which if it fails cannot be replaced. After o1 most can be repaired, I am told. I would think the model year could possibly limit the resale to non hard core buyers, people like you who do not know the car well. People looking for a C5 in particular might pass on the early years because of the paper weight possibility down the road

My opinions are shaped by a sincere lack of desire to work on cars, and my wallet is very risk adverse on top of that. I used to not mind the work, now the joy is only when it is over, and knowing it was done correctly.

I had no knowledge of Corvettes when I jumped in, but luck was on my side. My stock 03 had all the late improvements, but still had the older, easier to work on gas tanks. I had no idea what I was buying, I thought I was buying a sports car, turns out it is more GT than sports, but then so am I, nowadays.

There is a nice section about the finer points of buying a C5 on this forum. I hear it is very informative, and should be consulted. I came to this forum after my purchase.

Unless you really need speed, get a convertible. Life is too short to miss the top down experience.

 

If you like mod's..buy it.

 

OK, just my two cents. In my 50 years plus of buying performance cars of all kinds I've arrived at, quite some time ago, the conclusion that buying "modded" or "built" cars is really a risky proposition. It can work out but there is a substantial risk that you can be stepping into a bear trap. Once again, just my opinion, but I would look for a well kept stocker and then make it your own. Then you know what you have, no guessing required and you gotten exactly what you want! Good luck and happy hunting!

 

The FRC was developed as the poor mans Corvette for the masses and devalued the real corvettes. I wouldn't touch one with a 10 foot pole -- modded or not.

 

You do realize that the FRC was the foundation for the Z06, right?

To the OP, try and find out who did the mods. If a reputable shop, they should be able to answer your basic questions. Nothing wrong with a modded car. If done right and not drag raced or tracked regularly, can be a real steal, especially if you are planning to mod anyway.

 

I wouldnt

 

Keep looking......