View Poll Results: Do it, or not, worth it or not...
Do it
44
54.32%
Not to do it
24
29.63%
Depreciates the value of the C6
17
20.99%
Adds to the value of the C6
8
9.88%
Multiple Choice Poll. Voters: 81. You may not vote on this poll
Wide Body Conversion... do or not?
Instructor
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 218
Likes: 0
From: Cincinnati OH
Interesting post but I would differ with most of what has been posted here.
About insurance. If your car is modified, particularly with performance modifications, then by rights your insurance company is supposed to be notified. Now I know that most don't do it, but it does leave your insurance company a legal out should they decide not to cover your claim.
If your new front carbon fiber body panels, added to your base C6, are damaged in an accident, what will your insurance company pay? They are insuring a base C6. Are they going to pay for your carbon fiber fenders?
Agreed, ask them how much a performance enhancement will raise your premium and decide whether it is worth it to do it or not, and if you do it, whether it is worth the bump in premium or take the risk
It is not a given that the C7 will be as powerful as the current Z06. For a better explanation of why, read one of the "essays" by OregonC6 on gasoline prices, the economy, etc. As well as take into account new CAFE requirements on the horizon.
What you are looking at now, SS not withstanding, could very well be the most powerful Corvettes to come out for a long while.
I would suspect the C6 Z06 will be more powerful than the C7 base. However, I said if it was "near" then it's a problem because newer model and design, if it looks really good, will make people prefer the new look over the old look because if your buying a car typically you'd want the newest and best out. Therefore, pushing prices towards the price of the new '07 base or less.
You have posted this before. You actually think that you can get a complete widebody conversion with the fronts, all painted and installed for $5,000.00?
The parts alone are that. Have you ever had a car painted???
It comes painted, they match your gas cap, I did quote 6k in my calculations... but I think 5-5.5k on the panels is a deal that could be found.
A good set of headers, a CAI, and catback, thermostat, ported intake manifold,tune, will run you about $4000+. In an LS2 that will bring you to about stock LS3 power levels. Still a heck of a long way from Z06 power levels.
If you are talking about doing the above mods to an '08 along with the body and paint work, then you just took a brand spankin new car and perhaps jeopardized some of the drivetrain warranty and bumper to bumper warranty on it due to the tuning and modifications.
Me personally, I'd never modify a brand spanking new car to that extent and shoot the warranty that quickly. Jeopardizes your chances at getting resolution if the car should turn out to be a lemon.
You stick a cam in it and something else happens. Your new LS3 engine lets go. The installer is unwilling to take the blame and chevy is too. One is blaming the other. You're caught in the middle, and if you financed it, then you are on the hook to make the payment, plus get it fixed.
The dealer sees your car with this cam in it, sees the car visually does not even resemble the brand new car which he sold you last week, he immediately knows that it has been tampered with.... and you have nerve enough to want it repaired under warranty. They'll laugh in your face. A major repair has to be approved by GM before your dealer can commence. When they see it, say sayanora to the driveline warranty, and anything else they can find to void out the 36/36 warranty on the rest of it.
You have some good points that I will think about. The warranty is worth keeping(even though many others have done enough to void theres) and maybe I will just have a Z06 outside look alike at C6 stock performance for under 48k, or do simple mods that don't void the warranty.
Do you know how much an LS3 crate motor costs?
A lot.
Whats that, if you bust something in the engine, or driveline, just put the stock programming back into it and take it to the dealer??? Not that simple. A catastrophic failure submitted for warranty claim, and they are liable to start digging.
The ECM will have recorded or should have recorded what the engine was doing during the catastrophe. If it has been reflashed to stock there will be no trace of the event having occured. No record of a CEL, no nothing. Just you there with a blown engine and an ECM with a fresh stock file and no long term fuel trims in it.
Someone has to tune all of this. And stand behind the work. Something goes wrong with my Z06, back to the dealer it goes. And I can take it to any dealer selling Z06s of my choosing. Try taking your supercharged car in for repairs or a tuning issue. And driveline parts have to stand up to all of this power. How long will an A6 tranny live behind a Procharger??
Modding is never cost effective. And the more money you spend on mods, the less sense it makes. I have modded more than a few cars in my day, and I know of what I speak.
About insurance. If your car is modified, particularly with performance modifications, then by rights your insurance company is supposed to be notified. Now I know that most don't do it, but it does leave your insurance company a legal out should they decide not to cover your claim.
If your new front carbon fiber body panels, added to your base C6, are damaged in an accident, what will your insurance company pay? They are insuring a base C6. Are they going to pay for your carbon fiber fenders?
Agreed, ask them how much a performance enhancement will raise your premium and decide whether it is worth it to do it or not, and if you do it, whether it is worth the bump in premium or take the risk
It is not a given that the C7 will be as powerful as the current Z06. For a better explanation of why, read one of the "essays" by OregonC6 on gasoline prices, the economy, etc. As well as take into account new CAFE requirements on the horizon.
What you are looking at now, SS not withstanding, could very well be the most powerful Corvettes to come out for a long while.
I would suspect the C6 Z06 will be more powerful than the C7 base. However, I said if it was "near" then it's a problem because newer model and design, if it looks really good, will make people prefer the new look over the old look because if your buying a car typically you'd want the newest and best out. Therefore, pushing prices towards the price of the new '07 base or less.
You have posted this before. You actually think that you can get a complete widebody conversion with the fronts, all painted and installed for $5,000.00?
The parts alone are that. Have you ever had a car painted???
It comes painted, they match your gas cap, I did quote 6k in my calculations... but I think 5-5.5k on the panels is a deal that could be found.
A good set of headers, a CAI, and catback, thermostat, ported intake manifold,tune, will run you about $4000+. In an LS2 that will bring you to about stock LS3 power levels. Still a heck of a long way from Z06 power levels.
If you are talking about doing the above mods to an '08 along with the body and paint work, then you just took a brand spankin new car and perhaps jeopardized some of the drivetrain warranty and bumper to bumper warranty on it due to the tuning and modifications.
Me personally, I'd never modify a brand spanking new car to that extent and shoot the warranty that quickly. Jeopardizes your chances at getting resolution if the car should turn out to be a lemon.
You stick a cam in it and something else happens. Your new LS3 engine lets go. The installer is unwilling to take the blame and chevy is too. One is blaming the other. You're caught in the middle, and if you financed it, then you are on the hook to make the payment, plus get it fixed.
The dealer sees your car with this cam in it, sees the car visually does not even resemble the brand new car which he sold you last week, he immediately knows that it has been tampered with.... and you have nerve enough to want it repaired under warranty. They'll laugh in your face. A major repair has to be approved by GM before your dealer can commence. When they see it, say sayanora to the driveline warranty, and anything else they can find to void out the 36/36 warranty on the rest of it.
You have some good points that I will think about. The warranty is worth keeping(even though many others have done enough to void theres) and maybe I will just have a Z06 outside look alike at C6 stock performance for under 48k, or do simple mods that don't void the warranty.
Do you know how much an LS3 crate motor costs?
A lot.
Whats that, if you bust something in the engine, or driveline, just put the stock programming back into it and take it to the dealer??? Not that simple. A catastrophic failure submitted for warranty claim, and they are liable to start digging.
The ECM will have recorded or should have recorded what the engine was doing during the catastrophe. If it has been reflashed to stock there will be no trace of the event having occured. No record of a CEL, no nothing. Just you there with a blown engine and an ECM with a fresh stock file and no long term fuel trims in it.
Someone has to tune all of this. And stand behind the work. Something goes wrong with my Z06, back to the dealer it goes. And I can take it to any dealer selling Z06s of my choosing. Try taking your supercharged car in for repairs or a tuning issue. And driveline parts have to stand up to all of this power. How long will an A6 tranny live behind a Procharger??
Modding is never cost effective. And the more money you spend on mods, the less sense it makes. I have modded more than a few cars in my day, and I know of what I speak.
It can be very cost effective. I can get into a Corvette at 39k. Then, whenever I want, and when I can afford it, I can throw on "my" z06 outside look for 10k. That puts me at 50k, I could stop there and have saved about 15k, and then on resale in 5 years, I could put it back to stock, sell it for 31k, sell my mods for 4k, and I'd lose about 14k overall. However, the Z06 in 5 years will be about 45-50k IMO, which is a loss of 20-30k. So you make out better at initial cost, total cost, and lost value between purchase and resale. But this is simply my opinion. Also, it's the extra options like 3LT/F55/'vert (8k!!) that will make you lose a lot of money from purchase price to resale. But in the end all that matters is that you like your car and are having fun, but if you want to talk $$'s for me it makes more sense to get the coupe and z06 panels.
Another thing to consider for me is that I have 3500 dollars from GM to buy a new car. If I bought a new Z06, I'm looking at 70-75k or more, and taxes will be a little less than double!, I was quoting in my estimations a 65k used car for a z06. I set my price for the coupe at 39k which is what anybody could reasonably get on a no option '08. But, for me I'd be paying 35.5k... which puts the z06 widebody in at 45.5k for me. So thats even more margin... And I have decided not to use the Z06 badges, I actually don't have a problem with the "Z06" because I have all the paneling, and the badge doesn't say LS7... I have a problem with the 505 hp. A Z06 badge that said LS3 would be enough for me. But, I'll probably end up with a C6 badge unless I can find a way to get someone to make me one. All in all, buy whatever you want and have fun with it, the unique ability to choose your mods and options such as vert/coupe tops, auto etc make modding a cool alternative. But, I do think the panels/mods can be more cost effective in certain situations. I also agree that most people want the look and not the performance, because not many people track these cars or even use the performance of the base c6 LS2/LS3.
Last edited by artistnsports; Aug 20, 2007 at 11:25 AM.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 2,034
Likes: 0
From: Beaverton OR
You guy's "think" too much.
I don't buy a car for it's eventual "resale value." I buy it for purely pruient and selfish reasons:
1. I like it.
2. I wan't it.
3. I earned the money that paid for it, so it's nobody else's business.
If I ever sell it, I'll make the best deal I can, and go to the next one.
PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS!
I don't buy a car for it's eventual "resale value." I buy it for purely pruient and selfish reasons:
1. I like it.
2. I wan't it.
3. I earned the money that paid for it, so it's nobody else's business.
If I ever sell it, I'll make the best deal I can, and go to the next one.
PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS!
Racer
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 499
Likes: 0
From: Chesterfield Michigan
You guy's "think" too much.
I don't buy a car for it's eventual "resale value." I buy it for purely pruient and selfish reasons:
1. I like it.
2. I wan't it.
3. I earned the money that paid for it, so it's nobody else's business.
If I ever sell it, I'll make the best deal I can, and go to the next one.
PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS!
I don't buy a car for it's eventual "resale value." I buy it for purely pruient and selfish reasons:
1. I like it.
2. I wan't it.
3. I earned the money that paid for it, so it's nobody else's business.
If I ever sell it, I'll make the best deal I can, and go to the next one.
PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS!
Life is short. Enjoy it while you can and stop worrying about what if.
Instructor
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 238
Likes: 0
I think people that have the disposable income should feel free to modify their cars to their heart's content. If you don't like it, well that's ok, it isn't your car. It's too bad that some people are so snooty about it, because these people are our modern-day hot-rodders! There are plenty of purists out there who won't touch their cars at all, so I say have at it. Any deprciation just needs to be understood and comprehended when you get into the modification game, so don't be surprised when your blown, wide-bodied Vette with an extra $20K in mods gets you $10k less on a trade in than a bone-stocker!
I seem to be in a minority opinion on this one... I actually like the base car better than the wide-body! I mean, I appreciate the agressiveness of the wide-body, but it does appear to be an after-thought, stylistically speaking. The stock C6 have very clean lines that I happen to like better. Oh well, to each their own!
SMM
I seem to be in a minority opinion on this one... I actually like the base car better than the wide-body! I mean, I appreciate the agressiveness of the wide-body, but it does appear to be an after-thought, stylistically speaking. The stock C6 have very clean lines that I happen to like better. Oh well, to each their own!
SMM
Safety Car
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 3,611
Likes: 100
From: Palm Springs,Ca.
2020 C6 of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
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Burning Brakes
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 818
Likes: 0
From: Salinas Cali
Another point is whether you would like to focus on the cosmetics of the car or the performance mods on your car. I personally have a C6 2005 and purchased just two months after they where selling in the market the first time and I wanted to wait for the Z06 but figured maybe i can mod the car instead into a z06
I wanted to get the Widebody but i decided to rather spend that money on a supercharger and if i do get the time and money of course maybe throw in the wide body...but that would be my last thing i would say. .02
--jose
I wanted to get the Widebody but i decided to rather spend that money on a supercharger and if i do get the time and money of course maybe throw in the wide body...but that would be my last thing i would say. .02
--jose
