I am looking at getting my first corvette; a 2011 Grand Sport 2LT. The current owner has shown the car and did some modifications to it and I want to get everyone's opinion on the mods plus what I still want to do.

Most of the mods I do not have an issue with such as LEDs, front ZR1 splitter and spoiler. The two mods I do question are the Corsa Catback Xtreme exhaust and an aftermarket head unit. I love the looks of the Corsa exhaust since it looks more like the C7, but I am concerned the sound may be slightly overkill for my personal taste. There was no droning at highway speeds, but it gets loud when you get on it. I am assuming the sound it probably just a little bit louder than a stock exhaust, but I do not know that for sure.

An aftermarket head unit was also installed. I think it was to get a backup camera, which is important to me. Why they didn't put one on the corvette is still a mystery to me. The stock head unit was sold so there is no way to get it back. I am not sure if the steering wheel controls work or not with the head unit because I didn't test it out (stupid me). I think this may hurt the value of the car, but I don't know for sure. He is on the high end for private party (KBB), but cheaper than most 2011 GS I have seen at dealerships. The only other mod I would like to make is to add an HUD.

Do you think it would be easier to just add a HUD or try to find a 3LT and then do pretty much the same mods, except for a "tamer" exhaust? I know this is personal preference, but I was hoping the experienced Vette owners had an opinion, and I am sure you will! .

 

I have no idea about the HUD. As for the stereo, that would be an easy fix, maybe not cheap, but certainly easy. You can get one that will hook up to the steering wheel controls. My car has it on a Kenwood system. The exhaust is a personal thing. I like some rumble, but not excessive as mine is a daily.

 

The Corsa Extreme exhaust is loud, I went with the Corsa sport exhaust and it's quieter, it only barks when you get above 2000- 2500 rpms... Aftermarket head units are a must, the stock sound systems are not very good in my opinion.. I was glad to see my car had a aftermarket sound system.If you do want to change sound systems Crutchfield is the place to buy from....If you really have to have HUD then get another car, it's not something you want to add to a car after it's built...WW
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You didn’t mention the seller asking price, as for those mods I’ll take all of them in a heartbeat they are all rising the look and the value of the car. Good luck

 

He is wanting $32K for it and the car only has 23K miles on it. Price "seems" fair given the VG condition and mods.

 

This is a good price although be sure to have it checked by your local Chevy dealer or a good private shop

 

It goes in on Friday for a pre-purchase inspection.

 

WW7 - Why do you feel like adding a HUD after the fact is a bad idea? It looks like several members have done it and it isn't too difficult.

 

Is HUD a separate add-on? My 12 GS is a 2LT and it has a HUD.

Like others said, you can likely add support for steering wheel controls if they aren't working already. Do you care about sat radio and, if so, does the new HU have it? Something else to think about. If it doesn't have it and you want it, you'll need to add that on at a cost, and either wire up an external antenna or find the write up on here somewhere on how to splice into the factory antennas. I would guess that the word extreme in the name of the exhaust roughly translates to louder than stock. I have my NPP stock exhaust fully open at all times and I would not call it loud. Gets drony at times but doesn't bother me.

 

If the previous owner changed the head unit, then he did you a favor. Changing the head unit is not very difficult and it's a popular mod for a C6. The stock head unit is lacking in many modern features. My only concern would be that hopefully the aftermarket unit installed is a decent model, if not it would be easy enough to replace it with one of your choice. As for exhaust, you can always find someone selling the factory NPP exhaust and add it if you were interested. You could also sell the Corsa for a decent price and end up with a factory NPP plus money in your pocket. The forum has a decent "C6 parts for sale" section if you keep an eye on it. HUD can be added, but imo it is a bit over rated. I have it but I could easily go without it.

 

I agree about the HUD. I have it and forget I have it all the time. I'm so trained to look down at the speedometer. It's a cool novelty though.

 

Did you guys with aftermarket stereos keep the stock head unit?

 

I totally disagree. I use HUD almost exclusively. I wish I had it in my other cars. Not having to look down is a huge benefit imo.

 

BTW....does anyone know of a trusting corvette shop in Cincinnati or Northern Kentucky area to recommend for a pre-purchase inspection?

 

PM sent!

 

I just need to work on using it more. I do like the ability to just glance at it, but like I said, I forget about it. I guess my "novelty" comment was not accurate.

 

I do use mine to check my speed. My point is, if it wasn't there, I could easily revert to using the speedometer full time like I do on all my other cars. If the car didn't have HUD, I don't think I would put much effort into adding one. Just my opine.

 

I sold mine to someone on the forum. I had a 2012 model and I believe they were trying to upgrade or replace an older model to gain usb and bluetooth. There was a time a few years back that used ones would sell for a decent amount of money. I have noticed prices have dropped tremendously since then. Also, the person that bought mine ended up listing it again 2 years later if I am not mistaken. Maybe he ended up going aftermarket after all.

 

Here is another question for everyone about the car I am considering. I identified two issues with the car and another one came up after discussing maintenance records with him:

1. Seat belt light is on in the dash even if both seat belts are buckled.
2. The power driver's side seat will intermittently move forward and backwards, but as soon as you sit down it stops moving. Even if you get back up, it does not start to move again.
3. Oil was last changed in 8/2017, but he has only put 2000 miles on it since.

How much would be a "safe" amount to withhold from the sales price if I buy the car "as-is" to allocate towards the repairs not knowing the exact issue?

 

my buddy has a 2010 base with the corsa extreme exhaust. there is no drone. my 2010 grand sport with the NPP exhaust is louder than his but mine has drone. i installed long tube headers on both cars mine is still louder but has drone and his does not. i can live with the drone because i can flip a switch and quiet it right up.

i use my HUD all the time.