TheImperative07

I'm currently a college student, but I'm saving up for a used Corvette as my first sports car. Either C5 or C6. I have some questions about what I should do to it. I plan on a sequential gearbox conversion as one of the first things I do to it. Which brand is the most affordable? Which exhaust should I go with? I'm thinking about Corsa, but I'd like some feedback. Lastly, should I replace the stock LS with the 454 LSx Big block, or should I go with forced induction to boost the power instead?

dryadsdad

Start with a Ferrari and work yourself up to a C5.

BabyBlueVert

In addition to reading through these forums and asking Q's, I recommend joining your local Corvette Club. In person, you can learn allot from Corvette Club members. Using Google to search this forum may be the quickest search, too. Examples, “Corvette Forum C6 'sequential gearbox conversion' or 'forced induction’”.

Two respectful rules to always remember: The Corvette Wave when approaching each other on the road, and always stop to help a fellow Corvette owner on the side of the road (very rare).

Fast Dawg

Great aspiration, but......

When I was in college, I decided I wanted a sports car, so I went out and bought a Datsun Z car. It was fast and I loved it. Then the maintenance started hitting my wallet and these cars are expensive to maintain - especially with modifications. I had to work more than I went to school because of it. I finally ended up selling it and buying a clean, used Monte Carlo. Best decision I made for a car at that point in my life. 15 years later I paid cash for my first Corvette and drove the wheels off of it. I'm on my fourth Corvette now.

The advice that I would give you is to concentrate on finishing school with as little debt as possible and enjoy this time in your life. Before you know it you'll be supporting yourself, possibly a family, and you will be glad you waited to get that sports car. Just my experience......

TheImperative07

I got a full scholarship, so I'm not in debt, but I am planning on buying after college, or after saving up a massive downpayment for a cheap C6 with a clean title. There are a lot of good deals on them in my area, so I could get one for less than a Toyota Avalon. I am not even close yet, and I don't plan on buying it for a while. I just wanted advice on modding for when I do get it.

TheImperative07

Lol.

WadeH

By the time all is said and done, I suspect that it would be cheaper to buy a brand new C8 that comes stock with a sequential transmission, than what it would cost to buy a used C6 and retrofit it.

A cursory search shows that a compatible sequential transmission from LG Motorsports is just shy of $30k for just that one part:

https://www.lgmotorsports.com/corvet...nsmission.html

captain vette

before changing anything did you ever drive a stock Corvette? trust me they are very well built

Dutch08

I guess it depends on your goals. TO ME one of the most rewarding ways to own a sports car is to do 100% of your own work. The problem is cars are getting more complex every year.

I would get the C5, they are a bargain right now as there are thousands of aftermarket performance parts. Right now I work on a '98 and an '05 both manuals. They are fairly easy to work on, but the '05 electrically is probably my limit as a shade tree mechanic. If you don't want to do your own work or learn then buy the newest lowest mileage car you can afford.
As WadeH said don't get a sequential transmission, you don't have enough money. Get a manual they put the fun back in driving. Automatics are just boring.

Mike Green9

As has been said: buy the newest and lowest mileage you can afford.

Every Generation is better than the previous. I would be looking at a C6 - 2008 and up. If you are comfortable with the $$, than I would go with a Z06. These bad boys are crazy fast.

Again if the $$ work, a C7 Z06 is faster than a C6 Z06, and better handling.

Take a long test drive on whatever you buy.

I would suggest that when you make your purchase, drive it for a while before any modding. At that point if you are not satisfied, than go for the mods.

C5 - C6 - C7 - It's all good.

M...

Shikaitsu

That's an entire gearbox with customizable gear ratios that would really only benefit competition level builds. S1 makes Sequential conversions for T56/TR6060's for roughly $2,000 and they're currently manufacturing one that's direct bolt on for C5/6/7.

https://www.s1sequential.com/product/corvette/

As for the OP's initial question, I don't know what the fastest car you've ever driven was but I would drive a stock C6 and get used to the feeling of it before dumping a bunch of money into power goals. I got way ahead of myself and bought my first C6 at 20 and did a big heads/cam package making 500 whp horsepower and totalled it on my 21st birthday. These cars are light and aerodynamic and will get out of you in a heartbeat. You can get as much power as you would ever realistically want out of a stock C6 engine in any trim so I would pick the nicest one you can reasonably afford, get comfortable with it, pick an end power goal then incrementally reach it as comfortably as you can.

FX VETTE

Fast Dawg

Congrats on the scholarship! That certainly helps.

Some good advice above about getting used to the car before you mod it. As I said, I'm on my 4th one. My first was a 92 coupe - I did nothing to it but maintenance. My second was an 01 convertible. I drove it for six years before I started with the mods - and I started slow just to get used to the extra HP before I went to the next step. That car reached 400RWHP before I traded it for a 15 C7 Z51 A8 - that was a fast car with no mods. I sold it in May because I wanted a car that I could mod and not have a load of money sitting on my garage. I'm one state east of you and the best deal I found was in Texas - a 09 C6 Base 3LT with a manual transmission. That has the LS3 engine in it and tuners love it. Good luck!

73DBG

I like that you already have focused plans and goals you’d like to do once you own a vette, smartest plan is to have a blueprint for the build in the beginning so you don’t double and triple pay on parts and labor that aren’t suited for each other...but before you go down the rabbit hole set some 5m targets.

Going from “no vette” to sequential gear box LSX454 fully built race car is an overwhelming goal to have from the start line of the race.

example...5m target, finish school✔️

Save the money for the outright purchase or large down payment✔️

Buy vette you’re looking for✔️

once you own the car start making you build plans and goals, like what’s the intended use of the car? Depending on the end goal or primary use is gonna guide the blueprint of the build, and understand building a fast vette isn’t cheap whatsoever and will require a lot of maintenance to keep it running at peak performance.

A big saying guys in my line of work who are trying to accomplish what most view as “impossible” or a daunting marathon of a task, it’s actually a question and an answer “How do you eat an elephant?”

“One bite at a time.” It’s a very fitting phrase when your faced with a huge task that will take time and focus, if you just focus on the end state/finish line it’s just overwhelming. Guys who do that get caught in their own head and usually end up quitting. 5m targets and small victories my dude! Go luck 🇺🇸