Here's what I think. My guess is for most vette enthusiasts(nuts), they would prefer to have a local tuner who knows what they are doing do the install & obviously be handy for service & any issues that might develop. The big problem is that there may not be a local tuner who knows what they are doing and or hasn't done any or only maybe one install of what you want done so you become the test case as they learn & you may wind up going back many times till they get it right. A first class experienced reputable tuner like LPE or Callaway have been around for a long time, have a top notch staff that they have to pay properly to retain quality people, have done considerable costly R & D before they release a new product, do a lot of installs so they become very familiar with any problems that may crop up & know how to fix them, & provide a warranty & odds are very high when the vehicle leaves their shop it's going to run flawlessly especially if it's an extremely reliable Maggie supercharger that is made by Eaton( Callaway also has select dealers located thruout the country where you can take the vette if it has a problem & get a seamless fix without having to get it back to them). I have an 06 C6 that I sent to LPE 2 years ago where they did the Maggie supercharger install & it has run flawlessly for 15000 miles since install. It was a close call whether to go Callaway or LPE as they are both excellent shops. I didn't even consider a local guy as there wasn't anyone locally who had much experience doing Maggie installs & I wanted it done right the first time. I chose LPE cause I liked the hood they had available, were happy to install the Corsa exhaust I wanted & my brother had LPE install a Maggie in his C5 3 years earlier & they had done a first class install & it had run perfectly since install.

You might want to consider becoming a dealer for Callaway or work out an arrangement with LPE to market their products. If you want to build your own name with your own staff, I'm sure it can be done, but will take time to build first a local & then eventually a national presence. Good luck.

 

Power Labs,

I find your take interesting as a Callaway equipped 2007 C6 sold for $75k last week. Id call that a little more than a "small measure" of resale. It was not a low mileage car and was listed for less than 5 days.

My experience reading this forum says a home built C6 with a supercharger, aftermarket wheels, brakes and coilovers would be lucky to break much over 40-45k.

Callaway worth the money? Apparently so.

 

Or there is a sucker born every day?

 

The fact of the matter, is that nobody (or very few) would pay for a modded car done by a no-name.

Callaway has earned the reputation that gets the cars into books like the NADA, etc. There is a reason for this. They build cars to spec. Not her and there, this and that - and not some home-brew, shade tree, science project.

Why do the modded cars languish in the for-sale section? It is tough without papers...

And yes, a warranty does help

 

1/3rd of the price

 

Most, miss this key point...

 

I don't care who modded the car. 75K for an 06 is stupid. None of us mod and think we will ever get the $$$ back. That's not the point.

 

Actually the Callaway warranty is now honored through the Chevy dealership that you purchased the car from. They've setup a partnership with select Chevy dealerships throughout the country.

 

...based upon what I read in some ads, that IS the point some TRY to make

Hey, it is what it is... I didn't write the check for the car that was mentioned sold, but do know when you ask any serious Corvette collector what cars are on their "Corvette wish list", a Callaway is near the top.

Again, it is what it is

 

Yes I believe it's worth it for the following reasons: reputation (well known throughout the auto business for engineering expertise), reliability (Callaway tuned cars are some of the best out there) and resale value (reference car guides and you'll see examples of that). Mind you I'm not saying that everyone will see it that way but basically those 3 things are what most people consider prior to a purchase.

 

 

I bought my Callaway for the reasons I stated elsewhere in this thread:
reputation, reliability and resale value. And no I would not buy a modded car w/o a name. I turned down several such opportunities. So in my humble opinion I think you should first start with LPE and/or Callaway and then try doing your own mods.

 

I've NEVER had a cooling problem with my C6 Callaway, even in the dead of summer here in Vegas. In fact it runs almost as cool as my C5.

 

There is a Convertible one on ebay for $44K or best offer .It has 4195 miles and is being sold by a dealer too... Not even a private party discount here...
Someone probably paid over $70,000 dollars and is losing $30,000 of those to have driven that car for 4K miles.
That... Is stupid.

 

Yes, one third of the price.
Callaway advertizes 600CRANK hp for that magnuson supercharger kit for $18,000.
I can buy the same A&A centrifugal kit that is on my car right now without the polished head unit for $4500. There is not one stock displacement pump gas magnuson car making what I make at the wheels, and I am nowhere near maxing out that blower.
So, yes, you can make more power for a third of the price.

 

...you do not even know what you are looking at That is a SuperNatural Callaway, not an SC car.


I guess we see what you value your labor at... Zero

BTW, centrifugal (blower) cars are great for dyno queens however, RELIABLE power comes from a roots-style blower. Today is not my first day, don't try to say otherwise

 

Where are you getting this stuff?

Actually the link you posted shows 48,990 obo on my computer. Not 44k, maybe yours is different?

Secondly,

Thats a head & cam car Resale? Id say so.

BTW

Thanks for making my point.

 

Summer of 2007, I went to the Corvette show at the GM Tech Center in Warren and Callaway had a booth with a car in it. It was a standard C6 with their parts on it, done by them. It was not impressed with the quality of the work. Maybe I was expecting more for the prices they charge.

 

I have had numerous Corvettes which now includes a couple of Callaways. I can tell you first hand the quality, workmanship and reliability are outstanding. As stated by many in this thread, there is much value to the Callaway brand and products.

 

Seriously? I guess ECS puts out dozens of useless powered timebombs a year then?

This thread is straying off course from the op's original intent. Bowtie Guy, it would probably be a little easier to market and sell a Callaway or LPE car. However you will not be building your name up as a custom Corvette tuner/builder. Perhaps you could start off selling Callaway/LPE and gauge your customer's interest. The ones that can afford it will order them. If some seem turned away by the price maybe you can offer them a similar package of your own on a per-order basis for a fraction of the cost. Selling both and slowly building your reputation.