Cbntmn

This is my dilema. Should i continue to upgrade my current 03 ZO6 past the point of no return into a race car, or should I sell it (its still in nice shape, only 12k miles) and buy someone elses car that is already set up. Maybe a T1 car or beyond??

Right now im pretty sure i could get 30k plus for the vette. It has some mild mods and still looks pretty new. Good thing about this vette is that i know its history and im not taking on someone elses issues. Bad part is the money that I would have to spend to get it to where i might want it to go.

So this is my battle. Basically by summer I want to make a decision on what to do. Until then im going to drive it like i stole it and not ad anything else that would make it not sellable.

Any thoughts?

Right now the mods are:
Headers
High flow cats
stock TI
sway bars
SS brake lines
Ducts
Dewitt radiator
Trans cooler
oil cooler
Tune
ported throttle body
only bling is the c6 zo6 wheels.
hardbar with camara mount and 6 pts

Next would be race seats, then start stripping weight. At that point ill probably just start taking it off the street and just make it a weekend racer.

VCAP

Enter, Ryan0

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show...p?p=1559346950

Z11409

Always cheaper and faster to buy a existing well sorted out race car.A ton of them around.ALWAYS look for a car with a tagged (SCCA etc) roll bar,cage.

Cbntmn

I saw that one. Probably what got me thinking

Cbntmn

I can only find about 2 online. Is there a better place for me to be looking?

gfacter

There are always some vettes and other nice race cars in the SCCA Sportscar magazine

None that I can afford

ZBRA

I was in your shoes last September. I didn't want to tear up my 12,000 mile C5, so I bought a cheap raggedy '94 to strip. It's been a fun, learning, and expensive decision. I dnn't regret it because I will know what I have when I am done with it, but it would have been cheaper to buy one already built such as the white Z06 in the link above.

Last C5

It probably IS cheaper to buy a race car already set up, but then you have to make it YOUR race car and by the time you're done it's probably a wash.

Jeffvette

Do it right, or I should say smart. Buy.

Z11409

www.race-cars.com www.racersnet.com

Cbntmn

Thats kind of my thought. I guess it depends on how far you take it. In reality you put a cage, maybe bigger brakes depending on the class ill be in, a race seat, and start stripping all the crap out of it and im pretty well set. Ad a chin spoiler and a rear spoiler and im sure there are other things im not thinking about.

So if i spend 10k?? geting my car set up and it still only has 12k miles on it im sure i can run the darn thing for another 5 years and just keep adding stuff.

Am I off base here? I think the cage is the most expensive thing to have done.

John Shiels

first are you racing in an organization it or playing with it? Cage can be as high as 6700

xsiveone

I would personally sell my street car and either buy a race car or build one. I think that it's a waste to tear up a nice street car.

Bink

Keep in mind the rate of depreciation of your '03.

Personally, I think you are a ways away from a track only car.
I'm sure she's beautiful and I'd mod her as you go.......i.e. keep her.

Mongooser

My good friend built his own race car out of his 80k mile 98 C5. It took him over 2 years to complete. If I had to guess, I would think he spent close to a 100k. But this is something he loves to do, so you can't put a price on it.
Here's a video I shot for him when it was completed, a test run.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=nPVUiIbcWGI

JimEli

Maineiac

Don't they all start out as nice street cars?

Racer-38

It seems like this question gets asked more then any other.
But I would bet you 99 out of 100 RACE CAR OWNERS would tell you to sell your car and buy a race car.
I know for a fact that Phoenix charges about $25K +/- to convert a Z06 into a T1 car. Lets say your 03 Z06 is worth $30k, and you spend $25k turning it into a racecar. Do you know what that car is worth the day after you pick it up from you???? About $35K.
If I were you, I'd put your car back to original and sell it. I'd sell seperately all the bolt on stuff you added. Then I would go buy a racecar. FALCON>>>>CAN I GET AN AMEN???!!!!
Now.........if you are mechanically inclined and love working on cars and building this would be a labor of love.....well...thats a different story

Cbntmn

Good info but now im still confused....lol

I just dont want to inherite someone elses issues with a purchased car at a resonable price. I dont want to go out and spend 100k on a race car.

The thought was to sell mine and purchase something for around the same price tag. But it seems that most of the cars are at least that and more.

Also i have a lot more driving to do before im in a class that is full race stuff. I would imagine within the year though I would qualify for PBOC super solo which is open passing and requires a cage. At that point I would need a "race car"

Of course im probably over analyzing the entire thing. I should just drive what I have and keep increasing my ability.

Right now im going to ad a video system that will work with Traqmate and give me all of my data during track time so i can review and improve. I think that is the most bang for my buck as far as improving my skills. I guess if I was to find a race seat that I really like I could install it and then install the stock seats back if I was to decide to sell. Right now the stock seats dont really bother me. Im 6'4 and 240 pds and there is not many seats I can get that will fit my big ars and body.

I think im going to run PBOC (porsche bmw owners club) event in May. Its either that or a time trial event with Nasa. It will give me more input.

Thanks guys,

Mark

xsiveone

Considering your situation then, just mod it as you go and then when you're ready for T1, send it off to Phoenix and have it converted like Brad Neff (subdriver) did. Brad started with his Z06 street car like you. He then started doing DE's and finally decided that he wanted to race, so he wrote a check and shipped his car off to Phoenix and had it converted to a T1 racer.

The T1 cars really seem to hold their value too, especially if they're professionally built.