FRC Or Coupe
Thread Starter
12 Second Club
iTrader: (11)
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 355
Likes: 1
From: Daytona Beach Florida
FRC Or Coupe So i'm looking to buy a corvette...trying to sell my car at the moment to make this possible, but i want to know is there any year or modle i should look for specificly?
i want to spend around 20k..probably a 99-00...whats the difference in the years of the coupe?
whats the difference if any between the frc and the coupe besides the obvious fixed roof?
thanks for the help
i want to spend around 20k..probably a 99-00...whats the difference in the years of the coupe?
whats the difference if any between the frc and the coupe besides the obvious fixed roof?
thanks for the help
Well I have a FRC and love it. I have to other buddys with vette, another FRC and one with a coupe. With a FRC you are limited on color for exterior and interior, no sport seats no auto.
Get a coupe, a Targa top is NICE. I have a Z06 and I wish they came in coupes on the C5.
I miss the sports seats from the C5 convertible I used to own. Well that and the other things like tire pressure sensors but whatever.
The Targa top and the option for A4 plus other stuff (like seats and colors) with the coupe.
I miss the sports seats from the C5 convertible I used to own. Well that and the other things like tire pressure sensors but whatever.
The Targa top and the option for A4 plus other stuff (like seats and colors) with the coupe.
Thread Starter
12 Second Club
iTrader: (11)
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 355
Likes: 1
From: Daytona Beach Florida
right i would love to have the option of taking off the top..but is there any performance differences between the two...also is there any performance differences in the years of the car say 98-2000..which would be the best to go for
thanks everyone
thanks everyone
Get a 2001 that is the year all of the big C5 upgrades came out.
I mean if you plan on modding the car just get the 2001 so you can get an upgraded torque tube, a LS6 intake manifold, Y2K wheels, you also get the upgraded active handling system/traction system. There are a few other upgrades as well.
If you plan on upgrading don't bother with the Z51 if you want to get radical suspension upgrades, you'll just swap to T1 or Z06 springs, you can just get Bilstein shocks (really good and very cheap) and then get whatever type of stiffer sway-bars. Most of the aftermarket sway-bars are better than the Z51's and many of them are stiffer than the Z06 bars.
Just get the softride (FE1 suspension not the F45 it is to pricey and the shocks are stinky) and mod it the way you want it.
The coupe weighs more but the Targa sort of makes up for any problems. I mean honestly it's a Corvette they aren't like a F-body, the Convertible is stiff enough for 99% of whatever you plan on doing to it (unless you have a sub-10 second car).
Of course if you get a coupe then you want the Z06, to alleviate this problem buy a supercharger (and a stall) and then wave good-bye out of your targa top!
Expect to pay ~27k for the cheapest quality Corvette though, anything cheaper and it will have pretty high miles on it.
Remember a 1999 is a freakin' 8 year old car. That is getting up in the years even if it has only 10k miles on it. I mean I forget that my "new" 2002 is a freakin' 5 year old car now, that and the 2002's were sold mid 2001...
I mean if you plan on modding the car just get the 2001 so you can get an upgraded torque tube, a LS6 intake manifold, Y2K wheels, you also get the upgraded active handling system/traction system. There are a few other upgrades as well.
If you plan on upgrading don't bother with the Z51 if you want to get radical suspension upgrades, you'll just swap to T1 or Z06 springs, you can just get Bilstein shocks (really good and very cheap) and then get whatever type of stiffer sway-bars. Most of the aftermarket sway-bars are better than the Z51's and many of them are stiffer than the Z06 bars.
Just get the softride (FE1 suspension not the F45 it is to pricey and the shocks are stinky) and mod it the way you want it.
The coupe weighs more but the Targa sort of makes up for any problems. I mean honestly it's a Corvette they aren't like a F-body, the Convertible is stiff enough for 99% of whatever you plan on doing to it (unless you have a sub-10 second car).
Of course if you get a coupe then you want the Z06, to alleviate this problem buy a supercharger (and a stall) and then wave good-bye out of your targa top!
Expect to pay ~27k for the cheapest quality Corvette though, anything cheaper and it will have pretty high miles on it.
Remember a 1999 is a freakin' 8 year old car. That is getting up in the years even if it has only 10k miles on it. I mean I forget that my "new" 2002 is a freakin' 5 year old car now, that and the 2002's were sold mid 2001...
Trending Topics
dont want to jack the thread but what is FRC? i am contemplating selling my trans am for 5-6K and then buying a vette. there's one at a local dealer for $25K 2001 green, targa top, auto, with 71k miles.
LS1 Tech Stories
The Best V8 Stories One Small Block at Time
6 Common C5 Corvette Failures and What's Involved In Repairing Them
Pouria Savadkouei
Retro Modern Bandit Pontiac Trans AM Comes With Burt Reynolds' Autograph
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Greatest Cadillac V Series Performance Models Ever, Ranked
Pouria Savadkouei
Top 10 Most Powerful Chevy Trucks Ever Made!
Hennessey's New Supercharged Silverado ZR2 Has 700 HP
Verdad Gallardo
Coachbuilt N2A Anteros Is an LS2-Powered C6 Corvette In Italian Clothes
Verdad Gallardo
Awesome K5 Blazer Restomod Comes With C7 Corvette Power
Verdad Gallardo
10 Camaros You Should Never Buy
10 LS Engine Myths That Refuse to Die
Verdad Gallardo
Originally Posted by street demon2k3
dont want to jack the thread but what is FRC? i am contemplating selling my trans am for 5-6K and then buying a vette. there's one at a local dealer for $25K 2001 green, targa top, auto, with 71k miles.
Targa is the way to go. The lines (to me at least) just look better than the FRC design.
It depends on what you want out of it. FRC or Z06 will be lighter, have stiffer suspension and stiffer body (less flex for high HP applications). I went with the FRC because I had planned to modify the engine and would have negated any benefits from going with the Z06. Ended up going nitrous instead, but that was my original plan.
The benefits were, Z51 suspension, 3:42 gears, M6, lighter weight, and I liked the looks better. Downside was no removeable top.
It's really up to you though. Good luck!
The benefits were, Z51 suspension, 3:42 gears, M6, lighter weight, and I liked the looks better. Downside was no removeable top.
It's really up to you though. Good luck!
Thread Starter
12 Second Club
iTrader: (11)
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 355
Likes: 1
From: Daytona Beach Florida
since there isnt any real performance differences then i think i'm just going to go with the coupe if i'm lucky i'll try and find a 2001 in my price range for the extra performance it has over the 99-00....and try and go for that..thanks for the help..so i guess its time to start selling all my parts and the trans am...
Originally Posted by allngn_c5
FRC all the way. The one draw back is morons will be asking you all the time, "is that a ZO6 ? "
I even had a z06 owner ask me why I was trying to disguise the car by not having z06 badges. It took about 5 minutes to convince the guy it was not a z06.
Originally Posted by ls1 jeff
I even had a z06 owner ask me why I was trying to disguise the car by not having z06 badges. It took about 5 minutes to convince the guy it was not a z06.What a freakin' dork-***
Duh, as you can see I even switched out the fuel rail covers and swapped MAF sensor, and uh, I even went in and refilled the holes with bondo where I removed the rear brake coolers.
Uh oh yeah , I also went and bought the non-sport seats for the car so I could have ones that don't say Z06 too!
Hell I even pulled the paint off all four calipers so that they aren't red!
Oh wait I don't think the 2001 (the only year white was available on a Z06 I believe) had the different MAF sensor...
Okay I'll stop now.
Here's another thought if you're not as concerned about weight or chassis stiffness. Buy a vert and get the removable hardtop. Looks VERY similar to a ZO6/FRC with the hardtop on, but all the fun of a Vert' when you want it.
Had I realized that the removable hardtop qualifies you for no rollbar at the track (NHRA rules say that if it's a vert, anything under 13.99 and you need a rollbar), I'd be rocking a vert with the removable hardtop instead of a coupe right now.
Had I realized that the removable hardtop qualifies you for no rollbar at the track (NHRA rules say that if it's a vert, anything under 13.99 and you need a rollbar), I'd be rocking a vert with the removable hardtop instead of a coupe right now.
Originally Posted by FRCJim
I vote FRC . The look is sort of the " bad boy " of the bunch . Super tight , no rattles , no leaks , and trunk space . 
You can not make a mistake , all c5s are great cars .
Good Luck .
You can not make a mistake , all c5s are great cars .
Good Luck .
He has a point. All of them are cool. Here is my pro/con sorta write up on making the F-Body to Corvette switch.
https://ls1tech.com/forums/chevrolet-camaro-1967-2002/623590-thinking-doing-camaro-c5-change-here-my-review.html