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FRC Or Coupe

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Old 12-10-2006, 01:38 PM
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Default 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
Old 12-10-2006, 01:59 PM
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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.
Old 12-10-2006, 02:43 PM
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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.
Old 12-10-2006, 04:12 PM
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They are all great! I have the coupe and I love it. I love to take the top off in the summer and cruise.
Old 12-10-2006, 11:22 PM
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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
Old 12-11-2006, 12:22 AM
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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...
Old 12-11-2006, 01:17 AM
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thats a tough choice. i like both but if i were to get a frc it would have to be a zo6
Old 12-11-2006, 08:47 AM
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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.
Old 12-11-2006, 08:57 AM
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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.
FRC is Fixed Roof Coupe. ZO6 body style (and FRC generally refers to a 99-00 model, which was the precursor to the ZO6 in 01).

Targa is the way to go. The lines (to me at least) just look better than the FRC design.
Old 12-11-2006, 09:32 AM
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fixed roof coup as in no targa or conv.....gotcha! thanks for the edumacation.
Old 12-11-2006, 09:33 AM
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Get the coupe, then you can pop the "pimp-top" for Sunday drives.
Old 12-11-2006, 12:00 PM
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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!
Old 12-11-2006, 01:04 PM
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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...
Old 12-11-2006, 01:21 PM
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FRC all the way. The one draw back is morons will be asking you all the time, "is that a ZO6 ? "
Old 12-11-2006, 05:20 PM
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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.
Old 12-12-2006, 04:54 AM
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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.
Old 12-12-2006, 07:55 AM
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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.
Old 12-12-2006, 05:29 PM
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FRC bitches.
Old 12-13-2006, 09:28 AM
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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 .
Old 12-13-2006, 09:33 AM
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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 .

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


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