[s346k]

i think there is a fair amount of power to be had without touching any part of the exhaust. intake manifold (LT2), cut stock air box and a flex fuel tune would make a very noticeable gain.

if i had it to do over id leave the factory manifolds on it until i swapped cams. just regarding sound, imho once they are catless, these cars do not sound good no matter what exhaust is used.

regarding price: i guess it's time for you people to decide if you want to learn how to work on your own stuff. its really not terribly difficult and will easily save you thousands of dollars with this vehicle alone.