Format: bullet cues only, reference not read-aloud. Hosts riff from beats, never teleprompter the page.
Scored as: 2001-2003 base coupe, 5.7 LS1, six-speed manual · Total: 48/70 (Deal and Upkeep scored by rule 2026-09-19; the other five PROPOSED) · Target runtime: ~6:40, hard ceiling 7:00
Title (curiosity gap): "The Recall That Skipped the Manual Corvette"
Thumbnail word (emotion/verdict, zero overlap w/ title): "$50 FIX" + big 48 on the Board
Order: Deal → Drive → Upkeep → Risk → Daily → Limit → Mods → Board → Verdict

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Hook | One Sentence (~0:05)

1. "If a used C5 Corvette is on your list, this is the only seven minutes you need before you buy."
2. "The recall for the C5's scariest failure fixed the automatics and left the manuals alone, and the real fix costs fifty dollars."
3. "About eighteen thousand dollars buys a 350 horsepower Corvette, and the year to walk away from is the newest one."

Recommend #2. It sets up The Risk, which is the review. Cut straight to The Deal on the last syllable.

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1 · The Deal, reveal 6 (~0:50)

Beats

• $17,980 · KBB private party, Good, 2003 coupe · range $16,380 to $19,180
• Asking median $20,997 across 19 in-scope listings with the Z06 taken out, $13,299 to $29,999
• Asking runs about 1.17x book. That is ordinary dealer margin, not the 1.40x gap the Camaro SS shows
• The spread is 2.26x, and mileage explains less of it than you would expect: under 50,000 miles the median asks $22,289, at 70,000 and up it is $16,448
• What you are buying is history, not odometer
• $51.4 per horsepower on book
• What you lose: KBB's value for a 2003 coupe went from $15,591 in 2023 to $14,354 in 2025, about $728 a year
• What you get: $17,980 for 9.3 lb/hp, against a going rate of about $20,548 for that power-to-weight. Close to fair
• The median listed car has 61,959 miles on a twenty-four-year-old car, about 2,581 a year

B-roll: live cars.com search, 2001–04 Corvette · screen-record at edit time, and blur or skip the 2004s, which are out of scope
On screen: the $17,980 plate · KBB value-history line 2023 to 2025 · going-rate chip
Reveal line cue: "A 350 horsepower V8 for eighteen grand, and it still sheds money while you own it... The Deal, a 6."

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2 · The Drive, reveal 8 (~0:45)

Beats

• 350 hp / 375 lb-ft · 5.7 LS1, pushrod · 3,246 lb · 9.3 lb/hp · 0-60 about 4.5s, single source, manual coupe
• The layout is the point: front engine, rear transaxle, near 50/50, wishbones at both ends
• Name the gearbox with the torque. 375 with the manual, 360 with the automatic
• 2001 is when the LS1 went to 350 from 345
• Steering feel 4, powertrain 4. An 8 with a real case for a 9, because nothing about the chassis or the mass offsets the engine
• As-new figures. A high-mileage example makes less, and we do not model it

On screen: transaxle layout graphic · 350 / 375 chip tagged "MANUAL"
Reveal line cue: "A big lazy V8 with the gearbox where the weight needs to be... The Drive, an 8."

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3 · The Upkeep, reveal 5 (~0:45)

Beats

• ~$5,318/yr: $2,400 fuel · $1,948 insurance · $470 tires · $500 service
• Premium. 20 mpg combined on 91 with the manual; the automatic returns 19. Here the manual is the efficient one, so read the EPA row for the gearbox you are buying
• Staggered 245/45ZR17 front, 275/40ZR18 rear, so no rotation. About $940 a set, a set every two years
• Insurance is 10.8% of the car's value a year. Full coverage still makes sense
• MoneyGeek publishes one Corvette page, so the insurance figure spans the base car and the Z06
• The real market does about 2,581 miles a year, so these dollars describe far more driving than these cars see
• The score is the dollar band: $5,318 is over the top of the 6 band, so it is a 5

On screen: running-cost stack · "PREMIUM" stamp · staggered sizes front and rear
Reveal line cue: "Premium fuel and staggered tires, and that is the whole bill... The Upkeep, a 5."

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4 · The Risk, reveal 7 (~1:15)

Beats (this segment is the review, protect it in the edit)

• Scope out loud first: 2001 to 2003, and check the build date, not the model year
• The column lock. The electronic lock can fail to release, and the car cuts fuel so it strands itself. Recall 04V060000 covers 1997-2004
• Read the remedy, not the summary. Automatics get the lock plate removed. On manuals NHTSA's own text says the column "will continue to lock when the key is removed"
• The real cure: a $45 to $50 bypass module, about an hour, no permanent change to the car. Fit it on day one; a car that has already locked is a harder job
• Steering complaints run 69, 50 and 18 across 2001-2003, and total complaints 207, 170 and 112. The 2003 is the mature car
• Why 2004 is out: the fuel crossover went from rubber to metal, the o-rings pinch and the tank cracks at the connector
• 140 fuel complaints on a 2004 against 10 on a 2003. NHTSA's PE10-015 closed with no recall, and GM's goodwill extension ran out around 2014. $1,768-2,000+ to fix
• The change starts inside the 2003 run. That is why it is a build date
• Worst realistic repair in scope: a torque tube rebuild, $1,800 to $2,800, once the rubber couplers tear. A clutch is $1,511 to $2,042
• The small stuff: EBCM, ABS and traction lights on together, $150-250 to rebuild · harmonic balancer $400-700 · fuel senders $500-900 · battery acid on the loom $250-350
• Death by a thousand small things, and the scary one is the cheapest to fix

PPI CHECKLIST — hold it on screen

1. Fit a column lock bypass on day one
2. Check the build date, not the model year
3. Smell for fuel and look for staining
4. Watch the lower pulley wobble at idle
5. Lift the battery tray and check the loom
6. Run the fuel gauge down before you buy

YEAR-ONE COST

• Maintained ~$1,500–2,200 · Typical ~$3,000–4,200 · Neglected ~$4,800–6,400
• Against the $17,980 buy-in that is roughly 8-12%, 17-23% and 27-36%
• The worst case does not approach the price of the car

On screen: the recall remedy split AUTOMATIC vs MANUAL · $50 bypass chip · 2003 vs 2004 fuel-complaint bars · PPI checklist held long enough to pause
Reveal line cue: "The scary one costs fifty bucks, and the expensive one skips your years... The Risk, a 7."

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5 · The Daily, reveal 5 (~0:30)

Beats

• 2 seats, 2 doors, targa top, and 24.8 cu ft under the hatch
• Two seats cap this category at 5, however good the rest is
• And the rest is good: it carries a weekend for two and the ride is set up for distance
• What holds it at the cap rather than helping it: hard plastics that were criticised when it was new
• No Bluetooth, no CarPlay. A head unit runs about $300 to $500

On screen: hatch-open shot with two bags in it · "2 SEATS" stamp · head-unit cost chip
Reveal line cue: "A weekend for two, and room for the luggage... The Daily, a 5."

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6 · The Limit, reveal 8 (~0:45)

Beats

• SCCA B Street, listed in the 2026 rules as "Corvette (C5, non-Z06) (1997-2004)"
• Rear transaxle, near 50/50, limited-slip as standard. That balance is what the score rests on
• Factory tires staggered 245/45ZR17 front and 275/40ZR18 rear, on 3,246 lb
• Grip is not captured. Period figures were set on tires that are no longer sold

On screen: "B STREET" banner · weight distribution graphic · autocross b-roll
Reveal line cue: "Balance you can lean on... The Limit, an 8."

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7 · The Mods, reveal 8 (~0:40)

Beats

• First step: headers, intake, exhaust and a tune, about $3,500, for about 40 whp on an LS1
• That makes it about $8,750 per +100 whp. A tune alone is $275-450 and does little on a naturally aspirated engine
• Heads and cam: $8,000 to $15,000 installed, for 75 to 90 whp more
• The ladder: suspension ~$1,500–3,500 · supercharger ~$7,000–9,000 · big power on a built block, $15,000+
• The LS1 is shared with the Camaro, the Firebird and the whole LS-swap world, so parts are plentiful and cheap
• Mods do not touch the faults. Column lock, senders, battery tray, weatherstrip. The one exception is the harmonic balancer, which any cam job should replace anyway

On screen: $3,500 → ~40 whp chip · the path ladder
Reveal line cue: "Power costs money, but it doesn't cost you the car... The Mods, an 8."

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The Board + Verdict (~0:50)

Beats

• Total lands: 48 / 70
• The shape: 8s on Drive, Limit and Mods. The 5 on Daily is the two-seat cap, not a complaint
• Cross-shop line: a transaxle chassis for $17,980, against the Supra 3.0's $42,000
• VERDICT: "Buy a 2001 to 2003, fit the column lock bypass, and walk away from 2004."
• The condition, repeated so it sticks: build date, bypass, and no smell of fuel under the back of the car
• Skip case: you need more than two seats

On screen: the 48 hits the Board · Buy stamp with the condition line
Close cue: one line to the Board · end

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Runtime + notes

• Sum ~ 6:40. The Risk carries the extra runtime because the column lock and the 2004 fuel tank are the review. If it runs long, pull from The Daily and The Limit.
• Deal and Upkeep are scored by rule (2026-09-19): Deal on the resale rule (what you lose plus what you get), Upkeep on its dollar band. The other five are proposals.
• Do not say on camera: a grip figure, that the recall fixed the column lock (it did not, on a manual), or anything that makes a 2004 sound like the pick.
• B-roll warning: listings are asking prices, the $17,980 is KBB private party. Name which is which.
• Title and thumbnail share zero words per channel rule.