Rear ended (minor) -> aftermarket Exhaust for C4?

[denVerSlube]

All,

My 2006 C4 Coupe (still just under 20k miles) got rear-ended by an idiot while she was either texting or cutting into the turn lane I was sitting in. I was stopped at a red light at 6:45 am - so it wasn't a DUI. The impact was probably at about 15 mph from a low (chevy malibu?) bumper, so most of the damage was in the body work and the exhaust.

Of the 32 items that need to be replaced, the Adjuster's estimate (extractions pasted below) has all OEM new parts - including a new muffler, exhaust pipe and Cat. My question is whether or not it's worth trying to go from the OEM exhaust system to an aftermarket system. I'd love to get a throatier exhaust note, but I'm not necessarily big on that kind of thing.

After doing a first pass google search and listening to some exhaust youtube posts, I went to the borla.com site and plugged in my vehicle. It didn't look like my setup (3.6, awd) was supported by any of their OTS offerings.

Has anyone done an aftermarket exhaust on a 997-1 C4? Is it even worth messing with the OEM perfection on something like this? I really don't want to go more than $500 over the OEM parts, so obviously a PSE is out of the question. I'm assuming the $2.2k cat is necessary to stay in line with Colorado emissions testing, but I'd be interested to hear lessons learned there too.

On a separate side note - should I be at all worried about pervasive twist or anything else put into the unibody or the engine frame? I can post additional photos, including underbody shots, if anyone thinks there's a possible concern I should be on top of.

TIA!

OP GDE MC DESCRIPTION MFR.PART NO. PRICE AJ% B% HOURS R

E 0812 HOSE,RADIATOR LOWER LT 99710662105 26.67 0.4 1

E 0544 SHIELD,HEAT 99650547100 50.14 0.4 2

E 0554 PIPE,EXHAUST RT 99711135204 181.52 0.1 2

E 0580 CONVERTER,CATALYTIC 99711303605 2,219.55 1.3 2

E 0599 MUFFLER ASSEMBLY RT 99711142204 693.05 INC 2

I 0532 CROSSMEMBER,REAR BODY REPAIR 1.0*1

>>Repair Bumper Mounts

L 0532 CROSSMEMBER,REAR BODY REFINISH 0.5 4

0.4 Surface

0.1 Two-stage

E 0538 PANEL,REAR LIC PLATE 9977011130001C 11.99 INC 1

RI 0533 TAILLAMP ASSEMBLY LT R&I ASSEMBLY 0.3 1

E 0534 TAILLAMP ASSEMBLY RT 99763148603 286.90 0.3 1

>>Unable To Locate LKQ Part

E 0540 LAMP,LICENSE LT 99763162002 21.05 INC 1

E 0541 LAMP,LICENSE RT 99763162002 21.05 INC 1

E 0565 BUMPER,REAR 99750512101 427.13 2.2 1

>>Aluminum Part. Unable To Locate Recon. Per Collins, Keystone, & DB

N 0569 RR BUMPER CVR OVERHAU ADDITIONAL LABOR 1.3 1

E 0570 46 COVER,REAR BUMPER 99750541101G2X 977.07 INC 1

>>Unable To Locate Reconditioned Rear Bumper Per Collins, Keystone, & DB

L 0570 COVER,REAR BUMPER REFINISH 3.2 4

2.7 Surface

0.5 Two-stage

E 0548 RET,RR BUMPER CVR LWR 99750583700 28.75 INC 1

E 0517 GUARD,REAR BUMPER LT 99750562500G2X

E 0561 GUARD,REAR BUMPER LT 99750584500 166.67 INC 1

E 0562 GUARD,REAR BUMPER RT 99750584600 166.67 INC 1

E 0555 SHIELD,HEAT 99750547500 152.14 0.2 1

E 0528 COVER,TOW HOOK ACCESS 99750580300G2X 14.21 INC 1

L 0528 COVER,TOW HOOK ACCESS REFINISH 0.4 4

0.3 Surface

0.1 Two-stage

I M17 COVER CAR EXTERIOR SUBLET 3.00* 0.2*1*

E M20 ANTI-FREEZE-COOLANT REPLACE OEM 15.00* INC*1

>>Price Per Invoice

I M66 COLOR SAND AND BUFF SUBLET 10.00* 1.0*1*

>>Needed To Restore Factory Smooth Finish

L FLEX ADDITIVE REFINISH 8.00* 1*

SB MECHANICAL RATE ADJUST SUBLET 9.00* 1*

>>Shop's Mechanical Rate Is $90 Per Hr, Diff. Of $5 Per Hr X 1.8 Hrs

SB PAINT MATERIAL ADJUSTM SUBLET 11.80* 1*

>>Shop Paint Materials Are $30 Per Hr, Diff. Of $2 Per Hr X 5.9 Hrs

32 ITEMS