testpipe costs/practicality

i wanna get rid of the stock cat. But i dont dont really wanna pay $100-$150 just for the piece. can someone tell me what a "testpipe" is exactly. its my understanding to be just a straight pipe with no frills that goes where the cat usually is, and is meant for racing applications.

now i am wondering if i would lose even more low end power/torque, and if it would make my exhaust TONS louder. its already pretty fricken loud, and i am almost scared to make it louder!

i want a cheap way to open up some more flow. and i think this might be it.

i dont have emmisions testing where i live, so thats not a concern.

the only things i am worrying about are:

1) cost, are they cheap?
2) legality, could i be fined a lot for this?
3) power, is it worth the gains, or not worth the loss in power?
4) sound, will it make my car sound like a fricken dragster? people can already hear the car plenty well! and i am not out to be loud!

advice please?

1. $50 @ ludespeed.com, hit the enter button on the start page, select Prelude from the drop down menu, click on the "turbo kits" link, then scroll down to the extra options.
2. Yes it's possible, but only if the CARB nazis find out about it. If there's no emissions tests in your state then they won't.
3. Like any mod that increases exhaust flow, it will be good primarily for mid to top end power. It is up to you how important that is to you. Horsepower sells cars, torque wins races. :)
4. The catalytic converter is for chemical "cleaning" of exhaust gases, not so much suppression of sound. It's not going to make the difference between tolerable and god awful horrible, but it will be pushing more shit through your current setup.

I am doing my catback and muffler now, then adding the test pipe when I get some headers down the road. Virginia emissions standards aren't rigidly enforced but they do exist, so I might be jimmy-rigging the shell of my stock cat around the test pipe so that it will at least LOOK legal.

thanks.//

ps, i posted a pic of my bumper, since we "may" want to trade...

I'll try to find some pics of the difference in the bumpers if it's what I'm thinking it is.