Hey im not sure if anyone on here is into fourth gen camaros but thought i would ask. Im 21 and in college and my daily driver is a dieing 92 camaro rs. My parents are willing to help me out with getting somethign alittle more relaiable so ive looked into 4th gen camaros some. Anyways i met a lady selling this 98 z28 for her son in a parking lot, took it for a ride and it seams like a real nice car. Red with black top(t-tops) grey leather interior, pretty much every option, ls1 automatic. 122,000 miles. Has some kind of factory looking body effects, aftermarket billit alluminum grill but otherwise totally stock. Just about perfect paint and no problems that i noticed. new tires and brakes/rotors. She is asking $6500 but made it obvious she is willing to negotiate as it needs to go asap (son just had a baby, sports car has to go). I have a feeling i can get it for about $5500 or so. How does this car sound? should i jump on it or look around more. also anything inparticular to look for if i go check it out thoroughly, thanks for any help

I would go for it. I've owned several camaros and think they are great cars. They are easy to work on, dependable and good looking cars. I've had a 95' the had a 170,000 miles on it before a truck used it as a bump stop. I've got a 2000 with 40,000 miles on it now. No problems. I've had several other high mileage ones too, not real problems to speak of.
I say go for it.

Check the oil, check the tranny fluid and smell it,
look under the car for leaks
tires?
put it in reverse, make sure it works well
check the struts, bounce the car once in the front once in the back
should go back up and stop
If it has t-tops put a hose on it and look for water leaks in the interior
listen for vacuum leaks and look at the exhaust and see what kind of shape its in , cats are expensive

sometimes in the excitment of the deal we buy and then find problems
you might want to take it to your mechanic and see what he says

hopefully this helps

Brian

Check the title. It sounds a little weird that mom would sell her son's car. If it's in his name make sure you check to make sure everything is on the up and up. Maybe Iv'e heard about people getting taken too much.

Thanks for the tips. Im my own mechanic so I trust my mechanical opinion more then anyone else, I figured on checking all the usual stuff, ill probably go ove the whole car with a fine tooth comb, i was just curious if their is any 4th gen F-body specific problems to look for. Like certain seals, or parts to check out. Im goin to try to go look at it today, here is a picture of an identical car, only difference is the one im looking at has the chrome 17" alloy rims. http://images.autotrader.com/images/2008/4/21/243/214/6865285975.243214207.IM1.MAIN.565x421_A.562x421.jp g

ummmmmmmmmmm, i like the idea of having somone else look at it. Not doubting your mechanical skills, but we all get caught up in the moment. I can name a few I wish I had let another set of eyes look at. But on the flip side, I think I am jealous. Love that body style. Either way, good luck.

http://philadelphia.craigslist.org/car/659217233.html

looks like it's priced right. my concern, if this guy is old enough to be having babies, why is mommy selling the car? i'd want to talk to the kid, to see his attitude. did he take care of the car? does all he want to do is talk kill stories? tell you about how the car went 160 m.p.h. on the freeway without a problem? is the title salvage? take the advice of taking somebody with you. he can look at brakes undercarriage etc, while your going over the engine bay, interior etc. you can point stuff out to each other. from what i saw, there are plenty of camaro's in your area for that price range. take your time, and get a good one. good luck, hope you find a nice one....

They are easy to work on


I wouldn't go that far!!! If you have a shop that's good because you'll find yourself using the lift for simple repairs! My favorite is reading a chilton's manual for these cars! "On V8 models, you may have to take the car to a shop to change plugs 7 and 8. In many cases, it is better to take the car to the shop to have all the plugs changed."

Although, they really are good cars.

I wouldn't go that far!!! If you have a shop that's good because you'll find yourself using the lift for simple repairs! My favorite is reading a chilton's manual for these cars! "On V8 models, you may have to take the car to a shop to change plugs 7 and 8. In many cases, it is better to take the car to the shop to have all the plugs changed."

Although, they really are good cars.

Fortunately the plugs are good for about 100K. having a hoist does have its bennies though :)

My 96 T/A is at 99k and has had a few items repaired, but overall it has been dependable. Nothing has happened to leave me stranded in it.

http://philadelphia.craigslist.org/car/659217233.html

looks like it's priced right. my concern, if this guy is old enough to be having babies, why is mommy selling the car? i'd want to talk to the kid, to see his attitude. did he take care of the car? does all he want to do is talk kill stories? tell you about how the car went 160 m.p.h. on the freeway without a problem? is the title salvage? take the advice of taking somebody with you. he can look at brakes undercarriage etc, while your going over the engine bay, interior etc. you can point stuff out to each other. from what i saw, there are plenty of camaro's in your area for that price range. take your time, and get a good one. good luck, hope you find a nice one....

I agree with Harley, investigate the kid almost as much as the car. If hes a snot nosed punk then chances are he wasnt the best car owner there ever was. :noway:

"Need advice" If you can afford to insure a vehicle such as this while in school and at 21, go for it.

well i went and met the kid. Really nice kid, doesnt know much about cars. Seams like he kept up on the car really well, basically just took it to his mechanic once a year and said fix whatever needs fixed. Had most reciepts to show it. Really only standard wear items and such. He didnt come off to me as a racing/beatin on cars type. Seams like a kid that just thought it was a cool car and wanted to drive it. The car was in florida most of the time he owned it, said he has really only put highway miles on it. His lowest price was 6200 and my highest offer was 6000. he said hes goin to sleep on it and get back to me tommarow. Now i have to decide if its worth it to go to 6200 if he doesnt accept 6000. here is some pics of the actual car.
http://www.chevelles.com/showroom/data/500/IMG_1578.JPG
http://www.chevelles.com/showroom/data/500/IMG_1580.JPG

Hey Chris,
Looks like a nice car!
It has the "RS" ground effects on it. I think they make the car look great!
If the kids bottom dollar is 6200, then go for it. If you can get it for 6000 k , thats better yet! If you like what you see and everything checks out, I think you'll be happy with the car.:thumbsup:

Good luck with your decision.
Brian

I dunno, but that sounds a little high for such a high mileage car, especially being a 98 which are less desireable than later years.

If it had less miles and a 6 speed maybe...

I'd be worried about the tranny and rear end for sure. Don't mean to be a pessimist but it would suck to have either go out right after you buy it.

I got a Firebird that has a bad center bearing in the driveshaft. Yes, I said center bearing in a two piece driveshaft that is 4 feet long, and straight as an arrow. Go figure. Anyway, after calling around to find one, I discovered that no one offers a center bearing. The only way to get one is to buy a complete shaft from GM. ....for $865! I'm building a new one piece for him for $300.

Not sure why I told you, just "something to look for", I guess. Not all the F-bodies came with the two piece shafts. Did yours?

Still a lot of car for the money. Maintenance over milage, good luck whichever way you decide.

I have a 2002 former Florida Highway Patrol Camaro with 115,000 miles - I have had 3 gen 4 Camaros - great cars.

Mine still runs great - smooth. LS1 is such a great motor - gets 26 to 28 miles per gallon on a trip at 70 mph.

Gen 4 Camaros are famous for some little issues - power window motors is one - but easy to change out.

I personally am not fond of the ground effects - but if it works for you it could be a great car if it was well maintained.

Good luck,

Tony

Sounds like a decent deal. Do yourself a huge favor and spend several hours on www.ls1tech.com :)
I love 4th Gen Camaros, especially LS1s!

If the spark plugs and wires have been replaced. Thats a big plus, they are not fun to change on those cars.

I got a Firebird that has a bad center bearing in the driveshaft. Yes, I said center bearing in a two piece driveshaft that is 4 feet long, and straight as an arrow. Go figure. Anyway, after calling around to find one, I discovered that no one offers a center bearing. The only way to get one is to buy a complete shaft from GM. ....for $865! I'm building a new one piece for him for $300.

Not sure why I told you, just "something to look for", I guess. Not all the F-bodies came with the two piece shafts. Did yours?

2-piece driveshaft! Never heard of this and I've had several Camaros and dealt with hundreds of folks covering all generations. Not doubting what you're saying, but will you elaborate on what this 2-piece driveshaft setup actually consists of and looks like?

2-piece driveshaft! Never heard of this and I've had several Camaros and dealt with hundreds of folks covering all generations. Not doubting what you're saying, but will you elaborate on what this 2-piece driveshaft setup actually consists of and looks like?

Yes I believe many V6 eariler 4th gen Camaros and Firebirds came with a two piece driveshaft. The common upgrade it to buy a 1 piece steel shaft or buy an aluminum driveshaft like I did for my camaro.

I have a few complaints about my car but nothing huge. I want sometime that has some form of boost the 3.8 is not enough juice.