how well does the ls1 engine hold up??

i am thinking of buying a 2000 camaro ss from a dealer, the car looks ok but has a few flaws since it is a used car and the interior is a little dirty, it has 36,000 miles on it, i didnt test drive it cause the dealer was closed today so i will be driving it tomorrow, so my question is it looks like the car wasnt well cared for by the look of the inside and the few flaws in the paint, but all that can be fixed, so im wondering if the previous owner beat the crap out the engine, so does the ls1 hold up to a good beating? i like the car but i am concerned about the engine and it also has 36,000 on it so i get no warranty with it and dont want to spend the money for the extended warranty, i looked under the car and there are no oil leaks so thats a plus, is there anything else i should look out for when i look at it again......thanks

i'd get an extended warranty esp. for a car with that many miles.
let a mechanic check the car for you. look at the rear tires, are they bald? if so, chances are the owners done lots of burnouts.
when was the spark plugs, wires, differential fluid, trans. fluids changed if ever? if the inside's dirty, chances are the car wasn't maintained well.
if the dealer won't even offer a warranty, that's a bad sign.
also, have a friend who knows about ls1s look at the engine...was it modified? is yes, then it's probably been raced.


i bought a used '98z28 with 19,700 miles and it came with a three month dealer warranty and it had almost zero mods just exhaust and a strut tower brace... i got the extended warranty and now i'm needing it cuz the power steering has a leak. the differential is also leaking. but it's minor.

No matter how many precautions you take, let's face it, how many of us buy these cars and NOT run em hard from time to time. I faced the same situation a few months ago, bought mine used with 14,000 on the ticker. I would say take it for a spin, any peculiar noises from the engine, then walk away. If not, you may have yourself a new toy.
Good luck!

Find someone in your area who knows these cars, and have them do a full inspection of the SS. You don't want to buy a car without a warranty that has been abused. :) Since you're saving on the new price, I would also buy the extended warranty.

its a camaro. you HAVE to assume that all 36k miles were hard miles. thats 36k worth of burn outs, power slides, and drag racing. have someone you trust who knows something about the engines take a long hard look over the whole car. not just the engine.

they will probably refuse due to privacy issues but ask if you could contact the previous owner about the car. find out why it is they got rid of it. good luck :).

To answer your questions, the LS1 motor holds up quite well unless you do something stupid (like a 200 shot on stock internals)

I bought my '01 Z28 new and had tons of problems with it. The best thing that could have happened was for the car to get totalled. Guess what happened ... Whoops.

I bought a 2001 T/A WS6 with 30,000 miles on it. It had a lid, K&N, and Flowmaster 80 muffler. It had new tires on it (making me think the original tires were bald). The salesman and I took it on a 15 mile test run, and then he let me take it for the afternoon to go show the wife and go over the paperwork with her. The car felt rock solid. So, I bought it.

I drove a '01 Formula with 19,000 miles on it ... neon underbody, cutout, lid, filter and a few other minor mods .... it was AWFUL. It rattled worse than any f-body I ever drove. It just didn't "feel" right. When we got back to the dealer, I looked underneath and it was dripping tranny fluid. I handed the lady her business card back, along with one of mine and told her to call me when a good car came in. She never called, even though I later bought the WS6 from the same dealership (different salesperson)

So, drive the car. That's the only way you'll know. Drive it like you stole it. When you get back, check it out. If it's in good shape (no leaks or strange odors) tell the salesman to throw in a small extended warranty and you'll sign the papers.

Originally posted by TerrorDome
i got the extended warranty and now i'm needing it cuz the power steering has a leak. the differential is also leaking. but it's minor.

werd, power steering is leaking somewhere... its not from the rack, or lines, but it just disappears.... weird :eek:

Jose

Originally posted by LS1CamaroSS
werd, power steering is leaking somewhere... its not from the rack, or lines, but it just disappears.... weird :eek:

Jose

weird is right! the chevy guys couldn't find the leak, so they put some dye that makes the power steering fluid turn green
now i have to take it back next week...hope they can fix it

steering feels mushy and loose now...and there's a click that i feel when i turn it wonder if it's damaged...hope not

I agree 100%, you need to drive it, hard. Take it on the highway, turn off a/c and the radio and listen/feel for anything abnormal. Drive it in rush hour traffic, does it over heat ? Check the fluid levels and conditiuon (black oil, burnt smelling tranny fluid, etc.) For what it's worth, LS1s are just breaking in at 20-25k miles. My dad has a 98 TA with over 150,000 miles on it and has had zero mechanical problems with his and he dives it harder than I drive my LT1.
Good luck, Rain

Originally posted by TerrorDome
weird is right! the chevy guys couldn't find the leak, so they put some dye that makes the power steering fluid turn green
now i have to take it back next week...hope they can fix it

steering feels mushy and loose now...and there's a click that i feel when i turn it wonder if it's damaged...hope not

yea man, lemme know b/c I can't find anything but its going somewhere...

Jose

Originally posted by LS1CamaroSS
yea man, lemme know b/c I can't find anything but its going somewhere...

Jose

Yeah, I'll keep ya posted...checked the level today and it was still at the full level.

the mystery deepens

:D

It's definately a "feel" thing. One car can be completely different than another. You absolutely have to drive every car, even new ones IMHO.