Picking up a 1994 with a 3.4... are they good? Have questions

Looking at getting a 1994 off E-Bay if it checks out when I pick it up. It has the 3.4 with auto in it. This would be for my Daughter and it has 80k miles. Is the 3.4 a good motor? Does this particular year have any issues I should check before plopping down the cash? She wanted something sporty and really wanted an Eclipse but even at 100,000 plus miles they are $3,500 or better. One we had our eyes on nearby had 160,000 miles and was still near $3,000. The Camaro would be a great deal if the 3.4 V-6 holds up well. We had a 1989 RS with I believe a 2.8 or 3.8 and that sucker wouldn't die! It had near 150,000 miles when sold.

Questions:

What does the 3.4 have for timing? If it is steel gears and chain it should have another 50k or so miles left but it would be nice to know.

What does everyone pull down driving normal in the City and HWY?


How many miles do you have on your 3.4 or how long do they last?

I have a 94 3.4 v6 and its a good daily driver. Nearly 160K on the clock and still drives as good as the day I bought her nearly 6 years ago, man I can't blieve its been that long. All original stuff timing chain cam lifters ect. But then again I'm very anal retentive with the maintenence on my car so I know its been taken care of and will last a long time to come. But I'v seen the 3.4 go well past 200K and I mean well past and still drive strong. The only problem with mine is that my valve seats are starting to go and need a top end rebuild. But other than that she runs nice and strong. Can still dance on the new v6 mustangs any day of the week.

these cars are actually pretty good for longevity

they're not the fastest in teh world (which is perfect for your daughter), and they dont get particularily good gas mileage, for saying they dont have that much power, but they look nice, can sound quite nice, etc. and can be had for cheap

i live in baltimore md and have a 94 3.4 with 117000 miles on it with no major problems

Here it is: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1,1&item=4606691992&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWN%3AIT

Hopefully it is a good deal.

My 94 3.4 has 204,000+ miles on the engine and has never let me down. The alternator is as far as i've been into the engine on this car lol. They are a good car to have for a daily driver as I have for almost 5 years. And I drive the piss out of my car everyday. looks to be a nice car. good luck w/ it

200,000 is outstanding! How many did it have when you took delivery? I just wonder if the motor had ever been rebuilt or trans rebuilt?

Here it is: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1,1&item=4606691992&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWN%3AIT

Hopefully it is a good deal.

I've got a nicer one than this for sale right now. It is a teal blue 1994 3.4l.

The interior is *mint* no tears, smells or defects. It is much better than that red one you posted the ebay link to. Mine also has the Delco Bose CD premium stereo in it with the factory subwoofer and it all works perfectly. It sounds great! It has Yokohama tires with more than 50% tread life left on them. The engine bay is clean and looks like new. It runs, sounds and drives like new. Everything works. I've been through the entire car with a fine toothed comb in the last month. I spent $1000 on parts alone to restore it back to "brand new" like condition. It was bought brand new in 1994 by a friend of mine. He always babied it. It has had Duralube in the oil and transmission fluid sinse its first oil change. It does not burn any oil. It shifts perfectly and the transmission fluid looks like new. It does not knock, tick or make any noises. The only modifications it has is a K&N filter and 255 series tires. (235 is stock) If you were to closely inspect and drive this car you would not think it had more than 50000 miles on it. It has 185,000 miles on it. This car looks like it could be sitting in a showroom.

$2900.

items replaced:
new plugs
new wires
new PCV valve
new fuel filter
rebuilt throttle body
rebuilt EGR valve
new motor mounts
new catalytic converter
new belt
new battery
new pads and rotors in front
new brake fluid
new rearend fluid
new drivers door window (the old one was scratched)
new windshield wipers
new EGR gaskets


interior fully removed / shampooed/ cleaned / restored
exterior touched up .buffed / waxed /detailed
detailed the rims/ center caps.
I also seafoamed the motor.

here are pictures.
http://24.196.89.146:2980/webshare/teal2.jpg
http://24.196.89.146:2980/webshare/teal3.jpg
http://24.196.89.146:2980/webshare/teal5.jpg
http://24.196.89.146:2980/webshare/tealmotor.jpg

Intercooler - You got a really good deal on that car!

With all due respect Tabahr I would take the 80,miles vehicle anyday :)

looks like you came out nicely. looks better than mine :)

Intercooler - You got a really good deal on that car!

With all due respect Tabahr I would take the 80,miles vehicle anyday :)

He did get a good deal! He should feel good about that. :cool:

When you get into 1994 model year cars, the age can be as much a factor as the miles. Its things like heater cores, radiators, hoses, etc that can dry out and get brittle with age and corrosion.

I bet you $100 mine looks newer, though! ;) I've spent countless hours bringing it back to new condition over the past month. I know these cars really well, and this one is really in nice shape. It's solid and rattle free. It has always been kept indoors so there is not any fading or cracking on the interor.

In any event, congratulations on your new car and welcome to the wonderful world of Camaros! :D

Yours does look amazing! Mileage can be misleading as an indicator of being roadworthy too. I almost bet yours is cleaner but the mileage is something that has to be considered. She doesn't like any of the shades of green though. How many miles did yours have when you got it? 185k is really good on any vehicle!

It's a great deal! Be sure to check everything on that car - leaks, noises, tranny, etc. It could be salvaged before - look for bent parts, paint, dash. That was private auction, for a cheap car, it's probably right from a dealer car auction.

I just noticed, that you are from North East, MD. I love this place - used to drive 2 hours from DC for a walk in a park :)

Yours does look amazing! Mileage can be misleading as an indicator of being roadworthy too. I almost bet yours is cleaner but the mileage is something that has to be considered. She doesn't like any of the shades of green though. How many miles did yours have when you got it? 185k is really good on any vehicle!


I have put maybe 50 miles on the car. It had sat in his garage for 6 months prior to me getting it. His wife used to commute in it before she got her new truck.

Have you ever had any experience with Duralube? I would strongly recommend putting it in your red 3.4 as soon as you get it. Put it in the engine, transmission and power steering. The stuff is amazing. I swear a motor with Duralube in it will last literally forever. This 3.4 with 285000 miles on it runs like brand new. The oil stays clean and it doesnt burn a drop. I have no doubt in my mind this 3.4 will go at least another 100000 miles.

Ok, i'll shut up now before I start sounding like an infomercial. :p

Honestly I would rather have TABAHR's Camaro over the red one. His has t-tops and BOSE. It looks to be clean as hell too. The red one isn't bad but you get so much more for the money with the green one. I wish I could sell my beater tomorrow. I would buy that car in a heart beat for my dd. :)

I have 162,000 miles(260,000kms) on my daily driver 3.4L 'Bird.

It's a very solid engine,just do your regular maintanance and all will be well:)

Honestly I would rather have TABAHR's Camaro over the red one. His has t-tops and BOSE. It looks to be clean as hell too. The red one isn't bad but you get so much more for the money with the green one. I wish I could sell my beater tomorrow. I would buy that car in a heart beat for my dd. :)

Its nice, but its a hardtop;)

Honestly I would rather have TABAHR's Camaro over the red one. His has t-tops and BOSE. It looks to be clean as hell too. The red one isn't bad but you get so much more for the money with the green one. I wish I could sell my beater tomorrow. I would buy that car in a heart beat for my dd. :)

t-tops?

t-tops?
Oh your right, when I looked at the second picture I didn't look very close. I thought it had t-tops. Wouldn't you agree it's still a better buy then the red one ? I like the clean look of it and the BOSE is nice too.

I'd like to know how she got the engine looking so clean!

I'd like to know how she got the engine looking so clean!

Me? I'm a "he". :D

I have my ways.
It does look pretty sweet though, doesnt it!

Sorry, the name threw me off.

Do you think I could improve mine with just some Simple Green (or something similar) and a few brushes?

Honestly I would rather have TABAHR's Camaro over the red one. His has t-tops and BOSE. It looks to be clean as hell too. The red one isn't bad but you get so much more for the money with the green one. I wish I could sell my beater tomorrow. I would buy that car in a heart beat for my dd. :)
no t-tops, as you guys already noticed.
I noticed a few problems on the red one. First I noticed that the drivers seat is shot. The fabric has been crudely sewn together in an attempt to make it look better. At some point it was totally shredded. Second I noticed the window and door controls on the drivers door are held in with a couple extra screws that are not supposed to be there. I like the fact the car only has 80,000 miles on it. I also noticed that the bolts holding down the radiator shrowd have big ugly metal washers under them. You can also see the plastic is cracked. This is most likely from an accident. It has an alarm in it too, and they drilled a hole in the cluster trim for the indicator LED. The rims look like they are in pretty good shape and as a whole the car appears to be rust free. I also noticed the plastic push rivet that holds the air intake duct to the radiator shrowd is missing, but not a big deal. All in all it looks good, assuming it doesnt need any mechanical attention. Good deal.

Sorry, the name threw me off.

Do you think I could improve mine with just some Simple Green (or something similar) and a few brushes?

It wont hurt, that is for sure. I go to the pressure washer with a can of Gunk foaming engine brite. Foam it all up, let it sit 10 minutes and then blow it off with high pressure.

If your car has the LT1 V8 do not get the optispark distributor wet! The 3.4 is pretty safe to spray down, though.

Very good observations!


I for sure will have to check them out.

- Plastic piece in the front with a crack doesn't really bother me but I will have a good look when I go Saturday to see what is there. How much would another one cost at a salvage yard to make it perfect? $40.00?

- Large washers at the front. Not really something I would have even noticed but now I will have a look. What is usually there? I can change the hardware to something else unless it is supposed to have those push grommets. How much would the correct hardware from a salvage yard cost? $5.00?

- Door control having screws in it. I guess it usually just snaps in place? Could it have been because someone replaced it or something? Doesn't really bother me but how much would a new GM piece or salvage piece cost for that? $50.00?

- Indicator on the bezel. Love it! I would rather have it up on the dash so people know it has an alarm in it and functioning. The alarm is a big plus and I like the indicator as a deterrent. Fine with this.

- Rubber piece for the air intake. I think I see where you are talking about. How much from GM or a salvage yard? $5.00?

- Seat tear/sew job at the edge. Had a whole panel like that in my Buick replaced for $50.00. Looked just like new factory when done. I will take the seat out and off to the upholstery shop it goes just as soon as I get it inspected.


The alarm is a plus and like all the vehicles in my fleet it will get a hell of a sound system. I like Bose for a house but in cars they suck. I have an unused Kicker 4 channel amp she can have for the car, upgrade the fronts with some good CDT, Diamond Audio or DLS Iridium components, slap a Resonant Engineering SE-12 in there and enjoy SQL off that hatch.


You can tell you know your car! You did miss the driver fog that was out but I told the sales guy today to have it changed before I get there or I don't want the car :D

Looks like $150 in repairs so far which I always add $500 to any car to get it roadworthy. Good thing is I only laid out a deposit so far and if I get up there and don't like something I can walk away. I would think they will eat some of this if it affects the car. The cosmetic stuff like plastic, washers, grommets and of course the seat since they listed it are probably mute points. Now if the controls on that door don't work, radio doesn't work, etc... then I can argue :cry: It would be nice though if all you nice Camaro owners here can put money numbers to the potential problem areas so I can spell it out for them if it should come to that. Thanks!

I did notice the fog light and mentioned it to my wife as she was standing next to me, but then I forgot to add it to my post. You are right though, no more than a few hundred in TLC and you'll have it looking good as new. :cool:

Any idea if I am close on the salvage parts prices? How about that switch assembly in the door? Wonder how much the General charges for that?


What would the majority of those reading this have given for this car in the shape it is?

Any idea if I am close on the salvage parts prices? How about that switch assembly in the door? Wonder how much the General charges for that?


What would the majority of those reading this have given for this car in the shape it is?

Your best place to find the parts you need is this forum. Look in the parts for sale section, there are almost always cars getting parted out there.

On the subject of that hardware in the front that holds the plastic upper on the radiator support. Are those black pieces plastic plugs or black metal washer with bolt?

Any idea on what others would give for this?


I am making up my list today of obvious things wrong so maybe I can knock another $100-$200 off the car while there. It's mainly cosmetics but still a hammering point! :)

Check out the Carfax guys. SOB!!

http://web.camaross.com/forums/showthread.php?t=425885

Check out the Carfax guys. SOB!!

http://web.camaross.com/forums/showthread.php?t=425885

Ouch! man, that sucks. :mad:

They're great cars, only problem I really had is that the crank position sensor went out.

Check out the Carfax guys. SOB!!

http://web.camaross.com/forums/showthread.php?t=425885
OH MAN sry to see that!! Hope everything works out for ya.

They want me to give positive feedback and then they will refund my deposit. I can't move forward even if it is a clerical mistake like they are stating.

Hey why don't you post your situation in the lounge and see when everyone has to say. There are alot of very smart people there that have delt with ebay. I'm sure someone would be able to help you out with some good advice.

that sux man. I picked up my 94 3.4L w/ 131,036 miles on May 2, 2001. the car was in good shape except for the rearend was showing some wear. I bought a rearend out of a z28 for about 250 bucs and put it in myself. I've had to replace the alternator, plugs, wires, tires, and at 180,000 miles my clutch went out so I replaced it myself and since then I haven't had a problem. of course it has its little odds and ends but over all the car has been very reliable and I drive it hard. 3.4's are a good engine for the long haul. good luck finding ur next fbody. l8tr

Good luck dude.