Do or Don't -> '95 Z28 - I know zero

ok, I've been messing around in the import scene for a few years and I haven't done too bad (making a 4cyl NA engine in a 2700 lb car run a 14.5 qtr isn't too bad and I used to dust BMW's daily). Playing with nimble little 4cyls isn't the monster V8 muscle game, but the principle is the same: take a stock car, throw a fartload of money at it, and make it go really fast. (I've still got a modified little flying lounge chair that's my daily driver and I love the hell out of it.) When the tree drops, it's all the same ;) .... and I keep my shenanigans on the track! I just drive real fast.....

Anyways, here's the story (right now, I'm skinny on info, but that's why I'm here.... to find out if it's I should chase this rabbit)

-----> I found a beautiful 1995 Camaro Z28, V8, 6 spd, T-top, black leather interior, that -for the most part- is in almost perfect shape; the interior leather, floor, and the dash are mint. The exterior is red with 2 broad white stripes on the top from nose to tail and it's flawless, almost --- The only thing keeping it from 100% perfection is a little minor body damage - it looks like the car swiped a deer (I live in the country) b/c the front tip of hood (~1/2" or so) on the passenger side, just above the headlights- has a very small bend/crease, the orange reflector on that side is busted, and the front quarter panel (about a foot behind the lights) has an 8"-10" split in the plastic/eurothane from the impact. It's doesn't look too serious and looks like it wouldn't be a goldmine to fix. (Aren't there covers or "eye-lids" for these lights?) Anyways, you get the point - visually it "looks" really good.

Here's a "huh?" that I did notice: The "For Sale" sign on the dash says the car is a "1998 Z28, 6-spd, V8, LS1" --WHAT????-- I thought the LS1 didn't hit production in the Camaro until 1998 and that the LT1 was used in 1995... Am I wrong? (i haven't spoken with the owner yet - it could have been a typo, but it also might be an engine swap,,,, but that makes NO sense. Who puts a $8K+ engine into a $5K, 10 yr old car?... uhhh, nevermind....)

OK, the price:::: asking $4,200 -> i don't know the milage yet; my ejukated guess is that it's probably 130,000+ b/c NOTHING is close to where we live-even the grocery store is a 45 mile round trip :rolleyes: I even drive 40 miles, ONE WAY to work every day! Thankfully, it's a straight shot with a couple of cowtowns to pass through and I'm used to it; at 5am in the middle of a swampy nowhere, flat-foot driving and banging into the speed limiter is normal.

I know a bit about small import engines, but I also know the LT1 engine and what it can do -> a friend had a 1993 LT1 'vette (with a totally reprogrammed ECU) and I drove it fast enough to satisfy my curiousity PERMANENTLY- i won't mention the speed I chickened out at, but I've seen NASCAR races that were slower; I learned pretty quickly that the LT1 is a wicked little monster with enough torque to flatten your retina!

I guess I would like to know is:
(a) am I missing something about this car? This sounds almost too cheap...
(b) what are some of the "basic" questions I should ask about this car? (like the "opti-sensor" freakouts, have the plugs been changed, starter problems, etc...)
(c) I get about 22-26mpg in my life sized Hotwheel ->b/c of my driving... so I'm not sweating gas, but does this car make a good daily driver? (like 80 miles a day? or is that a no-no?)
(d) Any other morsels of quirks (like intake seals, clutch eating, tires with every oil change, squirrelly starter problems, high repair costs, etc...) or advice about the Z28, LT1 that I should know about?

I'm thinking that this may be a nice "every now and then" driver, but I'm not sure. Or it could be the LaBrea of automobiles....

Any help at all would be great.

~I'm just a stupid riceboy trying to jump the fence :cool:

(((( dang.... sorry that was so long...... i'm just trying to see if this is the cherry it seems to be; 285+hp? 0-60 under 5 sec? HELL YES!!!! ))))

>oh, and are there any "tattle tales" under the hood or elsewhere that would let me know that it's been driven way too hard for way too long?<

without sounding like an ***hole, do you know the difference between a 95 and a 98? do you know the difference between and ls1 and an lt-1? they both look different. the price sounds low for a 98 unless the damage is making the owner ask less or the motor may be shot. call him out on it. i have only been in this game for about 6 mos, so i am no pro. this site will teach you a lot about the lt and the ls motors. the opti's are prone to die on you. they are somewhat of a pain to change(from what i have read on here). i have not changed mine yet. the intake gaskets are bad to leak on the back of the motor. i have done that. a pain for me, but less for others. the lt's respond well to mods and tuning. there just isn't much room to work which will test your patience. headers are a pain in the ass to install and plugs and wires also. once again, this is my experience. hell, nothing else test drive it and take it to a trusted mechanic and give it a once over. or, if you know how to do the checks, do it yourself. if it has a lot of oil leaks, then welcome to our world. if it does not, then it most likely has been fixed. if you do some searches you will read a lot of info. check it out. good luck with the change in diet(no rice!! lol) mike:cz28:

Trying to follow your message:

If the car has body panel damage such as a broken anything, you are looking at a lot of money to fix it. Most of the car is composite plastic. Any car @ or near 100k should not go for much money. I bought a nice looking 95 Z28 auto - t-top, everything working, with 96k on the clock for $5k from a dealership almost 3 years ago. That's my input on the buy.

good luck

I bought a 94 Z with 191k on it and I don't regret it at all;)

Rest assured it will tear anything short of 8 cylinders a new one unless they're pushing FI or nitrous:p

Try and get some photos of it.

Red Camaros are quite common, so you'd have a good chance of finding parts in the right color in a junkyard somewhere.

Personally, I think the price is a little high for a car with some cosmetic damage and alot of miles. On the other hand, it sounds like your choices of f-bodies is slim due to the region you live in. I would at least check it out and maybe see if they will budge on the price some.

thanks for the tips, from reading round the board, it seems like high price maint. and big PITA fixes are a little too common for my blood... I had hoped that what I saw as "minor" body damage was a quick-fix, but that doesn't sound too likely either. There were a ton of 3rd Gen's back in my day, but the 4th Gens were never very common around here (I think parents finally got wise to the fact that a 300hp ride + 16yr old driver = bad)

Are there any quick visual give-aways that would tell me that the engine is an LS1 vs LT1 ? I know from my research that the LS1 wasn't around until 1998 and this is a 1995 (so it SHOULD have an LT1). I wouldn't know either if they fell on my house so any OBVIOUS differences too look for would be a big help.

It sounds like high miles + body damage @ $4200 is WAY too high. At $3500 maybe.... but if I'm tossing $300 to $400 at it every other month to keep the oil INSIDE and the wheels rolling, this may not be what I'm looking for.....

The LT1 has a rectangular aluminum intake plenum. the LS1 has a curved tubular looking intake. Searches for LS1 and LT1 intake manifolds will take you to pictures of the difference. I can post pictures of my engines if you can't find a view otherwise.

Regards

With the body damage, i'd say you're pretty close guessing $3500. Just give it a good inspection and check for leaks. Seepage is pretty normal for high mileage cars (not just Camaros), but any dripping leaks aren't good and will need to be repaired. These cars have been known to last a long time, so don't be scared off just because it's got some high mileage.