drpuls

Ok, Im BRAN SPAKING new to this forum, And yes i did use the search options, and didnt come up with anything about my questions. Hope you guys can help...

First, Im planning on buying a 1998 LS1, its at a dealership, so im going to be financing it. Anyhow, this car is REALLY REALLY clean, in and out. The thing that im worried about is its got 90,000 miles on it. Now that made me think, so i went online and purchased a Vehicle history report... and nothing bad came out at all, NOTHING, its even been owned by only 1 person, and maybe I will be the second. Now my questions are such of that will this be reliable, could i still get another 60, to 70k off this engine w/ out it dying on me? I will be taking it to my mechanic for a COMPLETE inspection before i sign it over to me, just to make sure im not getting a lemon. Any thing i should make sure my mechanic checks??? PLEASE let me know, thanks for your interest guys!!!

stik6shift98

90k is a lil bit too much..but if your mechanic takes a close look at it then u should be fine....

good luck

jd13

There is no reason it shouldn't last you a good while unless you abuse it and/or it hasn't been abused much already. If you drive it easy and never get on it, it'll last you the rest of your life (well.....maybe not). Let's be reasonable though, it really is gonna depend on how often you like to have some fun with it etc. Just don't abuse it too much and you'll be fine.


These are just some other things to check for. Brakes. When I got my car, the dealer ship said they just inspected the whole car like 2 days ago (just got it in, used dealership). Said the brakes were almost new. I brought the car to my mechanic, the brakes were under 50%. Tires. This is another thing I didn't push the dealership for. The tires on the car were brand new, but they were $50 Goodyear H (or whatever the 118 mph rating is) rated. If you buy a sports car, it should be equipped with the proper equipment to keep it safe. And no, the car did not have a limiter on it like it should have been for those tires.

Basically what I'm saying is, if you don't get a warrenty from the dealership (even if you do), they are gonna try and cheat you out of every little thing they can. Maybe you're friends with them, but I sure didn't have a good experience. Good luck though. You'll love the car if you get it.

jd13

I don't think 90k is too many miles to buy a car if you get a good deal on it.

Anyone else confused by that? First it's too many miles, but if a mechanic looks at it, it's ok? Right...

Just curious stik6shift98, but where are you getting your dyno numbers from? I can't seem to peice together where you get 375 hp and 430 torque from. Is it an old dyno?

stik6shift00

the reason his numbers are so low (375 with a 100 wet shot) is because the bottle pressure was extremly low, so he didnt get as much as he should from it.

jd13

That's quite understandable, but then where does the 430 torque come from?

drpuls

Thanks so much guys for your input on my future LS1. Anyone else have any opinions on this?? Besides talking about eachothers 1/4 mile time ...

stik6shift98

i got about a 60 shot of itrous because my pressure was soooooo low...it was dynoed at dynoproauto.com....and now they just bought their dyno brand new like 6 months ago

drpuls

Okay so any good things I should make my mechanic check? Or any questions i need to ask him? Also if there is somthing wrong like brake pads are pretty bad... dealer has to replace that right?

Thanks for your help

LurkerLS1

The stock brakes on the LS1 F-bodies SUCK. At least, from my experience. I warped my rotors 3 times in 8 months, and I've read similar stories from other members of this board. The LS1 engine itself is a warhorse and shouldn't give you much trouble. I haven't heard of any specific troublespots on these cars, so just have your mechanic give your prospective machine a thorough PPI before you commit, especially with that amount of mileage. The car itself isn't all that solidly built, though. Don't be surprised to hear a significant amount of squeaks and rattles. Typical GM.

One question for you. Are you getting a really good deal on this car? Like, an AMAZING deal? LS1s pretty much grow on trees, you shouldn't have trouble finding one with lower mileage if you look around a little bit. I'd pass on this particular car unless the dealership it's at is prepared to just give it away.

stik6shift98

yes ls1 brakes suck.....get eradispeed rotors.....they are well worth the investment

drpuls

Dude where are the trees your seeing cuz all that im finding on auto trader ect. are V6 AT's for the same price just lower milage... in the 30k range. Im basically getting it for $13,000 out the door with tax and all that ****... plus 100k warranty n all that cheese. But im still sceptical, and im affraid if i dont look around im gunna miss out on a good opertunity.

95GRNZ

$13K out the door for a 98 LS1 w/90K+ miles...???

That is definetely too high. Unless the first mile of the 100K warranty you are getting starts when you drive it off the lot.

Cars are more expensive in CA, we all know that, but not that much.

I would definetely wait for the next one. Unless you are happy with the price and condition of the car. That's all that matters.

You also don't mention your budget. However, if you are really stretching your budget with the possible $13K deal, I'd consider a year or two older LT1 with lower miles and less $$$, just to ease your craving for speed.

The LS1 will run for a long time beyond 100K, but you just need to be prepared for some big stuff, too. By that I pretty much mean the tranny (if it is an A4). That is usually the weakest link in F-bodies beyond 100K.

Good luck!

TS
P.S. I bought my 00 Z28 w/under 36K miles 1.5 weeks ago for $14.8

drpuls

Yea i told the guy that he was crazy and he should go to carsalesman hell. Im going to try to get a private sale going on... I found one on auto trader, wit 66k and its a grand under what the dealer was gunna charge for the same car and 40k more miles...F*CK that dealer, Yea so im gunna go to a bank and get an auto loan, ill prolly even get a better interest rate doing that, The only think i will lose is the trade in my car for the downpayment... I doubt im gunna be able to sell it privatley, now anyplace that will just take my car in and give me the trade in value cash??

The car i was trying to get is an 98 LS1 M6 flawless, and the private dude has the same thing, but i have yet to see the exact condition.

stik6shift98

do it thru a private seller all the dealer does is try to rip you off