This is going to be my first car.. The car I'm going to look at tomorrow is $1,500(the lowest she will go is $1,200 but that might change if I hand her $1000 cash in her hand) with 3k miles on a rebuilt 3.1 MPFI. The only thing it really needs is a paint job(it's already primed) and a stereo, and those two things are the least of my worries. Right now the lady drives it back and forth to work everyday, so it's in good mechanical condition. She also have reciepts for every thing except for the rebuilt motor because her husband did it himself(I dont know if that is a good thing or not) It's been in the paper for about 3 weeks and the people who have gone by to look at it didn't want it just because of the looks, so if this is true and nothing else is really wrong with it, is it a good price? Also, can anyone tell me anything about the 3.1s? What kind of power do these put out stock? I'm guessing nothing over 150hp so I'm not gonna get my hopes up lol. hopefully it has a good amount of torque for a V6. Also, I'm not sure if this is an RS or not, I thought all the RS's came with the 3.1s?

 

I bought a 91 RS with a 5.0 TBI with ok paint...only needed tires for $2300. I would try for a V8. THe 3.1 is better than the old 2.8, but I think 135hp is all you get. If you get it, and since it is already primed, paint it a cool color and enjoy it for it's good looks. 91 you got a RS or a Z28...

 

In 91 Camaros only came as RS or Z28. The RS came with the v6, 305 TBI, or I believe a 305 TPI. The home rebuild is definately a bad thing. Most garages are not clean enough really. I would question if the engine was really rebuilt at all. Test it out though. If it smokes at all or leaks fluid... don't buy it.

 

I don't know a lot about cars, so if I look under the hood what are some things that I could tell by looking at that it's a rebuilt motor? By talking to the lady she was telling me that they(her and her husband) were trying to fix it up nice and keep it, but now she's pregnant and already has 3 kids so she needs a bigger car.

I asked if it leaks oil or anything and she said no, and that was after knowing I was coming out to look at it tomorrow so I don't tihnk she'd lie about it when I can find out if it really does leak oil tomorrow... Tomorrow she's gonna be at work when I come by to look at it and she said that she will come out and start it for me and stuff. I kinda looked at it tonight but I could only see so much in the dark. The primer looks good, not some half *** job, it has nice 15" Cragar wheels, it does have a good stereo system in it(that's why she's taking it out) so if it was a POS I doubt they would be putting that much money into it, ya know?

 

No offense intended, but you sound young and inexperienced. Take someone with more car experience with you to look / test drive..... Trust no one..... Sad but true

 

None taken, I know I'm young and inexperienced, and for $1000 you can't expect but so much right? I can't afford anything more than that. If I'm gonna buy a POS for $1000, might aswell buy one that looks cool and something I want to fix up... At least it isn't a '85 Civic wagon

 

Absolutley agreed. Just making sure you are looking at options. i guess for a grand, you can't beat it if it has a newer motor...

 

True. I learned more about Camaros from my old 88 v6 and IROC 305 TBI than from my 91 Z28. They were pieces of crap for the most part but without them I wouldn't have the nessecary experience to fix my current vehicle.

 

So do you guys think I should go for it if it turns out to be what I've been told it is? The only thing I'm worried about is if the engine has really been rebuilt or not, is there any way I can tell by looking at it? I guess if it doesn't smoke I'll be alright... Or say it doesn't really have a rebuilt engine and has 180k miles or whatever, is $1200 too much to ask?.. I still don't want to spend but $1000 or less on this car since she's taking out the stereo. I'll be broke for a while and no stereo is gonna suck.

 

Shoot. While reading my first post again I realized that I didn't post everything about what she told me about the rebuilt engine. She DOES have receipts for all the work that was done(she said the heads were bored? etc) but not for putting it back together because they did it theirselves.... But even if they do have receipts for all that who's to say they don't have another Camaro that got all this work done and are just saying it's done to the Camaro they are selling?

And I'll probably get made fun of for saying this, but my mother said she would come with me to look at the car.... She does know more than me about cars, back when she was in her teens and 20s she used to have muscle cars. But other than her, there's no one around I could take with me. Too bad I didn't post this thread a few days ago cuz maybe theres someone on here in my area that would of went with me.

 

Yo
the 3.1 is not a bad choice, they have significantly more torque than the 2.8.. It would be a good thing if it had a manual gearbox -> better performance.
make sure the 'service engine soon' light is off while driving, it should be lit up only while starting the car. If the engine idles and runs smoothly it should be ok. during the test drive give it full throttle for a few seconds just to make sure the car accelerates properly and the tranny downshifts.

 

I just got back from looking at it. But I have a couple of questions, while test driving it I noticed the RPM were showing very high, and all the way to the end completely passed the red when I floored it, then once it shifted it was still in the yellow, but the engine didn't sound like it was revving near that high at all, it sounded normal so I was thinking maybe the tach was messed up and didn't show it right... is that normal for the tach to mess up?

And when it's idling in drive it's a little rough((dash board and steering wheel vibrates)), she said it was because she got the heads bored.. I'm not sure if it's normal for that to happen or not. She did say that I could buy an additonal motor mount to put on it........ But isn't the signs of a broken motor mount when it idles rough like that? It never felt rough while flooring it, only when sitting in drive.... But besides those two things the car is in good shape for $1200

 

Don't worry about the tach issue; my '88 2.8 Camaro does the same thing. I don't know why it does it, but if it's like my car, then the motor is not revving nearly as high as the tach indicates. Mine, from a full throttle stomp, shifts almost off the red end of the tach, so it's not reading anywhere close. If you decide to get it fixed, let me know what fixed it, otherwise I'm gonna leave mine; it's kinda cool in a way. Good luck with the car!

 

Well I'm glad to hear it's nothing major wrong. I wasn't even going over 40mph.. I'd hate to see what it would be like going 75 on the interstate.

 

LOL Bored heads!! Additional motor mount?!!?? This lady is feeding you garbage. First off, you don't 'bore' out heads, you either port, or polish them. When you bore something on an engine, its the cylinders in order to bump up the cubic inch displacement. Now as for this motor mount, yes, a broken mount can indeed cause a engine to shake at idle, and appear as a miss, but thats something you will have to look at. Take a lone pry bar and pry on the mounts, watch for cracked rubber to spread apart when prying. Odds are it's probably a miss in the engine. Could be couple of crossed plug wires, or even a vacuum line that isn't hooked up. Good luck, and if you need any help hollar at me on AOL instant messanger, or leave me a P.M. I'd be gald to help you out. I was in your situation once too when I was young.