youremyboyblue

Yesterday I took a drive in my buddies '01 Z06, and have decided that one day I too will own a car of this caliber, but I don't have the money at the moment, so I am looking to purchase a 99-01 z28, 5 speed MT, and preferably black, with a 373 rear end. The only problem is I have never owned a Camaro before. I was just wondering if it would be at all possible if you guys could give me any advice with defects, common problems and basic buying tips. Keep in mind that I am 22 years old and will be attending college in the fall, after getting out of the Military, so my resources will be limited to about 10 to 12 grand. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Ron

teke184

first off...

the z28s have a SIX speed manual tranny, none came from the factory with 3.73 gears. the manuals all had 3.42s.

for $12k you can find a decently low milage camaro in good shape. just look around.

eddierox

If one day you will own a Z06, you would be best to start off in an LS1 camaro as you want. Then keep in mind that the 2001 & 2002 models are built on the LS6 block which is faster and much more bullet proof than the earlier LS1's. Also keep in mind that the camaro SS's such as mine (2001 camaro SS) are even more refined with fiberglass panels such as that of the z06. There is a much different feel with this kind of car.
Be careful of used vehicles of this nature. They were made for speed and nascar thrashing and more often than not, they have been.
Good Luck!

youremyboyblue

Every add Ive looked into shows that the z28 comes stock with a 5 speed transmission, so I was under the impression that every z28 is a 5 speed. Pardon my mistake though, like I said, I'm kinda new to this, but I want to soak up as much info as I can! I spoke to a local car guy that said he bought his Z with 373 gears, then again, he could've been lieing, I would'nt have known the difference. Id write more, but I alas duty calls. I'll write more later, cause I have a ton of questions.

youremyboyblue

I would like a SS, but I havent been able to find one with reasonable mileage, anything over 50,000 miles for a 01 or 02 car seems to raise my eyebrows a bit. Is the Sports Apperance/Performance Package worth the extra cash I would drop for the SS? From what Ive read, the measureable gain in HP is only 15 ponies more than the Z28, of course the SS handles better, but I dont imagine I would be running my Camaro in any kind of road race, unless it was just drag. I guess what Im wondering is if for an extra 4 or 5 grand, so I really get my money's worth with the SS package.
Ron

eddierox

The Camaro SS is based on NASCAR tradition, with its wide and long wheelbase and lightened body panels and functional air intake and 17" wheels and 325+ HP out of the box motor.
I have a stock 2001 Camaro SS w/41,450 miles in BRAND NEW CONDITION for only $14,500 now.
I have never been in a race, because nobody wants to race it.
I did go 140 mph one time on the freeway just to see what it could do.
It felt like I was doing 80.
Of course their was plenty of juice left so I'm convinced that 160, 170, 180 mph tales I've heard are real.

Adding even small mods such as taylor plug wires and iridium plugs and especially a hypertech programmer unleash the hidden monster lurking in these camaro SS's as they are detuned from the factory because of their enhanced performance build.

There is no comparison to the SS and Z28.

There is a comparison to the SS to any 200 mph+ exoticar ..

Just by sheer virtue of the SS mystique.

Eddie

youremyboyblue

For a fair amount of cash, and time under the hood, couldn't you make a z28 perform just as well if not better than a SS?
Mechanically speaking, the more I compare the two the more I believe that I could buy a z28 and have it perform just as well as a SS. And the purchase price would be substantially different. Im not sure how much I would have to spend on after market parts to bring it up to par, but it would be worth a shot. Then again, this is all my personal feelings, and I look forward to spending time under the hood of whatever vehicle I decide to buy, the more the merrier, I say.
Ron

eddierox

Sounds like you're having conflicts betwen the SS & Z28.
The best thing to do is get thorough spec sheets on each.
Then make up a price sheet for the mods you would like to do, how much they cost and the estimated HP gains.

No matter what, most of the mods are same price for the Z28 & SS.
So which is better to build on?

Since you're looking at Z06's in the future, there is no reason to be spending a lot of money on either.

In fact make it easy on yourself.
Drive a Z28 & SS and see which you like the best.

But see all the forums about how a lot of guys have spent more on mods than the car itself and end up selling it at the book value of the moment anyway.

Eddie

youremyboyblue

Not a bad idea Eddie, not a bad idea at all, I'm not in a rush to buy a z28 or an SS at the moment, but I should test drive one of each.

As for getting a Z06, my plan as it stands right now is to purchase a Camaro, then upgrade to the Vette when I complete college, so as you can see, Im not in that big of a hurry.

Ron

oh yeah, anyone know anything about LS1 Edit?

youremyboyblue

bump...

ground ponder

hey if you wont to make a z/28 to run like SS and dont wont to spend a lot of money all you need to do is put a cold air intake system and a good exsost
system on it. that realy the only difference between a SS and a z/28. if you do that you will be makeing about 320 hp.

eddierox

You will also need to add the fiberglass panels and the stock out of the box 325+ HP LS1/LS6 motor for a Z28 to run like an SS.

ground ponder

hey budy do you wont to see the dyno sheet I have 96 z28. oh yeah my dad owns an SS and I have worked on and driven both of them!!!

eddierox

Sorry, a 96 z28 is an LT1. Not even in the same league as an LS1.

Hyperspeed97z28

Arnt they all fiberglass ???

The z/28's will perform just as well as the ss, as listed above, its only got ram air and better catback then the z/28's ....