My '97 Z28's engine (150,000+ miles) is starting to give way. I was hoping to keep 'er going long enough to get a 5th gen but I don't think the engine will hold together for that long without a major infusion of cash (at least a new intake manifold gasket) (if not a complete rebuild/replace). Plus there's some wonky (minor but annoying) electrical problem with the radio and body work...etc;

So I did some searching around and have found an '02 SS for $18,999 with 35,000 miles on it at an out of state dealership. I think $16k is probably a fair price to offer? (Although it's in another state so dealing is going to be interesting... "ooohh... you drove 100 miles just to get this car? Don't you think it's worth another grand to you?")

So any opinions on propping up the Z, going for the SS (and if going for the SS any good tactics for talking down the dealership?)

 

Find one that's not being sold by a dealership, and save yourself a world of problems.

$16K is a fair price on an '02 SS with 35k on the clock, IMO. Assuming it's in excellent condition.

When you say "propping up the Z", what do you mean?

 

Well I'm in the midst of having the water pump and optispark replaced again (this time under warranty by the dealer, whoo-hoo! )

Otherwise it's been leaking about a quart of oil a month. Both the dealer and later another garage took shots at repairing it but didn't resolve the issue. (it's a small drop front center of the engine.) I took it back to the garage for the coolant leak (which turned out to be the water pump) and had them look again at the oil leak. This time they said they found oil in the coolant and traced it back to the intake manifold gasket.

There's also a weird electrical problem where the stereo will just turn off/on... sometimes in response to road bumps, sometimes not... The weird part is that when the radio is off like that, the power windows don't work either (on either the driver or passenger side)

Needs back brakes/rotors and about $2000 worth of body work removing various dents and dings and to replace fading plastic trim. I've had no suspension or exhaust work ever performed on the car.. so you gotta figure that's coming someday...

Otherwise, the car drives well and is in reasonable shape.

 

I guess I meant to ask whether you were thinking of selling it or just setting it aside.

 

Oh, sorry... I'm thinking trade in with the dealer. (Although if I had the garage space, I wouldn't mind keeping it)

 

If you really want the SS, then go for it. But to have those handful of repairs done on your 97, it will probably still tally up less then buying the other car.

 

You could do a full rebuild with high-flow heads and a nice cam for less than the '02 would cost.

 

True dat... But with that much mileage on the transmission as well, isn't the smarter money on the new car?

 

Is your 97 an auto or manual?

If it's an auto.........then ya - you could possibly be looking at a rebuild of it also in the not so distant future.

If it's a manual, then you really have nothing to worry about.



That's a crapload of miles for your 97 by the way!
My 97 has only 40,000 miles on it now.

 

150,000 miles is only slightly high for a ten-year-old car.

I'm betting Skywise lives south of the snow belt and can drive his car all year.

Okay, let's do the math here.

I'm gonna venture a guess and say that you could get $7000 for your Z28. So the '02 is going to cost you $9000.

If you have an A4, Cahall will do a performance rebuild for $800. If it's an M6, a performance rebuild is going to be more like $1500.

An LE1 "Budget" heads/cam package with fully-assembled heads is $1100.

For $3290, you can get a brand new 355ci shortblock from ATI with complete rotating assembly.

You'll want a clutch or a torque converter, too. A McLeod Street Twin clutch will run about $1100, and a nice stall will run about $500.

When all is said and done, plan on $500 for a dyno tune.

You'll need some other things -- a full exhaust, CAI, throttle body, etc. Figure $2000 to cover all of it.

So that's $9,490 if you have an M6, and $8,190 if you have an A4.

Personally, I'd throw in another $2500 on a 12-bolt rear end with the gears of your choice.

It'd be a lot of work, but you'd be faster than a stock LS1 when you're done, and if you do the installation work yourself, you'll be a lot more familiar with your car than you ever imagined.

Note that there are cheaper options than what I've spec'ed out here -- this isn't a top end setup, but it's also a long way from the bottom. Having your stock shortblock R&R'ed by a reputable shop should cost a LOT less than $3290.

I have an '02 Z, and I love it. I'm not saying the SS would be a bad call... I just think you should know all of your options.

 

I agree with JakeRobb here. If you're going to buy a newer car, find one that isn't at a dealership if at all possible. I should know, I used to be a salesman. Believe me, if it wasn't for salesmen, the sales manager would try to steal your money in front of your face instead of behind your back. They make you jump through a ton of unnecessary hoops and I can guarantee you that they aren't willing to go down to $16k without a lot of arguing and you getting up and trying to leave. $3k is a big gap to bridge and honestly, while I was at the car dealership the lowest we ever went down on a car (in reality, cause the papers they show you aren't the actual numbers) was about $2k.

If you are financing through them, make sure to do the math!! For example, they might write down that they're giving you $7k for your car, $16k for the SS, and then they payment is $250 for four years!!! If you calculate $250x48 that's $1200!! They might try to chalk it up to taxes but you aren't going to pay $3k in taxes and doc fees. Make sure you call the local DMV and ask them how much taxes should be. The dealership should only charge about $75 for doc fees. Hope this helps.

I love my Z and I just bought it last week. It's the most fun car to drive that I've ever owned. If it were me, I'd start saving that money you were going to use for a payment and put it into your 97.

 

Personally, I'd chalk it and go for the SS... Sure you could rebiuld the car and make it faster than the LS1, but it would still be every bit as unreliable. The facts and figures for these installs are only accurate if EVERYTHING GOES AS PLANNED which only happens 5% of the time in life. You'll be going through more trial and error than it's worth and whats worse, you'll then want to sell the car AFTER you just dumped $10K into it. Time means money and the more time you're wasting repairing nicks and dings on your car, the more money you're losing... In essence through the long run... the SS remains cheaper and is still a relatively quick car...

THATS JUST MY OPPINION... This does not go out to bash anyones views or oppinions of the matter.

 

you can have mine for $8000.
its only got 85k, and its a 98, runs very strong.

think of the supercharger, and tons extra $$$ left over.

ill drive it to ya if it isn't past 12 hour drive.

 

You wanted a 2.73 car?

 

plus if you check his sig he has leather headers, those have to cost a buttload.....lol

1. if he was paying a dealership to work on his car he's probably not going to be installing or rebuilding an engine!

2. if your willing to learn how to do it on your own and have someone to help then keep your current and fix it. If not then your probably gonna be better in the long run finding a ss thats being sold by an individual.

3. me and a friend, mostly him, just built my current engine. it was fun, it runs great, and it helps you learn about your car. personally i don't let anyone work on it but me. i'd rather learn than pay someone. BUT, you spend more than you expect, and things come up and it takes more time than you planned. so remeber that before you commit.