gerard143

pitbull how old r u anyways. clutch stuff around 300 prolly so stock qual stuff. flywheel? pressure plate u replace not flywheel. bodies on these car hardly even rust. its underneath things like gas/brake lines can be a pain on any car driven in salt over time.

pitbull14218

I am 19 lol, you guys probly think i shouldn't get one due to my age. Well i live in Buffalo NY and i was repeating what some others said, which was to replace the flywheel. I knew it is just the Clutch and throwout bearing, and rpessure plate. they said the flywheel would need machining. I never owned a manual car EVER. I have drove some... i want one because it is more fun. I work at goodyear and only make a good 200 a week... so it will take me awhile to save up for the camaro i want inless i get a loan which i don't know if i would want to do it that way. So i am trying to find out EVERYTHING about the car i want Thanks for all you guys helping me out with this. I am still a little confused because not everyone is on the same page.... Thanks alot though everyone

gerard143

sorry to confuse. but basically pick up any 95 or 96 your in good shape. any older you are more likely to run into optispark issues. other then that there arent any major issues. must best advice is to get one under 100k if possible, and just look underneath and see if things look real rusty. if so i'd say avoid it.
if you like the newer style interior get a 97. that really sums it up.

do a decent test drive, listen for bad sounding noises, check right when u start it at the tail pipes and see if it smokes excessive...a sign of engine wear, and just see how clean it is. if the inside is real clean and under the hood looks clean ur that much better off.

pitbull14218

o... well keep in mind i never owned or had a friend with one of these cars. I would't know exactly what would be wrong by some sounds. I mean i do work on cars at my job. Well the rearends are weak i heard so listen there... check exhaust to see if it is burning oil. Listen to engine noises... Feel if it has good throttle response and if it's strong? Also how can you tell if the clutch is bad? I never owned a manual car. So what is the feeling when it slips? I know if you hold the clutch to the floor and go to switch gears and hear a grinding sound it isn't good? Is that the clutch being bad? thanks alot so far i know i want a 96... like there interiors..

Compstall

traction is a big problem

pitbull14218

Tires? Well if i need tires i work at Goodyear I can get some discounts. Well you see if i go to do a test drive and i don't know what to exspect for a bad clutch then i might get screwed or something... I mean it has to be pretty notice able? Thanks again

urbaNHunter44

A bad clutch will be quite noticeable. You'll hit the gas and won't feel an acceleration and the rpms will rise very quickly. Also pay attention to whether it chatters or not. If you're lucky enough to find a low mileage car (like i did - 54k mile Z28 for $5500 bucks) it might still have the stock clutch. If it's chattering (like mine is) it's probably about to go.

You're best off with a 96/97. Get the 96 if you don't want the newer interior. I personally love my 97's interior.. it actually has cup holders! 96 and earlier maros only have a cup holder in the middle console where it's ridiculously placed on an M6 car.

Get low mileage also, there is NO substitute for low mileage, not even good maintenance. Bone stock is also another plus. Less chance of it being beaten on. ALSO check the rear tire wheels for rubber. If there's rubber stuck in the tops of those wells, someone has been roasting the tires in it. Usually people don't clean under there either. Bring that one to the seller's attention, I've seen people drop $500 bucks off the price just because the buyer reached in and pulled out rubber on a supposedly "never beat on" car.

And 19 isn't too young to own one of these. I'll be twenty in two months and I've owned 2 thirdgens and 2 LT1 fbodys. Also a suburban and a cadillac, but those are different storys

pitbull14218

Hmm... is ther any other parts i can pick apart to get the price down? I want one badly but where i work if it gets dead your hours get cut... i am just getting mine back. I don't want to not afford this car. I also want it to not have any problems because of the fact i only make a good 200 a week. I don't need ot be paying for repairs. Thanks alot but i honestly want to know everything.... its all up to you guys how much i will learn thanks alot so far... i do dip into different sections of this forum so i can learn as much as i can. Thanks again

MyShibbyZ28

I'm not going to read 5 pages of posts, but incase it wasn't said, another thing to look for is underneath the back bumper there are two frame rails. Look to make sure those are not twisted or broken. I went to a dealer who had a camaro and he said it was perfect and just got a new paint job. I looked under the bumper and said, "why is the frame broken away from the body?", he just said "well...".

Another thing to lower the price is tires, like someone said about the rubber being in the wells. If the tires are going bald (mine were completely bald) state it needs new tires and that will be an easy 500 off there. If I were to get 4 new tires it would cost over 600, so state how much it would actually cost.

Lastly, do not make the car sound like a POS, make it sound like it needs work, but not the worst car made.

pitbull14218

Yea... and i do work at goodyear so tires arn't too bad for me. So the back part of the fram on these cars can be twisted? How can you tell if the frame is straight? Thanks for the extra stuff... The more the better.

urbaNHunter44

Just look underneath. If it's been in a crash there will be twisted/bent bumper supports and possibly bend marks/weld marks on the frame. It's very noticeable. Just look for something odd and damaged.

If you don't want to pay for replacement parts, do like I said and get a low mileage car. These cars shouldn't have ANY problems until about 100k, that's when they need their first plugs/wires change, A4s start to go bad around then too. At 150k the optispark may be going, also the waterpump is pretty old by now. However that isn't gospel, I've heard of optis going in 50k cars because someone got some water up there.

MyShibbyZ28

My opti has 182k on it, and I even sprayed it with a hose by accident.

pitbull14218

O well i just am a lil too Cautious with this because i don't make alot of money but i love those cars and want one thats nice and i won't have to be fixing it all the time... so thanks alot everyone you got more let me know...

urbaNHunter44

Well yeah sure, but that's no where close to normal.

pitbull14218

Are the Opti's that big of a problem that you can't drive in the rain? I don't own a camaro Want one but i am just trying to find out everything about my favorite car that i will be owning this summer so if there is some more informtion to give me it will be greatly appriciated