Hey there, im wondering if ive came to the right place.

Im looking at purchasing a 1999 Camaro Z28, its got 40k miles on it, its an A4 with T-Tops.

I love the car, but I am not familiar with GM at all, I recently traded in my 99 Mustang GT and am looking to get another newer muscle car and I really want this one to be it.

However, can someone tell me what I need to watch out for? Any sort of engine ticks, weak transmission? etc

Ideally I would have liked the car to be a M6, is the A4 truly horrible like the dreaded ford automatics, or is it an actual capable transmission?

I plan to do mostly drag racing with this car, what mods do I need to enter the 12s?

And exactly whats the difference between the SS and the Z28?

Sorry for my nublet questions, any help would be greatly appreciated before I lay down a large sum of cash =)

 

LS1's are great engines. GM's weak spot on these cars is the rear end. It's a crap shoot, I know a guy on here that's managed to break his rear end 3 times on an LT1 car with only a CAI and a cat-back exhaust with a good clutch. But some guys have pulled low 11's with theirs many times over.

The only weak spot I can think of with LS1's is if you spend too much time in high RPM you can bend the stock pushrods. Definitely recommend an upgrade there.

The transmissions (A4/M6) are pretty strong and can handle quite a bit of abuse.

12's are pretty easy to be had with an LS1. When I lived at Sea Level, I knew quite a few guys that were hitting high 12's with drag radials, CAI, and a cutout on the stock exhaust or just a cat-back.

Honestly, the only difference between the SS and Z28's are a cool hood and wheels. They do come with options such as upgraded suspension bits (Bilstein shocks, thicker swaybars) and optional exhaust. Other than that you're getting the same car. Many Z28's will dyno the same at the wheels as SS's, I've seen it done many times over.

SS's are great looking cars, but in the long run you could reproduce one cheaper by going through the aftermarket, unless you find a good deal on one you can't pass up.

Good luck in your search.

 

for an estimate in pricing go to kelly bluebook.com. they give you,trade in,private party,retail values. piston slap is a common problem. do a search and you'll get lots of info. i would listen and check the car cold. my little noises go away when car is warmed up.