Whats up everyone, this is my first post, and i drive a 92 Camaro w/ 305 TBI, accel ignition, k and n, thrush turbos w/ no cats. but n e way. Im planning on moving up in the world to a 97 LT1 Camaro . ive been reading about them, and ive decided to buy one here in about 3 months. i was just wondering what to expect. i never drove one/rode in one.. haha i kno...but, ive rode in like an '03 (ithink) Mustang Bullit, with CAI, and exhaust,5speed, and i thought it was pretty fast. I was jsut wondering if the LT1 would be close to it.....and what kind of problems to expect. im lookin for a black/red/white LT1 6-speed with less than 80k miles. lookin to spend 6500-7000 or less. hopefully thats pretty reasonable. the car can be stock for all i care. but yea sorry for a long first post So is this a good choice of car??

 

Its a good choice and will be a big difference in performance versus your TBI third-gen. In terms of performance versus the Bullitt you drove, it will be pretty close. If you are looking for an LT1 with around 80K on it, I would look to spend a little less. I would spend about 6 grand tops. A couple of the more recognized problems with the LT1s are the Optispark(distributor) and the rear intake tends to develop an oil leak. Both are not drastically expensive or involved repairs though.

 

sweet, what are the first mods to do? ill be limited on money for a while, cuz of the extra expense of the car, but i was thinkin like 4.10 gears, CAI, cat-back w/ headers. then how will it compare to the Bullit? What are some things to look for when buying one of these cars also, and how well do they handle, accelerate, brake, how contorllabe is the power, ect...sorry im really pumped bout getting one

 

You need to respect the fact that it is a rear wheel drive car with almost 300 hundred horsepower from the factory so be sensible when you drive it and you shouldn't have any problems controlling the vehicle. Gears, cold-air intake, headers, and catback are all very good beginner mods. I would also look into a mail-order PCM tune and maybe some 1.6 roller rockers and better valve springs down the road. Handling is good and the brakes are pretty good. A popular and cheap brake upgrade would be to replace the front brake assemblies with those from the LS1 based cars. I paid a 150 bucks for a complete LS1 braking assembly.

 

i kno i can handle the car, im almost 20, so ive had plenty of experience driving. i test drove an 05 GTO with a 6speed, that was fun . but yea, i jsut hope the car can be pretty fast, ive never had a fast car, and ive always wanted one....

 

Why rule out the earlier LT1 cars? If the car has been properly maintained, it won't matter if it is a couple years older than a '97. When you are looking at Lt1's, there are a couple things I would check.
1)Look under the car and at the back of the intake manifold for any leaks.
2) Check the water pump for any leaks
3) Power window motors
4) There are others, search the forum and you will find many threads
Where are you located? It is much tougher to find a nice car with low miles for some of the prices that are mentioned on here. (No offense to the above posters) I passed up an extremely clean '95 6 speed Z28 with 40k because I was told the price was too high. Luckily I found an almost identical red Z28(see sig). I'm not saying to just spend the bank because you found a car you like. I am mentioning that if you find a car that seems worth the money, don't worry about spending a bit more. The market for a low mile, M6, ttop car is a lot slimmer in Ohio than in areas in the south. Just a bit of advice.

 

Im located in kokomo, In. Im 50 miles directly North of Indy. dealerships around here dont have many camaros, but individulas have quite a few. the msot i want to spend, taxes and all 7k. ill have about a 1000 down payment. ill just get a loan through my bank or sumthin. the reason i want a 97, is because i read they have interior upgrades, and the tri-color tail-lights the lowest ill go is a '95. i also read the 93-94's, the opti-spark isnt sealed? sooo. whatever i get im sure ill be pretty happy. i jsut want to be able to lay some rubber with having to turn haha.....

 

If youve never drove a fast car before, i wouldnt just buy it and go out and "burn rubber" your first time. Like you said, youve never drove a fast car before. And do not know how these cars handle the power, braking and handling in general. So take your time and dont spoil it. If you wreck it, your insurance will go sky high with you taking out a loan, full coverage would be almost impossible to afford. This is coming from another "almost 20" (im 19) who has already lived and learned the hard way. I on the other hand didnt have full coverage and when i wrecked it, it was my problem. The car did not have a loan against it though.

 

Edmunds quoted about 6K for delare average and 4.5K for indidvual resale on a 97 SS Z28 no options.. there usally pretty accurate, but I couldn't find any options to select exact enginge so I am not sure what they are figuring on as that does seem a little lower than I expected.. but still 7K sounds resoanbale

 

agreed about the insurance... I just blew the enginge on my 97 bird and had to buy a new car: my old insurace (basic coverage - no comp/col) on the bird was $50 more a month than my new insurace (full coverage + towing + rent car reipusment) on a Gand Prix... what kills me is they both had the same 3.8 motor???

 

Yep, but the insurance company is just factoring in that you have a sports car and puts you in a higher risk category regardless of the engine.To the original poster, is it possible for you to get a personal loan? You will get alot more car for your money if you can get something private party versus what the dealer has to offer.

 

well ive drove the **** out of an 05 gto, a mustang, and a built '79 trans am..but never an LT1 camaro. but i didnt drive either car to really get a good feel, but driving sumthin is no problem...

as for insurance, full coverage for a loan, is 188/month for me.. as for a loan, im pretty sure you can get a loan for it, even if its a personal loan...

 

I wouldnt say ur price range is wrong. To find the right car sometimes ya gotta throw a couple more dolars into the deal. Look on here or LS1tech.com for some cars, an good luck!