Hello everyone, I'd like some opinions here if I may.

I have a 1998 Z-28. It just turned 100,000 miles and runs great. Here are my issues with it...

1. The body. Paint is good, but I need to file an insurance claim as a tire from a semi came off in front of me on the highway and I ran over it. That knocked off my front driver's side ground effects, knocked a panel out of alignment, and put rubber marks on my door.

2. The interior. Interior is good except the drivers seat has the foam wore down a little bit and there is one hole in the leather.

3. Suspension. The suspension is a little loose and I have no idea how much that will cost to replace/fix. Also needs new shocks. Springs as well since I'd like to lower it.

4. Tires/rims. My tires are getting fairly low and I need to replace them. When I do that I want to go to larger rims as the ones I have now are the stock chrome 16's - and one of them has bad pitting.


Now, all that into account - the car runs simply great. Never had a problem, just replaced the belts and all that. The only mod is a new lid I put on it with the cold air intake. My question is this - should I fix it up and then start with some mods(headers, catback, converter, etc. etc.) or should I trade it in and get a 2001 or something with say, 40-50,000 miles on the clock? I want the car I have to retain some value when the new Camaro comes out as I plan to get that car. I love my car but I don't want to keep pouring money into it only to wish later I had just traded it in?

Any opinions would be greatly appreciated.

 

Is it paid off? I want an LS1 camaro/firebird but i would have to get a loan thus taking that much more cash outta my pockets per month resulting in fewer mods. A newer car might have less problems to start with but the average person usually pays the same amount if not more because of the monthly payments. I dont worry about miles too much because whats the point of owning a car if you dont want to drive it because of adding miles?

 

Well I'll just say that I used to have an 89 Formula 350 as a daily driver, gave it to my nephew in exchange for him getting my SS shipped down from the northeast. Formy had issues like yours, so I traded for something nicer, even though basic car was still good. My nephew put some work into it and it came out really nice. I ended up regretting letting it go. Should have kept it as a backup, but that would have been 4 cars, so... And the LS1 > L98 by a lot.

LS1 is still better than the vast majority of powerplants out there, and the 98-02 Fbods still look damn good. With a little effort, your car can be looking ***** again. If it were me, and I was happy with the basic car, I'd keep it and just take care of the minor/moderate issues it has, get some ZR1s off ebay, enjoy not having a payment... till you get a 5th gen.

 

Yeah, about the car being paid off - not quite.

Got about $1800 to go after next payment.

 

My opinion is that this isn't a LSx engine technical question. bye

 

he never said it was, you must have clicked on the wrong forum cuz this is general tech and info.

 

It's here now, I'm sure it was in LSx tech before because he just happens to be a moderator...he moved it to the appropriate category.

 

My opinion would be to sell it, buy a great shape LT1 car for tons less, and then mod the heck out of it with the extra money.

 

I would keep it, the problems it has are minor and fixable. Plus, you already vested alot of money into it and it is almost paid off. For the body damage, personally, I would just file the claim and get it fixed. For the interior, call up an upholstery shop and see how much they would charge to fix some minor damage like that. As for the suspension, your car has a 100K on it, I'm sure the bushings and shocks are shot by now. I just replaced most of my suspension with aftermarket stuff and it handles and feels 10x better now. Check out some of our supporting vendors and price out the various suspension parts. As for the tires/rims, thats an easy fix and mainly up to your budget and personal taste. If you don't like your rims, there are plenty of aftermarket options. As for the tires, you get what you pay for meaning you can get by on a cheap set of rubber or you can pay a little more and get a good set of tires and that will make a noticable difference in your car's handling department as well.

 

WHen the new Camaro's come out it will kill the value of the old ones, no matter what they look like or how many miles on on them. That 40k car you are thinking about will have the same problems in a year or so yours does now, and it will cost you a lot more money.

Keep it!

 

I put it in there because my main concern in keeping the car is the engine and its longevity. I felt that was a subject directly related to the LS1 engine and the experience people here have had with them.

You dismissed this rather rudely with the smart retort - I was just looking for help. If you believe this thread to be in the wrong forum then fine, no problem, just say that and perhaps let me know what you think about my situation instead of dismissing it with a sarcastic remark. I apologize for posting that in the wrong forum.


Thank you to all who have responded so far with their opinions on the subject, I appreciate it! It means a lot to hear other people's experiences with this engine and how durable it is.

 

To give up an LS1 car for an LT1 when its almost paid off is a retarded notion altogether when he originally wanted to get a newer LS1. Huge dongrade!


Anyway, Keep your car and mod it. Its almost paid off so why sell it? Youll save a ton bye keeping your current car.


Get a catback do some free mods,put in some gears and a stall converter and go run 12's

 

BTW,911, How do you spend 60k on a car and run 11's? ????..... I bet your really upset over that.

 

Everybody's sooooooooooooo sensative. I have a job to do and everyone get's bent when I do it. How was what I said rude?
Go back and read you own post. Not a single question about my motor's doing this what should I do?
You ask about the car in general as in "General Tech".
You want to go back and ask about the engine fine but keep it to just the engine.

 

Propaganda.

The only thing that upsets me about my Camaro is when I have to put it away for the winter. As for the 60k, lets just say there is more than just go fast parts in it.