Hi everyone,

I am strongly considering purchasing a 4th generation Camaro Z28 or SS. I am wondering if any year is better than the other, is there any one year to stay away from, and what are some of the common mechanical problems I should excpect? Any and all advice would really be appreciated.

Thanks.

 

stay away from 93.. The reason i say this was because this is a lone year. Nothing really wrong with them, its just hard to find parts for them. I had one nothing wrong with it 168k on it then sold it and the guys still drives it.. It was just hard to find performance parts for it. If you go 94 and up you will be fine..

 

Yeah 93 is kinda a bum year. They run fine but instead of having a "flash" ECM they use changable PROM chips. This makes it alittle more difficult to find someone who can tune it. And if you do any mods you have to have the chip burnt over and over. With the 94-95 OBD1 ECM its is very easy to find someone who tunes them AND you only have to mess with two 02 sensors(96-97 LT1s use OBD2 has 4). Another downfall for 93 is if you get a 6-speed car the transmissions in them have a different 1st gear then all the other f-body T56s. They have a steep 2.97 first gear and that makes the trans slightly weaker. I have a 94 and its been great to mod. Most people who own a 96 or 97 LT1 convert there cars back to OBD1 for ease of tuning. If you have a 94 or 95 you already have that. A differance between 94 and 95 though is the Optispark. The 94 has an "unvented" style and the way it is driven off the front of the engine is differnt then the 95 "vented" style. Most of the info Ive seen seems to point to the 94 unvented style of opti being a little more reliable than the vented ones. But the only real issue Ive heard about with the vented style is the problem some people have with the rotor exploding at very high RPM. BUT if you want as SS your going to obviously have to settle for a 96 or 97. If you get any 94-97 I belive you will be satisfied. Just keep posting on here and ask questions and you will have a good time with it for sure. Hope that helps. ALSO, if you get an auto car look in the glove box on the 93-95 cars and in the door on the 96-97 cars. Look for an RPO code of GU5. If its GU2 it will need to have the gears changed for optimum performance.

Jeremy

 

OBd2 is the ****! what are you guys talking about? Its they only years that you can get longtube headers/offroad ypipe and be perfectly legal! Just need some 02 sims and pcm tune and you can run catless w/ longtubes since you dont have to do the sniffer.

 

Not many people can tune OBD2 like they can OBD1. AND there is no was in hell that long tubes are gonna pass anywhere that has strict smog tests. It would fail the visual in a heartbeat. For ease of ownership and modification getting an OBD1 car to start with it the way to go for a novice.

Jeremy

 

I like my OBDII. I have 2 Y pipes that I can bolt in. One has cats, the other doesn't. When I have emissions checked, they plug into the cpu, and do a visual inspection for cats. Pass no problem.

 

Mechanical problems I had since getting my 95 were the radiator cracking the day I brought it home, ignition wires frying, water pump and opti going out at the same time, and the fuel pump. I think 2 big things to look out for are the opti and water pump. If it has higher miles, find out if the pump or opti have been replaced. If not, they may go out soon if it has over 100,000 miles. My 2 friends also had to replace their water pumps and optis at around 140,000 miles as I did.

 

thanks guys, i really appreciate all the advice.

 

I think cali is probably the only place which actually does visuals, around the midwest its jsut a bunch of dumbass's pluggin in a computer.

 

go for a 98....they have the ls1 and the easy to change headlights. they still have the nice 5-star wheels, the upgraded interior, stereo controls on the steering wheel, monsoon sound system, bigger brakes, better rear...too much to list.

get the 98 or 99...but watch out for "piston slap" which should have been fixed by GM in a recall.

 

In chicago/northwest indiana if you fail the roller test they do a visual. 98 Zs nice but LS1 are really expencive to mod but man its worth it. You will pay between $6000 and $9000 for a 98Z. You can pic up an LT1 car for $2000 for a fixerupper and $7000 for a REALLY nice one. Id go with an LT1 for now. The later go for an LS1 when they are cheap enough to own.

Jeremy

 

Agreed^^^^^^^

 

Test drive an LT1, then test drive an LS1. I dont have to tell you what choice you'll make.

I drove 3 lt1s and like 4 ls1's. there is no comparisson, and mod for mod LS1>everything. You can find great deals on LS1's too. One down the street sold for 6k with only 91k and I bought my vert for only 9.5k with 70k miles. you can find deals, you just have to look.

 

go with a 98 or up that has the ls1 in it. hands down that is the way to go. i have my lt1 and even with the stuff thats done to it I can only get about half to one car link on a STOCK ls1. that motor is amazing. If you want to save money an lt1 is still a really great choice though. Having a 4th gen with either motor is going to have problems but it is definatley worth it.

 

I used to have a 94 Z28 with an LT-1. When the water pump goes out, it leaks out the weephole right onto the optispark and knocks it out too. Those are the 2 most expensive parts to replace on that engine. It was about 4 years ago, so there was no aftermarket, you had to get them at the dealership. $400 for the water pump...$700 for the optispark. At least MSD makes an optispark now. I have an LS-1 now and wouldn't go back to an LT-1 if you paid me to.