Ok, newbie here. I'm involved in many online forums (mostly gun forums), but I've never been to the car forums. Here's my predicament:

I currently have a 96 z28 with the LT-1. I hate it. Something is always either in the process of breaking, has broken, or is going to break in the near future. Among many, many other problems I've had, 15,000 miles ago the head gaskets blew. They just blew again, so this is the last straw. I don't have the time to learn how to perform major operations on this car, and I don't have the money to buy the tools I'd need.

Now I'm a college student right now, so I just can't keep shelling out money to fix this thing, not to mention I need a *dependable* car. So my question is this: would getting a 98-02 Camaro (one with, say, around 60,000 miles) leave me with a more reliable car than my current one, or would I be facing many of the same problems? Are the LS-1's better in terms of head gasket longevity since the whole engine block is aluminum? Thanks for any info/experience yall can give me

 

As long as the ls1 fbody was taken care off you will be fine. My lt1 breaks down a lot more than the guys I know with ls1s. They are usually never broken, my car is always breaking opti's, and the rear end just recently went out. I say find a ls1 car that was well taken care of and you will be happy; even with 90k you will be fine, if it was taken care of. I wish I had bought a ls1 when I got my car; a ls1 with full boltons and cam would be really quick.

 

haha my LT-1 is the reliable z28, and my LS1 always leaves me stranded! I recommend trading for a 3.8 V6 if you want reliability over power. but I would say maintenance of the LS1 is easier.

and remember if you beat on a car it will fall apart

 

If your head gaskets failed again so quickly, then one of the following is true:

1. They were low quality gaskets
2. They weren't installed correctly
3. Whatever caused them to fail in the first place is still a problem

LT1 engines are generally very reliable, outside of the "optispark" distributor system. LS1 engines don't have any single common point of failure that I know of, but that doesn't mean they're perfect or that they never have issues.

I guarantee that a proper fix on your LT1 will be less expensive than purchasing an LS1 that hasn't been beaten on all its life. You just need to find a mechanic that won't screw it up. That's where we can help -- where are you located?

 

^^^^^^what he said.

 

Eh, I'm done with that car. It's not JUST the head gaskets that have failed. Pretty much every other major system component crapped out before 130,000 miles. And no, I don't treat it roughly, and it was a middle aged dude who owned it before me (1 owner). For all the money I've blown on that piece of fail I could have just bought a much nicer (and more reliable) car. So no, at this point I've resolved to sell it.

And btw, I live in Lynchburg Va (for school), but many of the repairs were done in Va Beach, where I'm originally from. Hopefully the next car I buy won't break within the next couple of years, but in case it does please recommend a decent mechanic around there if you can.

The Camaro will always have a special place in my heart, but right now my wallet just can't handle it. Maybe later on down the road when the cash is flowing I'll get an LS1...or maybe even one of the new ones

 

Don't worry, my LT1 was a piece of **** when I first got it as well. I had to replace tons of stuff on that car to get it into decent reliable condition --

On the bright side, I've never had reliability problems with any of the 6-7 LS1s that I've owned.

 

Ls1 > lt1

 

Well, at the very least, don't take whatever car you end up buying back to the mechanic that botched the head gasket job.

 

I have a 2000 camaro z28 and it has roughly 120000 on it right now. The biggest issue that I have had with it is the automatic tranny kept blowing drive and overdrive. I am in the process right now of putting the t56 standard tranny in. I do believe that the ls1 with the t56 behind it is going to be a very reliable drive train. If you need anymore info, feel free to e-mail me!

 

Ive owned several of both and both engines hold up well "if they were or are taken care of".

 

Where you told to go back to the mechanic to check the heads and have the bolts re-torqued?

When my 95 Jeep had the head gasket replaced the dealership asked me to come back for them to check up on the motor. It did not cost me anything but they checked the valve train and re-torqued the head bolts, and changed my oil for my "inconvenience". They probably figured in the cost of all that in the bill but it was still a reasonable charge for fixing the problem. This is why I return there for anything I can't tackle myself.


Oh and my 94 Z28 has been nothing but reliable.

 

My LS1 has left me high and dry several times, but it's not really stock... lol
LS1's are way better than LT1s though. More power, WAY better gas mileage etc... Having said that my 94 Z has 203k on it and has NEVER broken down :P

 

sound like you've already decided to sale it but just make sure you do a good analysis of the situation, are the head gaskets the only repeat repair?? It sounds like you have fixed a lot of the problems the car had, if that is the case you might as well keep it rather than throw all that money away. And always use GM or Napa parts.

BTW, the 5spd 3.8's are a blast to drive.