I own a 1995 Formula firebird, and I am joining the air force in september. I was thinking about saving enough money and jumping into a 98+ LS1 car, mainly because I like Camaros more and it would be pointless to move into an LT1 camaro. I love the LT1 but I've had the opti fail 3 times on me. I got a scare last weekend when I went out for a drive in the rain and my check engine light came on.

I know I can sell my LT1 Formula for at least 4,000. Its got a rebuilt transmission, new opti, new water pump, 130K miles, new coil, new intake, cut out, fan switch, new suspension, OBDI diagnostic port installed, and a bunch of other stuff I forgot to list.

Anyways, I was thinking I could get an LS1 Camaro for about 10,000. Does that sound about right?

Anything I should know about the LS1 cars that might be along the lines of the opti. Obviously if its a 4L60E car I should expect to rebuild the transmission but what should I be on the look out for. What fails on those cars in regards to engine and ignition problems. I can pretty much fix any problem that might arise.

However what should I pay close attention to when looking for an LS1?

Thanks, I hope this is the right forum. I was going to post in general but this question is engine specific.

 

i am at 60K miles and havent had any issues yet..

 

the ignition systems are solid as a rock on the LS1 cars, and support something like 600+ HP.

More common problems would be power steering pumps, oil pumps, piston slap. Piston slap is supposedly not harmful to the engine, but the steering pump and oil pump are a breeze to fix if you ever need to.

 

10K is not a problem IF your ok with having alot miles on the car when you buy it. You could probably get the best deal on a 98-99 Z28 with 50-80K mileage and still be in the 10K range. You might get a better deal from a private owner if you can secure a loan or pay cash.

The two known problems with LS1's are oil consumption (I have to dump 1 quart of oil in half way between my oil changes) and piston slap. Not all LS1's have piston slap (mine doesn't) so make sure you do a cold start on the cars before you buy and you may get one that has none like mine

Good luck, happy hunting and god bless.

 

too bad you didnt buy mine when it was for sale, a 99 z28 for around 43k miles for $8k

 

I'm a Formula / Trans Am man myself But that sounds like a great deal. The Dealerships always rip you off and the east coast isn't the best bang for your buck place to buy a car anyway. Just going through autotrader I couldn't find any F-bodies with less then 50K miles under 13K and most were 18-25k. I even saw a few listed for 28-32K. It's insane what some places want for a F-body up here.

Private owner is definately the way to go when you can swing a private loan or pay cash.