i wouldn't even bother with a bank. when i bought my 99z i went through Capital One Auto Finance.

they do a thing called "blank check". you apply for a loan for the max you want to pay for a car....no need to have a car picked out yet!!
when/if you get approved for that ammount the send you a blank check. then you go car shopping. when you find what you want you write the check for what the car costs.

what's cool is if you apply and get appoved for say $15,000 but you find a car for only $13,000 all you have to do is write if for the $13K. and they adjust your monthly payment accordingly.

this way you can buy from a dealer, using "cash in hand" as a way to get better deal. OR you can buy from a private person...using the same bargaining chip.

and their rates are great! i got about 5% interest on a 60 month loan for my 99z on $13000, so i only pay $251 a month!!

check em out:
capital one auto finance


oh yeah...and there is no real need for a down pqyment with them. so you can save that for mods...or do the right thing and make a nice big payment the first few months but mods are more fun!
in my case, i applied for $13K, got approved, but found a car for more...so i used my cash as a down payment, and gave him the "blank check" for the difference.

 

Sammy's right, Go thru a bank. It's less hassle, your not paying the dealer anymore commission and you'll probably get a better rate. My SS is an auto and I love it! With these cars there is plenty of power either route you choose, it's a matter of preference and what you plan to do with it.

I choose the auto because I drive it alot and shifting gets old after a few months. Also, the auto's are all around cars. With a $500 Stall you will be amazed at how the auto's launch compared to the manuals. I would say that 6speeds are more fun to drive though

 

capital one is doing 4-6% interest....hard for banks to compete with that.

when i did mine, the two banks i checked were trying to make me feel good about 12%

and as for hassle...

apply online, they call you in an hour or so with the decision, mail you the "blank check" and then you go car shopping.
when you find the one you want you fill out some paperwork, fax them some info, wait a hour for their appoval and you're done

 

my bank is right in that area for me (4-6%). is the capial one a set percentage rate?

 

Just to clarify...Capital One is a bank! I was just saying a lot of the time dealers aren't looking out for your interests the way a bank does. I'm not ******* Capital One. Do you have stock in the company or something? I just bought my car three months ago financed through a bank and I'm paying 3.85% vs the 7 my dealer was trying to charge. Just be smart and do what works best for your situation.

 

i am not ******* on capital one either, for me it comes down to the fact that if a problem comes up i can drive down the road to my bank and talk my banker face to face.

 

i wouldn't be to concerned witht he year..i mean there isn't a big difference between the 98's and the 02's id be concerned with condition, miles..and treatment in general of the car your looking at buying..I bet i can find a pos..road like hell 02...that only sells for 10 and a 98..that is in great condition well tooken care of...for 14-16 see what i mean?...

 

mine is for sale for $10,000

see "website" its a 2001 B4C with 112,000 miles on it. needs spark plugs and possibly a knock sensor. it has the LS6 intake and no egr stuff.

 

actually there seems to be 25+ rwhp diffrence between the 98 an 01/02's

 

I think there are few upgrade in the 01 02 like intake. But all in all they're the same car. You can make up the few Hp difference. And I don't think it's quite as high as 25...maybe more like 10.

 

Thanks for all the input, that leads me to another question. Is it worth it to pay $3-$4K more for an SS with only 20 more hp then a Z28? I figure you could get that 20 hp back for alot less then that with some minor tweaks.

 

its just the SLP airlid and cat back exhaust. thats what gives it the 25 extra hp. if you get an SS your paying for the name, hood, wheels and spoiler basicly.


if you have a chance get a 01 or 02 deffinatly worth it. it dosent have stupid egr stuff and it has a LS6 intake, which is expecialy good if you want to upgrade your engine later. you put a LS6 cam into it, port and polish your heads and basicly you have a LS6.

 

The SS package holds it's value pretty good, but it sounds like your looking the newest car you can afford.