so this friday i am goin to test drive a black 1998 z28 for $5998, it has 115k miles but what are the main points that i should be looking at?

 

one: Do you like the car? two: check for rear end noise as with anycar. 3: most LS1's are plagued with piston slap at startup, dont mind it inless it continues past 210 degrees. How i tell if somethings been driven to hell, or just a highway cruiser, i check for paint wear on the cruise controls, and the window switches, and wear on the steering wheel. Those will give you a better idea of what was done with the car.

 

Check for a failing transmission, low-compression on a cylinder or two, worn-out clutch, rear that's about to go out, etc.

I bought a '98 last year for a lot more than that. It's had about 50 parts changed on it since I bought it, and it was a car in "good" shape. For that price (seems low), you might not be getting a whole lot of car for your money.

You should buy the car in the best shape that you can find. It might seem like you're coming out of pocket more now, but you'll be saving in the long run.

Ben T.

 

can u give a little explaniation as to wat piston slap would sound like, and wat it actaully is. thx in advanced

 

It's a knock sound when it's started cold. Some are louder than others (i can barely hear mine). It should go away within the first minute or so of starting. It's normal and hasn't been shown to hurt anything.

 

And the rear diff pinion seal. But for that cheap, little stuff that might be wrong has got to be considered part of the deal.

Best to concentrate on the big stuff. Engine/tranny condition, evidence of collision damage, flood damage, etc.