I am planning to purchase a 1999-2000 Camaro SS, 6spd, full pwr, hopefully with SLP options. Is there anything I should watch for when buying one? Any problems to look for? What would be the best year? I am also considering maybe a trans am ws6, but I would rather have a Camaro SS. I love Camaros!!! Any help would be great. Thank You

 

get an 01 or 02 atleast. That way you get the LS6 intake and better flowing exhaust manifolds. Bu that last one doesnt matter if you're getting headers. Also I dont think those have the oil pump problems, but Im not sure.

 

I would look for an 01 or 02, but if I got one of those I'd have to get full insurance which is a little on the pricey side.
I have heard that some of the gauges on 99+ camaros are actually dummy gauges.....is this true??

 

Get an 01 Z28, unless you are REALLY into the styling of the SS. It can be duplicated for cheap.

Mike

 

only the 1998 had a functional temp gauge.. the other years since its more of a dummy gauge as people call it.. why? i dont know..

Mine slowly climbs.. It will be at the half way mark when its been driven then sits for a short time.. I dont know how far off they are or why people really call them dummy gauges but thats the common thought on those..

any reason you want the SS over the Z28 base? Looks? Performance? Mistique? Exclusivity?

 

The performance of all LS1 fbods is basically the same from 98-02, so get the best condition vehicle you can find/afford. When I was shopping, I wanted an 01 or 02 for the LS6 intake. But the earlier cars have bigger cams, so it's basically a wash.

I got a low miles 98 SS ( I love the looks of the SS package) for cheap, a lot less than an 01 or 02. Car is gorgeous, gets lots of compliments, and with the money I saved over a newer car, I could pay for an LS6 intake, headers, full exaust, etc. But I'm keeping it mostly stock... for now.


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I like the look of the SS, the Z28 just looks to plain.....I guess it doesn't realy matter. I could always strap a ram air hood on it later.

Now I have been told that it is never a good idea to buy a car the first year they do a major change, ie. they changed engines-body in 98'. This is usually the year that has the most problems, and recalls. Does this hold true or what??

 

well if you are going to do headers, go with a 99, the cam was beefier and it evens out the ls6 intake. 99's had much lower #'s of SS's as well. 98's had smaller injectors, but a functional temp gauge. In 2000 they switched to a cast exhaust manifold that flows about as good as a shorty header. About 20% or so of 01&02 cars came with an ls6 engine block which is a little more stiffer than the ls1 block. Bla bla bla, just odnt buy a 98 is my suggestion. all the others are the better deals and whatever is cleanest, cheapest, and availible.

 

98s had larger injectors 99s had smaller ones then they went back larger in 01.
And there were only ~3000 SS made in 98, double that for 99 then up to 10k plus for the rest of the years.
We have a 98 SS and it has been a great problem free car.

 

The engine itself came out in 97 in the vette. All year LS1 fbods will have a few vehicle owners complaining about piston slap or excessive oil use. My 98 has neither issue.

That's why I advise buying the best condition vehicle you can find/afford. You'll read threads on the boards by guys, who paid thousands more for newer models, complain about loud piston slap or engines that use a quart every 1,000 miles.

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isnt the oil consuption issue caused by hold high revs for extended amounts of time like 3 grand in 1 or second? CAuses blow by or something? not sure though.

As for getting an SS, depending on your area you may have to look very hard. When I was looking for mine I found 2 in a 6 month period the first was gone within a week. In the same amount of time I saw maybe 20 z-28s for sale. Just get a Z and then put the ss hood on it later. Or go the sleeper route and hide the tail pipes and debadge it. If you stay off the throttle ou can surprise alot of people. Thats just my .02



When people say they are a dummy gauge I think they mean it doesnt show gradual overheating. It will just pop to the red mark. Again Im not sure, if thats how it was I would think it would just jump to 210 when warmed up and sit there.

 

Look for the search feature at the top of the page. This gets asked about every other week.

As stated above, each year has their pros and cons. People will say 01-02 because it comes with LS6 stuff but they're also more prone to piston slap. Just get the best deal on the cleanest lowest milage car you can.

 

Sorry, guess i got my facts crossed.. should've taken the time to find the info again before posting. i thought the 99+ had the bigger injectors though, i thought the 98's were 24lbs and 99+ were 26

 

My 98 SS has been a great car..here are some of the things i have had to replace. It has 88k miles on it.

Clutch-spec 3
alt-went at 78k miles
thermostat

other then that its just been tires