Long story short, the water pump went out on my Camaro (water leaking from the hole in the bottom) and I procrastinated replacing it and after a short time the head gasket 'blew'. The car still starts up and I can drive it around the parking lot, but unless I keep it full of coolant it starts to overheat pretty quickly. Also the oil is milkshaky, so it's definitely the head gasket.

Anyway, the only mechanic I talked to, and it was a while back, gave me a very rough estimate of about $2,000 to fix the whole thing. I didn't have that money at the time, and barely have it now. So my question is, do you think it would be worth it to spend that much, or more, to have my Camaro fixed? Also, how likely would it be to find a shop that would do it for less than $2,000? Or would I be better off trying to sell it as is to someone who has the ability to fix it themselves, and what would be a fair price to ask for a 94 Z28 needing a head gasket and a water pump?

I don't really know how active this site is, but any feedback, positive or negative is greatly appreciated.

 

Where are you located? You should get that oil/water out of the engine; it will cause other major problems such as spun bearings. put some fresh oil in it and do not run it.

 

You car isn't worth a lot with a blown head gasket. Continue to run the engine with watery oil will make it worth even less. Take gcouse7's advice above.

If all that is wrong with it is a water pump and a head gasket, the repair isn't that bad. Buy a service book a do it yourself. take parts off, replace gaskets and put parts back on. It wouldn't cost more than a couple hundred in parts.

If you were to try and sell the car, your potential buyers would be limited. I wouldn't see it selling for more than $1,200-1,500 if the rest of the car is in good shape. High miles, torn/stained seats, bald tires and crappy paint ~ $800.

 

You may also want to check CL for a local ASE certified mechanic to do the work. Would probably only charge you ~1/2 shop costs

 

I dont know your location, but here in OK you can pick up a used lt1 for around 1000 dollars, with warranty in most cases, i would just replace the whole unit. Getting it hot several times could have warped the head(s) or damaged the block plus driving it with water in the oil doesnt help either, decking and bore work is expensive so I would start over and save the time and money.