best year for lt1
Registered User
Joined: Oct 2001
Posts: 6,070
From: newton, kansas, USA
Re: best year for lt1
Originally Posted by aggiez28
96-97 had the ugly interior. id go with 95.
thats just me though.
thats just me though.
Registered User
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 1,876
From: Maryland
Re: best year for lt1
If you are going to spend the money to purchase a 97 then you might as well just get a 98. You can find good deals on 98 LS1's for the same price as 97 LT1's if you take your time looking. Just my opinion.
Registered User
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 3,515
From: Kansas
Re: best year for lt1
95 for all the reasons already mentioned. If appearance is something you want then just get a Trans Am... they never really changed anything appearance wise on them except for the upgraded front end in 98 and the center console.
Registered User
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 286
From: A-Town, Illinois
Re: best year for lt1
ok, my buddy has a 98Z; Mac mids, LM, no cats, LS6 intake, MAF, Loud as can be! He passed emmisions b/c they ONLY plugged in to the computer. If they were to run it, he wouldve been screwed, but b/c its OBDII he was fine. 95 and down have more of a restricted emissions in my opinion. You need cats, EGR, AIR, Muffler. 96+ u dont need any of that...
Registered User
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 1,834
From: Indiana
Re: best year for lt1
Originally Posted by Sly_Z_28
ok, my buddy has a 98Z; Mac mids, LM, no cats, LS6 intake, MAF, Loud as can be! He passed emmisions b/c they ONLY plugged in to the computer. If they were to run it, he wouldve been screwed, but b/c its OBDII he was fine. 95 and down have more of a restricted emissions in my opinion. You need cats, EGR, AIR, Muffler. 96+ u dont need any of that...
Registered User
Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 203
From: Roseville, MI, USA
Re: best year for lt1
Ive owned a 96 Z, a 93, and im now on my 3rd which is a 94Z but In my opnion a 95 is the best year for the following reasons:
1. Vented Opti
2. Meatier heads (better for porting stockers)
3. OBD1 (i dont know what others are saying but you CAN tune out EGR, AIR, ect.)
4. NO Crank Position sensor (its a obd 2 thing and garbage imho)
im sure im forgetting some others but thats enough.
Personally i like the 93-96 interiors over the 97+'s because the dash in the 97 ups drive me insane. and if you get a clean one ( like mine, im biased
) then interiors really dont make much of a difference.
If you plan on driving it hard or full out drag racing try to find a hard top they are slightly stiffer than the t-top/verts.
Just my opnion,
good luck.
1. Vented Opti
2. Meatier heads (better for porting stockers)
3. OBD1 (i dont know what others are saying but you CAN tune out EGR, AIR, ect.)
4. NO Crank Position sensor (its a obd 2 thing and garbage imho)
im sure im forgetting some others but thats enough.
Personally i like the 93-96 interiors over the 97+'s because the dash in the 97 ups drive me insane. and if you get a clean one ( like mine, im biased
) then interiors really dont make much of a difference. If you plan on driving it hard or full out drag racing try to find a hard top they are slightly stiffer than the t-top/verts.
Just my opnion,
good luck.
Registered User
Joined: Oct 2001
Posts: 6,070
From: newton, kansas, USA
Re: best year for lt1
Originally Posted by turbo_Z
95 for all the reasons already mentioned. If appearance is something you want then just get a Trans Am... they never really changed anything appearance wise on them except for the upgraded front end in 98 and the center console.
Registered User
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 1,540
From: MN,USA
Re: best year for lt1
Originally Posted by Zaddiction27
unless he lives in a state with strict emissions....ie NY Then obd1 shines. Depending on what you are doing the 95 may be the best to purchase because it still has the meatier heads(if you wish to port stockers) but also has a vented opti and doesnt have to pass the sniffer. But if you have bigger plans then just pick what you like.
Registered User
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 2,315
From: NY...what a bad place for a nice car
Re: best year for lt1
Originally Posted by bow94z
95, had the vented opti, and Obd1
For 96+ years to pass emmisions they plug into the computer and perform the test that way, in other words,96+ has stricter emmisions. OBD1 is less sensitve to mods compared to a obd2
For 96+ years to pass emmisions they plug into the computer and perform the test that way, in other words,96+ has stricter emmisions. OBD1 is less sensitve to mods compared to a obd2
vented opti
obd1
modding is easier in emmisions strict states, yes u can delete certain things is teh computer but in emisions strict states u dont have them reddiness flags ull fail
easier to mod b/c of obd1
some states dont have emissions so u can go buck nutty and do whatever
only reall good thing i like about computer cars is with the right scanning equipment its easier to find a problem or pinpoint where its coming from
with older cars u dont have that tech support but then again if somthing goes wrong its easier to figure it out b/c there arent as many faults that can make it go bad (u know what i mean , im not good at explaining myself)
Registered User
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 1,115
From: Louisiana
Re: best year for lt1
Originally Posted by shoebox
"Best" threads ususally just turn out to be what a person likes (usually whatever they have). Arm yourself with all information about the difference in years and buy whatever suits you. 
