Alright, I have gone and looked at the 96 SS one last time and am probably goign to buy it now... There is one thing i would like to ask... It has 14k miles and has been sitting... It doesnt start up right away and when it does a puff of blueish blackish smoke comes out... The car seems to have some sort of problem with it I thought probably from sitting... When I push on the gas the engine doesnt respond immediately... Its not terribly bad but the reaction is kindof slow... I was just wanting any input on what it might be i thought because it had been sitting, oil, injectors, something along those lines? Thanks

 

valve seals. If it has been sitting for a while, the seals have probably dried right out. The valve seals may not be the only thing that has gone. Its not usuallly a good idea to let a car sit for too long. I would be getting kind of skeptical

 

Any other ideas?.... It hasnt been sitting for an eternity or anything it does have 14k miles I ran the carfax on it... But the car just seems to have some lag and the little puff of smoke did make me kind of wonder... Im not questioning the fact that it has 14,000 miles but im just wondering what kind of damage could have been done from it sitting there..

 

By the way there is also black soot in the tailpipes

 

Really, the deciding factor IMO is HOW MUCH??? You shouldn't pay top dollar for it but then again if it is a heck of a deal you shouldn't discount it just because of these problems. So, to me, it would depend on how much the guy wants to get out of the car. $15k or so would be about (I think) what he *might* be able to get out of the car in great shape. Since it isn't running right, it should obviously be quite a bit less

 

Well it is a 1996 camaro ss with no leather, t-tops, and its auto... The exterior looks good there are a couple of minor blemishes, but for the most part it looks like a car that has 14,000 miles on it... he will sell it for 9,500 that was his bottom dollar... I am just curious to know if I did buy it how much it might cost me to fix the problem...

 

have you actually test driven this car or just started it in the driveway? i would let it idle for at least 15 min then take it for a good 25 min ride to get a better idea of what the deal is with the smoking issue and throttle responce, if it has been sitting outside in the weather the car will most likly need wires, plugs, oil change,fresh fuel filter and new fuel in the tank, or maybe the opti could be bad as well, $9500 is a good chunck of cash to blow if the car does have other issues, i would give it another real good once over or maybe even bring a mechanic with you...good luck

 

Yeah, I test drove it for about 5 minutes... I think that it was kept outside the tires have weather rot like they had lost their pressure and sat for a while... I'm thinking that i was sitting for a couple of years then has been driven more recently... How much would it cost for me to drive it to a chevy dealer or other mechanic shop and have them do a check on the compression and everything else? Also, what is opti?

 

Take it to the dealer and have it checked.That will be well worth the $50+. If it's not white smoke then that should be a good sign. Not a great thing but not burning oil. I would buy it myself but its your dollar.Check book and deduct for this.

 

Could anyone tell me what the black soot in the tailpipes might be from?

 

Black soot is normal. It's the burnt carbons in the exhaust. Happens more when the car is running a little rich, but the carbon builds up on cars in perfect running condition.

Dan

 

Alright thanks guys... One last question about the throttle response... It was slower than I think that it should be does anyone know what that might be associated with? That and it just didnt have the get up and go like it should thanks..

 

Might just need to be driven and have everything "clear out" in the motor.... Like the human body, a car needs exercise to stay in top form.

Anyway, black smoke is fuel... and it's normal to get black soot on tail pipes... BLUE smoke is oil, and you should not see that coming out the tail pipe. If you do, there's something that needs looking at. Maybe valve seals, maybe rings.... Doesn't seem likely to have a ring problem on a 14k motor, but as stated, it is possible for valve seals to dry out. then again, if I had to guess, I'd say if you start driving the car that 99% of that will clear up... On the other hand, you should negotiate the price down based on the fact that the car smokes and it obviously needs new tires, too.

I'd say offer 8,000... can't hurt, right?

-Michael

 

it is an ss remember 8,000 and id probably be spanking him... haha.. i might try for 9 though since it needs new tires... we'll see how it goes

 

i would pick it up and change the fue filter and run 2-3 tanks of good gas, some fuel injector cleaner and run the hell out of it.