Hey guys. Ok, here's the deal. I am a sports car nut. But, for the past year or so I've been driving a 4x4 truck since I'm now married and all. My wife drives a '00 Dodge Stratus with 120K miles. From what I gather, we need to ditch that car because it's about to become a money pit. We have been eyeballing some 93-97 Z28 and TAs. I know this question is very general, but if the car is taken care of, how many miles can we expect out of it. What major issues can we expect? I have found a 1 owner car with 120K on it that seems to be immaculate but those miles scare me off. Thought? Thanks.

 

'95 Z28: Well the only major problem ive had was replacing the transmission arounk 120k miles and replacing a water pump around 130k... Other than that, maintenence is pretty simple. Just take good care of it and it will take good care of you.

 

Ask some certain people on here and they will tell you their 4th gens have been money pits as well. Afterall, we are looking at cars that can have up to 13 years on them already. If you are looking for one for the sports car factor, then by all means, but if you are looking for one as a form of reliable daily transportation, you may want to reconsider or look for one with less miles on it.

 

Like most any car, they are very durable if well cared for, and lots of trouble if neglected and abused. Obviously go over the car well. But, I place as much importance on the seller as on the car. Third owner, high school kid full of BS that brags about how fast he is and how bulletproof the car is....keep looking. Single owner, knowledgeable, with nice custom stuff he works on himself and a maintenence logbook, bingo! I'd pay a lot more in the latter case, too. Tough to find but worth the effort. Level of care and respect for a vehicle are critical to their longevity.

 

like most say, its all in how they are cared for, if its real clean it was probably well maintained... i would opt for the 6-speed since clutches are cheaper than tranys if it were to go out. otherwise they are pretty stout cars with an exception of the optispark (distributor), although i do believe i got 170k on mine before i droped it doing the cam swap, lol. Check out my sig... i'm turning the stock lower end to 6800 rpms and traping 114 on the stock heads, they are pretty strong motors. Thats with damn near 200k on it So i would say with 120k on it and it looks clean it would be a good buy for what you are looking for.

 

make sure the posi works....i didnt. lol

 

my car is a 1994 z28, has 145k on it, and the only "major problem" just happened now, and it was the cap/rotor going out, which i dont consider a major problem

just make sure it has maitenance records, take it to a mechanic if u dont feel comfortable checking it over urself

 

150K here still runs strong, only problems have been tranny going out, water pump, now i am hard on the car so i am lucky at this point(knock on wood). i drive mine about 20 miles a day and it has held up great.