I had another thread but this is more related to me making decision on whether or not to rebuild my 97 SS Camaro.

Maybe someone here can help me out. Here's my situation.

This camaro is pretty much in need of a rebuild. It will probably break down very soon and it's only a matter of time. I think my head gasket is infact cracked or blown or something is wrong with it because I can smell coolant burning off somewhere and it has a lot of mechanical issues. My goal is really to buy the new 2010/2011 ss camaro, but I need time to save money for that. This is my daily driver so I need to either get it rebuilt or buy a new car ASAP. I was thinking about just going out and trading this one in for like 3k (if i can get that much) and buying a HONDA civic or like an altima etc. I was thinking about paying that for a year and then trading it in for the camaro....but i'm not sure if ill lose money on that if i go that route vs rebuilding this engine and just keeping this one around for a while longer.

At the same time, i really love this car and would love to fix it up, do a new paint job, re-do the interior, etc- (basically restore it little by little). But the first thing I need to do is the motor.

I have a good shop that will do a stock rebuild for around 4k (includes all the labor). My budget if 6k to put into this car right here, right now or just go out and buy a new car. I also don't really want to make payments on a new car but if i have no choice and if its the more economical decision then I might as well.

What would you guys do if you were in my situation?

 

I would pull the engine and do a rebuild. You will never be happy with a honda. Not a chance. I had a '04 GTO with the LS1 and M6. I had to trade that car in(reluctantly) for a new truck since my old truck was not heavy duty enough to tow my 5th wheel toyhauler. I regret trading that car in, it was so much fun to drive and I always had a smile on my face when I was driving it/riding in it. After we did the trade in, we were happy with the new truck ofcourse. But then all we had was two trucks:my new one and my old one. Well, the older truck ran fine but got like 13mpg, and driving it was killing my wallet. We ended up then getting a lincoln mark 8 from my dad(for free)which was full of problems that I fixed temporarily just to have something to drive. It kept leaving me stranded and eating alternators, so I got off it cheap. Then I ended up finding a good deal on a used 2001 honda civic. It had 121,000 miles on it when I got it. Now it has almost 177k on it. It has been a pretty good car. It's not comfortable and it is cramped, but it gets 37mpg around town or highway(makes no difference). It is cheap on tags, tires, maintenance and insurance. I already paid it off, that's the good part. I have only replaced maintenance items on it like tires, brakes, timing belt, water pump etc. Here's the thing: It is a great car, but I feel like a wimp everytime I get behind the wheel. It is pretty gutless and gets nowhere fast. The a/c and heat work excellent, it has a moon roof and 4 doors, so 4 people can somewhat comfortably ride. I just recently realized that nobody rides with us anyways, so I went and bought my first camaro. I got a '97 Z28 M6. It has a blown head gasket so I got it for $1200. I already pulled the engine/tranny out the bottom myself(pm me if you need to talk about it). It wasn't that bad, not nearly as bad as I was picturing. The point is, if you love the car but it only needs some things to make it really good again, you would be money ahead to rebuild the engine/tranny and NOT TAKE A PAYMENT. I bought my truck 3 1/2 years ago for a little over $40k. I am only halfway paid off on this truck, the payment totally sucks. I would stick 3 grand into it and keep it. They don't make camaros like these anymore. The camaro/firebird looks and feels a way that no other car can compare to, in my eyes. You really feel like something driving it. I would hate to see you go spend $40k on a new camaro or 15K on a new civic when you can just spend 3 or 4 and have a totally badass camaro. Hope this helps............

 

I think you need a relaible, economical daily driver. I was 45 when I bought my first new automotive toy (the Camaro).

 

I would say it depends on how much you have invested in your 97, I have over 30 mods to my 2000, it is highly customized for me, it's exactly how I want it and I have a lot of time invested in making it that way and I donlt have the money for a new car anyway not that I really want one.

On the surface you could have a great car for cheap if you rebuild the 97 and upgraded it blah blah, but the 97 is an old car, it's 20 year old technology. But it makes very little sense to me to buy a brand new camaro when you already have a camaro.

It would make even less sense to buy a new car and then trade it in after only a year.

The 1997 camaro is a very rare car because it has the newer interior but the older body, that's a cool factor to have a rare car like that.

If I were you I would look at some 3-4 year old used cars and see how you like the new technolgy and then decide.

It used to be really cheap to rebuild/restore a car but not anymore, jesus, $4k just to rebuild the motor?? damn!

I better alternitive might be to just find a used motor or whole pwertrain for sale in good shape for cheaper and just have it dropped in and sale your junk motor.

My next car will defintly be a sporty 4cyl.

 

sell it on Craigslist for $3k but ask for 4k. Advertise it heavily, the SS is desirable. Buy a Crown Vic or Lincoln town car with 10000k with the money and drive it till you can afford a better car. The camaro is a money pit. The Crown and the Town are taxi cabs for a reason. They are cheap to maintain and run for ever. I have owned many Town cars, They are full framed, rear wheel drive, lots of room, And very easy and cheap to repair. I just bought a 96 M6 Z for my son and have been throwing money at it ever since. I cant sell it for what I spent on it. It rides like ****. I must be getting old. (43)

 

lol mixed reviews here. My problem is that I feel like it's a waste of money to buy something I really don't want just to get rid of it later. I really love this car- it's my first car (had it 7 years now). I really would hate to get rid of it...but yah it is a money pit like you said. I usually throw about $500/year on repairs. But i mean, if I rebuild the motor...what else could possibly go bad? Wouldn't I have like a brand new car with no payments? the only thing I would have to replace is small things that should be relatively easy, no?

And I don't think i would want to find a used motor- only god knows what condition it is in. Feels like it would be a waste of money. Also, if i need a new motor, I might as well rebuild and upgrade a few minor things right? Sounds like it would be the best time to do it.

 

For 4K you could buy another used Camaro. But I advise against it. Better to use part of that money and buy a used Honda. Drive it every day and save for the car of your dreams.

Don't put any more money in the pit. Sell it or keep it for later when you have money to spare.

 

I would keep the Z and rebuild the engine. You can do it for a few grand and basically have a new car(besides the plastic bs that you can't help. If you need cheap transportation stick to a used honda or toyota. Toyota makes some really solid trucks that will run for a million miles, and get great mileage while never leaving you stranded. Make sure you get the 4 cylinder if you get either one, the V6's don't get anywhere near the mileage. If money is an issue right now, just park the car and cover it, get yourself the economy car and save your duckets up for the build. My wife's civic will go over 400 miles on a tank of fuel, and when you stop you only put in 11 or 12 gallons. I would buy one again in a second if I needed to go that route to save money. Stay away from the newer american cars(not the camaro). Cars like the mailbu, the hhr, cobalt, taurus and garbage like that. They are worthless. The japs have it all figured out, how to get mileage, power and reliability. I would just park the Z and spend about $3500 on a used civic or tercel/camry/tacoma. As long as they have been taken care of you'd be money ahead. Just make sure the timing belt was recently replaced(with reciept). If you get a car that has more than 60k on the timing belt, it's time to change it. It costs about $3-400 for the parts & labor. If it hasn't been done, that's a negotiation tool. Get a standard transmission whatever you do. You'll get more power and mileage, and less problems. Hope it works out for you.