Hey guys, i just joined the site and i look forward to talking with you all. Yesterday i test drove a 1995 M/T LT1 Z28 and it was great except for some issues. The car has 69K miles and is $7995, great clean body but on to the issues. Power steering was horrible, it felt as if the power steering pump was dead, is this normal for the cars steering wheel to be VERY tight driving at slow speeds..?? I'm a strong guy, and i was surprised how hard it was to turn (tires where inflated fine aswell). Now onto the clutch and pedal. I noticed that this pedal has ALOT of travel, yet all i had to do was kick in the clutch very little in order to shift. Most of the Manual cars i've driven you have to press all the way to the floor. Is that normal for this car..?

Another clutch/tranny related issue was the feeling at 3800-5000 RPM's in 1st gear. When i really got on it it felt as if the clutch was releasing and catching during those RPM's...only in 1st gear though. Also is there traction control on these..? I was looking for it to turn it off, there was no button for it. I found out that the car was bought at an Auction (uh oh) and when i opened the trunk, i noticed a portable firearm lock box that was bolted to the bottom of the trunk..??? Weird.

I really wanted to pick this baby up yesterday, but i was a bit disappointed. I imagine the speed of the car will increase with so many mods to be done to her. Currently i drive a 1993 Lincoln Mark 8 which has decent HP stock (280) so the highway driving in the Z28 was about the same as my Mark. But the Z28 has ALOT of torque down low, that's what i like.

 

Of course the power steering should not be difficult at all. It should be as easy as any other car.

I dunno about the clutch. Maybe you just aren't used to it.

No, first gear should not feel anything like that. It should just be smooth, grunty power if you hammer it. Are you sure you weren't just losing/regaining traction or something? Also, traction control was optional, so that car you drove probably didn't have it.

Sounds like you were looking at a lemon. Move on and find a better, especially for that ridiculous price.

 

If you really like the car, ask the guy to come down on the price, as I wouldn't label it a lemon just yet. Your issues sound pretty normal as it looks like the PS pump needs to be replaced and that the clutch is slipping and probably needs to be replaced as well. These are easy thinks you can do yourself if you are a little mechanically inclined and have the time. Take another look at it and pop the PS pump resiverior cap (on the pass side right above the PS pump) and see if the fluid level checks out. As to the traction control, I am not sure if they came on the 95' as I think they weren't available til 96' but you would know by one of 2 ways - button right above the shifter on the center console, and a massive motor/hunk of metal on the driverside valve cover near the firewall. Actually, it's better if you don't have it as they are a real PIA to work on with that tc module there as you have to take it off everytime to do work on the motor and it's more added weight to the car. Let us know what you decide to do and if you can post up some pics of the car.

 

when my clutch was dying out the engagement point got farther and farther back from fully pressed down. At the end you barely had to push it in, but you could tell the clutch was gone. It would slip so bad the engine would start to rev and than 2 seconds later the clutch would finally grab.

This may be the same case here, or it may be totally unrelated. I would give the car a complete look over if your thinking about buying it.

 

8k is too much for that car. FInd one with out any problems for less.
You can have mine for 8 grand!

 

Agreed, 8k for a 13 year old Camaro is way too much, even in perfect condition. And at 69k, the opti in that car will be quitting any day now.

Power steering should not be high effort at any speed or rpm.

Keep searching, there are better Camaros out there in that price range. Sounds like that was a wrecked car that someone put back together and it still has a problem with the power steering.

 

Thanks guys i do appreciate it. Today at work i was thinking so much about the test drive cause it was fun. I'm gonna wait a bit and search. What i cannot stand though is that there is VERY little out there with a 6 Speed. I see plenty of A4's but i refuse to buy one, i know they are better sometimes for dragging, but not being able to rev-match and choose my gear would kill me.

 

Same here man...its very hard to find M6 LT1's which arnt destroyed...I looked for a long time afte selling my A4...I eventually found my 96' Formula M6 w/ 30k got it for $7000 out the door. I had a lot of issues tho...trans needed rebuilt, car was on its 2nd clutch, needed new waterpump, head gaskets had been replaced...Total lemon. But now everything is fixed and I love it! Dont settle for an A4 unless you plan on going to the track, the m6 is soooo much funner to drive.

 

You got this right....even back in '98 when I was looking for my Z.....it took several months for me to find a Z that was not trashed and finding one with a M6 made it that much more difficult.