Hey guys I'm new to the site Names Devon and I'm in the US Navy. I have just arrived in Bremerton Washington and in the next two weeks I will be getting a car. I have 10k to spend on a car and I want a 98-02 Camaro. I would love to get the V8 but I'm only 20 living on E-3 pay so I'm getting the V6 cause for the next few years thats what I can afford. So my questions is how much horse power and torque does the 3.8 make? How many miles does some of your v6 camaro's have. And how hard is it to find some after market performance parts for these cars, I'm talking cold air intake, exhaust or headers. Thanks for any infomation guys.

 

If I were you'd I'd look for one with the Y87 package, which you can tell by the VIN. You can tell the earlier Y87's by the rear disc brakes in the rear.

3800's had 200 hp. With the M5 tranny, they were pretty quick, almost as fast as some late model Mustang GT's. Mine was extremely reliable and the insurance was relatively cheap.

Good luck.

 

Honestly I think aside from cat back and a retune aftermarket is a lost cause on the v6s. The CAIcosts like $400 and only give you 5 hp, headers are also very expensive for the HP you recieve. I've seen these cars go well over 150K and not blink an eye, and its because the combo's of engine and transmissions are very reliable. The 3.8 os arguably the most reliable engine GM has ever made. I personally would get a 2000+ up if you can that way you get the better steering wheel, with the steering wheel mounted audio controls, something very worth having....

 

like said above the 3.8 with the M5 will give close to 200HP and the basic aftermarkets are available. For a daily driver it is a good choice, sure it is not as quick as the 5.7 but when your considering costs etc., it make sense! The last two I had gave me a solid 150K on the clock and probably would have given more

 

there is some buy on these boards who runs 14.4.14.6 with a stock 2000 v-6 camaro. with some little extras that could very well be a high 13 second car. Not bad

 

Man I miss mine

FYI, I sold my 98 last fall with 60,000 mi for $6,000. It was SHOWROOM CONDITION with Borla, Wisper lid & Was almost loaded except Leather!

I think I would of liked it more had it been a M5, The auto with 3:08's really rained on the potential IMO.

Great Car! I need to stop

 

He sold it.

A typical stock V6 camaro will net a 14.8-15.4 1/4 mile time, depending on the weather conditions and driver ability.

 

The best performance mods for a V6 camaro that I have found are....

1. Upgrade spark plugs to Bocsh Platinum 4 tips. (felt a big difference)
2. Hypertech programmer. (felt a big difference)
3. K&N Filter & free ram air mod. (car didn't feel any different but it's only $50.)
4. Exhaust Cutout just for the sound, don't know if it helps performance or not. A cut-out you can turn on and off and it's cheap and sounds as good as any exhaust system but it's not tuned for performance which is why most people get the catbakc system I guess.
5. If you get an auto get the tranmission flushed, if it hasn't been. it will shift better & faster.

everything else I tried performance wise made no difference in feel though I've never tried actually modding the motor any. I like to play with the appearence more than performance.

Definitly get a Y87 if your lucky enough to find one, it was only Like a $300 option but they are rare, I do have one. You can also tell it by if the stock muffler has dual turn-down pipes.

 

I like the V6. like Cheap Guy said stock they can just about outrun a GT. get a GT with someone who isn't completely on the ball and you can beat them. I've done it before. I put a new exhaust and intake on mine and i was getting over 32 mpg before my engine started going downhill. but i've almost got it fixed and so i'll be back up to that kind of mileage. the V6 is definitely worth it, especially with the manual tranny. I'm in the military too (Army Reserves) so i know how it is on the money. It was definitely worth mine. has 132k miles on it and i should be able to get alot more once i get this problem behind her. Good luck and thanks for your service bud.