New LS1 Owners - Newbie Tech - Advice when looking at a purchasing LS1 car?

I may be trading the Jeep for a LS1/T56 vehicle soon but would like a good (trusthworthy) mechanic to look it over before making it final.

I don't really know if I even need a mechanic to look it over, but just to have it up on a lift would be nice.

The seller told me he did notice a drop or two of oil on the ground and it appears to be a very slow/minor rear main seal leak.. but then again it could the oil pan gasket, or the crank position sensor or one other sensor I think I read from a quick search on here..

He isn't sure, but I don't think any of those are very tedious to repair..

Do you guys think that even if it's a very minimal leak where it won't lose a significant amount of oil between changes, that it is something to take heavily? Should I be weary of owning the vehicle? Or should I just keep a close eye on it and plan on having it repaired soon?

Last, I am thinking a compression test would be good.. but if on the test drive the car pulls hard and makes no odd noises, I think it would be safe to assume the motor is strong?

If I can save the hassle of finding a decent mechanic and just look around the car myself, I would rather do that. The owner is honest enough to tell me about the leak, so there's not really any reason for him to hide anything else.

Any input is appreciated guys.

if the oil pan gasket is leaking that is a pain in the ass to change not only is it a pain in the ass to get the oil pan off (jack the motor up off the k-member) but the stock gasket is riveted to the oil pan. Any way how many miles are on it? Im sure its fine like you said if it runs good and no funny noises and if your like most of us ls1techers you dont plan on keeping it stock so changing somethings out isnt a big deal. if i was buying an ls1 car i like to look for bone stock ones cause there is less a chance its been molested. anyway hope you get a good one and enjoy.

take it to a mechanic, it should only cost you about $100 to $125. Cheap insurance to make sure the car is sound.

Thing is, it's a 240sx with the LS1, T56, etc... ;)

It's got 85k miles on basically a stock '01 motor and T56 with a LS6 clutch. Long tube headers and OR/Y.. factory LS6 intake manifold.. but that's about it.

I talked to a LS1 performance shop and they quoted me pretty good prices on both whether it is a rear main seal or oil pan gasket. They have lifts and everything and said a pan gasket is no problem. Still quoted me a great price on a rear main seal replacement. They said they'll look the car over, clean it up and spot the exact culprit of the leak before doing anything. (for free)

I don't quite have the tools here to check or do such a job, so that's why I looked into a shop. But they have a great rep and great pricing, so why not.

The only problem with having a mechanic check the car over ahead of time is because I have to meet the guy half way to do the trade and don't know any mechanics or shops around the area.