General LSX Automobile Discussion - What will 8,000$ buy you these days?

Okay so i am EXTREMELY torn on what i want to do. I've already had 2 LS1's and i have been saving up for a big down payment on a C5Z. But i've been thinking alot today and it makes more since for me to just purchase another LS1 with the cash i have saved up (basically just to get me by, i'm going crazy only driving a jetta) and then keep saving up until i have enough cash to buy the Z06. I don't wanna mess with loans anymore.

My last Z28(in avatar and sig) had 140k on it and i sold it for 5200$. I have 8,000 to spend right now but don't necessarily need to spend all of that. I could probably get into an 01 or an 02 with 80kish miles for that couldn't I? I really don't see SHIT in the classifieds right now. So shoot me some opinions guys, i'm tired of thinking about this by myself.

Oh and, if you find any links to any decent deals (ls1 camaro's, m6 only) feel free to post. I would probably even consider an SN95 Cobra.

Your best bet is an LS1 Camaro for 8k. The SN95 supercharged cobra's still hold pretty good value.

id say a little more and try hard to find something super clean.

I bought my 98 Camaro w/ 68k for about that about a year and a half ago. 2 owner car w/ everything working and in good shape. Everyone on here says automatics sell for lower but I have not seen that necessarily in my area (central Texas). Hope this helps somewhat.

I think $8,000 will buy you something you might be comfortable with in the meantime as well. Just remember to look at ads for cars right up to $10,000. Asking prices have negotiation room. You show up with $8,000 cash and you will be surprised how many $9,500 - $10,000 cars can be yours. Many owners will not let you 'walk' unless their ad says 'firm'. Don't let travel get in your way either.
I feel bad that you could not jump on that nice Corvette you talked about before. I understand the loan stuff though. It's a very personal choice.

It's getting harder to find intermediate condition examples of these cars now; especially stock ones. What I see around my area for $8k are usually cars that I wouldn't be willing to pay more than $5-6k for. The nicer ones that have been spared winter weather are usually a bit more pricey for a lower mileage example (say, 50-80k miles), but everything around here is expensive - dealers here are still trying to get $19-24k for late model versions with 10-20k miles.

If you are willing to travel to areas where winter does not equal snow and salt, then you can get something nicer for your money.

Find a car somewhere in the US, make the seller show you tons of pics and videos etc. buy a 1 way plane ticket for a few $$$ and drive your new ride home!

I live in IN, and when i went on vacation in Florida I saw clean F-bodys on craigslist for 6-7k

It's getting harder to find intermediate condition examples of these cars now; especially stock ones. What I see around my area for $8k are usually cars that I wouldn't be willing to pay more than $5-6k for. The nicer ones that have been spared winter weather are usually a bit more pricey for a lower mileage example (say, 50-80k miles), but everything around here is expensive - dealers here are still trying to get $19-24k for late model versions with 10-20k miles.

If you are willing to travel to areas where winter does not equal snow and salt, then you can get something nicer for your money.

I would definitely not be against traveling (under 300 miles). But as pointed above, the asking price and what it would actually take to sell are two different things. People are asking wayyyy too much for these cars IMO.

Too bad 8k still can't quite buy you a higher mileage C5 :(

It looks like you could get a somewhat decent C4 for that money, but i'm not ready to spend that much money on that old of technology i don't think. Plus that interior makes me barf. We had good taste in music in the 90's, not so much interiors.

Searchtempest.com searches every Craigslist in the country.

Find a car somewhere in the US, make the seller show you tons of pics and videos etc. buy a 1 way plane ticket for a few $$$ and drive your new ride home!

I live in IN, and when i went on vacation in Florida I saw clean F-bodys on craigslist for 6-7k

I would be MUCH more comfortable finding something somewhat close that i could walk away from if i have to. Flying across the country and being basically obligated to buy a car isn't an option for me. I don't care how good the pics or video's are, i gotta drive that thing. No sense in putting myself in a situation i'm uncomfortable with, especially when spending this kind of money.

Searchtempest.com searches every Craigslist in the country.

I've used it, however CL is turning into a Joke anymore with all the scams and the duplicate posts, especially by the dealers. There was a car on CL last night that was literally listed 45 times in a row.

i would say, keep an eye on the classfields on here. I see many good deals from time to time. Most of all, be patient!

I would definitely not be against traveling (under 300 miles).

Unfortunately for me, even 300 miles doesn't get me out of the rust belt at all. So my options are to either pay the premium for local cars that are stored in the winters, or I'd have to travel a very long distance.

I would be MUCH more comfortable finding something somewhat close that i could walk away from if i have to. Flying across the country and being basically obligated to buy a car isn't an option for me. I don't care how good the pics or video's are, i gotta drive that thing. No sense in putting myself in a situation i'm uncomfortable with, especially when spending this kind of money.

I agree. Pics and vids will never tell the full story behind a car, you really need to see them in person to appreciate how good or bad they actually are. I agree that I wouldn't want to be 100% commited before ever seeing the car, nor would I ever do the whole one-way flight thing. I know some people do this and it turns out OK but it's just not for me, as I'm pretty picky about what I want. I know someone that did this 4 times, and the cars that showed up were never quite as nice as what the pics implied.

Especially on a multi owner higher mileage LS1 that's probably been owned by younger people. Now if it were my $22k Z06 with 1 or 2 adult owners i'd probably be more willing to fly across the country.

It just seems odd to be in this situation. I've sold 2 Ls1's and never had much luck getting rid of them because EVERYONE was selling them and they were selling them cheap. Looking back i felt like i gave both of my cars away. First one was a 2000 mystic teal Z28, i was the second owner and it had 80k on it. Sold it for $6,500. Took about a year too. Just doesn't seem to be the case anymore for whatever reason.

i would say, keep an eye on the classfields on here. I see many good deals from time to time. Most of all, be patient!

Being patient is not something i'm good at. The whole point of me buying this LS1 is because i'm not patient. lol;)

I have wet dreams about owning a C5Z, i almost made it reality. But i shall wait.

I've used it, however CL is turning into a Joke anymore with all the scams and the duplicate posts, especially by the dealers. There was a car on CL last night that was literally listed 45 times in a row.

Put 1 dollar in the minimal price box and all the dealer listings will not show up.

Well, yeah, the dealer listings who don't have a price........i have 4k for the minimum now :)

IMO CL is one of the worst places to look and I don't even bother. Never have. Some people say that ebay cars are crap, well CL cars are much lower than that. If owners are serious about selling a car, even a low to mid-priced car, they will cough up a lousy $35 and place an ad in Autotrader or wherever they choose. Free means cheap in my book, and can indicate what the current owner thinks about his ride. I'm extremely serious about cars and their sales. CL is generally a joke to serious car people. Are there exceptions to this rule? Definitely, but why bother with all the BS and scams, and even more safeguards than already are needed. No thanks.
Ref travelling to see a car, never fly one way unless the car has less than 10,000 miles or less and is owned by the original buyer. Even then you better have tons of pictures and serious phone time with the owner. I've travelled all over the eastern part of the US to get all sorts of nice cars. A Porsche 911, BMW, and my current SS and GT were all 500+ miles away. Every single one was misrepresented to some degree (usually minor) except the GT. This is why you have another person and car with you to head right back home, or negotiate further on the spot. If it doesn't work out, all you have lost is gas and some fast food money. So what?? What else is so important some weekend? Good luck with your search!

It's getting harder to find intermediate condition examples of these cars now; especially stock ones. What I see around my area for $8k are usually cars that I wouldn't be willing to pay more than $5-6k for. The nicer ones that have been spared winter weather are usually a bit more pricey for a lower mileage example (say, 50-80k miles), but everything around here is expensive - dealers here are still trying to get $19-24k for late model versions with 10-20k miles.

If you are willing to travel to areas where winter does not equal snow and salt, then you can get something nicer for your money.



are they really trying to get that much! wow!

I remember when I first started looking for a nice F-Body to DD early last year, 8k was about as much as I was able to spend as well. The issue I kept running into was that you were either going to get one that had 100k+, or if you were to find a car with less miles, it was either modded and ran hard or just left stock but neglected it's entire life.

I'm in the same boat. Looking in my area of St. Louis and I see alot of beat up or not having things like ac, headliner probs, headlight motors etc. f-body ls1's with 120k-150k wanting $6500-7500+ Its crazy. I think it would be pointless to buy a car that has been barely maintained for such a premium just to say you have an F-body.

I think the hardest thing to find when talking with a seller or on ads is they give practically zero info on the car, even the mileage sometimes.

Freaking some Bmw's and higher priced cars of the same years are now cheaper than F-body's lol.

So I think I have come to the conclusion that I want to find a roller ws6 hopefully under $2500 and get an lq4 and a trans.

my buddy just got into a SUPER clean c5 corvette for 14k I say save up and get what you want, plus financing 2 or 3k would be a super cheep payment anyways

my buddy just got into a SUPER clean c5 corvette for 14k I say save up and get what you want, plus financing 2 or 3k would be a super cheep payment anyways

I agree with him, my gfs dad picked up a c5 with 65k on it for $10,500. Just save the 8k and keep looking around, you'll find you something eventually.

are they really trying to get that much! wow!

The prices at dealers are pretty high in this area. Here's an example of an '02 SS with 21k miles for $22.5k:

http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale/vehicledetails.xhtml?zip=60712&endYear=2002&modelCode1=CAM&modelCode2=FBIRD&makeCode2=PONT&showcaseOwnerId=554563&startYear=1998&makeCode1=CHEV&engineCode=8+Cylinder&maxMileage=30000&searchRadius=50&listingId=325518961&Log=0

There are actually several high trim level cars listed right now within ~50 miles of me for $22-29k, with between 3k and 20k miles on them. These are all SS/WS6/Firehawk/CETA/LE SS though.

There aren't very many sub-20k mile Z28s/Formulas or even base Trans Ams left around here, other than some convertibles, so it's harder to pin an average price on them. Of the garage queens that are left, it's mostly just the higher trim level and special edition cars. I think that my '98 Z28 might be one of the lowest mileage, non-convertible base model LS1s in my general region.

I don't tell many people this, but I got my 2002 Trans Am Ws6 (black auto) with 29k miles on it from a woman (1st and only owner) with no mods done to it for 13k.

their are deals out there. just gotta wait and look. hell youd be better off shopping on here for one.

So I think I have come to the conclusion that I want to find a roller ws6 hopefully under $2500 and get an lq4 and a trans.

thats my plan, harder then u think.

I have had great luck with craigs list over the years you just need to be smart and recognize the bs , over time you can develop a pretty good sense if your dealing with someone being forth coming with info.

I was also in sales for a living for a long time mostly selling pre owned boats and did a lot of long distance deals both in and out of country where I had to convince the buyer that when I picked them up at the airport and brought them back to the store what they saw would match their expectations from our conversations and pictures shared ( mostly $20-80k range some lower or higher) what I found to be very effective was when I would offer to take pictures of the worst flaws I could find and promise that when they saw it in person they would agree I had sent them pictures of the worst scratch ,chip ,tear ,etc... maybe you should be asking for pics of the worst flaws ???

I always put condition way above miles/hours when purchasing a car , boat ,or anything mechanical - most of my vehicles have well over 200k and have no issues on original drivetrain components.

Someone mentioned looking on here , 2 of my 3 ls1 cars I found in eastern classifieds here on ls1 tech ( both autos) and the other I found on craigs list ( my 6 speed) but it turned out he was not only a member here but I had seen him crack 11's at the track about 6 months before I bought it and spoke with him briefly at the track as I was running low 12's in another platform ( v6 w body) and had interest in buying an ls1.

I have $10k total in the purchase of all 3 cars and all were under $4k , all had more money in mods than my purchase price - my point maybe buy less car and have 4 or 5k set aside for the upgrades you know you will want....:burn:

Figure out what you want. I had several fbodies before I owned my Z06... LS1 and LT1 cars. Even with my Z06 I still missed them, so I bought an 02 NHRA formula and I like it as much as my Z06. Cheap to mod and maintain, cheap to buy, and easy to make fast. The Z06 is an all around better built car, no doubt about it, but fbodies offer pleanty of good things too.

If a vette is what you want though, save your money until you can get one. Don't waste your time on the Fbody unless you plan on keeping it or find an amazing deal on one.

here u go ;)

http://ls1tech.com/forums/vehicle-classifieds/1570193-2001-som-z28-a4-fs-trade-step-van.html

Figure out what you want. I had several fbodies before I owned my Z06... LS1 and LT1 cars. Even with my Z06 I still missed them, so I bought an 02 NHRA formula and I like it as much as my Z06. Cheap to mod and maintain, cheap to buy, and easy to make fast. The Z06 is an all around better built car, no doubt about it, but fbodies offer pleanty of good things too.

If a vette is what you want though, save your money until you can get one. Don't waste your time on the Fbody unless you plan on keeping it or find an amazing deal on one.

It doesn't matter anyway, i made a rash decision the other day and quit my job of 2.5 years......now i gotta find a new job before i even think of buying a car. Sucks. I go from wanting to take out a 15k loan on a z06 to buying a f-body cash to quitting my job within 3 days. I think i've entered my 1/3 life crisis.......(i'm 24)

Well i got me another job and am back in the market.

I'm going to have to lower myself to 6,000$ for an ls1. Am i screwed? I am constantly kicking myself for selling my mystic teal car.

Picked my 98 Sebring Silver SS hardtop up for $5500 has 86k miles with some tastefull mods (Headers, tune, T-body, Tick MC, and Monster clutch)

only needed some tires $550 and i need to respray the hood

Got my 02 at the dealer i was working at .. for 8k with 80k miles on it
It was a little old lady car too.... I talked to her and her husband who bought it new ,got kinda lucky i guess .. it had a extension on the clutch pedal so she could reach it when i got it lol

I'm not a fan of buying cars long distance. I did a "one-way" ticket deal and ended up making a bad and expensive buy. When you buy a car a long way away, it is hard to do a complete exam of the car and like someone mentioned above, it is harder to walk away. A local car allows you to take your time, possibly taking it to a mechanic you trust.

I noticed that prices have leveled off for these cars in the past few years. I think it is because cars in good condition are becoming more rare, but you should be able to find a decent car at that price so long as you are flexible about things like color.

Picked my 98 Sebring Silver SS hardtop up for $5500 has 86k miles with some tastefull mods (Headers, tune, T-body, Tick MC, and Monster clutch)

only needed some tires $550 and i need to respray the hood

That sounds like a pretty good deal. I found a 2000 Pewter Z28 with cloth, power options and t-tops. 135k miles. The guy wants 6k but i feel that is a little to high with those kind of miles.

https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/73455_1653652550804_724776_n.jpg

https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/69885_1653654630856_1838303_n.jpg

https://mail-attachment.googleusercontent.com/attachment/u/0/?ui=2&ik=93f8869f8d&view=att&th=139c8cec10661516&attid=0.1&disp=inline&realattid=1413159319319287362-1&safe=1&zw&saduie=AG9B_P8_61avScgy9AIPemGwi1s9&sadet=1347693844936&sads=vVlukE33ONCB0JBnY_rNB4xgomM&sadssc=1

https://mail-attachment.googleusercontent.com/attachment/u/0/?ui=2&ik=93f8869f8d&view=att&th=139c8cefb7994eb5&attid=0.1&disp=inline&realattid=1413159341507346351-1&safe=1&zw&saduie=AG9B_P8_61avScgy9AIPemGwi1s9&sadet=1347693870377&sads=Auts16KyFc0QGGoMoG3tpQaCOdQ

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Opinions on that car? ^^^^^

Looks clean. but for 6k id want an 01/02 or less miles

Me as well, but there just isn't anything for sale right now in that range.

To bad your not in the northeast. Im asking 8k for my 99 t/a. It has 107k on it and it all bolt on and black.

Honest save up a few more grand and you can get a beyond sick f body, you can get alot for 8 grand though, i was going to sell mine but than i realized what i would get for it i just decided to keep it and mod more instead of getting a vette, ls1 camaros are still the best bang for the buck, i really wanna make my car an auto though, good luck in your hunt

Me as well, but there just isn't anything for sale right now in that range.

http://lincoln.craigslist.org/cto/3163265120.html

buy it for 8k lose the wheels for some zr1's (some T/A guy would want those)

its nowhere near 420rwhp but 350 would be a safe guess and it looks clean..

I've seen that car, i'm just going to have to be patient and wait for something to come around for 6k.

Bought a 1998 Z28, six speed convertible for $7500 two years ago with 93k miles. Car was NICE, adult owned, garaged, no rust, perfect top, never wrecked, mechanically perfect. Still kicking myself for wrecking it, but ins gave me $9500 for it.

Bought a 1998 Z28, six speed convertible for $7500 two years ago with 93k miles. Car was NICE, adult owned, garaged, no rust, perfect top, never wrecked, mechanically perfect. Still kicking myself for wrecking it, but ins gave me $9500 for it.

I sold my 2000 Z28 (i was 2nd owner) 3 years ago with 80k miles for $6,500. Still kicking myself for selling it.....

If I hadn't just bought a car two months ago, I would be getting a $12,800 C5 Corvette. 80k miles, 6 speed, super clean, and everything works.

a pretty nice longblock from a sponsor. a procharger system. a turbo system. a rear end and suspension. bullet proof transmission. for starters. parts wise anyways.

Bought 2000 trans am (black with tan interior) convertible. Automatic 81000 mi. Craigslist talked the fu down to $5500 cash.

Dude, I live in Florida. I wanted a hugger orange Camaro. There were'nt any available in the entire state so I got on LS1tech found one. I flew to Ohio and bought one that was stored in the winters in some guys garage. I made a vacation out of it. I took a camera and my best friend and we stayed in hotels and visited family on the way back. It was one of the greatest things I've ever done. I've bought three cars that way now and never regretted it. I've been looking at getting a Corvette for a few years now. I haven't pulled the trigger yet because I hate the idea of Corvette tax and also I'm not going to pay 26k for a C5 Z06. But if I ever do get a Vette, you can bet it will probably be in California or someplace. And I'll take a whole hell of alot of pictures on the way back and see some really cool sh*t. Like the Grand Canyon, or the worlds largest non-stick frying pan. :cool:

Dude, I live in Florida. I wanted a hugger orange Camaro. There were'nt any available in the entire state so I got on LS1tech found one. I flew to Ohio and bought one that was stored in the winters in some guys garage. I made a vacation out of it. I took a camera and my best friend and we stayed in hotels and visited family on the way back. It was one of the greatest things I've ever done. I've bought three cars that way now and never regretted it. I've been looking at getting a Corvette for a few years now. I haven't pulled the trigger yet because I hate the idea of Corvette tax and also I'm not going to pay 26k for a C5 Z06. But if I ever do get a Vette, you can bet it will probably be in California or someplace. And I'll take a whole hell of alot of pictures on the way back and see some really cool sh*t. Like the Grand Canyon, or the worlds largest non-stick frying pan. :cool:


That pretty much sums up my latest car purchase. The car is a 1992 Lexus SC300, 5 speed manual with 61k miles. I am the 2nd owner, 1st owner was an old man who drove it like a Corvette, ie it never saw winters, always garaged, its a 20 year old time capsule.

Its pearl white with the almost white leather interior, ie it has no wear inside. I drove it from New Jersey to Tennessee, it was about 1,000 miles, but well worth it. I did have to fly from Nashville to Newark, then took the train for about 50 miles to the seller. IMO this seller was so honest he even took pictures of the door hinges, which looked brand new. That is what sold me on the car, if the original owner bothered to keep the door hinges clean and like new, he was totally OCD about the whole car.

IMO if you have an honest conversation with the seller about the car and its condition, you shouldn't have any problem traveling several hundred miles for the car.

That pretty much sums up my latest car purchase. The car is a 1992 Lexus SC300, 5 speed manual with 61k miles. I am the 2nd owner, 1st owner was an old man who drove it like a Corvette, ie it never saw winters, always garaged, its a 20 year old time capsule.

Its pearl white with the almost white leather interior, ie it has no wear inside. I drove it from New Jersey to Tennessee, it was about 1,000 miles, but well worth it. I did have to fly from Nashville to Newark, then took the train for about 50 miles to the seller. IMO this seller was so honest he even took pictures of the door hinges, which looked brand new. That is what sold me on the car, if the original owner bothered to keep the door hinges clean and like new, he was totally OCD about the whole car.

IMO if you have an honest conversation with the seller about the car and its condition, you shouldn't have any problem traveling several hundred miles for the car.

In case you were wondering what I paid for this "rare" 1992 SC300 with the manual trans, it was $8952, exactly. I feel this car is about a #2 or maybe a #2-. Really I'd feel its a solid #2 or 2+ if I fixed the flaking wheels and the one door ding on the fender.

http://www.fquick.com/images/vehicles/full/50071366905.jpg (http://www.fquick.com/garages/viewgallery.php?action=viewimg&id=366905)

http://www.fquick.com/images/vehicles/full/50071366907.jpg (http://www.fquick.com/garages/viewgallery.php?action=viewimg&id=366907)

could buy the car in my sig and still have almost $3k left...

Just found out my $5500 ss i bought it actually one of a kind... in 98 there were only 2 silver hardtop SS cars with white interior... only one of those had a 6 speed