Philip Land

Hello all,

I'm currently looking at getting into an LS1 powered car. I currently have a 2004 Dodge Neon SRT-4 and might possibly be trading it for a 2001 Camaro Z28. Has 69,XXX miles. It has SLP CAI, SLP Subframe connectors, Long tube headers, SLP Loud Mouth catback, SLP front line lock with button on shifter, built t56 with gearbox 650hp kit, 14.8lb fly wheel, compition clutch stage 4 clutch, (still in break in miles), big cam, new rear nitto tires, ss spoiler, ss wheels, black outs on rear, lakewood drive shaft loop, 32lb rotory injectors, long tube headers, msd wires, smooth bellow intake coupler, hid low beam lights, ss seats (power driver), t top.

What do you guys think? I'm new to these cars. I had a Mustang before my SRT4. I know a couple people who had nice Camaro's and Trans Ams and loved them.

Could anyone give me some pointers when looking/buying these cars. I look forward to becoming apart of these forums sometime soon.

Thanks.

versz

Sounds nice. When or if you end up with it we want pictures. Check out fquick.com

Philip Land

How long/well will these cars last if all maintenance is done on time and correctly? Will I be able to run the car hard when I want to at the track and it still be a great DD? The guy says he DDs it and there's nothing wrong with it. My buddy had an 02 SS with 160k miles and still running strong. I didn't know if that was just his luck or what...

Is there anything I should really look at in the car before making my final decision? I just don't want to purchase it because the guy "says" there's nothing wrong with it and I get home and have to put it in the garage or shop in a week...

I know cars fairly well, don't get me wrong, I'm just new to these cars.

CamaroSS27

iTrader: (6)

They will last a very long time if maintained, your buddies is normal. You can track and DD it many of us do it. These cars are very strong, make sure he has supporting mods for the cam though. Such as valvesprings, better oil pump, timing chain, ect. The only really weak point in these cars are the 10 bolts.

Midnight02

iTrader: (8)

In short, these cars can be great dual purpose (street and track) vehicles. The stock LS1 platform responds very well to internal mods and there's a wide world of aftermarket parts that are available. The biggest "PRO" of these cars is the brute, unadulterated application of power that results from pressing the gas pedal. An honerable mention is that I believe the cars are pretty sharp from an appearance standpoint.

There are a few CONS that keep it from being "the perfect car". Don't lose sight of the fact that I'm an SS owner and love my car.....I'm just pointing these out to you because I would want to know this before jumping in.

The "comfort" gripes are as follows: The interiors aren't exactly top of the line quality. Lot of plastic, etc. Rattles can be an issue, however the subframe connectors help stiffen things up and the rattles can be minimized. Clearanance issues with the car can also be a headache with the long-tube headers....stay away from big speed bumps and steep driveways. The ride comfort and handling feel on these cars is average at best in stock form (when compared to other more expensive "sports" cars) -- the reality is that these cars were designed as a cheap way to get killer straight line performance. There's plenty of great aftermarket parts out there if you're interested in improving the handling.

The biggest weak points in these cars are the stock clutch (which has already been replaced on your car) and the stock 10-bolt rear end. Generally speaking (and there have been plenty of exceptions) the 10 bolt is fine with normal driving on the street. It only takes one hard launch, hard shift or a dead hook at the track and it could go. That being said, you're only a rear-end and sticky tires away from being able to put down impressive times at the track.

Philip Land

I don't have much of a problem with ride quality and rattling or what not. My SRT-4 has the ride quality of a go-kart. I'm more worried about mechanical issues over anything. And can the handling being improved enough to be able to it out to some curvy back roads and have a nice joy ride? I know they're great straight line cars, but a lot of times I like to get out for a nice spiritual drive on the back roads.

And I know it's hard to tell or guess, but I'm going to throw this question out there. What kind of power do you think this car would make? He says it just might need a retune before doing any type of racing, but DDing it is fine.

metalmilitia606

iTrader: (8)

If you are looking for a canyon carver I suggest looking elsewhere. It takes big bucks for these cars to handle "well." My car is lowered and has all the typical handling stuff on it and my sister's miata with blown shocks dogs it through the corners all day lol. IMO you will also miss the boost of the skittle. Once you go boost you never go back. Other than that these are pretty good cars. I like mine a lot. Even though it is 11 years old now it is still one of the better looking cars on the road.

Streetsteve

Hey bro i was in the same boat as you, just got rid of my
05 srt-4 and got a 99 z28, the quality of the camaro is far superior compared to the srt, im loving the decision i made

staleycornell

iTrader: (6)

I had an '03 SRT-4. Loved that car but ever since I've owned GTO's, an SS Camaro and a Trans Am, I wouldn't go back to that little turbo car for anything!

Philip Land

I'm didn't mean I wanted a canyon carver, but something that I could go and have a spiritual drive with on some kind of curvy roads, nothing major. And I do agree, I may miss my turbo car, but if I were to get another turbo car I'd want something more like an STI or Evo.

It's weird how when someone who drives a turbo car wants a N/A V8 and a person who drives a V8 wants to go with a turbo car. I'm not saying that's how it always is, but that's kind of the world I'm in.

But so far it seems to me that the people who've posted have said it seems like a good buy. Hopeful all works out for him and we can make the deal Thursday.

One last question, what would it cost me to replace the cloth seats with leather?

RezinTexas

try searchtempest.com for the seats.

TransamGCS

iTrader: (2)

Youll be happy with the V8 power from the ls1 and what ever you missed with the turbo youll soon get over it and overall the cars handle pretty good. i used to have a 99 Eagle talon tsi awd turbo. fun fast pocket rocket but i would never go back now that i have my trans am ive had mine for 8 years and dont think ill ever get rid of it

Philip Land

Another question, how well do car seats fit in the back of these cars? I have a soon to be 3 year old and her car seat fit in the back on my Mustang I had before the SRT-4.

GoFastKid

ls1 ftw!~

garygnu

who did the tuning ? what cam dose it have ?with a big cam you will need to change the valve springs.if you have stock rocker arms get some comp cam trunnion bearings upgrade if not already done.

mean02ss

they don't handle as good as a little fwd or awd car, but they are pretty fun. I have subframe connectors, a torque arm, and qa1 adjustable coil overs on my 2002 SS and it handles great. I recently took it for a long drive up PCH to Big Sur here in CA and it was a blast around corners. If you're on a crowded street be careful when you put your foot down depending on the RPM's. You can very easily get sideways in 2nd goin around an average right hand turn. Overall the build quality kinda sucks, but its comparable to the mustang if your used to that. Mechanically they are great and perform great when taken care of, synthetic oil highly recommended.

JD_AMG

I must totally disagree.
Not being a dick but I see you have bilstiens and DMS springs, pretty mediocre setup at best...
With a good setup (like koni shocks, strano springs, strano swaybars, fays2 watts link and sticky tires) you will be running with/beating C5 and C6 Z06 in corners (yes, thats right, I said it). Little proper bolt in suspension mods go a LONG way with these cars.
For example, Sam Strano's simple bolt on car with the above said mods (no chassis stiffening, full interior, full weight, registered street car) pulling on and passing a 911 GT3 driven by the track instructor:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KDxe1lHIxuE
same car:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=weWQHijkSU8
Multiple national SCCA solo wins in this car.

Speaking of STis...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jWmb3...eature=related
The people who say these cars can't turn either don't know how to set the car up (there are a lot of "wrong" parts out there, a lot of drag suspension that completely ruins these cars) or simply don't know what they are talking about.
Check the for sale section here.

JD_AMG

Ditch those non-gas charged drag shocks for some gas charged sports shocks and you will feel like you are driving a completely different car. Ive been in an Fbody with QA1s and they are terrible for handling
Also yes, you could kill a small FWD car in corners with the right setup.

StuntmanMike

iTrader: (2)

I agree with JD. Even mostly stock (except for rear Koni's) I think mine handles pretty well. Not on tight turns like an autocross track, but the thing sticks like glue on offramps or highway interchanges. Speed limit 45? Yeah right....I leave the cruise set at 70.

Luckily (other than Koni shocks) parts are relatively cheap for thesecars, so it won't cost too much to build it. And I'm talking replacement and regular maintenance parts, not just mods.

As far as relibility, I got mine almost 5 years ago with 65k miles. I'm not at almost 117, and the only things I've had to do other than normal maint such as rear pads, plugs/wires, and tires has been 2 squeeky pullies and a thermostat. Oh, and a few bulbs. And I'm actually still on the front pads that were on the car when I bought it, they must have been fairly new.

Yeah, the ride is lowsy, and the rattles are annoying, but it's fast and fun, and still looks amazing (IMO).

mean02ss

one more thing to consider, the turning radius is HORRIBLE. my Escalade has a better turning radius than my camaro. Sounds weird, but its true. Make sure you leave plenty of room for U turns.