01WS6/tamu

iTrader: (37)

I just bought a 01 ram air that was one of the few adult driven never ragged on cars. It has a 141K on it and is really clean and its stone stock down to the air filter and lid. Here's where my moral dilema starts I didn't buy the car for a hot rod or investment it's just a nice clean fun to drive car. But, after buying it I began to think of how special the car will be years in the future because it's almost the last year they were made and how their numbers are slowly dropping due to collision, theft and flat out old age. I mean when I was a baby a 67 ss camaro was just a 10 year old car and not worth a damm thing. Fast forward 2013 and my 12 year old 01 ram air is just a old car but I can definitely see the above becoming true for these cars over the next 10-20 years

It is a M6 and time for a clutch slave and all the usual oil leaks on the motor with miles but shes stone quiet. I'm planning on dropping out the motor and trans to reseal it. But then I got to thinking about a nice low mileage 6.0 that I have stashed that's begging for a set of spare 243 heads I have laying around and maybe a nice fat nasty cam to satisfy a growing itch I've been having. I don't want to ***** it out just do a simple 6.0 fat cam stock manifolds gut the cats and a LS7 clutch. The car will be a nice fun driver don't care what the dyno numbers are or track times. It does have a borla adjustable catback that has been on the car since almost new and I did put a set of 4:10's in it.

Then pickle and stash the stock LS1 and save all the stock stuff for that day 20 or 30 years in the future should I actually keep the car that long who knows. I love old cars like 20's-50's and realize they are only truly stock once in their life and never will be after they are altered.

Thoughts ideas.

NC01TA

A car with that 6 figure mileage, while nice and stock, will not likely bring top $$$ when there will be so many others out there that are still stock and with extremely low miles. Some people have simply stored them away, while others, like myself, only average a few thousand miles per year (I have just 32,000 on mine and 100% stock).
Your car, with those miles, should be enjoyed by you only without heavy thought to future value. If you presented this same exact scenario on a one owner, stock LS1 car with just 25,000 miles on it, I would stongly suggest keeping it stock for future value (mods hurt), but even then, it is your car to enjoy now, not to let someone else enjoy it in the future.
The really big $$, if it ever happens 20 years down the road, will be the 10,000 miles or less LS1 cars that were barely driven. They are out there. No, there won't be hundreds of them, but certainly enough to affect the market. Your car, my car, will be worth much less than those.
By the way , congrats on a great football season! Next year might even be better.

lees02WS6

iTrader: (5)

Unfortunately unless it was built by Carl Black, a firehawk, or even better a rare forumula firehawk, it's just not rare enough. A WS6 Trans Am isn't going to be worth anything, even in 20 years. This remind me of that show what's my car worth. "On a collectiblility scale of A to F..." A ws6 is a D at best, GM just made too many of them.

Keep the car in nice running shape, and you'll have a nice ride that you won't have to sweat about.

senicalj4579

iTrader: (41)

Save for a new motor then procharge it.

01WS6/tamu

iTrader: (37)

Building a iron LS2 for it going to put a spare ASA cam I have laying around with a set of LS6 heads on it and a set of kooks lt's and a LS7 clutch. Should be a really nice running motor and no maintenance on valve train.

metalmilitia606

iTrader: (8)

Too many miles to be collectable, so I say do whatever you want with it.

staleycornell

iTrader: (6)

Here is what I did.. I have a 2001 WS6 that I purchased two years ago that had 13,888 miles on it. Today it has 16,2XX. The car came with black painted Speedline wheels and a Flowmaster muffler with hideous(at least to me) ovalish tips. I kept it like that for a while but then bought some near mint WS6 wheels and sold the black ones. I also HATE Flowmaster mufflers on LS1 cars and actually found a stock WS6 muffler and tips from two different people in great condition with less than 10,000 miles on the both. So i actually brought the car back to stock. The car might have come with the Speedlines that were obviously painted by the owner but I liked the WS6 much better. Now the car isnt a beast but it is nice to see factory Birds that are stock. But on the other hand, I had a 2000 SS that i souped up nicely and it was a blast to drive. So its all a matter of what you'd rather have. I sold the SS and sort of regret it. It had 59,000 miles on it.

EODguyJake

Mine is totally molested. I got it bone stock with 32K on the odometer. Ripped it apart with 47.5K. Body and chassis have like 51-52K on it. Ask me if I regret it, or ever gave an ounce of consideration as to what it is/will be worth?

I guarantee you will enjoy it more if you just go your own way with it.

01WS6/tamu

iTrader: (37)

It's in the process of being violated at this time.

RJDio

your car as it sits now isn't special due to the mileage. Start modding it out, take your time and figure out which direction you want to go. I guarantee that if you put in full exhaust, a sick Cam, LS6 heads and springs, bigger fuel pump and injectors, Fast 102/102, electric water pump and dyno tune - you will have a sick and special Trans Am WS6. Put on the extras like suspension, wheels, NOS, or supercharged - DANG! It will always be a special item at car shows full of brand new muscle cars.

01WS6/tamu

iTrader: (37)

I'm keeping it simple a LY6 6.0 with ASA gm cam stock and a set of 243 heads and going to try stock manifolds and cats and see how it runs and what it puts down when it gets tuned. I'm after a nice no maintenance drive it 20,000 miles and just change oil on it and forget about it combo. I'm not planning on modding it to hell and back. I figure if the LS1 needs to come out to re seal everything may as well stash it and throw more cubic inches in it.

If the manifolds make it a dog I'll go a different route but I've had headers and all of their associated PITA problems on other fbodies and prefer not go that route unless it's dictated. I'm not worried about miles they don't bother me but in the off chance I do have the car a LONG time to even be collectible I'll cross the bridge at that point

WS6's and even SS's are steadily dropping in numnbers they are all over the place now but attrition will thin that number greatly in the coming years to the point of any 4th gen will be sought after regardless of mileage. Case in point if I could find a mint 67,68 camaro that was clean and affordable I could give 2 ***** less about the miles on the odometer.

RJDio

yep all these low miles WS6's and SS's are selling to a new crop of owners that have their own plans, some will use them as daily drivers, some have huge aspirations of making monsters. I'd be curious to see how many are totalled per year, or parted out because it isn't like they made a ton of them

TransAmBlue

I got news for you guys.......just totalled a 02 formula with 119k on it and insurance paid me 14500. I was suprised because the dealer told me it was only worth 9k at the very most. Insurance says the LS1 Firebirds are extremely popular and worth alot.


I just bought a 01 all stock WS6 TA with 37k on it for 13k.....NO BRAINER

beyonddisturbed

iTrader: (5)

I would just have fun with it and mod it tastefully. Dont count on making money back. I dont plan on selling mine anyway.

lemons12

iTrader: (71)

Do you really think Insurance companies are the best to say what cars are worth, seriously?

Also, read your post... Do you see the irony in what insurance gave you for your wrecked formula and what you paid for the Ws6?
Kind of funny if you ask me.

It isn't going to be worth anything, mod the **** out of it.

If I had a 4,XXX mile CETA I'd still mod the **** out of it.

AmDWs6

141k isn't going to get you any worthy or large cash in the future. Mod it.

01WS6/tamu

iTrader: (37)

I'm modding it lightly and if I keep it that long which I doubt we'll cross that bridge in the future. These cars will be worth something in the next 20 years you can bet money on it. Of course the low mileage and or special editions will be worth more. But a solid non or minimally violated ss ws6 will still probably be in the teens or high 4 digits.

SS chevelles novas and camaros, gtos used to be everyday grocery getters for a dime a dozen on used car lots in the 70's and 80's now look at em. You wont get rich off them but they are still worth some solid money if you have a good original not rusted out pos.

I cracked ordered a set of kooks long tubes and catted y pipe for it.

Carguy8888

iTrader: (1)

As Burger King says (have it your way) lol.

Blackpanther99

iTrader: (8)

Do a engine swap I wouldnt put money on a motor that has too much milaege.

DrEvyl

iTrader: (5)

Mod it, save the stock parts if you're concerned about originality, and choose mods based on what alters the actual car the least. You have a lot of mileage on it, it's not really gonna be all that collectible in the future, and if you have the OEM parts to revert it to the way it was from the factory, you're good.

My Formula had been in an accident before I bought it, so I bought it to mod it... I don't think I'd like it as much if it was stock, really.