Spiers

iTrader: (7)

Hey guys I have found what I'm looking for. A 1996 Trans Am, true WS6. Black on black, leather, 78k mi. All options. 100% stock and mint condition. Ram Air LT1/6Speed. Has a clean carfax and comes with a warranty.

I've negotiated down to $9000. Is this too much??

EchoMirage

iTrader: (3)

way too much. LS1s are going for that and cheaper. edmunds.com has it for $4600 private party. KBB has it for 7200 in good condition. either way, if you want to spend 9k, find an LS1.

Spiers

iTrader: (7)

Thought it was a little high myself. I do not neccessarily want to spend 9k. I want to spend what it takes to get the car I'm looking for. Which is exactly this. Not that I'm just looking for you guys to just say "yeah go buy it" but...

I know I could get an LS1 car for this, but...is it going to have 78k miles? Is it going to be in mint condition and come with a warranty? Is it going to be a WS6 M6? All the LS1 cars I have seen in that price range have higher mileage, and aren't going to be in as good condition. Not to mention, I do not want an LS1 car. I am really picky (sorry) and this is exactly what I have in mind. Im just not sure if Im only getting screwed a little, or if I'm completely getting raped up the ***. I have seen other LT1 WS6's go for a lot more...

?

psykoTA

iTrader: (4)

Uh, lets see-

Its exactly what you want
Its close to comparable prices
Its EXACTLY what YOU want
Its a WS6
ITS EXACTLY WHAT YOU WANT

Hmmmmm.......through my careful powers of deduction I say- It doesnt matter the cost, if its what you want, then you arent gettin screwed.

3.8SFITURBO

iTrader: (10)

Sounds like $7,500 max in my book. If it were a 30K mile car it might be another story.

koolaid_kid

iTrader: (21)

So, the highest estimate on the board is 7500, leaving you with 1500 unresolved. Amortising this over 5 years of ownership, 300 per year too much. Let's say $1 per day to have exactly what you want. Or a coke. Is it worth it? You be the judge. I'd be driving my new (to me) WS6. JMHO.

jp74

iTrader: (3)

I think that is way to high considering I bought a 98 Formula with 54k and in near mint condtion for 7500.00. May I ask why you are set on a LT1? I was also set on an LT1 until everything started going wrong with it (Optispark,abs sensor, air gag sensor, throwing codes for both cats etc. etc.) I would really consider a LS1 and this is coming from a former LT1 owner. Not that the LT1 was a bad motor because it is far from that, it's just the ls1 offers so much more. Better drivabilty, Horsepower and reliabilty. I would atleast find out if the Optispark was replaced if you end up getting it. You will thank me later.

StealthFormula

iTrader: (35)

I think its maybe a little high but if thats what you want then go for it. I paid $12,000 for my '97 w/ 8,000 miles and my buddy paid $9250 for his '97 WS6 with 59k.

EchoMirage

iTrader: (3)

i also agree......why are you set on an LT1? is it going to be a driver, racer, weekend toy? dont fall into the pit of throwing money away just because you found what you want. id go ONE thousand higher then my price if i was totally in love with the car.......but youre talking 1500-2000 or more over what its worth. and yes, you could very well find a nice LS1 for 9-10k, in comparable condition, milage, etc. miles might be somewhat higher, but youre talking a newer car, and better engine. LS1s have gone 200k+ miles, look around on this board and youll see.

since youre saying warrenty....i assume youre buying this off a dealership. then of course its going to be more expensive then buying off a person. plus, i really wouldnt put any faith whatsoever in a 'warrenty' from a used car dealership. theyll fight you tooth and nail, god forbid something major goes wrong.

Spiers

iTrader: (7)

You do have an excellent point about the warranty. It is a dealer/lot. And not only that but it is about 3hrs away from me. So yes I suppose the "warranty" would be pretty much useless. As far as plans for the car...it will be a daily driver. Of course I might do minor mods but nothing crazy.

There is a couple reasons I am set on an LT1, but honestly the main reason is probably because of the looks. I love the 96-97 WS6 more than any other f-body. The LS1 cars just have too many holes/airdams. I currently have a '91 and I guess I just like the older sleek *** bodystyle. Not to mention insurance and modifications cost more on LS1.

Thanks for the comments guys keep them coming, I am thinking really hard about this, my head hurts. :| Here's some crappy photos of the car also.

PS: What's up with the seats?

EchoMirage

iTrader: (3)

well to each their own. i prefer LS1 style over LT1. im not much for the shovel nose of the 96/97. there wont be that much differance in insurance....considering youre looking at a 96, and you could get a 98 LS1. only 2 years. im not sure about it being more expensive to modify either. the optispark was a good point. theyre not really known for being fun to work on, especially if its a daily driver.....

but besides the point. its a nice looking car, from the pics, itd be a nice driver/toy, but still too much for what it is. the highest est. here was 7500......id personally pay no more then 6k. but its a dealer, theyre out to screw you.

what do you mean about the seats? they look fine to me, fairly good shape for 10yrs old. the seam in the middle of the thigh part of the seat looks out of place, but that might have been standard in 96, i dont know.

Spiers

iTrader: (7)

What I was talking about with the seats is the stitching pattern. That is not the usual I've seen on Trans Am's. Just wondered if anyone else has seen that different pattern, or maybe it is not stock? Not a major concern anyhow.

I understand about the whole "I could get an LS1 deal," but lets leave LS1's out of the conversation, because I am not getting one. I know what I'm looking for and that is a LT1 WS6, black on black. I just barely cought one on craigslist that sold for $7000. But it was an individual, had 100k mi, and was a little worn out/had some imperfections, and did have a few small mods. I was going to jump on that quick, but someone else had beat me to a deposit, it later was sold.

Right now on Autotrader.com, the cheapest 96-97 WS6 in the USA is $8600. And the car has 91k. So far with you guys it is a tie. Half of you say go for it, half say too much. I know I could pass this up and keep looking, but who knows how long it would be before I found the right one? This is a perfect example of a considerably low mileage, unmolested car.I could search a year only to save a grand. I think as of now I am going to go for it Friday morning, check it out VERY well, and if the car is as mint as it appears to be, and nothing seems funny, Im just gonna go for it. But keep your opinions coming, as I'm still thinking it over really hard.

Matt

2K2WS6TA

iTrader: (2)

I'm with him, if it is exactly what you want, get it, and who gives a damn what it costs (as long as it's not insanely overpriced) and you can afford it

96silverram

iTrader: (12)

I'm pretty sure that it has a camaro leather seat in the car. If your gonna pay top dollar for a real WS6 (9,000). I would expect everything including the seat to be factory correct. You might want to bring this to the dealers attention. If he is insisting that the price is warranted based on it being a un-molested WS6 then you can simply point out that the seats are not WS6 T/A factory seats and that his price will have to adjusted down so the new owner can appropriate a factory correct set of seats that will keep the purchase price similar to the asking. I would say go to their GM parts counter and have the dealer lookup the correct price for a pair of factory leather WS6 T/A seats and tell him to reduce the price according to the difference of what it will cost you to bring the car back to factory correct condition. I can almost bet you the seats will be at least $600 each, so $600 x 2 = $1200 deduct from $9000 puts you in the $7800 top dollar price for a factory correct WS6 T/A. You win and they sell a car and move on the next victim.

I have to say as good as that sounds, I'm sure your dealer will not like my logic

PS: I'm obviously very partial to the value and worth of 96/97 real WS6 cars. They are getting very hard to find, especially in factory mint condition !
If you want the car get it !

rmpitzer

iTrader: (5)

I prefer the looks of the LT1 cars too. And I realize we are in the extreme minority. Not to say I don't like the LS1 TA looks, they are mean and nasty looking, no doubt, and very cool! But I prefer the more sleek, classy look of the LT1 nose for some reason.

Yes, watch out for the warranty. I bought my car from a dealer (200 miles away), and got a warranty. Luckily I didn't pay much for the warranty. The tranny needed to be rebuilt, and I was able to have it done locally, and the warranty company did pay for the repair, but not much. I didn't read the fine print of the warranty paper work when I bought the car. Between the deductable (which was high, because my car had alot of miles) and the max payout the warranty allows (which wasn't much), it only ended up covering about $700 of the rebuild. It certainly helped....but it wasn't exactly what I thought I'd be getting with a warranty.

-Rich

NC01TA

I owned a '96 Formula for 9 years and loved it with NO issues. I love my LS1 even more but totally understand that you have found the car that you want. Unfortunately it is just TOO HIGH!! Keep working them down into the $7000-$7500 area. It just isn't worth that much more. Trust me, no one is kicking down the doors at the dealership to buy that car at that price. If it had 20k or 30k miles then it would be well worth it and an entirely different story. 78k is nice low miles but not crazy low to command a premium price. Keep working them and the car will be yours.
*Note: I also agree that the warranty is worthless. It should not be a consideration. Also a question; are the tires new or do they need replacement right off the bat? This is another $600-$800 factor (depends on the brand) to think about.

glocklimited9

iTrader: (3)

i agree with original poster, i dont like all the vents and holes in the ls1 trans ams, i love my 96 ws6

With that said, thats way to much money, keep looking you can find the same car for 3 grand cheaper, i looked for my car for a while, and i finally got a good deal. That 3k is gonna come in handy for headers, exhaust, gears, shifter, ect ect ect

Those are camaro seats, so something is wrong with that picture

John02Hawk

iTrader: (4)

Don't pay anything more than 5k for that lt1, like said above, you can get a ls1 car for just over 6k.

lemons12

iTrader: (71)

im with most.. too much for an lt1... ls1 with around 80k on it... very good condition... pick up for the same price, but if its what YOU want get it... just think about if your keeping it stock... power difference..

EchoMirage

iTrader: (3)

didnt LT1 era pontiacs have like a circular button for the power seat controls? i remember seeing them in pics.....it was a circle, with a top and bottom button inset inside the circle, sort of. hard to describe.......but that seat has 2 seperate up/down switches and what looks like a toggle switch in the middle. maybe someone with an LT1 and orginal seats can post up.......camaro and TA to compare?