JJR

I'm new to this forum and have been reading alot of very well thought out advice. I live in Arizona and want to buy a project LS1 Camaro or T\A.

There's only one in Arizona on the web(Craigslist, Autotrader, Cars.com) I haven't tried the local classifieds yet. That one was a 98 Z\28 with 99K miles asking 5K. From what I remember about the ad, there was minor body and interior work to be done. Obviously, I don't know enough about what to look for in buying a project car. I expanded my internet ad search to California and found several prospects. A few T\As and SS vehicles but these were salvage titles. What exactly does that mean to a project car?

What do I look for in buying a project car? I would think the engine has to be in good shape. My goal is to have a street car with around 450 hp and enough power to burn any little modded civic that pulls up beside me.

Have any advice to throw my way?

NC01TA

I'm hoping someone chimes in to assist you because I would like to help but have limited knowledge of mods and what it entails as far as building a car. I will offer this; If you are seriously looking at laying out about $5,000 then you are getting close to getting an LS1 car that doen't have to be a basket case 'project' car. Yes, it will need things but not complete restoration. Look at cars for sale in the $6,000 - $6,500 price range. These are asking prices and you may find a seller willing to take $5,000 cash in hand. If nothing in your area at the moment, be patient, there will be soon enough. Stay away from 'problem title' cars like 'salvage or 'flood' or 'rebuilt'. It is like the fabled albatross. They are very tough to sell and can be a real 'money pit' with issues that exceed normal wear and tear. Hope this helps a little until someone else can assist.

JJR

Thanks for the advice. I guess I used "project car" incorrectly. I have basic knowledge of car repair and modification. I should have said a car that's basically in good shape, relatively low mileage, no engine issues...etc. I DON'T have the time, money or know-how to strip a car down to the frame and start over again. That's not what I want. I just don't know what specifics to look for. I'm looking to modify a good working order LS1 vehicle.

NC01TA

OK, I see. You probably want to find a stock example which is indeed tougher to do in the lower price ranges. Once these LS1 'stock' examples get under the $9,000 - $10,000 area, they are snapped up and modded. Then in most cases, not all, they are driven hard and who knows how the engine would be faring? It is a crap shoot to buy one of these but from reading many of the posts in this secton, there are some nice ones out there. You just have to do your homework when looking at one. Look for red flags like 16 year old owners (no offense to the good owners out there), poor or no maintenance records, or multiple owners, especially with lower mileage cars. Why is the car changing hands so much? I'm not sure you can find a good shape, lower mileage, stock LS1 for much less than $7,000 - $8000 and even that will be tough without expanding your search parameters. I listed a few examples (just from ebay) below that sound really nice and would make excellent candidates to mod and enjoy for years. One is right in AZ (the ad is written really unusual though), the other far away, but it gives you an idea on what lower mileage stock cars will go for. I again stress to stay away from the 'problem title' cars. Good luck with your search.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/99-Me...item2a123fd95e
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Chevy...item2c5df71083

JJR

Those examples are very nice vehicles. I think I have an idea of what kind of vehicle to look for but they are certainly few and far berween. I was looking last night at ebay, cars.com and autotrader and there's not many in AZ worth seeing. There were 2 camaros and one firebird formula I would even consider looking at. For the rest, I would have to expand my search to California and that's a whole other issue. Looking at nationwide, there were quite a few I'd consider looking at...all in the 6-7K price range. But that would require travel for a couple days and there's the issue of getting the vehicle back to AZ. I make about $80K\year and don't want to think about the costs of shipping a vehicle across the country. Thanks for the insight NC0, you've been a big help.

NC01TA

Well I'm glad to help out, even a little. Just some info for you, whether you consider it now or someday down the road.
Shipping a car in an enclosed carrier generally runs in the $1,000 - $1,500 area depending on miles. I've had very good success with Intercity, Plycon, and Horseless Carriage over the past 5 - 6 years. Used FedEx once for overseas and they were excellent too. Open carriers are less money and sometimes under $1,000, again depending on the miles, but exposed to the elements and potential issues like thieves and vandalism since the car is seen by all types. Watch out for cheap carriers that 'broker' out the job to others. I've seen some unreal (almost comical) carriers where the driver was 80+ years old and didn't know how to remove the car from the carrier, and two guys in a pick-up hauling a trailer and neither could speak English. You get what you pay for. There was also an instance where a carrier driver stopped for the night, pulled an expensive Porsche off the carrier, and drove it into the 'red light district' of a large city. He was only caught after the mileage didn't match up from when the car was put on the carrier, and then taken off. The owner wasn't happy when the story was learned.

JJR

Wow, I had no idea. I've never considered buying a car in another state before, until now. I've seen those open carriers on the freeway with various types of cars, I just never knew so much went into it. Personally, unless I found a superb deal, I don't think I'd consider buying a vehicle and having it shipped to me. That would be a last resort. I'd try to find something in Arizona first, then California and Nevada. If that didn't work, then we can look into nationwide. I understand why someone would use these carriers. If you want a specific type of car, you have to be willing to expand the search. Thanks for the warning NC0, I appreciate the advice.