Time Capsule: 32K Third-gen Camaro Z/28 Is a Godsend
Price may be a little steep, but this low-mileage F-body Camaro looks like a cream puff.
If you’ve ever dreamed about going back in time and scoring a brand-new third-gen Camaro Z/28 from your local Chevy dealer, and you have $20,000 to drop, this just might be exactly the car you’ve been looking for. While there’s not a ton of information in the Craigslist post, and the pics aren’t exactly high-def, the bones, as they say, are there. Since the author clearly appreciates brevity, we’ll just go ahead and drop the entire text of the ad here:
“I bought this beautiful 1991 Camaro Z28 5.7 L from the original owner. It has 32k original miles. It’s in like new condition. Interior is super clean. I have very rare original Ronal R15 Firehawk 17” wheels. I also have the original wheels and tires too. I’m not interested in any trades. Clean title in hand. Thanks.”
Some quick calculations reveal the car was driven, on average, just under 100 miles per month, which is low, but not scary low like the Pontiac Turbo Trans Am Pace Car we found a couple years back. The seller doesn’t say how many miles they’ve added since taking delivery, and we’d bet the answer is not many. Everything about the ad makes us think they got a great deal on the car, and are now looking to make a quick buck. Nothing wrong with that, but we’d love to know the full story behind this baby.
Given that this car is listed in Chicago, where rust is as part of the program as deep-dish pizza and condiment-covered hot dogs, we’d love to see some shots of the undercarriage. But aside from a little dirt on the shock towers, everything in the pics looks squeaky-clean. We don’t particularly appreciate the look of the 17-inch Firehawk wheels, however, “rare” as they may be. We’d swap them back to the included stock ones pronto.
Under the hood, the 5.7-liter L98 looks to be just as it did when it rolled out of the factory. Even all the warning stickers on the intake, above the radiator, and on the master cylinder seem to be completely preserved. Given the limited exercise it’s seen over the last three decades, we’d guess it’s still good for the 245 horsepower and 345 lb⋅ft of torque it left the factory with.
In the ad, there’s no mention of how the old Camaro runs and drives. But since it’s basically only been used enough to get the oil warm and keep the seals from drying out, it stands to reason you shouldn’t be in for any surprises if you decided to blow some minds at the local show and shine.
The interior presents well too, with the gray cloth looking like the factory plastic just came off. Unfortunately for those who like to row their own, this car features the General’s four-speed 4L60 automatic transmission.
Since a third-pedal wasn’t an option with 5.6-liter engine, it’s just another indication that nothing has been messed with mechanically. We’d go ahead and ditch the rubber floor mats first thing. That said, given how beefy they are, it’s safe to say the carpet underneath is probably in pretty good nick.
Like a lot of other low-mileage cars we’ve seen, the value here is derived almost entirely from the fact that the car is all-original, and hasn’t been driven. Start racking up miles, and you’re going to start eroding any potential resale value pretty quickly.
Obviously, the same is true for mods, so while it might be an excellent starting point for the third-gen restomod you’ve always wanted to build, unless cost really is no object, it makes sense to go looking for another candidate. So what do you think? Will the seller get their asking price? We wish this was on an auction site, so we could see if it meets reserve.
Photos: Craigslist