looking at a 2002 z28
 

i looked at an 02 z today at a dealer, had my buddy run the serial # for me, is a 1 owner, virgin car, loaded-got a couple questions
it has 86K miles on it-on startup, valves are pretty noisey, but get better-i know that is a common complaint, and they have a newer rocker arm out there, i think i even have some-does that seem normal
the steering feels pretty hard, is that normal-i thought with power steering it would be easier, maybe power assist?
the engine seems a little hesitant off idle, maybe a little retune
it has a rear end noise, and a couple other sounds like a tire or brake rotor noise-it has 2.73's, i would prob change to low 3's
the body is perfect, so is the interior, has t tops-is there supposed to be a bag for the tops to store in, i suspect they fit in the back somewhere
im fam.with the LS engines, built one in my Chevelle with a a Procharger over 600 RWHP, so not really worried if i have to go into it
does the engine come out the bottom, not a lot of room under there, lol
they were asking 13K, and know it has some problems, were willing to go way down, thinking maybe offer 8.5K as is-i get the feeling they want it gone
everything else seems fine-i dont plan on modifing anything, just keep it stock, fix what it needs-i do all my own work, so only costs would be parts
i didnt drive it far, but might go back and test drive it further, esp since he said he wants to deal, lol

My steering in my car is heavy and weighted towards the center. I always thought is was bc of the 17 inch stockers. For fun you can enter the VIN from it here to see options break downs

http://www.compnine.com/vid.php

The steering is very stiff on these fourth gen Camaros compared to the other cars I've driven, so I doubt there is an issue there.

The T-Tops store in the trunk and lock into place.

With reference to the plethora of mini-problems that the car has, I wouldn't go near it for the asking price. But for your situation coupled with your experience with LS motors, your offer of 8.5K seems to be a good asking price - albeit the fact that they will probably decline.

Good luck!