The Bronx Bull

Hi guys,

...picking up an LS1 next week. A few questions:

1) Should a carfax report for an 01/02 Camaro SS show the model as a "Camaro Z28," albeit the fact that the car wears the SS badges and is a 35th Anniv Special Edition?

2) A few opinions on a better value:

- a 2001 Camaro SS with 2900 miles on it, $19,000 (private)
- a 2002 Camaro SS 35th Anniv Edition with 24,000 miles on it, $18000 (dealer)

Once again, I'm looking strictly for which is a "better value" or perhaps your opinion on the choice.

3) Anything noteworthy I should look for when testing these cars, whether being indicative of a negative history or a pampered past by the owner?

Thanks gentlemen..

99Zeeeeeeeeee28

iTrader: (9)

This will tell you how to find out whether the car is an SS or not - https://ls1tech.com/forums/1740897-post19.html

The 2002 Camaros all can be considered 35th anniversary cars but only a handful actually have the special options to make them more unique. Does the '02 that you found have the 35th anniversary stripes? If it does, I would go towards that one, otherwise, the '01 would be the better choice.

With those cars having such little mileage on them, you shouldn't have to worry about really anything unless the owners REALLY beat the **** out of them. When you start getting into higher mileage cars, things to check for are:

-Rear end (whining around corners, noisy, ect.)
-If it's an automatic, check the 2-3 shift. Sometimes they will bounce off the rev limiter while shifting into 3rd which is usually a sign that things are going south. Believe me, it just happened to me.
-If it's a 6-speed, check for a sticky clutch. The hydraulics aren't the greatest on these cars but a simple fix is to buy the Tick Master Cylinder.
-Power window motors, these will start to go out when mileage gets up there.

Good luck and welcome to the site!

badss_02

iTrader: (2)

Be very careful with the rear, mileage doesn't mean anything, I bought my car with 47k on the clock and driving it back i made it 70 miles before i was putting a rear in it again. Turns out the dealer put a tube of grease in the diff to quiet it down to get it sold. ***cough*** Crown Motors ***cough*** (houstin)

The Bronx Bull

Hey thanks man. Yes - the '02 SS I'm looking at is indeed the 35th Anniv Special Edition with the racing stripes... it also has an obscure dual center exiting exhaust.

Honestly, I was leaning towards the '01 SS simply because of its miraculously low amount of mileage. I have about a week to decide which car to visit first, so I'll be thinking carefully.

In fact, the mileage on the '01 is so low that it kind of leaves me 'suspicious.' I'll be doing a carfax but I'm assuming it's relatively hard to trick the odometer systems (roll back) in these vehicles? (I have an '02 3.8 'camaro now - digital odo)

99Zeeeeeeeeee28

iTrader: (9)

Although it is difficult, changing the mileage can be done. A odometer could be taken off of another car and I think you can somehow mess with it if you hook it up to a computer but I would think it would be more trouble than it's worth since you can almost always tell the difference between low and high mileage cars. I would do a carfax before you buy it. Post some pics up when you pick either one up!

01ssreda4

iTrader: (96)

Title will show Z/28 for any SS model because well....thats what it is. All start life as z/28s. The SS is an optional "package", not a model in itself.

The Bronx Bull

Perfect, thank you. Glad to hear this.

CamaroSS27

iTrader: (6)

If you plan on modding it I probably would go with the 01, try talking them down too because NADA is only 13k, but with the high value of the car you may be able to get him down a little

The Bronx Bull

No plans to mod - just exhaust and other small stuff. The 2500 mile-er is literally in pristine condition, untouched. I'm in a bind - I have some thinking to do!

twitchtwice

iTrader: (12)

idk, if it were me id go with the non 35 ann becaue i dont care for the stipes and because its the same car except with badges on it.