7SEALS

I was looking for an LS1 6 speed car for the past 8 months or so. I was browsing local craigslist along with ls1tech. No offense to sellers here, but this is probably the worst place to find a reasonably priced ls1 car. Everyone here has a 1 of xxx car and somehow that increases the value of the vehicle. Book value is not set in stone, but is a great place to look at exactly what your vehicle is worth.

I ended up spending $7,000 on a craigslist two owner 2002 z28 6 speed, t tops, leather, loaded, 35th anniversary, slp intake, slp cat back, SS hood and SS wheels. The car is immaculate inside and out and runs perfect. No ticks, knocks, or squeaks. I am confident that if this car were listed here it would be $10,000+.

tl;dr if you want an LS1 car for a realistic price, stay far far away from here

Zlow28

iTrader: (11)

It probably had a corvette engine

My6speedZ

iTrader: (18)

There is some truth to this. A lot of the car I see here are overprice. Then again, a lot of ragged out piles of crap on Craigslist are just as over priced. Patience cannot be stressed enough when looking for the right seller for ANY car.

RPM WS6

iTrader: (3)

FYI, every 2002 Camaro is a 35th Anniversary, with a plaque on the dash.

There was a Limited Edition 35th SS package, but nothing special like that existed for the Z28s.

RPM WS6

iTrader: (3)

LS1Tech is nationwide (worldwide, actually), so some of the prices reflect the difference in markets from one region to the next. For example, cost of living is higher in a place like Chicago (not to mention the premium on cars that are already located here but have been stored in the winters), so what seems overpriced to someone from another region might be right on target for this area.

I do agree about the "1 of XXX cars" thing, but I see this on Craigslist as well as LS1Tech. Minor (or even major) options that make a car rare don't always increase it's value or desireability. In fact, sometimes the reason why an option is rare is because few liked it enough to order it, so it may actually make the car less desireable if it's still an unpopular thing (such as certain colors, etc.)

2000RATA

You whiny titty babies just don't get it. If you are on a budget buy an old Ford Fairmont, they are in your price range. But just because the owner of an especially nice 4th gen isn't as broke as you does not mean he needs to lower his asking price and hurt himself financially. Nearly everything given on this board in regards to advice seems to be geared towards cutting corners and saving money. Especially in the forced induction section. It's like most of you are shopping at Tiffany's for a ring but you know you are on a Walmart budget. So you guys post threads like this and bitch about Tiffany prices. Go cry to your mom's.

BrainFreezE

iTrader: (2)

BAM!!
http://miami.craigslist.org/mdc/cto/4243831048.html

91FormulaKiller

iTrader: (28)

My own opinion on this flys with everything I've looked for, 1st gens to 4th gens, its about geography, what your looking for and what kind of condition it's in. I've searched on CL for 4 years for my 1st gen Bird. I saw all kinds of prices from $25000 for a fully restored car to $3500 for a rolling chassis. In the end I found a shell with only glass in it with new rockers, quarters and floors done for $300. When I went to buy my 3rd 03-06 Kawasaki Z1000, they ranged in price from $3500 to $6000 in the NE area (saw the OP is from CT, and in NE the prices are HIGHER). I ended up driving to PA to buy a low mile (7K miles) 03 Z1000 in PA, a 16 hour round trip just for a bike!! There aren't alot of 4th Gen LS1's around new england compared to other areas of the country and the ones that are from I've seen have been garaged their whole life and in pretty nice shape, $9500 for a sub 30K mile 99-02 F-body in NE is pretty reasonable. If you want a cheaper one, start thinking about southern areas like TX,AZ, GA or VA, cars down there wont see NE winters (or the bad drivers) and should prices 2-3K lower than us. Can also go as far as looking into what states had more of the cars produced imported to, I remember seeing somewhere that some states had receieved more 1st gen firebirds back then than other states, like VA and GA and most cars tend to stay in the state they're originally from, it's a stretch but it makes finding the perfect car or a better priced one easier if you can travel. New england sucks for muscle cars if your looking to buy.... but selling....

98CayenneT/A

Wow! Nice find brain freeze,ha ha, cloth, non t-top and all!

BrainFreezE

iTrader: (2)

yeah it's not even a LT1 sigh..

Blackpanther99

iTrader: (8)

Sure is crazy.

mjs1012

iTrader: (36)

Yes, up here prices are higher but some are completely absurd. You'd be surprised, theres a decent amount of ls1s around here, but yes less than other areas of the country. Some people are getting really butt hurt over this thread and its almost comical. I never said all f-bodys aren't worth what people are asking, but I just dont see how people want upwards of $15K for a car thats going on 12 years old for the newest one with beat to up interior, higher miles, and who else knows. There is nothing all that special about the Ls1 F-body, Its just like how the foxbody has been for years, cheap, easy to mod with a huge aftermarket, and fun to drive. No more, no less.

I personally picked up my car cheap with the intention of modding it and replacing everything which I have done, and if I were to sell it one day I know if I were to ask close to some of the prices I see, people would laugh since there is no value to a built z28.

On the other hand, I'd one day like to pick up a 35th anniversary LE SS and would be more than willing to pay top dollar for it in good condition.

91FormulaKiller

iTrader: (28)

After looking at the prices of LS1 F-bodys around here for the last 7 or 8 years the best thing i can come up with as far as owning a 4th gen w/an LSX engine (and again this is my own perception/opinion) is to just buy a mint 98-02 F-body rolling chassis or V6 car (few V6's on CL right now with rod/bottom end issues) and just swap in a built 5.3/LSx engine. I almost grabbed a nearly mint silver 2000 firebird with a blown V6, had 78K miles on it, guy wanted $1500 for it. The cost of swapping in a built LS engine with a 6 speed would save me at least 5 grand. I'm talking about used parts too, never catch me going to Jegs looking for a crate LS7

RPM WS6

iTrader: (3)

That depends. If the seller is asking a price well outside of reality, then he may have no choice but to lower the price if he actually wants to sell the car. You're right, a seller shouldn't have to hurt themselves financially, but they also can't expect a buyer to overpay just because THEY may have overpaid, and/or they feel the car is worth it. If they can't get what they want, then they'll have to be happy to keep the car. If you actually want to sell, then you MUST be concerned with what the market is willing to pay, otherwise you probably just aren't that interested in selling in the first place (if so that is fine, but this discussion assumes that someone actually wants to sell their car). Again, I go back to the example of the $71k '02 SS....the seller listed his price as "firm". Ha ha. The chance is slim that anyone in the world wants that car enough to pay that kind of money for it. Perhaps he will find that person, but it might take many years if at all. If he actually wanted to sell the car in any sort of near-term time frame, then the price would have to come down to earth.

People that are well off financially (and got there themselves) didn't get that way by being stupid with their cash, so it's not only "broke" people that want a fair deal. "Fair" is not the same as expecting a give-away price though. This is true of everything, not just cars. You can price your house for 3 times it's market value as well, but don't expect to sell it, and don't whine that people are "cheap" when they don't show interest at such a high price.

7SEALS

You are aware that here in America, we are in a financial crisis so not everyone can afford to build a car 110%. Not everyone gets paid $100,000+ a year so we can't dump thousands into a vehicle. Especially this younger generation who is mostly drowning in student loan debt. We all like going fast, but not all of us can afford to do it the same way.

My6speedZ

iTrader: (18)

ULTIMATEORANGESS

iTrader: (4)

i was listening for the theme from miami vice and waiting for corckett and tubbs to appear.

mjs1012

iTrader: (36)

I can relate to this. I could build one hell of a car with the amount of money I have to pay each month. That's another topic for another day however lol.

BrainFreezE

iTrader: (2)

http://miami.craigslist.org/brw/cto/4263389301.html another crazy post.. also

did trans am's come with firebird front and rear bumpers at some point? I have seen a few "Trans Am" with this setup.. or did they just do a conversion from firebird and badge it up as a T/A just curious.

mjs1012

iTrader: (36)

So $8400 is a good price for a car that needs a paint job now huh?