Vicinity

iTrader: (7)

For some reason, after 3 months of trying to get a Camaro, I finally was told I'm allowed to. But out of absolutely no where, my parents decide the cars are too old to be reliable. Apparently 100k miles is way too many (and my current car has 140k) and it rusts too easily. Can anyone help me provide proof those are BS?

demo3k

iTrader: (2)

I tend to agree you're not going to find a real nice reliable Z28/SS for under $5k. Good luck.

CaMaRo67RS355

iTrader: (75)

thats going to be tough i agree with him^^^ if you could add a couple thousand to it you could find a decent miles one

quadd2244

iTrader: (13)

I agree with demo3K

Texfinn

iTrader: (39)

I think he means that the price should have less than 5 digits, i.e. $9999 and under.

Anyway... The only way to convince your parents about those facts are to take them with you to look at the cars. That's about the best way to do it.

Good luck.

merriman44

iTrader: (4)

Age has nothing to do with a cars condition. There are 40 year old cars that are prestine and 2 year old cars that are torn apart. Tell your folks that my camaro sat in the rain for 40 years and still ran just fine up until the time that I tore it down for restoration. Did it have a lot of cancer? Yes. But it was 40 years old.

V8s today now run up to 200k+ if taken care of partly due to overdrive. There is just less wear and tear. But if your looking for one under 10k and in real good shape you might have a bit of trouble. Just my .02

Texfinn

iTrader: (39)

I disagree. There are tons of good LS1 F-bodies w/way under 100K miles available for under 10K.

RPM WS6

iTrader: (3)

His sig says "under 5 digits", not under $5k.

These cars don't have much that can rust, other than the undercarrige.

A properly maintained higher mileage car can be fine. The problem is, you won't know if it was properly maintained until it's too late. I like to buy low mileage used cars myself; you pay a bit more up front, but *usually* you don't have to fix as much stuff.

I've never bought a used car with more than 80k miles, unless it was just a $400 beater. Had a couple of those with 140k-ish miles.

RPM WS6

iTrader: (3)

That depends on where you live.

You won't find many nice LS1s with way under 100k miles for under $10k in my area. There are some from time to time, but definitely not "tons".

Vicinity

iTrader: (7)

Well, I'm thinking I might goto a dealership and end up paying possibly $15k~. It's more than I originally planned, but it'll be worth it for a car I'll drive for a while.

Lady_Bird

iTrader: (1)

now actually isnt the buying "season" for these kinds of cars ive learned. you kinda want to buy em in winter bc people are trying to get rid of them and get a 4x4 for winter or are saving up for xmas. at least thats what ive noticed. prices of ls1s have exceptionally gone up from what i saw in december to now. everyone wants to have their pretty sportscar for summer.
youre probably anxious to buy, but if you wait and glue your eyes to craigslist for a couple months, youll find an exceedlingly great deal for an ls1 in great shape.
and also keep in mind: high miles does not = shitty car.

BLACK2001SS

I think if your parents have to decide if you get a camaro or not your not at the age to have one yet haha. Kidding good luck take your time serch the net I find them all the time, but for a decent one your looking at 10 to 15, from what I've seen.

Wsteun

iTrader: (3)

I paid $3500 dollars for my Z28. Sure, there was stuff wrong with it, but for about $600 dollars, the car more solid than it ever has.

Lady_Bird

iTrader: (1)

+1
when you see a car that has things wrong with it, think about the cost to fix it if it weighs out one thats already in good condition. plus, if you do the work yourself, you know that its done right and to your expectations.

primer84z

iTrader: (7)

You have to step back and be reasonable. Your probably not buying an LS1 because its the most reliable, fuel efficient car on the road. And your not buying a Camaro because you like the looks, or else a V6 would be the option. You want it for the same reason all of us do, it hauls ***. It sounds like this is going to be a one time deal, like spend 10k on the car and then hope nothing goes wrong with it because your parents arent going to want to rebuild the engine. If thats the case your going to need more upfront and get the lowest mileage/best condition one you could find. Or you could go find the cheapest one 5-6k, and be prepared to replace stuff. While the engine/tranny can easily go way past 100k with no problems, there are many parts that will need replacing. Shocks/Springs/Brakes/Clutch etc. Those parts wear down no matter what, and its not cheap when it comes time to replace them. I went the cheap route and found my 98 that had fresh konis/strano susp parts and brakes for 6k. It had 96k on the clock too.

StuntmanMike

iTrader: (2)

I agree with your parents on one point, I probably wouldn't buy one with over 100k miles.

But I've NEVER seen a rusty 4th gen, and I live in New England. I've seen plenty of rusty 3rd gens, but never a 4th gen. Hell, they're made mostly of plastic!

I bought my loaded '00 Formula with 65k for 10 grand. I might have paid a little too much actually, but they're just so hard to find around here. But if you're looking for a Z, you should be able to find a nice one for under 10k. I saw a few when I was looking for my Pontiac.

Like was said above, age has nothing to do with it for the most part, it's how it has been maintained. Check out LS1.com, I beleive there's a mileage post in the Z28 forum...plenty of cars the with 150+, or even 200+k on them.

If you can wait, once the '09 Camaro comes out, the values of these cas will probably drop.

You just need to be patient, something will turn up.

Oh, and I'd never pay over 12k for one of these cars, unless it was a rare or ultra low mileage version, preferably both.

Lady_Bird

iTrader: (1)

you also need to understand:
whatever you pay at a dealership... thats not the end of it.
if you think youre going to have this car and not mod it, but true to yourself.
youre not buying this car because its fuel efficient or because its pretty.
youre going to pour money into whatever you get. its an addiction and it never ends. theres always some way to go faster. you also need to be true with your parents and make sure they udnerstand that. because what will end up happeneing is your parents are going to say hell no to mods.
also, mods aside, these cars take a lot of work for upkeep. and work and upkeep needs money. i dunno how good you are with cars but theres a lot of work to these beasts.
just some things to think about

Vicinity

iTrader: (7)

Well, I'm 18 and I have a job, so I'm paying myself. Whatever loan, its all me. So my parents are just trying to look out for my best interest (boring car?), and I've already thought about mods. I'm going to swap a crate engine in it next summer (LS6 or 7) and it'll be boosted for road racing. My dad owned a shop for Harley's, so I have some technically know-how (hey buddy, get that wrench?). My current car goes in for repairs so much (pretty sure everything on it is new by now, stopped have problems like 2 months ago) but it's a high mileage 4-banger. I've always loved Camaro since I was like 4 or something, so I wanted it to be my first *real* car.

It's a Camaro or a GTO either way, but a Camaro is a cheaper car with cheaper insurance.

Lady_Bird

iTrader: (1)

well i know youre looking for an ls1 but my boyfriend is selling a 95 manual lt1 z28 with great mods if youre interested and its in great condition. asking $8500

RPM WS6

iTrader: (3)

I don't understand the thought process behind you people that would only buy a car because it's fast. I like the whole package with these cars. I would never buy any car based on speed alone.