How long will the motor last?
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11 Second Club
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From: Skippack, PA
How long will the motor last? I found a very nice '98 Trans Am I would like to buy however it has 132,000 miles, mostly highway The car has been taken real good care of and only mobil 1 synthetic oil used etc etc. Im just skeptical about how much longer the motor will last until it will need to be rebuilt? The car cost $8,000 and is in mint condition except for the high miles so Im just trying to figure out if its worth selling my Formula for.
Launching!
Joined: Dec 2005
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From: S. JerZ
The way I see it... if the rest of the car is mint (paint, interior, ride quality, tranny, rear, etc.) and the motor just has a lot of miles, I would go for it. With how cheap short and longblocks can be had for nowadays it would probably be worth it. Think about it, for 8k + 5k forged rebuild you have a car that'll be able to run high 11's low 12's on motor, and you could either spray it or go blower/turbo. Or you could just put a 402 or 408 in it and call it a day. I'd go for it man.
Thread Starter
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From: Skippack, PA
Basically I need it to last for another 30k or so until I graduate college in 3 years then I can afford to build the motor up which I would ultimately like to do but Im worried it wont last that long. A 408 sounds pretty nice 
If you could do a leakdown test, make sure the thing's runnin smooth (no misses under heavy load), etc. that should give you a good idea. If you only need it to last 30k more miles w/out problems, I'd say go for it. If it's a stick, be ready to spring for a new clutch and make sure that rear end's full of fluid. Check em all actually 
. Good luck!
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On The Tree
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 100
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From: Seattle
Motor should be fine for 250k with "normal" use. Mine has 105k and runs great, but the clutch went and the rear diff bearings went at ~100k and 95k respectively. This is a fairly low stressed motor overall, the same engine can put out another 100hp without being out of it's design margins. The Ls6 does what, 405hp in standard form?
No worries, enjoy the car.
BTW: my car with 105k miles looks brand new on the interior, though the outside shows 100k miles worth of paint chips. The drivetrain runs perfect. Also had to put new shocks on (strano revalved bilstein HD's).
Amazing car for the money.
No worries, enjoy the car.
BTW: my car with 105k miles looks brand new on the interior, though the outside shows 100k miles worth of paint chips. The drivetrain runs perfect. Also had to put new shocks on (strano revalved bilstein HD's).
Amazing car for the money.
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Joined: Apr 2006
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From: Grand Rapids, Michigan
I bought my car with 128K on it, now it has 140K. I did some bolt ons and made the car quicker, and now I am adding more parts to make it even faster. I also can tell you, they last even when beat on. I drive the hell out of my car. It wasn't built to be babied in my opinion. These cars were made to drive hard! *Aside from the weak *** rear end.
I run into this quite frequently, so I have to ask. How does a car with 130K miles on it attain a rating of mint condition??? 
That term gets thrown around waaaaaay too much IMO. If it's in great condition for the mileage, that (to me at least) is totally different.
Mint=Dealer Showroom condition (no visible dirt, rust, scratches, chips, dings, stains, wear & tear, etc.)
That term gets thrown around waaaaaay too much IMO. If it's in great condition for the mileage, that (to me at least) is totally different.
Mint=Dealer Showroom condition (no visible dirt, rust, scratches, chips, dings, stains, wear & tear, etc.)
Thread Starter
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From: Skippack, PA
Yea I was thinking $8,000 was a little high but it does have Chrome ZR1's, Kooks LT's, Magnaflow, LS6 Manifold, Koni SA Shocks and a TCI 3500 Stall which I would put on the car regardless so I suppose $8,000 isnt too bad but I'll try to go lower.
motor will last between 1 and 50,000 more miles.
transmission with a stall... most likely itll go out first. the stall and headers make the car a better deal, but its not like you are getting some super awesome steal. id call it a reasonable deal.
transmission with a stall... most likely itll go out first. the stall and headers make the car a better deal, but its not like you are getting some super awesome steal. id call it a reasonable deal.