Wear/failure items to look for when buying a LS1??
#1
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I'm on the hunt for the right car as of today...specifically a LS1 T/A M6...maybe an A4 if it's the right deal. With my budget, most likely the car will have 60K-80K miles. Please share with me your experience with common failures that I can look for when shopping. For me, ownership history and buying from an individual are important. If you could make a checklist now that you've owned an ls1 for awhile...what would it look like? If you bought a used LS1...what do you wish you had known to look for? I haven't been on this forum long, but I already have seen that headlight and window problems are something I should look for.
I owned the previous 93-97 gen fbody and they all had the optispark issues, and mine had the oil leak from the intake, also the oil pressure never seemed to read correctly.
What should the oil pressure on these cars be at idle and cruise? Normal water temps? Any electronic gremlins?
Think I should take my Actron code scanner and check for codes, or would any problems for sure set the light?
Thanks!
I owned the previous 93-97 gen fbody and they all had the optispark issues, and mine had the oil leak from the intake, also the oil pressure never seemed to read correctly.
What should the oil pressure on these cars be at idle and cruise? Normal water temps? Any electronic gremlins?
Think I should take my Actron code scanner and check for codes, or would any problems for sure set the light?
Thanks!
#2
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i think the main thing to look for that most people will agree is the rear end, i think that is the only MAJOR problem with these cars. No car is perfect and the fbody isnt near that. it has its little issues but nothing a car enthusiest cant handle.
fortunately for me i found a bone stock 2000 ss with 33k miles, so my car is near perfect condition. just keep a lookout and you'll find the right car.
also a lot of people here will tell you to look for an 01 or 02, but thats not necessary. Granted they are newer and have the ls6 intake, no one here keeps their cars stock anyways so it really doesnt matter anyways. happy hunting
fortunately for me i found a bone stock 2000 ss with 33k miles, so my car is near perfect condition. just keep a lookout and you'll find the right car.
also a lot of people here will tell you to look for an 01 or 02, but thats not necessary. Granted they are newer and have the ls6 intake, no one here keeps their cars stock anyways so it really doesnt matter anyways. happy hunting
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#4
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Signs of leaky T-tops and trunk.
Slow windows, especially passenger.
Worn out shocks. They are crappy even when new.
Rubber on the back fender well from burnouts![Grin](https://ls1tech.com/forums/images/smilies/LS1Tech/gr_grin.gif)
The rest is just the same stuff you look for in any used car basically. Just ignore the rattles it is part of being an F-body owner
Slow windows, especially passenger.
Worn out shocks. They are crappy even when new.
Rubber on the back fender well from burnouts
![Grin](https://ls1tech.com/forums/images/smilies/LS1Tech/gr_grin.gif)
The rest is just the same stuff you look for in any used car basically. Just ignore the rattles it is part of being an F-body owner
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#6
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Just be very tedious, you can tell allot by just test driving the car. But check to make sure the body lines are straight, you dont want to buy a previously wrecked car and not know it (happened to my friend with his 01 cobra)
#7
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+1 normal car stuff.
Biggest things i would look for are leaks and body damage. Make sure the car drives straight, not pulling to the side. make sure the undercarage isnt beat to crap. They are low cars so you should be able to tell if they hit a bunch of stuff.
Also, study some pictures of stock CLEAN engine bays. This may sound silly, but its worked well for me when i didnt know much about a car i was about to buy. Study the engine bay pictures and when you look at the car, if there are butt connecters, misc wires all over, things look ****-boxed... then you know the rest of the car was probably treated that way. Youll be able to tell if things dont look right because you know how they SHOULD look.
For the most part, f-bodies are inexpensive and easy to fix yourself. So dont sweat the little stuff...
Biggest things i would look for are leaks and body damage. Make sure the car drives straight, not pulling to the side. make sure the undercarage isnt beat to crap. They are low cars so you should be able to tell if they hit a bunch of stuff.
Also, study some pictures of stock CLEAN engine bays. This may sound silly, but its worked well for me when i didnt know much about a car i was about to buy. Study the engine bay pictures and when you look at the car, if there are butt connecters, misc wires all over, things look ****-boxed... then you know the rest of the car was probably treated that way. Youll be able to tell if things dont look right because you know how they SHOULD look.
For the most part, f-bodies are inexpensive and easy to fix yourself. So dont sweat the little stuff...