RobC1993

Hello folks. My name is Rob and I'm 18 years old. For my 16th birthday my Grandma gave me her 1999 Buick LeSabre, which I've been driving around as my DD. I love this car, but sadly I was in an accident last week. The car is still driveable, so I'm keeping it, and I'm recieving a decent sum of money from insurance.

I have a budget of about 8k dollars. I've wanted a Z28 for quite some time and have been saving up for a while. Sadly where I live, there are not very many for sale.

http://goclassicauto.com/

This ^ dealer has a what appears to be a nice looking Z28 for around 9000 dollars (low miles too). Hopefully they can negotiate. I have a few questions regarding it though.

-This particular Camaro has been for sale for nearly a year at this dealer. Is that a red flag since nobody has picked it up yet?
-Do the side marker lights look to be aftermarket (shouldn't they be yellow?)
-The rear badge seems to be missing the red Chevy logo (or did they make some without the logo?)
-That appears to be an aftermarket exhaust?

I know I have to check the car out, but does it look like this one is worth looking into?

Thanks, - Rob

Capricio

Ask the dealer for a carfax. See the "in the market" thread for things to check.

F-bodies are not as popular in snow states, and winter is not the best selling season for T-tops and convertibles.

I don't know how much NY sales tax is, but I bet it's enough to justify looking for a private seller.

Make sure you factor in insurance costs for a car like that for an 18 year old. It'll be a lot more than your Grandma's Buick.

RobC1993

Already have gotten the insurance info, it's not much more than the Buick (Multi-car discount too from State Farm).

So my best bet is to wait until spring? Thanks!

Capricio

No, as a BUYER you're probably better off buying when sales are weakest, if that car is what you want. More cars might become available in the spring. If the carfax comes up clean, go look at it and try to haggle him down. If that car has sat there for a year, I bet they are pretty motivated.

RobC1993

Ok thanks. Realistically can I get a nice f-body for $8000? I'm not looking to beat on the car. It's something I plan on keeping for a while. I'm not looking for showroom condition, but I do want something in nice shape.

Capricio

Well, two years ago I got a very nice condition 2000 WS6 with 62k miles for under $10k. That's a Z28 in a little rougher condition, still nice with low miles, for $9k. Perfectly reasonable if everything checks out.

In addition to the things mentioned in the other thread, look at the oil, make sure it doesn't appear milky. If it's an auto (i think you said 6 speed, but anyways) pull the AT dipstick and see if you detect any "burnt smell".

It's a RWD coupe in winter in a snow state that has been sitting on the lot too long. The cards are in your favor negotiating. If he won't move, be prepared to walk out. I've had a dealer call me at home after I walked out over dispute over floor mats. I bet he wants to sell it pretty bad.

need2speed94

$8000 will get you a nice Z/28, not sure about an SS. SS's sell for a bit more than Z/28's. As for the car you're looking at, the exhaust tips look aftermarket, so their may be a exhaust work done. Also the wing and wheels are aftermarket, and I believe the lid is as well. Mods like these depreciate the vehicles price because it makes it less desireable for the average crowd, that may be why it's fairly cheap. Luckily, for people like us mods (for the most part) are good and modded cars are cheaper... Saw a 10 second WS6 for 10k the other day! I say if you pick this up, get the motor checked out. Look to make sure this motor doesn't suffer from piston slap and all of the pulleys are good. Those problems are pretty profound for used F Body's. Good luck

sepsis

iTrader: (7)

I agree with the guys above. Winter is the best time to buy a sports car. Also, as they said, ask for a carfax, and if they won't give you one then to me that's a red flag. If the car looks good though and you're still interested, buy the carfax yourself. I bought the $45 version for 5 carfaxes as opposed to $35 for 1 car.

Remember though, everything isn't always in the CF report. It could have been hit and just not reported, so take someone that is experienced with cars and knows body work. If the car has been repainted or fixed in some way, there are usually indicators.

I got my Camaro with 41,100 miles for quite a bit less than what you're looking to spend with a clean CF report.

My best advice, don't jump on the 1st car you see. If it's been there for a year, it'll be there for a little while longer, especially this time of year in NY, so just keep searching craigslist and autotrader. Don't be afraid to walk away from a deal if it doesn't seem right to you.

RobC1993

Thank guys. I'd rather find a car with a little bit higher mileage but in better condition, than a car with low mileage that's been molested.

I'll keep looking! I'm sure something nice will pop up, but nice deals don't seem to last very long around here.

RPM WS6

iTrader: (3)

Piston slap isn't really a "problem", it just annoys some people. My '02 has been slapping for 102k miles, and the engine is just fine. It's only a problem if you can't stand the sound of it.

As for pulleys, it's usually just an idler or tensioner pulley that needs to be replaced at some point, and this is an easy thing to do that will eventually wear out on most of these engines as the mileage builds. Not a big deal and not a reason to buy/not buy a car IMO.

udienow

iTrader: (18)

Carfax is almost useless. Too easy to keep an accident off of it. I would not trust it for that stuff, but it can be useful to check previous owners and such. Cars like a girl, you don't really want one that's been passed around.

If the cars been in a big wreck there will usually be signs of panels not matching up very well, or if you know your paint you can spot panels that have been repainted. These cars are getting old so I would not be too picky (esp for your budget) but at the same time you should be able to find something decent. As someone above said, don't just hop on the first one you see, look around a lot. Took me 6 months to find my first TA, and my 2nd one I flew to Texas to get...

mean_greenZ

iTrader: (1)

The MAF ends have been changed...they are red.

RobC1993

Thanks guys, I know I should look more. This car looks nice but I'm sure I can do better.

If a dealer wants 10k for a car, what is a realistic price i can get the car for? I've never purchased a car before, so excuse my lack of knowledge regarding negotiating.

http://www.gtmotorcarsinc.com/Dealer...E5yCsioYP2s%3d

This car looks to be a little nicer. Higher mileage, but looks very clean. I'm going to take a look this week.

TransAmWS.6

Even though it has more miles, it appears to have been maintained much, much better than the NBM Z28 in your original post. I would much rather put my 10k on this one, that thing looks clean. I'd take a higher mileage car that's been taken care of over a lower mileage car that has been neglected, this thread seems like the perfect example of that with the two cars you have posted.

Also, depending on how motivated the dealer is on selling the car, you may or may not get them to come down off of the price. With cheap cars like these, they seem more inclined not to budge unless they just can't get rid of them.

Capricio

Much nicer looking, but to be fair, the first car has crappier fuzzy pictures and it looked like it could use a wash.

This one looks very clean, has good rubber on it, with no obvious mods besides an STB and a lid. $10k may be a little steep but I'm basing that on AZ pricing, where F-bodies are more plentiful and rust doesn't exist. As you indicated earlier, good condition F-bodies may be harder to find in your area, so they may command a bit more of a premium price.

In the end, it's worth it spend a little more and get the car you want. Nothing for me is worse than a constant sense of regret on a major purchase.

The Mighty Texan

iTrader: (4)

Lot's of good advise, and again just make sure you see a fair number of them before you get one, gotta stay patient, it sucks. lol

Slicker

iTrader: (1)

You can find a nice car for far less money. Something about that car says don't buy me, maybe it the cheesy c5 replicas or the auto trans. I picked up as SS for far less then 9k with low miles. They are out there keep looking.

RobC1993

Well the issue is, I never learned to drive stick. Everyone I know owns an automatic. I've been wanting to learn for a while, but never have had an opportunity. Even at the shop I work at, all the cars that come in are automatic. Plus, here in NY, it's a lot of stop and go traffic.

Would I love to own an m6? Absolutely. The automatic would be the best option for me though, I know it's not as fun and it might be a tad slower but I'm not looking to race. The automatics are still a hell of a lot faster than my Buick.

JohnS Z28

iTrader: (1)

you can find so much more for less.
My 98 z28 had 89k miles and i got it for $5400 this summer, i was 19, and its a manual, and i dont regret anything haha.
keep looking around on your cragslist, and here.

RobC1993

My area has these for a bit more money it would seem. For $5400 I'd be looking at a car with 150k miles here.