Ok, i love these cars and am getting real close to buying one, but i want to make sure that i wont be bringing it in the shop every month. i know you guys know the pros and cons about this car and would love to hear your facts.
Thanks
David

 

all beside the window motors just a bolt-on ls1 are pretty tough cars. there is a good bit of people that have 100000 miles on them. now with more exstensive mods comes more headaches but as far as tough i dont think they can be beat

 

My SS is my DD and i have had to replace both cats and the EGR valve. I've had the car for 1.5 years. If you keep the car maintained it is very reliable.

 

my 98 wasnt the most reliable at first but since i changed some **** out and its been running very well. the only problem that i have had on my '00 was the drivers side window went out. On the whole i am very happy with them

 

im pushing 130k miles and i have a lid and cutout...my a/c compressor went out this summer and my window motor is weak. other than that this has been an extremely reliable car, oh yea, its still fast as the day it was made...im pulling on my friends intake only c5..

 

150k miles, only thing i had to fix was 2 window motors and a f'ed up EGR, but i removed that whole system anyway. Very reliable!

 

Oh and one more thing, the SS and the Z28 are essentially the same car. Not saying you didnt know but just informing you judging by your thread title. SS's had a little better suspension, a raised spoiler and a different hood and wheels, basically you're paying the extra for the appearance, not power. Keep that in mind if you like Z's and find a great deal on one!

 

^ Hell Yeah!!! Fixed Sig In Use Baby!

 

Just about the same milage and all the same probs went wrong with mine...add a bad catalytic converter to that...Kinda give you an idea of what commonly goes wrong with these cars...

On the good side.Mine doesn't use any oil,pulls very strong and looks/handles great.....these motors are known to go on for ages if maintained properly...

And as said...SS and Z28 are essentially the same car.As a matter of fact the Trans Ams and Formulas are also just about the same car as well (mechanically)..Of course appearance is totally different.

Good luck!

 

Just for you stanger oh yeah, THANKS! LOL

 

Hahahaha Max Ocd!!!!!!

 

Bad cat & window motor. I have 67K on the car with a lot of track time.

 

yea i know that about the Z, i just dont like how they look exactly like the v6, but thanks everyone!!

 

a/c compressor went out a couple years ago, last year the water pump went out, window motors been replaced 4 times total in the car's life (i only owned it for the last year or so). Car has been running like a champ since i got it and took control of the regular maintenance.

also, cleaning your car will make it last 100k extra miles

 

I'm the original owner of my 99-SS. Though I don't have high miles, my car has been 100% reliable. The only things I have changed is the air-filter, oil and battery.

 

on mine the only thing i had to realy change was the rearend bearings at about 76k because my torque arm was extremly loose and i went to the drag strip not knowing this.

 

I've had my car about a year, and I've only had to replace/repair

driver's side window motor
Rack-and-pinion
an alignment
motor mounts
Transmission mount
New t56
New flywheel
New clutch
Broke my 10-bolt, replaced it with an 8.8"
my dash board cracked
my power steering pump
a power steering line busted
front rotors and pads had to be replaced
My driver's seat need to be recovered, it's split and torn
my torque arm got bent and needed to be replaced
I'm pretty sure I have a bent pushrod right now

...guess that's it for now. My car's not an '01 SS, but it's a M6 LS1 car fwiw. I bought it because I finally found one in good shape. This is a bolt-on only car that made 313 rwhp and went 12.52 @ 110.04.

Ben T.

 

As long as you keep the mods to bolt ons, it will be plenty reliable.

 

common problems that im aware of are leaky pinion seals,weak window motors, crappy stock rotors that warp. rears are so so once you start trying to hook hard.



overall if you dont get crazy with power and beating on them theyll hold up ok with some small annoying problems but its rare they'll leave you stranded somewhere if theyre well maintained.

 

All in all these cars are very reliable, nothing like their older brethren. (Not meaning LT1s). The only issues I've had are the A/C compressor going out (98 issue with tuning, easily fixed with software) and the tranny going out at 100k, now the car has 146k on it, 3rd tranny (my choice) 2nd motor (again, my choice). Nothing I have done to the car past 100k was because of failure.

Very well said!