I'll try and keep this short...

So I'm looking to get myself into a LS1 car. I currently drive an LT1 Z28 and I was planning on selling it somewhere in $5-6k range (already had an offer of $6k) After selling, I was planning on spending somewhere in the $6,000-8,500 range to purchase a used LS1.

I want something either stock or close to it so I can DD it and eventually take it south with me when I move out of upstate NY.

Basically what I want to know is how realistic are my options? Ideally I would want a Trans Am, but if the right camaro came along I wouldn't hesitate.

Is less than 100k miles realistic?
ws6 packaged TA?
What mileage range should be fair for that price range?
What to look for when purchasing? (besides rust obviously)

I've seen a few on craigslist in my area with less than 10,000 miles in the $20k range. I'm wondering what's fair for how much I want to spend. I also get that the prices vary by region, but any help is greatly appreciated!

 

Any ideas?

I've seen several in the 60,000-100,000 mile range with people asking around $10,000. I'm just trying to gauge what's a good deal and what's not. I realize it's an open ended question but I'm just trying to get an idea of what to look for.

 

It is tough to get a decent stock unmolested LS1 car in that price range. Your high end of $8,500 will hopefully get you a decent example. You may need to travel a bit to get it. There may not be any in your immediate area. Many sellers asking $10,000 will be willing to negotiate down into your $8,500 price range. It's all part of the game. If you really like a certain car, holding 85 $100 bills in your hand in the sellers driveway will most likely get you that car. Look at Autotrader for decent cars. CL is tough to search through and there are too many misrepresentations. If a seller is using a free site it can indicate a cheap owner that took short cuts in the car's upkeep and maintenance. Not always true as there are exceptions to everything. I personally don't even look at CL.
Looking at Trans Ams will be tougher too. Your best bet will be a sweet well cared for '98 or '99 Camaro Z28, or SS if lucky. I know nothing about this SS but it sounds like something I would check out if I had the money you are talking about.
http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-s...32247980&Log=0

 

https://ls1tech.com/forums/vehicle-c...s-6-speed.html

Not a TA, but for sale on LS1Tech already, and in NY. Not sure if a 6-speed is a deal breaker or not, but you should find something to your liking in the upper portion of your price range.

Good luck with your search.

 

I know what you mean and I do love to haggle. I only paid $3k for my current Z28 at 83,000 miles and I have someone wanting to pay 6 for it 14,000 miles later. I disagree about the craigslist comment to an extent. I feel like the majority of people in the used car market these days use craigslist. But I do get what you're saying, there are a lot of scammers and BS on craigslist.

A 6 speed isn't a deal breaker, but unfortunately I never learned to drive stick. Never too late to learn though. Also, that car is in NYC so it might as well be in a different state in comparison to where I live in NY lol

 

Cash is king and usually gets the price down with cash in hand. Why do you say trans ams will be tougher to look at/for? And auto trade is a good place to look, just punch in years 98-02 and where it says search distance put any distance and that will give ya a pretty good idea of what ya can get

 

Here are a few ads of a couple I found in my area. Might be worth checking out.

http://rochester.craigslist.org/cto/4498301602.html

http://utica.craigslist.org/cto/4503065751.html

I also found one a few hours away. Ad says 30k miles mint, asking 10,000 for it

 

Apples and oranges. Many people, even friends, will say they will pay you $x,xxx. When it comes time to lay out the $$$, don't be surprised if it doesn't happen. Over my 40+ years of owning some sweet cars, you have no idea how many people offered to buy my cars at car shows and gatherings. I'm still waiting. Here are just a few of the excuses: "I don't have the cash right now." "Will you take a little less?" "My wife won't let me." "Will you take a trade?" "On second thought, that really isn't the color I wanted."

 

Yeah I totally get that. The only reason why I feel like this is a legit offer is because I've kept the guy waiting for a few weeks and he keeps contacting me and asking if he can buy it. He first contacted me in May and he still wants my car, I just haven't been ready to sell it yet. If I were him I would of moved on by now, but I hope this deal does go through

 

http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-s...69619487&Log=0

Something like that you could get for probably around 7,000 dollars

 

Having traveled to Jacksonville, FL from Houston, TX to pick up my wife's SOM SS in March, if it's something you truly want and a price you are comfortable with, you'll travel.

 

Truer words were never spoken. The experience is also something you will treasure for a long time.

 

I found a formula near me that I would make an offer on, except I have some suspicion that the current owner is BS'ing the mileage. I found a thread on here of a 1999 formula from a few years ago, and the car looks exactly the same, same town and everything. The only difference is that 4 years ago the mileage was 100k , and this one is 78,000.

Here's the thread from ls1 tech: https://ls1tech.com/forums/vehicle-c...ng-7500bo.html

And here's the current CL ad http://buffalo.craigslist.org/cto/4512274097.html

What do you guys think?

 

Yeah the car is deff the same exact car and I talked to the current owner and he's acting like he has no idea. If you get a chance, flag the posting so no one gets screwed on a "78,000" mile car

 

The green calipers are a dead giveaway that it is the same car. Looks like a case of odometer fraud there; someone should report it to the DMV.

 

I was also able to check the vin on the car and the higher mileage was confirmed.

Keep flagging this idiot. Hopefully no one would be dumb enough to buy the car without checking the vehicle's history...

 

I just HATE to see cars like this. Figures, another CL ad.
Good job speedychevy!

 

If you're patient you can get a lower mileage car than 75K to 100K and at your price. You just have to scan the autotrader and your own area to see what pops up and be ready to strike. Upstate NY (or even the northeast) is not exactly a hot bed for these cars. And then you have the issue of the Sandy and Irene "flood" cars. Just remember that 9 out of 10 cars offered for sale is at a price that it will never come close to selling for. You have to find the 1 out of 10 where the "motivated" seller has been pushed down to where the market is really at. If I was in NC I'd be checking out the 32K mile 2000 WS6 for under $10,500. Sounds like a motivated seller assuming the car is not trashed.

As far as that odometer roll back from 100Kish to 87K seems like a lot of effort for little gain. In any case authorities aren't too interested in a private seller doing this on cars >10 years old....unless they've made a habit of doing it. Cars that old are expected to have problems and potentially messed with mileage. I had 1 such cars with a 64K roll back documented after I purchased it. I tracked down the original owner looking for other documents on the car and he clued me in to the original miles when he sold it (it was 80K and not 16K). I went through all channels trying to get some help from the state of Connecticut. No one cared from the state AG, dept of consumer protection, DMV, local police, etc. The car was an original paint 1969 Plymouth GTX that had 8 previous owners - half of them dealers. None of them except for the orig and owner #2 who rolled it back knew what was done. I just happened to find the name/address of the orig owner when digging for documents at the Illinois and Missouri DMV's back in 1995. White collar crime is not heavily pursued for a $1,000 or two. Any car >10 years old is generally assumed to be near fully depreciated/aged to the point where the mileage is generally irrelevant. While I don't agree with that....it's the way the authorities look at it. Odometer tampering with cars <10 years old is a different story.

http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale/cars+between+5000+and+12000/Woodside+NY-11377?endYear=2002&engineCode=8CLDR&engineCodes=8C LDR&makeCode2=PONT&maxMileage=75000&maxPrice=12000 &minPrice=5000&mmt=[PONT[FBIRD[]][]]&modelCode1=CAM&modelCode2=FBIRD&searchRadius=0&sh owcaseOwnerId=0&startYear=1998&Log=0


There were a number of <50K miles SS's and Z28's on Ebay the past month or that sold for under $9-10K. They all can't be junk. I see that a '98 Trans Am in my general area with 42K miles just sold on Ebay for $7600. I will note that the car's previous transaction said "auto auction." So this could be an Ebay flipper. '98 Trans Ams aren't big sellers in Connecticut in any season. Focus on what the cars sell for....not what they sellers are "wishing for." Figure $1K difference per model year lower and $1K lower for every additional 10K miles from 15K to about 60K. You can compare similar cars. Ebay may not be perfect but at least those are "probable" sold cars. Even if they were shilled up in price....they still provide a price that no one was willing to go to. $7K should roughly be able to get you a 45K mile Z28, 65K mile SS or Trans Am, and a 80K-100K mile WS6....from that 1 guy out of 10 who really wants to sell the car today, not next month or next year. You just might find better deals from a seller who is going by NADA or KBB. Competition for those (and prices) drops from October through March. If you can wait until then that's when you'll get your best deal, though test drives could be an issue as well as testing A/C, etc.

http://www.ebay.com/sch/Cars-Trucks-...lo&_udhi=12000

http://www.ebay.com/sch/Cars-Trucks-...mplete=1&rt=nc

 

I shopped around for awhile before I found mine, and ended up driving over a half a day for it. Lots of high mileage LS1's are out there, along with ones that have been beat to hell and back. I had 7 grand to spend when I went looking for mine and ended up with a 2001 NBM Camaro with 84k on it. All stock besides a shift kit (when they rebuilt the trans @ 77k with paperwork), a catback exhaust, and some KYB (which have been changed out) shocks on all 4 corners.

 

How about a quick thread revival?

I found an '01 SS Camaro in my area that's somewhat in my price range. Color is SOM and it's a hardtop. 44k miles w/ the 6 speed. I understand that the paint color & the hardtop are rare options, but what's a fair price in your mind? Regardless of the "rarity" factor, what's a good deal for an SS with 44k?

I'm hoping to get more info on the car soon. If everything checks out and the car looks good, I'm hoping to make an offer.