Im in the market for a camaro. First my dream camaro would be one that has a 5 speed and t-tops. My first queston is i have found that there are very few 5 speed camaros out there and even less with t-top, and a 5 speed. has anyone else found that to be a problem? and my second questions is that people who have t-tops i have heard have had problems with them leaking, and rattiling a lot. so my question is are t-top worth having, or are they just to much of a hassle. any information that you might have and some experiences from people who own a car with t tops would be a great help and greatly appreciated.

 

TTops are the reason I bought a 3rd gen. I had to have them along with a 5speed. Finding a quality 5speed ttop car now might be tough these days.

The lexan tops would squeak like crazy after installing poly bushings and stiff springs. The glass ones don't really squeak at all on my car. They didn't leak at all for many years untill now. The body has flexed so much the tops don't fit quite right. This has caused my floors to get rusty.

I would pull up the carpet in the footwells and check for signs of water damage before buying anything. good luck

 

how reliable are these cars. i have seen a few with close to 100,000 miles or over? i dont want to spend more than 2,000 dollars. for 2 grand am i going to get a lemon, that has a lot of problems?

 

My '86 had over 200k miles on it before it was hit and totalled. And that was with a 2.8 and auto.

 

I paid 3200 for mine, bout 4000 after making it run perfect.. and that was for a mint 93k mile car.

If you get one thats a little rough, im sure you can get a decent mileage one for around 2. Just check the pans first, find one you like and make sure it's had the o2 sensor changed atleast once. Mine had the original one on there with almost 100k miles and it was seized

 

I don't want to sound like one of those "do a search" guys, but this has been posted to death. infact, i had a t top forum a while back. i sold my hard top third gen for a t top fourth. and i love it. i couldn't imagine going back to a hard top. but it depends on what you're going for. if you like looks, and aren't looking to beat every one and there momma with NOS, then you'll be ok. but if you want to have the fastest ride in the west, you'll be best with a hard top. there's also a forum about finding t-tops with 5 spds.. if i remember it was produced in certain years. i'm sure you can find one for about $2-2.5k. of course its gonna need some work, depending on the year, it's almost 20 years old. just be warned, these cars will suck the money from your wallet.. but it's so much fun.

 

These are Chevy small blocks. Keep fresh oil in them, and they could outlive you. The T-tops can be a hassle. I don't have them (wish I did) but they have they're pros and cons. But nothing a set of subframe connectors and a little hard work can't fix.

 

I have had 2 t-top cars and I love them. I had a 1982 t/a and now an 89 t/a. Gotta have those t-tops! I bought mine for 500.00. I plan on fixing it up and keeping it.

 

I found a t top GTA. Decent body, completely stock save different manifolds to get rid of air tubes.
Has not been hot rodded too much as I could find no signs of tears.
The only bad thing... slush box. yeah yeah I know they can be built to handle blah blah... I just do not care for them. Am I gonna get it anyway? uh YEAH.
I have a stout 383 to find a home for, and I am getting all the parts for swap over as I type this.
I am hoping to get the entire set up minus the clutch for about 300.

 

what can you get for 2 grand depends mostly on where you live
in CT 3rd gens are dime a dozen, I got my '89 formula, t-tops, auto (TBI.. oh well) on ebay for $1500 and it obviously already had plenty of repairs completed on it.. bought this car in jan 2004 and put over 25k on it, havent even changed the tires yet
formula also comes standard with the goodies like power windows, door locks, a/c.. etc

i spent all the extra money i had from not needing to fix it, to paint it, install a 5 spd, subframe connectors, etc

however alot of people seem to feel $4000 is a perfectly acceptable price for the same vehicle, i would avoid it if you live in new england :P

 

please make the first mod to be sub-frame connectors. i have i 85z w/ t-tops (love it)
even if you don't make it run 13s or lower, you should put them on. over time without them the frame will twist.
be ready to put some $ in it because it will be hard to find one in good condition. it is most difinitly worth it, there is not many things better than riding around just before sunset with the ttops off.

 

I love my t-tops...I have no experience with the lexan ones, but I know my glass ones don't rattle or squeak at all. Mine leak if it's left sitting in the rain but while driving, I have no leaks. I intend on fixing that soon though hopefully with htome new weather striping.

 

Its not for sale. But i paid $1500 for my 89 Iroc-Z T-Top
5spd it needed a clutch and paint been fairly relible untill my pass key module went in september so i have started restoring it now they are out there just gotta find them i live in alabama and bought my car in binghampton ny when i was going to wyotech just outside of pittsburgh, It had belonged to another student who thought his AWD turbo talon was the **** until the oil line to his turbo cracked and killed then engine. then he watched his old camaro go back and forth to school after that.