Hi everyone. Hope I'm posting on the right forum here. First off, I've been a long time reader, first time posting.

I have a dilemma. I'm looking at 2 1991 Z28's from the same private seller. They're both black, clean title, one is a hardtop 350 tpi and the other is 305tpi 5 speed with T Tops. I really want the 305 because of the 5 speed and T Tops, but then again I really want a 350 with all the power and torque. Having a real hard time picking one. I seen that the 350 has only 89k miles and just got smogged (I live in Cali) and the 305 needs smog and maybe a tune up. The 350 is basically all stock besides the cat back exhaust and the 305 has CAI and and MSD. Oh, and another thing, they're both for sale at $3500! I need opinions here.
I will be test driving both in a week or two maybe that'll help me decide.. Thanks in advance.

 

The 350 only had 15 more hp. If you search will you will see that the 305 5 speed is very competitive with a 350 auto when both cars are stock.

A 305 5 speed with headers, cat back, and a good driver will probably out run a stock 350 auto.

If you just want a fast car, go with the 350 car. You can do full bolt ons, a cam, and some good heads and it will be way faster than the 305 could ever imagine.

Now if you want the full package of an enjoyable car, I would definitely go with the 305 5 speed TTOP car. You will enjoy the 5 speed and ttops more than the extra 15 horsepower the 350 will have. And like I said before, a few good mods and the 305 will be quicker than the 350.


Just know that if you do go TTOP, you might have to deal with a lot of wind noise and leaks. Some window adjusting and TTOP adjusting might have to be done in order to get rid of that.

 

as someone who faced this same dilemma long ago I would say you have to go with the 305 - 5 speed. The 5-speed, non-peanut cam and better rear end that come with it are much more fun and change the whole character of the car. it drives like a real muscle car in its actions and takes you back to the 60s feeling. more rough and unrefined. the 5.7 is faster but in 0-60 where it counts you are a tenth of a second off stock for stock (according to some threads on here that have scans from mags back in the day...)
I am so glad of my choice. unless I was going to do a bunch of add ons I would keep the 5-speed. low miles on mine didn't hurt the cause for me.

 

I am leaning more toward the 5 speed now, mostly because of the T tops and the fact that I rarely see any z28s with TPIs and 5 speeds. Either way, there might still be some regret on the back of my mind when I get one, wish I could have both. Thank you for your input.

 

I have driven an 89 L98 350 car and I have an 87 TPI 5 Speed car now. The 5 speed cars are as fast if not faster and more fun to drive. Well for me anyway! I will not own another automatic IROC.

 

if you want to know what a lot of the board thinks all at once I put this to a vote a while back. Look at this thread and I hope you can make your decision!

I do not regret getting a 5 speed/TPI. besides being more fun they are extremely rare! For example, my car is one of 809 GTA 5 speeds in 89. I know that in 91 it was less 164 made. Im sure Z28s are in the same category. Plus T-tops and a 5 speed.. wow fun! See link!

https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/hist...-tpi-only.html

 

Manual transmission if you like driving.

Automatic transmission is only slightly better than public transit.