I'm thinking about going with a LS1 pretty soon, but where can I find a good deal ? i've seen a couple with the motor, wiring, accessories and a auto tranny for lil over $4000 but i dont wanna spend that much if avoidable, not to mention i dont want a auto :-/ anyone know decent places to get them ?

 

You might want to try wrecked 98-up Camaro & Firebird engine compartments.

There are only just so many of them in the world that come available that way, and ALOT of people that want them. Be prepared to wait a LONG time if you want to find some kind of a "deal". If someone has one, and they know they can sell it easily for $4000 or whatever, there's no incentive whatsoever to sell it to you for less.

It's called the "free market economy". The price gravitates toward whatever sellers are willing to sell at, and buyers are willing to buy. If you're not willing to buy at the price sellers are willing to sell, then there's no sale.

 

hmm yeah i'd like to just buy the whole wrecked car. that would be my first choice

 

This is often times the best way to go. I have seen wrecked LS1 cars go for around $5k. That is worth it seeing how you can sell so many parts from a 4th gen.

 

I have a wrecked 2000 z28 6-speed. i plan on keeping it for my own 3rd gen ls1 swap though.

 

that is to say, ill keep it and do a swap unless someone offers me the right price ;-)

 

wish i had money to offer right now, I'm kinda just shopping around seeing what I'm going to be paying.

 

its not like im going to get rid of it right away. I dont plan on pulling everything out of it for the swap for about 2-3 months. Still got to find a third gen that i like.

 

ah cool, and your lookin to sell the whole car ?

 

Ill sell it whole untill a 2-3 months from now. When i move into the house we are looking at buying im going to start stripping it down, but like i said...thats about 2-3 months away.

 

pm sent

 

They're going more than that now Shifty, saw a 2000 SS that was hit HARD in the back, I mean really hard that went for $10k.

You might want to check Tennessee Auto and give Scott a call, I know that he has one LS1/Auto car right now.

 

oh man, he has a 2002 LS1 T56 Drivetrain with only 14k Miles for $5,800. man i would buy that in a heart beat if i had that much right now

 

call towing companies and salvage yard. i mean, seriously, use up a whole weekend if necessary, and tell them what you need. if you tell them, "i have $4,000 in my hand to buy the whole car with" they'll probably deliver one to your house and drop it where you want it. i know a guy in GA here that does that.... jut 4th gens. buy the cars for 2k-4k, sells the powertrain, and makes money over the cost of the car. and he still has seats, interior, wheels, rear ends, driveshafts, and other stuff left to make money from. i would seriously call around to wrecker companies and tel them what you want. you will find that you'll probably MAKE moeny buy buying the whole car and parting out what you don't need, cuz then you sell the hulk for scrap and the parts you got out for cash. good luck, but expect a 2500-4000 buy-in, (investment) before seeing a return on the money.

 

cool, thanks for the advise, i wouldent have thought to call tow yard

 

good luck; no problem.

 

A lot of the time when a car is totaled out insurance puts it up for auction, not a junk yard.

 

yes, but the a lot of wrecker companies bid on cars at auctions. if you tell them you're interested in one, you could more easily find out how to aquire it.

 

Alot of the time, those auctions is where the junkyards come up with their wrecked cars.

 

you could just skip the middle man and go to the auctions yourself

 

True: problem is, you're bidding against the junkyards. So be prepared, because they smell a profit in it, and won't let you walk out of there with it for too cheap. Count on it being bid up to pretty much the "going rate" in your area, and maybe a little more, whatever that is (supply and demand).

 

exactly. which is why my 4th gen contact goes through a middle man.... keeps the prices lower, and the junk men still get a profit, so they're happy.

 

you dont got much room to talk, you have 2 middle men! Anyways, i have been to a few auctions in my day and would bid there any day over calling a junk yard to buy a 4th gen. then again, i dont need to since i already have one that i got for $1000.

 

The wrecked 4th gens are going for a premium right now at the auctions, I doubt you would pick up an LS1 car for $4k, closer to about $6k right now if it's an auto and about $7k if it is a 6-speed, which they are getting very hard to find.

 

I don't want to get in a pissing contest over geographic differences in price, but I'll just say find out for yourself.

and yes, i have 2 middle men, but then, he buys them 4-5 cars at a time, so I usually can make out with a powertrain for 3k. also, I'm not in the market for an LS1. not my cup of tea just yet

 

Im not trying to **** anyone off either, just stating the simple fact that the less people you go through the cheaper the prices get. You seem to have a reliable 4th gen contact so i can see why you go through him. I had an unusual situation and ended up getting a whole ls1 donor car for 1k. 7k seems a little steep for me, but it also depends on the overall condition of the car, etc.

 

very true. you could get a ragged out LS1 (you'll have to look a little bit, but they exist) for 7 large. like, un-hit, un-totaled Ls1. then you could sell the shell, or part it out. either way. i know where there's a rolling chassis now for a 97 formula... guy wants 2,000 for it. motoris dead, and i'm pretty sure there's no tranny.

 

i would buy that right now if it was a 98+

 

yup. i wanted it for a race car but it's t-tops, and i already have a project that requires money.