Thanks dude and yep, lowered on Sportlines, sharp eye. I think the Sportlines are perfect for the car in terms of ride height and stance.

No sadly those are my only two pics

I'll get some new ones next fall when I'm back home, reunited with it.

 

I think it's not how much you put into your car, but how much you've gotten out of it. The compliments you get from a new paint job or the looks you get when people hear a nice exhaust note are what make it worth it for me. If you fix it up to sell it your never going to get your money back, but if you fix it up to keep and enjoy it, you will always benefit from what you have done. The guy who bought my sisters '79 offerd $3,000 for my car, I thought about what I could get for that kind of cash and decided no. I figure the only way I can get my money back would be trading for a car that I like alot. That way I will get something in return and not feel so bad about loosing it. IMO theres cash price and theres trading price.

 

I totally agree!!!

 

as stated before. they are worth what you think they are worth. kbb and places that put value on cars have no idea of the personal value of owning such an ionic american car.

people ask me all the time why am i restoring an 87 z28cause its not that old. i do it because its fun and i love the car i wanna make it better and beautiful again. sometime people will see the value in our third gens

 

1) I think people tend to be less excited about RSs because when it comes to the collector car world, "best of the best" always reigns supreme. With the RS being the entry level, it doesn't get that billing.
2) With that said, I too appreciate RSs for the same reasons you do. My '91 is a cleaner looking car than my IROC is, without the stripes/louvers. I've always appreciated the RSs for being a simpler car that didn't have gimmicks adding fake style to what in retrospect is truly a beautiful design.
3) When I'm getting gas for the RS at the local gas station, I often get "nice IROC" yelled at me from another car...so apparently the general public doesn't see the difference anyway

At the end of the day, indeed, an RS is probably 80% of the IROC experience. But, that 20% is significant...at least to me. When I stomp down on the gas of the IROC, and that old L98 digs in on fresh G Force BFGs and rockets off the line (with the fresh, sticky rubber, it barely spins at all if I nail it from idle off the line), the grin is from ear-to-ear. An LO3 just can't do that. Plus, the razor-sharp handling edge of the IROC is real, as well.

Don't get me wrong....I love my RS. But, its kind of like comparing a Challenger R/T to an SRT-8 today (I use this analogy because I know both cars very well). The Challenger R/T is really all the performance a normal enthusiast needs...but the SRT-8 has that edge that just makes it more fun to drive.

 

I agree, it's funny you talk about people complimenting your RS as an IROC--I get the same thing from time to time, so as you said the general public seems to be clueless anyway.

When I was shopping for my car in '99 as a 15 year old kid, sure I wanted an IROC, but this just happened to be the car that popped up that was the best car for the money in the best shape (I wouldn't have bought a V6 though). The IROCs at the time here in the rust belt were still too expensive for a 15 year old's budget (my budget was $4k, I got this for $4300, I think I did alright), but this one just happened to fall into my lap so I bought it; funny thing is if I could go back in time, now that I've had it 12 years, I would do the exact same thing and I wouldn't trade the car for anything. The extra bonus is that the Bright Blue Metallic (Maui Blue) was never available on an IROC so I couldn't even get an IROC in this color if I had wanted to, and I love the color bigtime. It seems most Maui Blue cars got shafted with the V6, but I guess I got lucky since it's an L03 (if you can call that lucky), and has the black custom cloth interior and all power options (sans seat of course), so it's a relatively loaded RS.

All those things aside though, I too want an ultra low mileage L98 IROC just because. Hopefully in the next couple years I can add one. That said I've never driven one, nor ridden in one sadly (or any IROC), so for me ignorance may very well be bliss. I think the one problem with picking up another Camaro is that then I will always be comparing the two and inevitably end up liking one more than the other.

It's also funny you mention the Challenger--I'd get a new Classic R/T 100 times out of 100 over an SRT-8; in my mind the R/T should be the top model as it always was. Not to mention the Classic R/T just looks so much better with the side stripes, script emblems, and oldskool wheels. Sad thing is though, when I was back home in the States this past summer for a month, I went to the dealer to look at them after hours, the build quality was terrible--crooked fender emblems, mismatched bumper paint...it's almost like they were coming out of Norwood/Van Nuys lol.

 

i gotta say that unless its a perfect rare model, with rare options, or a rare color, i can't see myself paying much more that 5000 for a third gen.....now if its say a first year GTA, in a odd color, with every imaginable option, and low miles, like under 50,000....maybe worth 10k.....if its PERFECT!!!

 

1) My first car was an '89 RS, and yes, I got shafted with the 2.8 My mom had bought it new, though...I got it in '98 with 56k on it. Sold it 4 years later with 98k to a girl that wrecked it 6 months later. It killed me to sell it...but I kept a few things from it when I sold it...namely the IROC tailights I had bought for it, and the K&N filters. I knew I'd own another third gen. Today, the LH tailight lives on with my RS (someone backed into it and took off here at work, smashing the lens BEFORE the repaint, thankfully), and the K&Ns were cleaned and installed in my IROC just this past May!

2 ) Believe it or not, the first IROC I've ever driven was my own I had purchased my 86 Trans Am just 3 months prior, and owned a TPI Formula years ago, so I was familiar with the feeling of a TPI engine. But, seeing a veritable twin to my original, old RS (Grey outside, grey custom cloth inside, t-tops) in IROC form was a sight I'll never forget. Now that I own it, it's the one car I know for sure I will never part with...and I've owned my Z28 for almost 10 years!

3) As for Challengers, I too love the Classic package...I'm looking at a black one with white stripes in my own showroom as I type this. Great looking car...but the SRT is an experience all its own, in my mind. I've been lucky enough to drive the 2 back-to-back...an amazing experience.

But thats for another board Nice RS btw...my Formula was Maui Blue, but my '89 RS had those same 15s. Looking at your signiature makes me want to take the 17" Torq Thrusts off my RS and go find some "z28" 5 spoke 15s and get some white lettered tires!

 

As for the challenger it depends on the gearing.

I have test drove an auto R/T with the 3.08 gears and it was a slug. The stick R/T with the 3.94 gears is comparable to the auto SRT with the 3.08 gears. i even drove a 2008 SRT with Cold air intake and the stick 2009 challenger R/T with the 3.94 gears is very close to the auto SRT.

I have not driven the stick SRT but I believe that is the top dog but out of my price range.

Classic R/T is nice but it is a couple thousand dollar package and anyone can add the $200 classic Challenger emblems for alot less.

for me, all i want is the stick R/T with the 20 inch rims since it comes with the 3.94 gears, the stock rims come with the 3.73 gears.

 

It's funny you say that about the rims...Those BFGs are circa '99 and will be the very first thing replaced when I get back home to my car in September. I know I want new rims, but I too keep looking at the pic and think, "Damn, those rims look really nice with those tires". I don't know if it's because they are plain silver and not body colored, if it's the tires on them, or what but usually when I see pics of those Z28 wheels they look cruddy. But then I look at the car from behind and the 215s are real pizza cutters. What to do, what to do. I love the white letter tires and would hate to lose those for 18s. Still don't understand why there isn't an 18x9 polished IROC replica, or why Oasis wheel quit making them. Either way I'm afraid new wheels will take away from the car rather than accent it as the wheels/tires on it now do. I'd get satin rims, but I just don't really want to spend cash on satin rims; if I'm going to get new wheels I'd prefer something polished. I'm scared billets are too flashy for the car. More searching to do I guess but right now the IROC replicas are winning. I've had twelve years to decide what I want, I should figure it out here soon. Maybe I'm just afraid of change after so long. lol.

As for the Challenger, didn't you were a Mopar dealer. It's sad though how the Mustang/Camaro/Challenger are all $35k+ cars for any models you'd want. Priced out of the young guy market they were originally intended for, sadly.

 

1) I know what you mean about the 215 issue. At least you have some nice performance options in that size. My TA has the larger, optional 235/60/15s on it, and there are no real performance options in that size. I have Comp TA VR4 blackwalls on it now that are probably 8-9 yeard old, but still seem to be in good shape. I want to replace them with perfromance tires, but my best 234 option is an Eagle GT II...those don't hold a candle to a Comp TA I guess I'll stick with the Comp TAs for as long as I can.

2) I debated on wheels for my RS for 6 months, and now wish I'd re-done the stock 16s instead of the TT2s. Don't get me wrong....I love TT2s. But, when I see my IROC on stock 16s...my TA on stock 15s...my Z28 on the stock white 16s...stock wheels just seem more "complete" to me somehow.

Maybe I'm getting more old school as I get older I say keep your wheels!

 

Hey Jason, I love Torque Thrusts, but your RS would look SO SWEET with refinished stock 16's. IMHO of course.

 

I hunted for mine, overpaid for it, needs floors, complete body, paint, I'm into it with the race equipment, recreation pipes with dumps, (over the counter from G.M) for the racers back in the day, Etc... Still sourcing parts, 10 G's. But I always wanted it when I was a teenager and had to have it. Will it ever be worth anything (1 of 22 built as a factory race car) Who knows, and more importantly, who cares? If you get into the hobby for the purpose of making $$$$ You will probably loose your shirt. (Looking good for those morons who invested their 401k"s in a car!) Stop paying attention to those stupid auctions on the speed chanel and enjoy your car, because it was built to be driven. Personally I like 'em as they came from the factory.

 

Let's see some pics!

 

New computer' pics are on the old one, have to load them up. go to "players challenge series.ca" then go to teams, then 1987 east, and scroll down to # 93, it was raced by Derek Johnson. that was what it looked like when it was new. I'll be posting as the resto continues.

 

Lol, you started in the same boat as me, 89 RS stuck with a 2.8. But I love it no doubt. It'll get a LSX one day, and whatever else. But personally, I think with the amount of money we put in these cars, we build them for our enjoyment, not someone else. I feel the RS cars aren't appreciated enough, they are really the clean slate to make the car your own, it doesn't have all the flashy stuff the Z28 and IROC cars did.

 

Same here, I'm 18. I got my car when I was 16. It's not beat to hell, I love my Camaro, I'm horribly **** about who, or what gets in my car. Hell, I got pissed at my girlfriend for spilling root beer in my car. But I agree, 99% of teenagers with third gens beat the cars up. But I like being one of the few who don't tear their car up and give it a bad image.
I agree.

I painted my Camaro in my backyard, my Dad got 600 dollars worth of materials for work for free. It has orange peel, and trash in it, but still looks good. We didn't put a clear coat on it, but I'm hoping some waxing will shine it up. I am a teenager, 18. I don't beat up my Camaro, I try to make it look the best it can, every little problem with it bugs me to no end. I am pretty sure I have the nicest third gen within 15 miles of me. All of the ones around here are beat up. I've only seen one IROC on the road ever. It's always beat up RS cars or base Firebirds. I completely agree with you guys, we bring the trailer trash look upon ourselves. I'd love to see us try and fix it.

 

We don't bring it on ourselves, its everyone else that uses them for everyday transportation. Not everyone that has a 3rd gen likes it, they would rather have something else but couldn't afford it or some just got a hand me down

 

hey now, let's not go bashing people who use them as daily transportation. I happen to enjoy driving mine as often as I can, take pride in how it looks, and enjoy the stares and appreciation it gets.

something cool...my wife and I pulled up to a Christmas party last week at a house probably valued at $500,000 (quite a house for Texas, I know in some parts of the country that amount doesn't get you much) Anyway, we puller up and the hostess saw my 89 RS, and said "Love the car, it's fantastic!"

My car, probably worth $1600-2000 at the MOST, got raves that other people driving $30,000 cars couldn't possibly get.

 

There are a few third gen Camaros in the area I live in. I recognize them immediately, and smile each time. One of them has to be at best a V6, possibly a Duke. I envy them that they get to drive it daily. I have thought about picking up a second car to be my daily driver. I have long wanted an 88 IROC with T-tops. Right now I drive an older Blazer that we use to lug the family around, so it would be greedy of me to do so.

I'll just keep lookin' out, and smilin' when i see one.

 

I'm talking about the people who drive it till its dead then junk it, or sell it to one of us. I use mine day to day also, I get nice camaro all the time, sometimes I have to wonder if they're talking to me lol, my cars not the greatest example........

 

People where I live want way too much for their thirdgen's. thirdgens, especially firebirds are pretty rare, I looked for months on craigslist before I bought mine and it was the first one that popped up so I jumped on it. I usually see camaro's for about 3k and up in ok shape with high miles. I found an 87 iroc hardtop a few months ago for 3300 that needed work, I offered the guy 1800 but he said he felt it was worth more than that. The car was stalling and the interior wasn't too good.

 

he must have been watching mecum the day before. Most people have no idea how difficult and expensive it is to restore an car to that level, or even impossible (in the case of ultra low mileage cars)

 

Part of the point of this thread is that some people are willing to spend thousands on engine parts but then want to cheap out on paint, trim and interior.

 

I wish I needed to use a third gen as daily transport. If I lost my job tomorrow, and had no demo, I would have no issue DD'ing the RS immediately. I would NOT drive it in the snow or rain if I could help it (having that much money tied up in an old car makes you neurotic ), but as nice-weather transport? Why not...it already has 119k on it.

 

My insurance forbids it

 

I sold My 1990 Iroc for $27,000.00 It depends on condition and the quality of the restoration as to how much someone is willing to pay for the car.

 

BEAUTIFUL car.

Restored or super low-mile original (I'm assuming the latter)?

When did you sell it, I didn't see this one for sale on any of the online auto sites?

Give us some info/history about this car.

What is that color? Looks like the copper metallic but I am quite sure they didn't have that in 1990?

EDIT: looking at your pics in your sig link, I see that this car was originally white and has 140k miles on the clock, so it's a resto-mod...good to see that even a resto-mod is fetching such high prices and not just the low mile originals...though I am stunned you got $27k for it, but that's a good thing IMO.

 

^^His car is Sunset Orange...I saw it in a magazine awhile back. Far from a stock car...but VERY nice, nonetheless.

Krik,
I cannot use 2 of mine as DDs either, for that reason. I have a Grundy policy on the IROC and TA. I specifically DON'T have one on my RS because I like driving it too much!

 

Looking more at that car I hope my comment didn't come off douchebaggish--that car is worth every penny of that $27,000...THAT'S how you restore a car, and THAT'S how you do a color change.

I am very envious.

 

I have the same insurance company. One of the few insurances i don't mind paying. I won't get caught driving and not following the rules. I just love my car too mu h to loose it to stupidity.

 

I didn't take it that way. Thanks for the compliment.

 

Nice to see someone put this much effort into a 3rd gen restoration. What made you sell it?

 

I'M I Bought a new house and needed to remodel the kitchen. The money I got for the car paid for that and much more.

 

Well, nice job. The wheels look mint, did you refinish them? How'd you like your front 1LE brakes? I want to do that to my '89. I know, that you can modify the regular spindles for them, but I saw a pair of new, 1LE spindles, still in the box on ebay, and couldn't resist buying them. Yes, I paid through the nose, but I'm just funny that way.

 

Sent them out to a collision wheel specialist. They striped them and made sure they were straight before they powder coated them machined the faces and powder coated them clear. Cost was $125.00 a wheel. The 1le brakes are awsome. I bought the calipers online from Autozone. They say they are rebuild but I got two brand new calipers for $120.00 and a gift card for $50.00. Autozone and Rockauto still sell the calipers.

 

then you get the the after market moded car like a lingenfelter stage 5 Z28. (with his sig on the dash)
and keep it for the last 18 years. (not listed in any book)

 

If it got a color change, then it wasn't actually restored. It was fully built like any other fully custom car. Maybe with a lot of stock type parts, but if it wasn't repainted its original color that it rolled out of the factory with? Then it wasn't actually restored. Just built really nice.

 

Semantics, semantics.

It's condition has been restored.

 

Not semantics. Facts are facts. Run its VIN & it will come back as leaving the assembly line painted a different color.

Back to original, including paint, is RESTORED. Anything else is Modified. Nice build, but not a true restoration. Its condition has been MODIFIED, not Restored.

 

I'm well aware of the purists' usage of the term "restoration". Nobody said it was a "true" restoration, but it is a restoration/resto-mod in and of itself in its own terms, and I called it a resto-mod first FTR if you really want to get petty.

It's condition has been restored. It's state has been modified.

Condition==flawless, as left the factory. The condition is just as it was the day it rolled out of the factory==perfect.

State==different, changed from as left the factory. Same car, same condition, just different color.

A mint condition car is a mint condition car, and is independent of originality. Condition has absolutely nothing to do with what it started as in terms of color or anything else.

But really, why are you being petty? Maybe you should tell the owner it's not a restoration, he's the one who used the term to describe his own $30k car.

I'm not at all disagreeing with you, I agree restored generally means stock but it really is just semantics for the sake of being argumentative. Restoration is a term that is usually applied loosely, and it's really not a big deal. It's not a question of incorrect information spreading, like saying there were 1LE cars in 1985. It's just a petty bone to pick.

But honestly who cares? It's a beautiful car and it was built the right way, even if the color was changed, so just drop it.

 

I'm a little worried that our cars might end up like 1st and 2nd gen camaros. I love these cars and don't ever want to have to pay a lot of money for one. I've had 2 firebirds, and 2 camaros, and all of them were $200, $600, $2000, and $3000. I would hate it if I had to pay a lot of money for a nice one. I love these cars so much. The looks I get from driving mine the compliments, the offers, they just make it so enjoyable. Not to mention the 400hp on tap But back to the topic, I love driving these cars and hope they stay plentiful and cheap. (I have noticed the price going up for decent ones over the past 5 years though )

Does anyone feel like the 4th gens will ever reach the "dirt cheap" status?

 

Don't worry, that won't happen unless they are 1LE/TTA/vert cars. The whole 1980s poor power and ECU infancy will ensure that with above exceptions, the cars will never be worth much. Even the 'verts will never be worth a ton since by and large they shipped with crappy 305s. Sure low mileage stockers will bring in the $20k-$30k range, but they will never be on par with R/T money, or the equivalent. They will have value, but nothing like the first batch of muscle.

This is likely the main reason they will stay cheap though--nobody interested in them is willing to pay a nice price for one it seems (not singling you out, just saying as a whole, thirdgen owners don't want to pay for a nice car and would rather lowball anyone they can). I realize nobody wants to pay more than they should for something, and that's fair, but how many people here would be willing to pay $15k-$20k for a 15k mile factory original IROC? Most people here would probably say, "That car's not worth anything more than $8k, so offer $5500."

I sure hope they have by now, they are upwards of 18 years old, and hideously ugly? Truthfully I'm getting anxious waiting for the day when those finally replace ours as the trailer park car of choice...seems like it's still a long way coming, sadly. lol.

 

Restored means returned to original. Restorations are done with varying degrees of accuracy. For example, a car may not have the correct date code on the upper rad hose, but could still pass as restored, it's just not as good as it could be. But an aftermarket intake, exhaust and a color change is not a resoration. I think the term for that is restomod, but I'm not sure.

And although the owner obviously isn't concealing the fact that the car was originally white, the doctored window sticker personally rubs me the wrong way. But the important point is that it didn't bother the guy with the $27k, and he did get an awesome car for his coin.

 

you could even get into the argument that painting a 3rd gen with BC/CC is not a restoration. That's why the impala (in my siggy link) is painted with lacquer

 

You tell me to drop it, yet you agree with me? Some 3rd gens are already looked upon as "trailer trash" and there is enough of a problem with people falsifying 1st gen F-bodies to increase their value. 3rd gen B4C/1LE/etc. are close behind & now people are creating fakes of lower model 3rd gens?

I didn't see that part about the window sticker. He may have said it here, but does the buyer know that he paid $27,000, for a car with falsified documents? Obviously the Seller did that to increase the sale price, thinking that a white car wouldn't get as big a return for his investment.


Wrong paint color & wrong paint method on this 3rd gen??? Nothing but a resto-mod,so I'd be suspicious of everything in & on that car. 1 bad thing on a car generally negates several good things.

Buyers point out bad things to lower prices. False documents definately qualify. Incorrect hoses/belts/tires....All that just amounts to not a 100% Restoration. False documents & color changes take it completely out of the Restoration category.

 

I don't think the purpose of the window sticker was to dupe the buyer, my guess is that the owner did it as an accessory (such as a plastic model of the car):

http://imageevent.com/ls1z28/1990iro...=0&w=1&s=0&z=2

The buyer simply paid $27k for a REALLY nice IROC. Buyers have to do thier own research or else they will pay $60k for a 1969 6 cylinder Camaro that's been through the Year One catalog.

Not today, but sometime in the future, a perfectly restored, documented 5.7 IROC will command a decent price. But this one won't qualify unless it's ripped apart and painted white.

 

Boy, I'm torn on this. On the one hand, I truly appreciate and respect the effort put into this restoration. You really don't see that kind of attention to detail on 3rd gens much. Typically, they're either well kept low miles originals or not. On the other hand, if it were me, I'd have redone it stock, or at least as stock as possible. For example, you can't get new front seat covers which say "CAMARO" on them like the factory ones did, due to licensing issues. Not much people like us can do about that. But my personal preference would have been to keep it it's factory color and stock powertrain. The 1LE front brake upgrade would be very, very, very tempting though.


With all that said, he sure did a magnificent job on a magnificent car. And there aren't too many 3rd gens which have exchanged hands for that kind of money either.

 

i really think that 3rd gens will go up in value as time goes on. there are still way too many to bring up any price at this time, but with time ..i really think they will attain a substantial value....but having said that , the mint or original cars will have much more value, but why would anyone want to buy a stock 3rd gen even in mint condtion for a large amount of money and keep it stock ? ,these cars were mostly show and no go,,it would be crazy to buy a 3rd gen for a lot of cash with a weak V8 motor and automatic and open diff with drums at the rear!!,,if the buyer is planning on buying it and and enjoying the car with an anemic V8 , a nissan sentra could beat you on take off and outrun you probably!!...i guess it all depends what you want from the car, i really like keeping 3rd gens look stock, but putting in a 350 and with posi diff and 4 wheel discs and with a 5 speed..this way it looks stock , but will get up and go and brake and handle with some of the best cars around...my 2 cents.