Im completely torn and dont know what to do, I have always wanted a camaro and have the opportunity to buy one of two.
for 900 bucks, i would need to get a new front tire to drive it
or
this one for 2000, I can drive this right off the lot. Im not trying to spend a ton cause I already have a car that is pretty great, I am an aspiring mechanic/painter so I wanted to practice some stuff on this car but I dont know much right now and need a car that can actually drive. So what would you guys do?

 

Vert... no question. The other car looks like a rust bucket.

However, if you want a V8 at some point I would look for a rust free V8 to start with, otherwise you'll practically need a running parts car to use as a donor. V6 cars have completely different drivetrains then V8's, the only part that's the same is the rear axle.

 

VERT Hands down, if its a v8... its also got a better looking body to it where you can spray down some nice new paint without a TON of work, as for the T-top car, the doors look (may not be cant tell from photos) horridly rusted.. and if the doors are that bad then the undercarage has to be 10xs worse, and being a t-top you can add annother 80 persent worse to it..

If its a v6 vert and you want to really test your body skills then go with the t-top.. but im gonna warn you now, CHECK THE UNDERSIDE OF THE CAR, you will find a lot of rust im shure, my 92 t-top has only 2 rusty spots that need repair in the near future and thats where the t-tops leak out at.. driver side floor pan near the door, and rear floor pan between the 2 seats.. and that spot could just be sanded down and hit with ryno liner and rust bullit and be fine.

BUT HANDS DOWN the vert if its a v8..

 

I would not EVER buy the top one, unless for a parts car.

If the vert is a V8, it's a complete no-brainer. Even if it's a 6-cyl, it's not too hard to fix that.

 

Judging just by the pictures...if there's that much rust on the t-top car that I can see in that tiny picture, I can't imagine how much rust there is on the rest of the body and more importantly the frame. Looks like a $200 car to me if the t-tops aren't broken. Not one to restore unless values increase 20 fold in the next year. Don't really see that happening though.

Assuming the convertible has no rust, it's a no-brainer. Even if it's a 6 cylinder. Looks like a 1991-92, which means it should be a factory convertible, and shouldn't be nearly as difficult sourcing parts for when compared to, say, a 1982 convertible that was super low production and not factory-produced. Bottom line is, start with a good frame/body and go from there.

Personally I'm not a convertible or even an RS fan, but the car in that first picture looks so bad that I'd take a straight convertible over it anyday.

 

Convertible...without a doubt. Even if its a V6. If you can see that much rust in that one pic of the other one, I'd run and hide from it.

 

Rules for buying a 3rd Gens...

1) Buy the one with the oldest paint and the least amount of rust...
2) Convertibles are always a good choice as long as you stick to Rule 1
3) L98's and LB9/M5's are the most desired engine combinations (not including TTA and Firehawk)
4) There are a lot of them out there, if you do not find what you want immediately, wait and get one that you really want.

if you really want one of these cars, the Convertible I think is the better bargain... $1000 for a (less rusted) car is worth every penny.

john

 

i ended up getting the 900 POS, it wasnt bad cause i got it for 600 but theres a ton of work to do on it. i already started but if anyone has any advice im willing to listen. i started by charging the battery and changing the spark plugs but im slowly finding that there is abunch of rust. what should i do about the rust? i got some rust killer and spray paint type of stuff thats suppose to kill it but i dont know what i should do with it since im not on an unlimited budget

 

Whatever you do, please don't take a rattle can and spray the whole car with it. Please. Nothing looks worse than that.

All you can really do is sand down the rust (I would use an orbital sander if you have access to one) to try to get down to bare metal as much as possible. Use either POR 15 or an equivalent rust stopper. Throw bondo over that, sand it, prime, then paint. The more you prep, the better it will look. The longer you take to sweat the details, the better it will look.

The worst thing you can do for the car is throw rust stopper over exposed rust, then throw paint over that...or rattle can the entire car.

 

i know, ive already started sanding some of the stuff down. i bought an orbital sander with 80 grit right now. im making sure everything is running good before i really start doing any body work. i have been reading and watching youtube videos on how to bondo and all that stuff so hopefully it turns out good. i have an air compressor and just ordered a 3 package of different spray guns so hopefully it turns out somewhat professional looking in the end

 

any chance to get a hold of a sand blaster that would be the fastest way to see how bad the rust really is and to remove it. If I bought that car I would start with putting the car on 4 jackstands and inspect the chassis before I spent $1 getting it running. I see how bad the door is and unless its a miracle the chassis would look like that door or worse

 

I've got a sixer t-top car, in the family since it's birth! And it's rust looks no where near as bad as yours. However, if i was picking up a ride to restore, clean up, etc...the amount of rust i have (quarter dog ears, and one door) is more than i'd plan on. Based on the pictures, the first one is far past that, and the second looks pretty good.

I ripped up my carpet prior to my rebuild, and notice surface rust on most floorboards, but the only holes are in the rear passenger footwell. Hole is smaller than a dime, and probably two of them. Either way, significantly easier fix than what probably lies under the top picture! Unless you're just looking to practice body work for 1000 bucks, i'd skip it!

 

I would have held out and saved my money. I actually did hold out and wait for years for a good firebird to cross my path Ii had money saved in an account that i never touched. I found my GTA on craigs list the guy wanted to trade for asnowmobile so I asked him how much cash he said $1500. Iwas at his house in 30 min with cash. Just be patient and one will cross your path

 

I always wanted a convertible.