This seemed to be the right place to ask this question so here it goes.

First of all, I do not yet own a Third Generation Camaro. Currently, I drive a 1996 Ford Bronco, and I absolutely love it. However, I drive roughly 50 miles a day to and from college and I've been doing this the past 5 years (I'm almost done with my mechanical engineering degree!) The gas mileage is 'good' for a lifted bronco with 33" tires at 15mpg, but that is not at all means economical, and I want to be able to have a second vehicle I can commute with more often, while saving my Bronco for more hauling/off roading trips.

I have recently taken an interest in the third gen Camaros because 1, I have been able to find them very cheap on craigslist. 2, I have heard they can achieve gas mileage anywhere from 20-30mpg and 3, I think they look pretty awesome especially for the price I can get them at.

My question is, what are your guys recommendations for year, engine size etc for a third gen Camaro? I was thinking an 88' iroc-z mainly just because I was born in 88. I don't really know much about differences in years and what may be more fuel efficient etc.

The only requirements I have would be:
-V8, either 305 or 350
-It has to be manual
-be able to achieve gas mileage of 20-25 (preferably more with mods like exhaust/intake/performance distributor cap/rotor etc.)

I like the look of the hoods that have the "grill" like cut out on the top (if that makes and sense), but it looks like that is really only for looks. If I got a 3rd gen, I would most likely get a pretty cheap one and have it as a partial project car. I know how to paint (not amazingly though but decently), and I can do moderate mechanical work (I've done my driveshaft, waterpump, timing chain, A/C, wired in and installed power windows/door locks/mirrors from a non powered and more) but I have not messed with any interal engine parts.

Anyways, any input and recommendations on what I should keep an eye out for would be appreciated. I will probably have enough money to get one early next year or by the start of this coming summer.

 

1988 would be a very good choice, but any 85-90 would be ok if you're looking for the IROC "grills". If it has to be a manual V8 it will have to be a 305. Gas mileage will be better than your big Bronco, but you can do a lot better than an IROC if fuel economy is that important. You can still get the 20 MPG you're looking for.

 

I barely get 20mpg with my IROC-Z when highway driving. These will get better than the Bronco, but not much better in regular driving. I average about 15mpg.

 

Yea honestly if your looking for gas mileage you should be looking elsewhere. I got around 19mpg with my former 305 iroc. I have not done out the mileage on my 355 that i built cause i dont care lol. The are fun cars dont get me wrong but if your looking at mileage and value there are other cars that would do the job you want better. There is a reason why i have two cars and one of them is a 4 cylinder (svt focus).

 

The 350 wasn't available with a manual in the Third Gen so that'll limit you to a 305, at least if you're going stock. Obviously, more than a few 305 manual cars have received 350 transplants, and people have converted factory 350 cars to manual. So if you're not bent on originality, that'll be a non-factor.

The best factory 305 manual cars are the 1987-92 TPI cars (LB9). These make between 205-230 horsepower in Camaros depending on the year and, between 1989-92, "N10" dual catalytic converters on some cars.

All 1987-89 LB9 manual cars will have the hot cam used in the L98 350. However, there is some debate on here as to whether all of the 1990-92 LB9 manual cars got the L98 cam or whether only G92 equipped models got that cam -- with non-G92 LB9s using the mild "peanut" cam. Regardless of the answer, a 1990-92 LB9 without G92 will have single cats and 20-25 fewer horsepower.

1987-90 IROCs will have the hood louvers. 1990-92 Z28s will have hood blisters. 1987-92 base Camaros won't have anything on the hood.

A well-running TPI should attain your fuel mileage goals, at least on the highway. My 1991 LB9/G92 manual car, with 3.42 gears, gets over 25 MPG on the highway, even going a steady 80 MPH. In urban driving it completely tanks though, and only averages about 15.5-16.5 MPG depending on how I drive it.

As to condition, these cars don't sell for high dollars at this point. Top notch mint low mileage cars are in the 12k range. Thus, it's pretty easy for restoration and deferred maintenance costs on a "pretty cheap one" to completely blow past the value of the car. It's always best to get the best car with the lowest mileage and best documentation you can afford, unless you really want a project for personal reasons and can do it all yourself.

 

FYI. I average 24MPG in my v6.

so from you wrote I would say your needs are:
Look of a third gen
Power
MPG

If you want a third gen, the only way to get all three is to do a LS swap. You can have 1 & 3 with a V6 car, or 1 & 2 with a V8

by the way, the 3:42 read end gives the V6 cars a surprisingly peppy launch, especially with a 5 speed. Where it lacks any guts is any highway passing power

 

If you are getting 15 MPG with a lifted Bronco, then obviously you are doing a ton of open-road driving, and being kind to the Bronco (as in not accelerating hard). If you want good MPG, and a 5 speed, I would recommend an '88-'92 base Camaro/RS with a 305 TBI. Open road driving, its not hard to get 25 MPG with the 305 TBI. TBI is a little better on gas than TPI, and for a young student its easy and cheap to repair, and more reliable than TPI.

I could get 26 MPG at 75 with my 91 Camaro 305 TBI/5 speed with 120k on it, with the original injectors that I could tell were running a little rich. I've owned 4 TPI cars, and that one TBI car...the TBI engine gave me less issues than my 23k mile 350 TPI in my IROC!!

 

As someone that owns both, 88 Camaro and 81 Bronco, you can either drop a 4bt diesel in the bronco and get near 30 like some of those guys are getting or pick up a 305 TPI / 700r4, make sure its in good running order and go.

 

Thanks everyone for the replies.

Like everyone is saying, gas mileage is important to me, but it's just as much or more important to me how much I like the car. If I have to spend a lot of money on something, I want it to be something I really like, and I can't think of any cars that get good gas mileage that I like (that are anywhere near affordable at least.)

I do drive mainly on open highways in my Bronco, and I am usually pretty easy on the acceleration, so I would be driving the Camaro in pretty much the same way. I live in a Ranch in AZ off a highway and the drive to school is 90% highway driving so I would want to obtain an average of 25 mpg for mainly highway driving.

My Bronco used to get 11-12 when I first bought it, but I did some work to it to increase the mileage to 15. It should be getting more now, but it's stuck in open loop mode but there are no engine codes so I'm stumped with that. However, I assume I could do similar mods to the Camaro to improve the mileage a bit also.

Ironically, I don't mind spending a lot on mods to help improve gas. I like doing the work and improving my vehicle. The amount I gain in some mods I've done for my truck will take years to pay off if I look at it in a MPG perspective, but I also get small hp gains and like putting quality and performance parts on.

So on the best Camaro in my situation, it's looking like it would be a 87-90 IROC with a 305 TBI.

I've read a lot of people say the Tuned Port Injection is better than the TBI (Throttle Body Injection I'm assuming) for power and some other things, but do other people experience that the TBI is better for gas mileage?

 

Did they make 87-90 IROC's with a 305 tbi?? I don't remember if you could, I'm pretty sure they didn't

 

87-89 they did, but you don't see many of them

 

thanks, I'm probably thinking of 1990 then

 

Yes, 88-89 were the 2 years a 305 TBI was the base engine in the IROC. They are definitely out there...not common, but out there. If you like third gen Firebirds by any chance, there seem to be a fair amount of Firebird Formulas built with them...and those can be had for a very good price as well. Similar to the IROC, in that the handling package was standard with them.

 

What is your budget

 

Well the budget I'm deciding on depends.

As of now, I don't have the money to purchase one because I can't work any more during the semester (engineering is hard). For the start of next semester, IF I get my scholarship back (which I should), I may have a budget of around 2.5k. I've seen a lot of 80s camaros in the 1-2k range on Craigslist which has really got me interested. I want to keep it kinda low so I can get this car, put a little money into it to fix any pressing issues, then during summer, put in some more money on upgrades like exhaust. I like working on vehicles so I kinda 'want' stuff to fix, just as long as major components are in good shape (engine/transmission.) I would like to be able to drive it regularly though soon after I get it and have better mileage than my truck right away.

If I have financial issues for school the start of next semester, I'll wait until summer to take out my Lt. Loan from the Air Force since I will be graduating/commissioning a year from then. I'll get 25k loan, but I want to be super conservative with that money. Possibly save at least 10k for school/emergency/living expenses during the last year of school, pay off my 6k student loans (the interest rate is much lower for this loan than the unsubsidized student loans) and pay the remainder of what I owe my parents for the Bronco (2K).

So basically after all that, I think I'd be comfortable spending 5k on a Camaro. But I would want to get one less than 5k, then spend a few grand on upgrading it the way I like (paint exhaust sound system.) I would probably attempt to paint the Camaro myself, since I had great luck with my Bronco painting the hood/top and partial fenders. (the sides and doors are still original paint)

There is an orange peel texture for sure, but eventually I'll get it buffed out.

Anyways, to sum it up, if I get it sooner (which I would like). I'd probably only be able to spend 2k or less, but if I get it later, I can spend a little more. No matter what, when summer comes around, I will have extra money to spend for performance modifications and whatnot.

 

Dude, that Bronco is sweet! A LB9/A4 with 2.77 gears will get ok MPG as well.

 

Thanks! Yeah I take care of my Bronco and I love it, I just want another vehicle that's better on MPG, but I won't buy another vehicle unless I like it, and I'm starting to like these Camaros quite a bit.

One thing I haven't messed with is changing gears. I've thought about it in my Bronco but haven't attempted it, but how difficult would it be to change gearing in a Camaro? I believe the gears are quite expensive, but the labor to change them is where all the cost comes from, so if it's something that doesn't require any special, or expensive, tools then I may try to do that on my Camaro (once I get it) depending on if I want better mileage or not.

 

Alright, its been years and I forgot about this thread but if anyone ever comes across old post (like I do all the time) here's an update!!!

(I created another thread in the body forum so I won't go too much into detail here.)

A couple months ago, I came across a 1991 RS with a 305 TBI. It was in disgusting shape, but I've learned a lot more mechanically over the years and cosmetically too, so I knew I could handle it. Also, it passed emission which was awesome! I believe the car was sitting for a couple years before the previous owner purchased it (I found plenty pack rat turds in the engine bay..). He only had it for a few months because he didn't have time/money to work on a project like this.





Anyways, here's where I have it now after tackling the paint job myself!



And here is the headliner and sail panels I just reupholstered tonight:




As far as the mileage goes for what I was wanting... well it's still a work in progress haha.

On my first tank, I got 7.5. Halfway through that tank I changed
-plugs
-wires
-cap/rotor
-fuel filter
-pcv valve
-some vacuum lines
-O2 sensor (and wiring, the wiring was chewed off)

Next tank I got 15.5! Still not much better than my truck though. About halfway through that tank, I did rebuild the TBI unit (didn't do the ULTIMATE TBI mods though because I wasn't quite sure what to do with the dremel because I didn't look into too much). I also replaced some more vacuum lines and fixed more leaks as well as sea foamed the engine.

The last tank I filled up a few days ago I got 18.9mpg.

So my MPG is improving and hopefully I can push it over the 20mpg mark! I believe I have an exhaust leak at or near the manifolds because with the sea foam, smoke comes out near the heads, and some smoke also comes in through the vents. I believe fixing the leaks would further improve the MPG, but I don't have money for headers/y-pipe right now.


Does anyone have any other suggestions I should do or things I should look over?

 

Did you replace the exhaust system? It might have a slight blockage.

 

Also the car looks great. Have you done a compression test? I had a 92 RS automatic. I got 25-27 MPG on a 50 mile each way drive. It dropped to about 23-24 around 180,000 miles. I had a head gasket go bad and when fixing that I dipped the Intake Manifold to remove the carbon. and clean/replaced injectors. My gas mileage returned after that. I drove it another 120,000 miles.

 

Thanks for the compliment!

I have not yet done a compression test. I bought an air fitting to change the valve stem seals, which I have already done now, but I don't have a gauge for the compression test. I know they aren't too hard to do, but I haven't done one myself and don't know exactly how to do one.

Also the exhaust is all original and needs to be changed as soon as I get some money.

The exhaust pipe AFTER the catalytic converter has a very large crack that spans about a foot parallel to the pipe. I don't think that would make a difference since it is after the cat, but I could be wrong. However, there does seem to be a small leak somewhere before the cat, possibly with the intake manifold gasket or y-pipe connection. I know this because I saw some smoke come out of that area on the driver's side when I sea-foamed that car.

I definitely plan on replacing the exhaust, but I pretty much have to do it all at once I think because if I get headers, I need a new y-pipe, and then I'll need a new catalytic converter and correct size piping to mount to it (I'll probably go 3" pipes because I think that is the best size for a 305, however if smaller is better then I don't mind doing that.)

I check the radiator with a exhaust fume checker before and did not appear to have a head gasket leak. I initially checked because I was overheating a little after city driving, but it was due to old/bad coolant. The exhaust gas checker fluid never changed color when I was doing the test so that was a big relief.

 

Awsome paint job (little overspray on the front wheel, but still nice) 75U ( Dark red metallic)?
As for milage, my last tank netted me at 24.4mpg, mostly highway). Thats all stock on a 91 305 TP, 2.73 gears, 93 octane.

 

Thank you! Yes I believe it is Dark red metallic. I went to my "local" (It's about 25 miles away from where I live because I live out on a ranch) paint shop and they pulled out a book with OEM paint colors from 91 Camaros. I couldn't quite tell what my original color was supposed to be, didn't know where the paint code was, and I drove the Bronco there, so we matched the underside of some old trim (that never really hit the sun) to the color I chose.

24 mpg would be awesome if I can get that in my Camaro. The last tank I filled up was still the 18.9mpg tank, but I'm getting close to empty again. However, it seems as if I drove a little more this tank than the last, so I may be getting even better mileage hopefully. I suppose the 93 octane is cleaning out the engine and helping with mpg!

I did just add a throttle body spacer too. I don't know if it will make a difference or not but I hope so. It allowed to me to get rid of the stock gold ring under the open air element filter I installed. I figured, for only 40 bucks, its supposed to help mpg, and worst case scenario, at least I got rid of that gold ring spacer thing. I know throttle body spacers are useless on fuel injected vehicles, but since this TBI setup is sort of like a carb, I thought I'd try it out.

 

Well after filling up again today, I netted 20.24mpg! So I'm at (slightly above) the 20mpg mark now!! However I still do hope to get better. I'm glad my mileage keeps going up too. Maybe it'll go up indefinitely! Okay I suppose it has to stop somewhere.

I'll continue to put 93 octane in for a while since it is probably still cleaning stuff out, then I might go back down to 91 in a few months. I believe swapping the exhaust will help with a few mpgs so I'll have to wait to do that!

In the meantime, I'll continue fixing up cosmetic things like the wheels and more buffing my paint job (then the AC before summer comes around next year)! I'm pretty happy that a cool looking, fun car can get 20+ mpgs! I would of thought this unthinkable years ago.