AngusBoom

I’m in tw market for a third gen. My first car was a 1986 Camaro sports coupe and like a lot of people I want to get that cars again. I prefer the look of the sports coupes, I don’t like the ground effects but I want t-tops.

i Came across this ad for a 1982 sports coupe. It is a beautiful all original example. It has 80k and is fully loaded with power everything and t-tops. The owner is the original owner and he says the car has been garages it’s entire life and spent winters in jack stands. The guy is asking 2500.

do you guys think it’s a good deal and are there any downsides to the 82 year I should be aware of? Thanks in advance!

here is the ad
https://newjersey.craigslist.org/cto...323363555.html

scottmoyer

The ONLY downside with '82 compared to the remaining 3rd gen years is there are a lot of one year only components. You CAN use parts across the entire 82-92 generation in the 1982 cars, but some factory original parts are hard to find. One example is the sill plate. It was a one year only part and if this car has cracked ones that you want to replace, good luck. Now, you can replace them with 83-92 sill plates, but you will also need to replace the seat belts, as they were designed differently in '82 and the mounting/retractor assembly ties into the sill plates.

AngusBoom

Is 2500 a good deal for this car in your opinion?

scottmoyer

It's hard to tell with the few pictures provided. If it's in good shape, then yes. The question is, do you think it's worth $2500? If so, go get it.

AngusBoom

That’s a good point. I’ll find out Tuesday when I check it out. I’ll keep you posted. Thanks for all your help!

sonjaab

Looks good for a plain jane car. But it does have a v-8 and t-tops not to mention
a NJ rust free body and its dirt cheap at $2500 bucks.

Folks up here in rust land Syracuse NY would snap that car up in a minute!

AngusBoom

The only thing I’ve found out through research is that these cars didn’t come with the 700r4. Are the transmissions th200c a problem on the highway? Any worse or better than a th350?

burnout88

I would buy that car for $2,500. Assuming it is rust free. It looks like a nice Sport Coupe. You will not find another one in the northeast like that. You can probably get it for 2k.

My first camaro was an 85 Sport Coupe and I have a soft spot for the coupes also.

FormerL69

iTrader: (2)

This.

I'll go with impossible here And this. The interior plastics looked baked, which is typical for '82s, so I'd bet the sill plates are ready to disintegrate.

Nobody can tell you if the car is worth $2500 or not -- that is entirely up to you and what you want to do with it.

Since this is an east coast, t-top car IMHO the single most important thing you have to do is to make sure the body and floors are sound. My '82 only car had 62k on the clock and there was minor rust already creeping in to the t-top area. Look very, very, very closely at everything. The weather stripping in that area can hide a lot. Look under the car and see what things look like. You can't tear the car apart and good floors don't guarantee a rust free car, but it's a good place to start.

And remember, it's a 35 year old car, '82 was the first year and the quality of things back then was not exactly spectacular.

That said, I have an '82...

Drew

iTrader: (58)

Personally, having had an 83, 84, three 86s, an 87, an 89, and four 91s... I lean strongly toward 89-92 cars. Don't get me wrong, I love a Sport Coupe, I just hate the clunky way a lot of things are handled on early thirdgens. Even just comparing an 87 Sport Coupe to an 82, the 87 has a lot of advantages. Put two thirdgens in front of me, make one an 82, and the other a nearly identical 83, I'll take the 83 any day.

burnout88

82 also had a cast iron intake manifold compared to the aluminum one used on later LG4 motors. Makes 10 horse less with the cast iron intake.

AngusBoom

This is all great information. Thanks everyone. I’m gonna let you know how it goes.

navy02ws6

I wouldn't say they were a problem on the highway because of no overdrive, but I would say they're problematic transmissions in general. TH350s were MUCH more reliable, as was the 700R4.