Car has almost 200k on it and the deal for a 1lE sounds good but is the rust to much? The pinch weld area concerns me the most.
Should be able to get it for about 5k. Otherwise the paint looks good, only a few spots of some minor rust on the top side but not bad enough that I'm worried about it. Interior is also in good shape so no concerns there.

 

It could be fixed, but how badly do you want to mess with it? It's the usual song and dance with rust, there's the rust you can see and the rust you can't see. Where there is visible rust, there's invisible rust, you find it as you spend intimate time with the car. If the value and interest you have in the car is because of the RPO code, I'd argue that it doesn't really mean anything anymore. The collector value went in the crapper the minute the rust reached a point where it could be called rust. Even if it were fixed, what's the rest of the car look like? Is it as well cared for as the part that's rusty?

The rust you can see in the pics is well past the point of something you can just knock down with a wire brush and paint over. It's at the cutting away rotten steel, fabricating patch panels, and welding the repair pieces into the car. Having been there, and dealt with that problem, I wouldn't jump into it again without a really good reason.

 

I pass on all cars with rust unless they have only surface rust mites. Just my $0.02

 

I wouldn't pay $5k for that.

 

I wouldn’t pay 5k either.

 

Your pics are all “con”. Throw up some “pro” for a fulsome evaluation.

 

Would need some serious "pro"s to make up for the condition of the underside. Like 3 hot, promiscuous 19 year old women already in the car upon delivery.

 

I hard passed on the car. It would of been a fun autocross car if the underside wasn't so bad.

 

Just curious is this the car that’s advertised as “formerly owned by umi”?

 

The underside wasn't good, but it wasn't so bad that I wouldn't fix it and autocross it. The car was easily fixable, and I'd encourage anyone willing to do the work and wanting to build something of their own to buy it at the right price. I certainly don't want everyone to start writing off cars that have a little rust as was shown there. That car likely still has a lot to give and should be saved and enjoyed. We're throwing the baby out with the bath water if we all get squeamish at the sight of any rust what-so-ever. Just because it's not a top dollar 5k mile car doesn't mean it's junk. But I get it, this is the H&R forum and the cream puffs are all anyone's interested in. We've all been spoiled by how many solid rust free cars are actually out there. These cars haven't led the lives of pre '72 Chevelles and Camaros, and as such the threshold of tolerance for rust is MUCH lower.

 

I agree, If it were priced correctly. I don't think anyone in the thread was saying the car was un-savable junk, just that for what the owner is asking you can get something much cleaner.

 

Same here. Car could be fixed. But no way am I paying $5K for a rusty car with 200K miles.

 

Thing is that body work is at the bottom of the list of most people who restore cars and have a mechanical aptitude.

I can do most engine/drivetrain work, brakes, etc

I can do interior other than restoring parts.

Body work, that part is outsourced.

Most I would pay us $500 but I would not tackle any body work and/or rust car.

 

Imo i don't think that's not a bad price for a 1le car that needs work. miles r high but ur going to pay alot more for one that doesn't need work with low miles.

 

That car is definitely repairable, but in it's current condition, priced too high IMO. To anyone else considering such a project, use the rust problem as a bargaining chip to reduce the price to something more realistic.

That type of repair work isn't especially difficult (most replacement body panels are available), but it does, of course, require the right tools and average welding/metalworking skill.

 

I think the issue here is that the fact the car is a 1LE is irrelevant now that it's rusty and has 200K miles. The only people interested in paying for a 1LE are collectors that wouldn't touch this car with a 10 foot pole. For the rest of us, the 1LE package simply isn't enough of a deviation from the standard offering to be worth any extra money.

 

Nail. Head. Cigar. Fin.

 

I get what u guys r saying but there is people out there that don't have the money to buy the high priced low mileage 1le cars that would buy this car. how do I know this because I have sold two 92 1le cars close to same condition and miles for the same price. There will be a time we're minor rust issues and miles won't matter just like the 69 Camaro how many r out there with 5 k miles and no rust. Not trying to offend anyone just my opinion.

 

I agree! However, there are plenty of mechanically inclined enthusiasts with time and well-equipped garages who want absolutely nothing to do with any sort of bodywork - especially rust repair.

 

Yea If I were to build a car I would rather start with a rust free car too but I don't think the value goes completely away for minor rust and miles. For another example u take a Pontiac Firehawk it is still going to be worth more with those issues.

 

I don't even understand why there's a discussion here when that car is 5K. That's not surface rust anymore, which means is that everywhere that you cant see is likely covered in rust as well. Once you have that car repaired back to a point where the heaviness of the project doesn't keep you up at night, you'll have twice as much invested than if you had of bought a healthy one. That car should be 2500 IF the rest of it looks decent and it drives well. That gives just enough budget for someone to get it ready to be raced, which is essentially the only value behind a 1LE in that condition

 

Well then the people buying cars from you are overpaying for worthless trinkets, plain and simple. If you're able to expound upon people's ignorance, then more power to you. The whole point is that there are SO MANY low miles examples out there, that the non-pristine ones aren't worth any more than a normal non-pristine one. Oh and by the way, brush up on your grammar and punctuation. You aren't doing yourself any favors when your posts are such a mess they are hard to read. Many of us don't get to meet eachother in person, so all we have to go on is the content one here, and your content doesn't do you any favors.

Agreed 100% here. In my case, being from the Midwest, I'm a little less frightened by minor rust than a guy from down south or out west. I've fixed some stuff that probably should have been scrapped, but it's just reality when you live in the rust belt.

 

I thought this was a forum about third gens. I'm not an English major and didn't realize
I was getting graded on my Grammer. I was short and to the point. Let's not get off course
what this is about. Not my Grammer and punctuation. I think it's a good buy even with this
rust repairs it needs. This is my opinion. I thought this forum was about people having
different options and not bashing each other for not agreeing with each other options.

 

I was sharing my view on the value of rusty 1LE cars, which happens to differ from yours, which is totally fine. I'm trying to articulate why guys like Drew and myself feel the way we do. No one learns anything from an opposing view if it's not explained well.

I absolutely was bashing your use of grammar and punctuation. YOUR poor grammar, spelling and punctuation reflect poorly on YOU and make YOU look uneducated and foolish. We're not here to nit-pick, but your posts are so full of errors they are difficult to read, you're not even using the right word in many cases. If you can't take pride in your content here, then why should anyone here take you seriously? It's disrespectful to expect people to weed through your nonsense to find a coherent thought.

 

I'm not on this site to argue with people. You don't know me and I could be a disabled veteran. Instead of trying to
embarrassed me in front third gen you could have just PM me. If you look at your previous post your words each other is
a run on also you said one instead of on. So it doesn't help to talk smack on here because it bites back. This shows what
kind of character you are. It's sad that this site let's this stuff happen and no one stands up for what is right. Being a Supreme
Member you should represent yourself better.

 

Hey guys, that’s my car. Not offended by any of the responses. I’m up front with the car with anyone interested. Nothing to hide - no stories. It’s a complete car that runs good, can be raced immediately, and just so happens to be a 1LE.

To be honest, I bought the car because I wanted another third gen, wanted to race, and it didn’t need anything to make it happen. I’ve put less than 1000miles on it in two years, I’ve beat the snot out of it on the track, and it’s put a ton of smiles on my face.

I couldn’t care less about it being a 1LE - I cared that it was a hardtop and run and drove reliably. I had plans to go LS/Magnum, fix the minor rust concerns when I had the drivetrain out (really, these are easily repairable), and replace everything that made it a 1LE.

Unfortunately, my ambitions were simply too time-involved to make a priority with everything else life is doing at the moment. It’s also not been the most enticing for my wife and kids to ride in. I’ll be buying a new Camaro in the spring instead.

This won’t appeal to people looking for “deals”, but if you want to immediately get into racing, don’t have time to build something, and want a piece of third gen history, $5000 is not too much to pay (and really, $5000 is not much money for anything nowadays). I never wanted to be that guy who said he’d get to it someday while the car rots in the woods for decades, so someone else can enjoy it (and I need the room for the new one, lol).

 

I will throw in my 2 cents in here. I know this car and have driven it. I too as demonspeed said have beat the snot out of this car at this past years UMI autocross event. Does the car have some issues? Yes it does. Is it a pile of junk? No it’s not. Really the rust is not as bad as a lot of you are thinking and is definitely repairable. Does that take time and money? Yes it does. I have seen many cars in way worse shape going for his much money on forums and Facebook groups. Hell rollers are going for $1500-$2000 for run of the mill cars. It comes down to this is a factory race car. It will have more value than a plain run of the mill car. I know demonspeed is definitely not offended by anything anyone has said. The niche for these cars is small and there is someone out there willing to pay this amount for it.

 

As is always the case in such dealings, the local market---along with your willingness to part with the car---will determine the 'right' price.

Good luck with the sale.

 

Thanks. I took a deposit on it yesterday.

 

The rest of the car doesn't look bad in the classifieds post. Most people would never know there's rust under there if it weren't disclosed.

Reaching a fair price is between the buyer and seller, I'm neither, so it's none of my business.

 

I think Drew is right here. No need for all this discussion. And if I can throw in my yes this car should have more desirability then a normal third gen Camaro, even if it’s a brake and handling package. I’m not talking insane amounts but honestly these cars new to 5-10 years after new were very sought after. They have a cool factor to them regardless of anyone’s opinion. Get is for the right price, mend it and don’t look back.

 

Exactly. But we’ve got “experts” here who may have scared someone out of a rare, complete, car they could have enjoyed immediately. Be my guest if one would rather pay 15k for a better condition 1LE that one would be afraid to do anything with other than wax. These cars were meant to be driven, and this is someone’s chance to do it affordably without regret.

Im only reiterating this stuff because this is the history/resto forum. I think context is always important, anyway.

 

Based on the limited info the OP gave us to work with, it's difficult to judge the car. Seeing the rest of the car in the classifieds, gives a better picture.

Given that this is the History/Originality sub-forum, the context leans more towards collecting, collector values, blah blah blah. Within that context, a high mileage car with rust is a difficult sell. Put this same thread on another sub-forum, and the answer could be much different. Blame the impossibly high standards around here.

 

This would have been better discussed in the Body sub-forum.