Hello third gen fam, I have the opportunity to purchase a 1987 irocz 305 lb9 5 speed. It’s black with gold trim and ttops. It has 100k miles and owner wants $8k firm (wanted $9,900). My question is do you guys think it’s worth it, I know irocs have been going up in price but this isn’t the cleanest I’ve seen and price seems a little high to me. Also owner claims that is rare and sent me a picture stating that the lb9 5 speed the car came with is why it’s rare(picture below)

 

Mehhh... No options. Looks like it's already one foot in the 'rusty' hokey-pokey. Mileage isn't great, the interior looks terrible. Price wise, for a thirdgen it's priced $3k too high, for a hyped up retarded Iroc that all the frootloops and morons wet their pants over, the price is just marginally acceptable at best.

Personally, I'd take that money and get a kick *** Trans Am and tell that guy to blow me where the pampers is. How about you Luke Skywalker?

 

PS, when someone says "RARE!" "FIRM" or "I know what I've got", don't even waste your time feeding their delusions.

 

That's the one I posted in the 5 speed for sale thread a week or so ago. It needs some love and has some miles. I'd feel better at around $6500.

 

"Rare" is one of those words that is thrown around way way too much. No one has exact numbers for 1987 right now, if they exist they are hidden, or lost...

What I know is there were 12,105 IROC L98's in 1987, based on 1988-1992 Firebird Production and 1990-1992 Camaro Production the percentage of LB9/MM5/(GU6 or GM5) the range was 12% to 30% of the L98 cars for any given year. Later years seemed to have a higher percentage of LB9/MM5/(GU6 or GM5)

Based on that (which only gets you close) will give you a minimum of at least 1000 IROC-Z's with the LB9/MM5/GM5.

By best educated guess would be somewhere around 1500 for 1987 ONLY, so if you add 1988-1992, around 6500 total Camaros and another 7500 Firebirds for the 6 production years

John

 

TLC? I've seen deer carcasses dumped off the shoulder of gravel roads, that look less disgusting than that interior. Holes plus stains on the seats, stains on the carpet, and what's with the big black spot on the front lower edge of the driver's door panel? It's got a Spark-o-matic dual post cassette deck, and the ghetto hole saw cup holder treatment. Is that rust (???) on the steering wheel spokes? I've only ever seen that in junkyards and shelter belt cars. Has the seller ever even heard about Armor All? Is that a trailer hitch I spy?

The Iroc hype is strong, so is the 5spd hype. Decals or not, there's nothing special about an Iroc under the skin. They're still just a Camaro. You can get the same handling performance out of a base model RS with a few hundred in wheels/tires, springs, sway bars, steering gear, and a wonder bar from the junkyard, ebay, or the classifieds. The T5 is not a great transmission, it's just OK. Same with the LB9, people like to say it's "just as good" as the 350, but no one actually believes that, it's self-affirmation speak. It's the Stuart Smalley approach to justifying avoiding the 350 swap, or paying more for a car with the L98. And if that glass-jaw T5 and 3-0-jive have been pulling a trailer? Forget it. It's a 100K mile car that's 34 years old, it doesn't need TLC, it's due for it's first restoration.

Just... No. The only redeeming features I see are the decals on the doors and the 5spd. Unless a person is really hard up for an Iroc AND they have a morbid attraction to this exact car, I'd say keep shopping.

 

Can anyone think of any 87 Iroc that is really, truly, "Rare!"? Maybe the convertibles? IIRC Willie figured that some of the Z28 convertibles were rarer than the Iroc convertibles. Get past that and you're in the weeds arguing about total quantities or combinations of specific options, colors, and other personal preferences. It's not like there's any 87 Camaro so unusual and low production to be included in discussions with "rare" classic cars, or custom hand built exotics. The word rare spoken in conversation about a thirdgen, is almost always a HUGE RED FLAG you're talking to a complete and total ******. No offense intended, I'm guilty of doing it once or twice myself, but it's like the official trademark of *********.

 

That's the same car that's been listed on FB Marketplace. The interior is filthy, calling into question all other aspects of the car's condition (who lists a car for sale that looks like a bum has been living in it for 10 years?).

A good rule of thumb for judging used cars: rough exterior/interior = rough engine/transmission/suspension/brakes/etc.


Additionally, if the seller has to tell you it's 'rare,' or a 'collector car,' it usually isn't.

 

Exactly! If the car is rare, you'll usually know it without some smelly tub of lard in a wrinkled Hawaiian shirt, with half his lunch spilled on it, telling you how rare it is.

 

This car is in the typical condition you'd find a 3rd gen from the midwest. The seller missed an opportunity to present the car better, however. Only one chance for a first impression. The stick and LB9 does make it a bit rarer and more desirable to a lot of folks, though.

The seller wants all the money for this car, as if he'd spent the effort to clean and sort it out without actually doing that. It doesn't work that way. That's why he's already lowered the asking price by 20%. Did I mention that we're all in lockdown during a pandemic?

Assuming no major mechanical issues or rust, this could be a decent car - but it needs to be bought for the right price.

 

OMG! I had to go back and find the link in the other thread. I didn't remember this particular mouse turd being posted, but I see the images weren't embedded here.




This image right here sums up the entire situation. I saw that and laughed so hard I scared the cat away. Seller looks like a complete moron that just watched the BJ auction and thinks his clapped out POS is a collector car.




I don't know how, but I just KNEW the back seat of this car would be trashed. Cigarette burn? Check! Mismatched upholstery? Check! Does it look like someone drove around with a dirty flat tire on the cloth for a few months? Check! It hits all the boxes, better scoop up that sweeet sweeet ride before someone beats you to the punch!




Just look at that sweeet sweeet Corvette LT1 shining in the moonlight. It's like a sleek predator on the Serengeti, stealthily stalking it's 5.0 Fox body prey.

Seriously, **** that guy. He's the kind of mid-life crisis used car salesman they mock in the movies. I'm shocked he didn't roll back the odometer to sell it as being low miles.

 

People around this part of the country say this is the Midwest, and honestly the only thirdgens I see in this condition are daily driven by Methbillies and teenagers. To be honest the average thirdgen around here is in much better condition than this... thing... Aside from the daily driven garbage on it's last legs, the occasional junker someone barely fixes after tax refund day and tries to drive for a few days before realizing it's a wasted effort and parking back in the side yard, the usual thirdgen here in flyover country has nice paint, a spotless interior, and would look at home in a car show. Because they belong to folks that keep them in a garage, keep them clean, and only drive them on nice days. 20 years ago, this Iroc would have been a 1978 Trans Am with no quarter panels left below the body line. The only reason this car looks as good as it does is advancements in rust prevention.

 

LOL! For sure. Sellers like that are hard to deal with. Usually ends up with a "no sale". But eventually, he'll be ready to dump the car, and if the OP is still around and still interested , that might be the time to act. Under normal circumstances, I'd say throw a lowball offer and see how he reacts. But from the sound of it, he'd probably be so butthurt that he would end up selling it it someone else for less than the offer - 3 months from now.

The thing is, it wouldn't take that much to make it look much more presentable. The seller either doesn't have the will nor inclination to do that, I guess.

 

Making it look better is one thing, it's still going to belch huge clouds of blue smoke on a cold start, probably run like dog doo, and spit a bearing out the tailpipe after a bit of regular use. The Armor All is only a row away from the oil and filters the guy probably never bought either.

You know how I can tell the plug wires and spark plugs haven't been changed in over a decade? Because the distributor cover is still there. There's probably a Kmart Penske service center tag in the door jamb from the last oil change in 1993.

 

$5k max imo. Very dirty interior is a turn off for me.

 

Thanks fellas for the info. Going to pass on this one unless he decides to sell it for what it’s worth. If anyone knows of a clean 85-90 iroc around Michigan that’s for sale for about 6-8k pm me!

 

Any Iroc you might as well bend over. Between the BJ auctions, and articles like the one that clown posted in his ad, the market is completely horked. The nice cars like you're looking for, they never even get advertised because some clown will ****** them up to list on Ebay or take to an auction. That's why I suggested setting your sights on something that's still a great deal, like a Trans Am. Yeah, yeah, Iroc this, Iroc that, I get it, I've got one, thought it was cool when I was 20 years old... Now? With prices being what they are, and with Pontiac's being considerably nicer cars with more options for less money, it's a no brainer.

 

8,000 for that turd .. definitely pass on that one .. i was just looking at a 1990 5.7 iroc with 46k miles on it for 11,500 and it was all original and mint .. to bad it sold in 2 days ..
and there is nothing rare about a 5 speed iroc .. there are plenty out there .. as far as iroc prices there are plenty of good deals out there .. they are not bringing stupid money ..

 

also as drew said you can find a much better deal on a trans am .. here is a 60k miles all original tpi trans am in the 5,000 range .. i would take this car over that iroc your looking at any day ..
https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/698980557311481/

 

It still amazes me that you can get a comparable Trans Am for 60% the cost of an IROC.

 

Honestly, all of these cars are "rare" now. Much like 5th gen Camaros that I see hundreds of in a month, these cars used to be everywhere and now they are not. 1000s upon 1000s of them have been crushed over the years and they are not common on the roads anymore, not even remotely. It's the same song and dance with every car. You see them all of the time for a period and then eventually only a few and then none for months. Thirdgens are none for months now (at least around here). I never cared for the word rare. Only thing that matters to me is how many are left and can I find one at a good price that's not completely trashed. That black IROC is definitely worth fixing up, but I'm at $5,800.00 on it.

 

A few rules about buying a used car:

If the seller tells you it's "rare", it's not. YOU make that call since it's PURE JUDGMENT anyway.
If the seller tells you it's a "collector car", it's not. YOU decide whether you're "collecting" or just driving it, not him.

Q: How can you tell if a used car seller is lying?
A: His lips are moving.

Q: How can you tell a used car seller is stabbing you in the back?
A: He's smiling.

VERY VERY FEW of these cars fall into any category even remotely approaching "rare". That's a bunch of Firebird owner talk anyway; the kind of guys that'll tell you theirs is "rare" because it's kaopectate green with a baby poop brown interior, and that color combination "triggered" a "mandatory" dried blood red vinyl top, and that makes it a 1 of 4 produced; and they got it for $750, but it's so "rare" it's "worth" 10 times that now. Well guess what... the reason it was "rare" was because NOBODY WANTED THAT CRAP when it was new, and it hasn't got any better with age, and NOBODY is going to pay $7500 for that $750 car. If it was "worth" $7500 it wouldn't have sold for $750. Anyway, I digress... in 2020, the NUMBER ONE thing that determines the "value" of these cars, is THEIR CONDITION. "Rare" is a non-issue. If the car is in good shape, well taken care of and clean and not abused somehow, then it has MUCH higher value than even a much better color combo (which I will admit, that one there is one of the better colors, if not the most unusual) in poor shape. That one is not in particularly good shape AT ALL, although at least it doesn't show signs of having been quaaluded or methed or fentanyled. Just the general overall filth level is enough to turn the stomach. That's the kind of car you pay ALOT less for than it's "worth" because it's DISGUSTING and needs ALOT of work to be "nice" again. A car like that usually hasn't had a working AC for decades, which means it's permeated with BO; might have been smoked in, which is INCREDIBLY HARD to get rid of; as pointed out, is just revolting in its filth; its CONDITION is ... not $8500. Cleaned up, never smoked in, AC and everything else working, YES, it would be a $8500 car. But as-is, d00d is in fantasy land. Walk away and let him scam some Greater Fool than you.

 

I'm with you. Also, I don't hate this car as much as everyone else seems to. I just wouldn't over pay.

 

Chazman,
I agree, it does not look like a "bad" car, I just think it needs a little too much to be worth what he is asking... If it had a clean interior, maybe, but not in the condition it is in... It looks like a good starting point, which means, everything would have to be redone, so $5000 sounds about right, but with the interior the way it is, what other surprises would you find?

I actually like the Black with the tan interior and the gold stripes and wheels...

 

I don't hate it either. I mean, it's not even remotely comparable to the IROC that I currently own...but I'd still love to have this one for a fun driver. I agree that the asking price is too high, but I would trade my 95 Corvette for it in a split second. Give me a few days at the body shop with that car and it would look a million times better, lol

This car has a ton of potential....but at his price, there's no room to work on it

 

You guys really can't imagine the ****** an Iroc with a trailer hitch has been subjected? If someone is using a thirdgen as a tow rig, I'd hate to think about the other misuses it's surely been subject to.

 

dont think anyone hates the car but cant even imagine what kind of money it would take to make this a nice car .. nice ones you can get for 10,000

 

I would spend 5k max for that car.

I blame a lot of these inflated prices on the car auction shows that boomed in the 2000s. These fluff pieces being written about “investing’ in car collecting like Drew showed doesn’t help either. Now every joe out there who bought these cars and either beat them to hell and back or stuffed them away in a barn think they’re sitting on a gold mine (they’re not).
These Camaros and Firebirds that are climbing into these astronomical figures for a sticker on the door is outrageous, and with a worldwide pandemic going on that’s probably gonna last a couple of years and another looming recession, people aren’t gonna have the disposable income to pay these prices (I wouldn’t pay these prices either way). So there they shall sit, not being driven, not being maintained, until this collector car market bubble finally bursts. And when it does, I’m going shopping.