I was perusing around craigslist the other day and came accross an interesting ad that caught my eye, but I feel like it's one of those too good to be true stories. Here's what the ad said:

1986 Chevy Iroc Z Camaro Z28
5.0 V8 Top of the line engine..
New Starter, Battery, Ignition module, New Tires..Brand NEW Flo-Master Exhaust! NEW BOSCH intake! Car is in good shape for 1986..
T Tops..Original Radio and interior with AC.. NO RUST.. Auto..Trans. is perfect.. No Leaks!
ONLY 42,000 miles on car!! Only driven in summer..
Clean CARFAX and waiting on Title.. Green Light.. New Inspection..
Make me an offer fast! Im moving soon and cant take it with me..

He has a few blury pictures of the car, like most craigslists ads. car looks to be in great shape. But now for the price, he's got it listed at $2,500!

If everything checks out I feel like it could be a great deal on an original iroc. Haven't had a chance to make a phone call but it's def on my list of things to-do.

What do you think about this ad?

 

Make a move, it might be too good to be true, but you'll never know unless you go and see it in person, I've gone along on a few in person viewings with friends buying thirdgens off craigslist, and sometimes a great deal really does come your way!

 

I would love to go check it out except its about a 3 hour drive from my house

What questions should I ask about the car? Obviously I'm going to check the vin and the rpo codes, but I've seen similar cars for sale on here go for close to 10k so it's impossible not to be skeptical, especially with craigslist which is scammer central

 

If you have to ask, it probably is.

For one thing, what does he mean 5.0 V8 "top of the line" engine? It's probably not the original engine. Top of the line for original ThirdGens was the 5.7.

Sounds like he's put a bit more than $2,500 in parts alone. But does everything actually work? What kind of shape is the "original" interior in? What about the weatherstripping? Shocks & struts? I'm also a little curious what kind of tires he put on since he was so quick to throw brand names at all the other hardware that was added.

Only 42,000 miles...probably a lot of components had a chance to age, and probably not for the better. That's if they are original miles on the whole car, or just the motor, just the trans, just the body, etc. I don't know how dilligent Carfax was about records prior to the mid 90's.

Do a search for the VIN on other websites. See what you find. Then, make the drive and check it out in person. Get the car to a mechanic and up on a lift.

I know I sound really skeptical, but I was in a similar position to yours about a year ago. I bought a 1 owner, '89 Trans Am with 46,800 miles on it. I paid about $7K for it. It sounded like it was good to go. Long story short, I've probably sunk another 3 grand into it. Some of it was planned, some of it wasn't.

I don't regret it because I love the car and everything's just about where I want it to be, but I was lucky to have the funds to fix stuff when it broke. But I would definitely plan on spending at least another $2,500 within the first year of owning it...if it turns out that the seller is being completely honest...which I doubt.

I hope I'm wrong and it works out for you though!

 

Not in 1986.

One thing to be cautious of, is that when people say "new" parts, more often than not in our world it means some garbage ripped off a junkyard car, and not actually new parts at all.

 

yeah with the new parts it's leading me to believe that the car probably has been sitting for a while, and I know first hand the work a car can need after its been sitting like that. but even with some repair costs, it could still pay off if the car is mostly original

 

You are right...I should have done my research.

Did 350 TPI (L98) cars ever come with a Manual? Were there 350s before 87?
The answer is no to both. There was never a factory production 350 TPI Third Gen with a manual. Not a 1LE, not a Special Edition, nothing. It was only available with the 700-R4 Auto because of concerns about the T-5 not being able to handle the L98's Torque, especially if driven aggressively. Cost, certification, and possibly the Corvette (having to be faster) were also reasons that this never happened.

So, if you think you have one, you don't! If you think you've seen one, you haven't! (stock of course ) There were test cars, but test cars never make it to the public. Anything that says different is incorrect misinformation. You can check if you like.

8th digit of VIN:

350: 8
305: F

Transmission RPO:

Auto 700-R4: MXO
Manual T-5: MM5

There was also never a 350 TPI F-Body before 87. There were test cars but they too never made it to the public. 87 was the first year for the 350 in the Third Gen F-Body and was the official model year release.

Thanks for reading.

 

For 2500 bucks if it runs , drives, stops good and doesn't have dody damage, I would pick it up. 42000 miles is just an extra bonus

 

The guy told me it only needs an idol sensor and a break line, I'm gonna guess it needs a lot more than that though. The paint is faded pretty bad too.
It's been sitting for half a year which isn't too bad

 

even if it did need some work, i could pick it up and sell it on tgo classifieds to a real collector and earn some profit