i bought my car sight unseen for $3300. after many phone convrosations with the guy i bought it from and looking at the pictures and videos he sent me, i felt confident about buying it. i took off a day of work, booked a plane ticket to NJ and found myself on a one way flight 900 miles away from home. after a short cab ride i was looking at my dream car. i checked the fluids, jumped in and drove 900 miles back to GA on my first time driving the car. she never gave me so much as a whimper and she still hasnt!

normally i wouldnt leave so much to chance but when i saw the car and realized what a deal it was i couldnt resist. i had been looking for a clean black iroc for 4yrs so you could say i was a little eager to get that car

 

Update:



I'm planning on taking a picture of where I hit the 240k mark as it will probably be the final mileage milestone on the original engine...and the instrument cluster for that matter. I can't believe this engine has lasted almost 240k miles without any problems other than water pump/thermostat (common problems for F-body cars). Doesn't burn oil, doesn't leak, exhaust is clean with no smoke, still pulls well down low, and only has a slight blow-by problem from a weak valve seal (or ring?). I'd say overall this engine has lived a full and productive life. I bet I could probably get 300k (280k at least) if it was driven with care. ...but I can't wait that long I need to drop in a new engine.

 

I've had terrible luck with these cars. My sport coupe blew up a year after owning it, and my IROC took a crap within my first month of ownership. Both cars ended up with a spun bearing within the same week. Naturally, the IROC was the car I chose to repair, and the sport coupe faded away to its death.

Though I managed to resurrect the IROC, I wouldn't say that it's been very reliable, and it STILL seems that I'm not getting all the power I should have. It's a shame, too, because that IROC was DAMN fast for that first month.

I would still buy it all over again if I had the chance, because I love these cars, but god help me if I ever have to go through that again.

 

I've owned 5 different 3rd gens and a total of 15 F-bodies (since I was 17) of varying generations, and all of them have been great cars.... Especially my 3rd gens. I've never once had any of the 3rd gen cars leave me stranded. That's why I just bought another one.

 

The only problem I had was a cheap parts store alternator going bad, it was under warranty so I got another one.

 

I'm about in the same boat as you are. My 89 L03 RS has 237K on the original motor and trans, and it still purrs. I've got a nice, rebuilt TPI 350 sitting on the engine stand right now. I'm just waiting on cooler weather to get the new motor dropped in. I'm almost paranoid to swap it out though since the original motor has been so damn reliable!

 

Have you noticed how almost all the people who replied mentioned that they were working/or have worked on a third gen before.

I think these cars are very reliable, however if you are not mechanically inclined than you will not be able to afford fixing whatever goes wrong with the third gen.
Overall, I can think of few other cars over third gens for realiability, however, every third gen that I owned has worked flawlessly unless I decided to change crap. Than, other stuff brakes down. Its a chain reaction. So if you want your third gen to last, don't *** with it.

 

My car has been very reliable. It has only let me down twice. Once the alternator was going out and the battery didn't have enough juice left to run the car and it died and needed a jump (this one really doesn't count though since it still had the original alternator of 120k miles so it was bound to go out). The other time the fuel pump went out, but luckily I was only a minute from my house so I didn't have to get a tow truck.

 

The motor started knocking in mine two days ago. Just under 170k miles. I've been hard on the poor car

 

Bought mine a short time ago.. Had 228k kilometers. Drive it every single day, often a few times. It had been previously sitting for some years but sounded surprisingly good when fired up. Did the usual maintenance and a few other things and it runs great. I am sometimes forced to burn rubber too.

Stock 305 TBI and 700R4. Since I've never owned a domestic car before, it'll take some time before I start doing serious changes to it.

 

I just lost oil pressure in mine and found some VERY tiny flaky thngs in the oil...

Im thinking it's done.

Vortec-headed 350 in the works, though!

 

ive had my bird for a bit over a year now, but my mom bought the car new, so i know everything thats ever been done to it. now has 135k on the clock and still runs great. 30 psi oil pressure at idle in gear after sitting hot in stop and go traffic, pegs the guage cold warmup. uses no oil, but seeps a little around the intake but only about a quarter of a quart or less every 3000 miles. tranny origional. only problems ever with this car: changed origional battery in 2003 or so, surprised it lasted that long.. starter relay went out about a month ago, and the origional water pump went out yesterday. last fall, the origional alternater took a dump on my way from western to eastern washington over snoqualmie pass at night. while heading there the headlights got really dim on me so i pulled off at the top of the pass and shut the car off. after letting the engine cool down for awhile i got a jump and the alternator started working again and charged for about ten minutes in the parking lot before it quit on me for the second time. so i turned on the lights and jumped back on the freeway and drove remaining 35 or so minutes to where i was headed with no charge. as i was pulling into a friends neighborhood the airbag and check engine light came on and the blinkers quit blinking but i made it, barely.

overall i am extremely pleased with this car its never left anyone whose ever driven it sitting on the side of the road. i bet the fuel pump is next, or the origional starter lol.. knock on wood..

 

have you ever noticed that you see a lot more thirdgens (even beat up ones) on the road then fox bodies?

im not hating on the mustang, actually id love to have a notchback 5.0, but in my experience i almost never see them. maybe thats just GA.....

 

I've had my car for 15 years. My biggest expense was getting my tranny rebuilt.. It stopped shifting from first to second about 8 years ago.

Other big expenses were getting the front seal done in my AC compressor, replacing my axle seals and replacing my alternator twice.

Right now, the old GTA is solid. I've got 90,000 miles and I'd have no worries about taking it on a long trip.

 

I finally hit 240k 2 days ago...and I forgot my digital camera. I did however take a pic with my cell phone--so don't expect a good quality shot. I'm sitting about 240,100 right now. I'm about to buy a 1997 Honda Prelude for a daily driver while I disassemble the Camaro for a restore and modification job. Can't wait, next year my Camaro should be one badass ride.

 

Here's the 240k shot along with today's current mileage.

Old pic from old cell phone:


New pic from new cell phone:


Also, I gave the Prelude back to whom I bought it from because it turns out it was a POS in need of way too much repair. So I"m daily driving the Camar again. I find it funny that my Camaro with 241k miles on the engine was more reliable than a Honda with less than 130k miles on its engine. I don't think my Camaro will ever stop running. I'm in the process of saving up for a down payment on another car so I can try not driving the Camaro long enough to do something with it. lol

 

neither of mine have been very reliable. but i havent bought one to be reliable either. they are my fun cars. my stang is the reliable one... lol.

 

But, 3rd gens are born reliable. I mean the only way to kill them is to run them without oil--and even then it still takes years for them to die.

 

i always end up fixing mine, they just cause more problems than my mustang does. maybe that is because i buy cars that are somebody else's problem cars and fix them. thats probably it.

 

These cars are like little babies and mean women. Whenever the slightest thing goes wrong they like to cry about it, get really loud, and then take a big crap.

They're like women. No matter how terrible they treat me, I'll still feel compelled to love them. Its fine lines and beautiful curves can leave me staring for hours, even when I know there's a complete bitch lurking beneath the guise of the attractively formed body and tantilizing textures of the buffed surface.

I'm just a powerless man I guess : (

 

Tranny at 217,000 and engine at 223,000, but the engine still ran (I just wanted more power)

 

thats friggin hilarious



PS over heats at idle, cranks for 5 seconds before finnaly fireing up, tranny makes a whirring noise in gear(cracked torque converter). has died twice on me on the road due to ignition issues, fuel pumps on its way out. only 120,000 kms (65,000 miles)

 

Newest member of the fold: '82 Berlinetta, LG4 305, TH200C auto tranny, 3.23 gears, California car. Kept completely stock (except for Class III trailer hitch, electric trailer brake controller, and rear spring air bags). 298k miles when I picked it up, changed the oil and drove it home to Colorado. Later drove it to Nebraska and back. The parts store starter solenoid quit on us in Nebraska, but otherwise, it passed both CA and CO emissions tests, and didn't exhibit any other issues. Has over 301k miles on it as it sit awaiting the LS1/T56.

Reportedly, engine has never been rebuilt. Trans was rebuilt 40k miles ago (not surprising considering the towing equipment).

 

I bought my 88 back in about 96, or 97, and it was a daily driver up until last year. It has 200,000 miles on the original engine and trans, and has been exceptionally reliable. I have replaced some assorted parts, but, over 12 years, and that many miles, what would you expect? The only time it abandoned me, was when I put a cheap autozone dist cap on it. Went thru three, in two weeks. Car would just stop running...... Bought an Accell cap from Advanced Auto, and never had that problem again.

The reason I stopped driving it, and now have it up for sale in the classified section is: I am no longer able to work on it, or, any other car for that matter.... due to health. I now have a larger family, and a two-door, four passenger car, is just not practical. That, and I got seriously tired of getting stuck in my driveway in an inch of snow..... I would love to keep this car, stuff the 400 into it, and a six speed, but, that just ain't gonna happen. I am not capable of doing the work anymore, and, perhaps just as importantly, I no longer have the way cool garage available to me. Damn.

 

Mine has been awesome. Never a single problem except for the ones I caused! (megasquirt had a hot running problem since fixed.It took me a bit to figure it out though... )


My buddy mike's mom has a camaro with 330K on it, original engine and tranny. These cars run forever.

 

a stock thirdgen is a very reliable car, but as much as i hate to admitt it i think my dad was right.....the more u upgrade them the less dependable they become.....mine has headers and a holley carb, and a 350 with 58cc heads....can u say cold natured?

 

Bought my '88 RS 2.8 in '05, cured problem with VATS, Front Struts, Brakes, Tires, Fuel Pump, And Timing chain set (guide Included). Now I'm in the process of removing the dry riverbed paint job! Starts, Stops, Steers..... I'm good to go

 

Camaro #3 here... 1992 RS 305 TBI and WC T-5 trans..... bought it in California back in 2005 and drove it cross country with 256K miles on it... didnt flinch a bit coming across... got around 26 mpg..... I've had the usual items to let go, but it has not left me stranded except one time, and that was the distributor pick up coil... was driving to work one day and it just quit on me... had it towed to the dealership I was working at and got it fixed... been running good ever since then... I used to drive it daily until I got my 99 Silverado and now I take it out once a week if possible..... right now its setting on 270K+ miles and still I can get in it and start it up and drive away....
Parts I have replaced to date.... clutch, alternator, starter, water pump, distributor, wheel bearings.... basically normal wear and tear items..... and I havent been the easiest on the engine at times either... its seen a couple runs up to 6K in first and second gear... darned ole LO3s are tough engines....
Overall I do believe these 3rd gens are well put together in the engines.... I've owned 3 of them, all being 305s and 2 being LO3 (TBI) and 1 TPI..... never had any major issues with any of them... and the TPI engine I pretty much resurrected from the dead... it was an 86 IROC that I bought from a private owner and was setting in a field...... I took it home and tuned it up and put a new fuel pump in it and it fired up after the 3rd time......

 

mine breaks when i don't drive it sometimes too. What a money pit

 

my two thirdgens have been reliable cars.cant say no problems,the usual water pump,alt.,coil,belts,etc.my transam has 244,000 miles on it now(changed engine at 238,000) my sons camaro has 100,000 same way just usual maint.i think theyre great cars.love the lines. you must admit,its hard to beat that feeling when you pull the ttops in the spring,and you realize summer, bikinis are just around the corner.but best of all is when a rustang pulls up and you smoke him LIFE IS GOOD!!!!

 

Wow, you've hit the 300k mile club. That's definately awsome to hear.

They do run forever. I think the proof is more than evident.

Awsome, I love hearing about someone taking classic cars out of farm fields and resurrectring them from the dead.

T-Tops are definately unique and quite a bit better than a convertable and sunroofs.

Anyway, here's the mileage update as of today with no signs of slowing down:

 

well i've had 2 2 date and never left 100% stranded yet

last was a 92 l03 car. Alternator once died on it and i just barely made it into my school parking lot (auto tech at a vocation school), didn't have enough voltage to fully fire off coil packs at around 8 volts lol.....

anyways i made it to school and had an alternator on it and was set. other than that i had a lot of mystery overheating issues with it but, i replaced the intake manifold gasket and never did after that kinda wierd made no sense i'm sure it was just conincidence.

new car is a lb9 5 speed tpi car. Body has 207k miles on it. Tranny has 40k on a rebuild and about 40k on a jasper rebuilt engine in it.

both had all usual wear items replaced, all brakes, alternator, battery, tuneup, full frnt end rebuilt on the first car and the 2nd is mostly going to need 1 haha...... struts shocks and some bushings here and there but, what the hell they are beastly.

i completely raped (and still do 1 of em) both of mine with no drivetrain failures to date *knock on wood*.

 

Mine's been great, even when it was running rough it still got my wife to and from work for 5 years. Even got us across Canada with a failing fuel pump that a little chinese guy fixed while in Vancouver. Just shy of 200 000km on her.

 

the firebird i pulled a used spedo circuit board out of in the junk yard had 350000 on the odometer with a 2.8 and automatic...not sure what was original but i was pretty impressed mines got 130000 needed a fuel pump and coil but runs pretty good. hell of a ttop leak in heavy rain though

 

I've had my IROC, 8 years now, it was dogged when I bought it and since then I've replaced damn near every moving part in it at least once. But I won't give it up for anything...cranky b*tch, but thats part of the charm. Now I just picked up an 87 Z28, my 3rd thirdgen, to drive so I can finally park the IROC and do the body, paint and interior. (Stole the 87, traded my g/f's rusted out 92 Ford Taurus for it in an even (well lopsided) swap)

 

when i bought my car it had a stuck T-stat, a plugged up oil filter, 4 spun bearings, enough carbon buildup to diesel, and a helluva lot of black goo thoughout...had a slight knock...thought it was lifters, put heavywieght oil in it, changed the filter and t-stat....ran for another 5000 miles (oh and the carb was running superrich, and the wiring was all messed up) umm it never had very good oil pressure and it spun a fifth bearing real bad this time and knocked loud as hell...anyways i'm almost done replacing the engine now

edit: i beat on this car baaaad too...lotsa high-rpm fun (i didn't know it had any problems besides the carbon buildup....young an dumb lol)

 

my camaro is very reliable it has never had a problem since iv had it and when my sister had it the onley problem she had with it was the alternator but little things r bound to go out cause it has 280,000 miles on it

 

my camaro was horribly unreliable when i got it, bad battery, bad alternator, bad tranny, its left me stranded tons of times and it used to hate starting

i think it got the bugs out of it though, im not surprised about its reliability, since the last owner jiveassed all the repairs. anyways, speaking of reliability i took the iroc for a cruise about half an hour ago since its been good to me and i even gave it a nice wash and cleaned up the rims, only to be rewarded by the radiator cap pissing coolant all over the place while i was taking a picture.

 

the only issue ive had is that ive gone through coils left and right! if im driving and out of nowhere it dies....and it just turns and doesnt turn on i stomp another coil n lets GOO!!!! lol! i actually keep a spare coil instead of a tire haha!
other than that shes a beauty

 

I own 2 of them w/305's and they run great! I have always been a fan of chev small blocks, and the 305 is right up there. I know they are not the power house as some of the others, but they are very spirited, and very reliable. I replaced the radiators, belts, hoses, but that goes for any car. No complaints here!

 

Cam has only not started once, and that was in the driveway, which I thought was mighty considerate of her.

Just two weeks ago, I rolled 200,000 on her, and I've put on all but 18,000 of those miles myself. (I videotaped the occasion, lol.)

She's had to be my daily driver since about 105,000 miles.

Truly, I think you get out of these cars what you put into them. I treat her with love and respect. She gets all services early or on schedule. At 100,000 miles, I started changing her oil every 2,500 instead of every 3,000. I've had to put a couple of alternators, O2 sensors and a starter on her, as well as do usual tuneups and filter changes.
But she's a great car and still runs like a bat out of hell.

 

Mine was quite reliable, three trips from New Mexico to Minnesota and back, 120k miles on the motor and it ran well, only leaked some oil. I never had a problem with it. I did a engine swap to a 350 and now I can't keep it on the road. 400 miles and something breaks. another 400 miles then something else breaks. First it was the distributor module, then plug wires, then plugs, now it looks like the EGR valve is bad based on my research of problems. ugh...it couldn't just "be good" after installing the new motor.

 

340,000 km on original engine/tranny, i've owned it since 275,000, only problems were things I caused and overheating from a stuck thermostat once. it's the most reliable vehicle i own, better than a 98 GMC pickup and a 92 jetta tdi.

 

How does that translate into miles?