Hey Guys,

So I just joined up last week to the site and the short and quick of it is that i'm a typical guy that loves anything with a motor. Decided recently I'd like to buy a fun summer car that I can tinker with and have fun with for a long time. I'm a GM diehard and I'm looking to stay in the 3-5k range for initial purchase price. That narrowed my choices down quite a bit and I've pretty much settled on a third gen Camaro, as they were one of my favorite cars growing up. I've been doing some research and browsing craigslist constantly looking for the "right one" to pop up. I've come across a few of various, years, engines and transmissions that have peaked my interested but would like to learn a little more from you folks before I make a decision. I really want a manual transmission car as I feel they are much more fun to drive, unfortunately I've learned that GM stuck a pretty weak manual transmission in these cars, not to mention the anemic 305 motor. So I've decided if the right car comes along and it's automatic I'm ok with that.

A couple of things I would like some input from on guys that actually own these cars is the following:

Carb vs. TBI/TPI I'm drawn to a carb'd vehicle due to the simplicity of the system, lack of computer/emissions and I've never owned a carb'd vehicle before(plenty of carb'd powersports though). On the other hand EFI tends to make more power and yield better fuel economy, so I'm really looking for some opinions from you guys, especially the ones who have owned/own both on what you prefer more and why.

Are there any particular years that are better than others for various reasons and/or are there years I should stay away from and why?

Lastly, and probably most importantly when I go and start looking at/test driving these cars what should I be looking for. Other than the normal knocks, grinding, etc. What are things on this particular generation of cars I should pay attention to? I spoke to a guy on the phone who claimed he put a fuel cell is his car because he needed to change the fuel pump and dropping the gas tanks on these is a royal pita. Any truth to this? What other third gen quirks/problems should I be on the lookout for when I start actually going and looking at these.

Oh and one more thing that just popped into my head. If I find one I like that's more than a few hours away I plan on towing it home with a rented u-haul car trailer. Has anyone loaded a third gen onto these? How do they fit and is there any ground clearance issues.


Sorry for the long post, it's just that I'm really looking forward to being a third gen owner and I want to make sure I'm buying something that will initially be in good enough shape to daily drive during the summer and allow me to upgrade/restore during the long winter months here in NY.

Thanks a bunch!
-Matt

 

For $5k you can get a decent one. The cardinal rule in buying one of these things is get one that is rust free. It just isn't practical to buy a rusty one and "fix it up" because a perfectly good one can be had for 1/2 the price of a proper rust repair (that still won't be as good as an original).

I'm assuming you are looking for a V8, so the Q-jet, TBI and TPI are all good induction systems. I would give the nod to TPI here, it makes good power, is ok on gas, and looks just awesome. It was introduced in 1985.

As far as which years are best, since none of these cars are real powerhouses, it's mostly a matter of taste. Generally, the later ones were better as improvements were made in many aspects such as drivetrain, suspension, and brakes.

If you heart is set an a manual trans, it's best to buy one that already has one. ESPECIALLY if this is going to be a fun summer car, in my book a manual trans is an absolute must. They are much harder to find than an auto, but if you are diligent in your search you will find one. The T5 is in fact weak, but if you are nice to it (no power shifting or clutch popping) it will work fine even with power upgrades. Don't regret your purchase, get a manual transmission. I believe 82 had an old-school 4 speed with Z bar linkage, and 83 debuted the T5 with the superior hydraulic clutch actuation. 87 was the first year the TPI engine could be paired with the T5 manual.

Good luck!

 

On the carb vs injected choice: To me, the carb is the obvious choice if you're going to modify the car. Case in point - see my sig for how well the stock CCC Q-jet handled the motor swap.
TBI can run ok with mods if you have the programming resources.
TPI, unless you're going to leave the car stock, sucks IMO. But....it looks cool
The later cars have some decent 700R4's in them. My '86 wasn't one of the stronger ones, but the previous owner had it worked over and it's held up to 70k miles of fairly hard use since then.

 

If you take your time and know what your looking at you can find a really nice car for 5 stacks.
If you want a stick car buy a stick car.

Mine is a 82 it has a z bar and is old school. Just the way I like it. Has 400 -500 hp and no rust. I paid less than 5 grand for it 2 years ago.

Good luck in your search. I will keep my eyes open for a good deal.
I found a super charged mustang for 6000.00 today. The deals are out there, especially in this economy.

 

On the trailer hauling question. A U-Haul car trailer works great, the only thing i did was cut some 2x8's, 2-3' long to build a slight ramp for the ground effects to clear as you drive up the ramps. The U-haul trailer has a swing out fender on the drivers side so you can get in and out of the car. Also, what ever you decide to buy, the very first thing to buy for the car is a repair manual. Half the questions asked on this site could be answered if the owners had a repair manual. Chiltons, Haynes, or find a factory one on ebay. Good luck

 

in my experience i would avoid a 90 - 92 camaro . gm used cheap chinese recycled sheatmetal. my 91 rusts and cracks much faster than any of the 80s models near me (long island) if i had known this prior i never would have got my 1991 rs. also t tops are not the trouble. they leak even if you dont think they do id get a hard top or vert

 

I am shopping for a 3rd gen too. Please help me understand why hydraulic is superior. I am familiar with the mechanical Z bar style in a 69s/70s Chevelle but am still learning about hydraulic. thanks

 

These cars are all old and need work. Get a factory 305 TPI T5 car and you'll go al ong way with it if you can leave it stock. Otherwise just get a straight clean car with a decent performance suspension package on it (get an IROC or Formula or Z28) and just put an LSx-T56 in it.

These cars are SLOW stock. And once modified the stock engine platforms are just kind of weak unless you dump $5k into it. An LS whatever + T56 will make it the car you want it to be.

 

The cost is about equal once you decide to make power when making that comparison as to "which way to go". Not saying you're wrong, but that should be noted.

 

Hydraulic clutch is better in every possible way, there is no advantage to Z bar style in any way.

-fewer moving parts to wear out
-lighter pedal
-smoother travel
-self adjusting
-lighter
-easy to upgrade to T56 when the time comes

 

As said before, rust is the first thing to look at, but you have to search a little. Floorboards and lower quarters are the main places. That means you have to look UNDER the car really well and open the rear compartment spare tire well and storage locker to look fr the quarter rust. Also check the engine bay, strut mounts and firewall in particular. Personally, I would not buy any car that had rust in those locations as I only see it there on cars that are really rotted.
The next important thing to look for is modifications by the previous owners, especially wiring hacks. Try and find one as stock as possible because you will provably spend a lot of time undoing the PO hack job.
In Camaros, I like the z28s from 91-92 best because of the gfx.

 

Like stealth/ta said,"find one stock as possible". most of these cars have been modded and a lot of times by people that have no business turning wrenches on one. Every one ive had ive bought stock so i would know what i had and not be wondering what nutjob had been working on it. A 5spd will be the most fun though hard to find or i would be driving one myself. A good TPI car will get you excellent mileage and good power"AS LONG AS ITS WORKING FUNCTIONAL" and a TBI car will get you good mileage and very maintenence free service but a little lackluster in the power dept. 3rd gens are good looking, fun to drive, and cheap so whatever choice you make you will probably be happy with it as long as you dont get a lemon some half-@$*( mechanic has hacked up. And good luck to ya.

 

forgive me if i missed it but what are you using the car for? i bought mine for road racing. no t-top, rust free near the suspension were my only concerns. cost me 75 dollars. 10 years later im still racing it and have hundreds if not thousands of hours into it. every year i think its time to retire it but it keeps on going. mind you i have destroyed it as a third gen collectible with cutting, wrecking into hill sides, sliding off road into boulders ect. but with proper mods its a tough car... just my two cents.

 

Thanks for all the replies guys, I do not plan on racing it or anything like that. I want a nice street car that will get up and go and lay some rubber on the road when I feel like roasting the tires. Other than that down the road I may swap out the motor for something hopped up in the 400hp range but that wouldn't be for a couple years down the road. Initially I'm just looking for a nice street cruiser I can have some fun with.

 

Unless you want fuel injection, in which case the LSx platform becaomes a better deal.

Just my opinion.

 

Well I bought my Formula 350 new in 1989. I loved it then, and I love it now still. Been off the road for 11 years. Now when I take it out, oh man, I really enjoy it. Its not modified at all and I am more than content with the TPI motor as it stands. I am not a fan of the carborator, fuel injection really nice to have. I am sure some of my fellow 3rd gens will disagree but hey, I just like fuel injection!

If you can get a 350TPI car, I think you will be happy with what you are looking for.