I would appreciate any thoughts or experience with the newer Z's. I'm sure some people here have experience with the newer styles. My Iroc is an 89' with only 50k(original)miles. After recently spending about $2,000 to get it more or less perfect(it sat for years at a Chevy dealership),I've come across another good deal. The 95Z has 81k and in good overall condition,but kind of like the older(more aggressive)look of the Iroc's better. Is the newer car a major step up from the Iroc,or am I asking for alot of headaches I'm not familiar with? What's a low mileage Iroc with basically a whole new suspension,and every brake component new,as well as new engine sensors worth?

The Z seems hard to pass up for $4500,I feel my Iroc is worth more...

Niko

 

I personally think that I'd keep the IROC but that is just me. I will say that a friend of mine had a 96 or 97 Z-28 and that thing was fast. Felt alot faster than my 82 Trans Am. Well back to the main reason I replied your car is worth whatever someone is willing to pay for it simply. If it is in good condition I think that you could get $4000 posibly I may be way off but around here I bought my 82 with a built 327 (blew up two summers ago) and a m22 4 speed good interior needed some paint but I got it for $2500 and it only had 87000 original miles on the entire car not the engine or the transmision stored in a heated garage since new durring the winter and I'm the third owner. My friends oldest cousin and his brother were the other two.

 

Ask yourself what do you really want?

If you want a newer car with a faster engine at the risk of not knowing how well the car has been maintained then trade.

Personally if I were you I would keep what you have and just save/spend your money on upgrading it.

 

If you plan on doing any work on the engine on the newer Z, you may want to consider keeping the IROC. Although it seems the engines in the 3rd gen Camaros were shoehorned in, at least you can get to it! If you want to do any major work on a newer Z (like rocker arms and such), forget it. I can't imaging how anyone can work on those cars. It's almost like working on a van w/o the interior removable plate to get to the engine!

I'm sure people do it and do it all of the time, just count me out!

 

I had 3 thirdgens before I finally bought a 4thgen (my current car, see sig). I love thirdgens, but the newer style f-bodies are superior in a lot of ways. One thing that is really cool is that GM actually used an excellent intake manifold design on the LT1. You can stick a rather large cam in and it won't be restricted by the intake, and will easily pull past 6500rpm. Also, since it's a newer car, there's a lot less problems to worry about. I know I was fixing something on my 89 Iroc at least once per month. A lot of improvements have been made to the 4L60-E transmission. Hence the newer Autos hold up a lot better than the old 700-r4.
Of course the optispark is notorious for going out on the LT1, but it's not as bad as everyone makes it out to be. It's a 3-4 hour job and the part can be had for $200. The intake manifold is bad about leaking oil, but no worse than the TPI manifold. The LT1 manifold is 10x easier to remove & install than the TPI.
Anyway, $4500 sounds like a steal! Buy it!
I sold my Iroc for $4200 , but it had built 355 & 6-speed. It needed a lot of body work/paint/trim/and had a few other minor problems. So I bet you can easily get $4500-5000 for your car, it sounds nice.

 

That is a great deal. My friend bought a 95k 94LT1 for $5500 a couple months ago and I thought that was decent. The fourth gens are nice, but Im sure your car is very nice as well. Just look over both cars and decide which you would rather have. Thats a tough decision, good luck.

 

The LT1 engines are not that hard to work on. Trust me, it's much easier than it looks.

 

Keep the IROC. Your car is worth more than $4500. There are probably more 95 Z28's in good condition on the market than 89 IROCs because the Z28's are newer. So, if you pass on this deal then change your mind, it shouldn't be hard to find as good or better deal in the future. Low mileage IROCs are becoming scarcer at a faster rate.

You prefer the looks of the IROC; I do too. What's the Z28 got that you don't already have? I would only consider the Z28 if overall performance was significantly better and that was your top priority.

 

4500?? If its in great (close to mint) condition, id say more around the 6000+ area...

 

I appreciate all the input,I decided to keep the Iroc. I just drove the Z and it is a bit faster and way tighter(not so many rattles). I also liked the power,ride and interior,but to me it lacks style. No offense intended to anyone who owns a 4th gen,they are very nice,just not agressive enough in looks. I think my car may be worth more,and will appreciate faster,Thanks again for all the info.

Niko

[img] http://pages.prodigy.net/parthur/p/C...cs/camext4.jpg[/img]

 

opti spark for 200? new? whoa......I have put one in at work, they are not that bad i agree, but the dealership wants every bit of 600 bucks for one. I am about to put headers and exhaust on a 94Z for a friend of mine, it doesnt look like a lot of fun to me but it pays well. and next he wants to put roller rockers and new springs on it. hey, if he has the $$$, i have the time.

 

Yup, you just have to know the right dealer to buy from
Here's a link for a new opti for only $187
http://web.camaross.com/bb/Forum1/HTML/079960.html
Just look about 4-5 posts down, and he gives the name & number of the delaership.
Headers on an LT1 are a b!tch to do. It took me 2 days to get my SLP 1 3/4" shorties on. Have fun!

 

I'm pretty sure you're not alone, buddy.