with the newest thirdgens out there being 12 years old now and most ahve over 100,000 miles it gets difficult to know the difference between the blue book value and the actually value of the car. whats a good way to judge value? i am looking at a 1992 z28 white t-tops original 350 is now a 355. 130,000 miles on the body which makes me nervous, but it has brand new engine, 1 year old paint, int. totally redone and brand new trans, the guy wants 5,000. now how would you judge value of osmehting like that? the odometer has alot of miles but it essential a new car. the only thing that really worries me is if i get into a car accident the insurance owuld only pay out the value on 130,000 z28 right? thanks for your help.

 

You may need to talk to your insurance company. Most have a type of insurance called "Actual Value" if I remember right. Yours may have something similar.

On my '71 Monte Carlo I had to get an appraisal which turned ou to be at $7200, then tell my insurance agent the dollar value I wanted it insured for. They just base the fee on the actual dollar amount, but want to make sure it's not more than the car is really worth.

I also have Nationwide Insurance. I called a few others and some wouldn't even cover an older car, but said they would be "happy to cover our newer one's". Yeah, right!

Axe

 

it was originally a 350 car. the original engine was rebuilt and then bored to a 355, thats possible right? the picture left some to be desired but when i saw it in person it was flawless. perfect exterior and int. i asked if it had been redone and he said no all original i was shocked. now here comes the problem it runs like diareah down my *** crack lmao. he said it has a nasty exhastleak on the drivers said, and i know it does i can hear it. and the combo hasn't been tuned in yet. what would be some of the syptms of an exhaust leak? if it has one i am hoping to use that to haggle quite a bit.

a kid maybe 19 at most owns it and it seems like he doen't want to get rid of the car its his dad that is pushing him. he owns this car and a 2000 trans am and is selling both i ahve a feeling he took on too much finincial responsibility and his dad is tired of picking up the slack. his dad said i could take it today for 4,000 so i am gonna go see it again on friday and over 3,000$.

So just a few questions. what are the signs of an exhaust leak? how much to fix that and to get a dyno tune? and do u think it might be worthwhile if i could get it for 3,000$

 

and another factor is...... my 1994 camaro was totaled out and i am ognna buy it back, and it only has 53,000 miles on it. so i have a complete lt1 donor car sitting in my garage. plsu the complete 4th gen int. seats dash door panels etc. so thats why the body of this car is the most important part ot me because i am looking at an lt1 swap. thats possible right and now too hard?

 

LT1 swap is possible, but how many miles were on the '94? Why would you want to do all that work just to put in a higher mileage motor that doesn't make THAT much more power (unless it's built, but do you know what is in the 355?) But before anything, I would ask them to take it to a shop before you buy it to see what is wrong with it. The exhaust leak could be covering up other noises inside the motor. I don't think it would be a good idea to buy it "as-is" unless you talk him down to at least $3k and are ready to swap in a new motor "just in case". You also have the issue that if it runs so bad, how can you drive it to check out the transmission, suspension, and rear end? These can get very expensive...trust me.
Just some stuff to think about. Good luck.

 

as far as miles are concerned, 130,000 miles is really NOTHING to worry about. i bought my RS with 175,xxx miles on it, and it was immaculate. when i first talked to the previous owner about it before i had seen it, and he told me it had 170,xxx on it, I was thinking "Holy crap! This thing is gonna be a junk heap!". but when i actually saw it and checked out the engine and everything and drove it, i found out how flawed that logic is. now it's got 185,xxx and i still believe it's one of the cleanest 3rd gens around, and have people tell me that all the time. so don't worry about mileage so much as maintenance. as 3504mula said though, check everything out before you spend $$$. and if it runs so-so (which, by the way, an exhaust leak shouldn't really cause), i wouldn't pay much over $3000. my 1991 RS was in darn good condition, was entirely original, and has all the factory options (power hatch, windows, locks, 305, etc.) and i paid $3000 for it. now if that z28 was in the same condition as my car was, i'd say it would be worth at least $4500- $5000, but since it's questionable, i really wouldn't fork out more than $3000. also, before i found my car, i looked at quite a few IROCs, and found that IROCs/z28s usually have taken a bit more of a beating than RS's have (because RS's are SLOW stock, and z28's are not), so i really would check out the suspension and tranny and everything.
good luck with everything though!

 

Most companies I've dealt with call it classic insurance...USAA asked me when I insured my 86 if I wanted it...I told them not yet.....lol

 

there were 53,000 miles so not many at all. i wasn't planning on oing it anytime soon and i was just saying i would have a spare motor or trans just in case anything should happen.

 

When I ordered my Z in 92 you could not get a Z28 with 350 and T tops. I'd be suspicious of the original 350 claim. What is the VIN 8th digit? Should be 8.

 

i'll check on the vin number on friday. i am thinking it was a 350 z with dealer added t-tops. it was raining when i saw the car and they had no leaks whatsoever, he said he just put new seals in.

 

something i forgot to add in your other thread beyond the fact that something is only worth what someone will pay when the number exceeds what is logical it helps to bring an adjuster with you when your car is being checked out. having it appraised is also a good idea. what's 50-60 dollars to know what your getting into.

once you get these cars way above bluebook like my own you have to have the appraised.

 

The 89 IROC I'm getting has a 350 TPI with T-Tops. My brother bought it new and every time he has had it back to a dealer the Techs went nuts telling him how rare it was supoposed to be.

Axe

 

it is rare but that's different then the 91-92 story. plenty of those reported and proven....