Hi everyone,

I'm 15 years old, a sophomore in high school, and I've found a 1992 Camaro RS V6 for sale at a really good price. It's got less than 100k miles. I'm trying to convince my parents that it's not too powerful for a first car (it has 160hp, our minivan has 255hp ). I wouldn't drive it in the winter until both I was confident driving in general, and I had snow or all season tires. I said that if I get a ticket, I'll sell it, and I've promised that if my grades drop, I won't be able to drive it until I pull my grades up.

I'm basically looking for a second opinion. It's hard to believe that my dad won't let me get it, especially because his first car was a brand new Camaro from the early 80s. I'm not a spoiled kid who wants my parents to buy it either, I'll be paying for it myself with money that I earned. What do you think?

Thanks a lot!

PS: If this is in the wrong section, could a mod please move it? I thought this was the closest one...

 

Hey man i got my car when i was 15 and im 18 now. I think it would be a cool first car bc it is a slow car as is mine but their very cool cars. I think that their shouldnt be a problem of u getting it but the only thing that i would watch for is insurence. I am still under my dads name and paying about 300 a year for alittle better that liabilty on mine. The only thing is after a while u will get bored with it bc it has no power but i am just now considering nos or an engine swap. So good luck i think it would be good to see more of us younger guys getting them! Is it a 5 speed?
kevin

 

Of course it's a 5-speed! I'm not too worried about getting bored; when I really want to go fast I'm going all out (I'll need a real job first lol). Thanks for the reply!

 

thats a good choice. BTW its 140hp though

 

Oops my bad I knew that I don't know why I typed it...

Thanks for the reply

 

V6 Firebird's a great first car, I bought mine a little before the 4th of july this last summer and had a blast with it. Definiltey not to powerfull, but will do burnouts on demand. The 3.1 is also a very solid engine, I know people like me like to put it through the floor. It wont blow up like alot of I4's.

If, when, you get it put some pics on here. Is it a t-top? Convertable? I love my t-tops

 

You should explain to your parents even if they bought you what they wanted it'll probably be faster than the bird. But with that being said, I have a 2.8 maro and 5.0 IROC, I have alot more fun in the 2.8, infact I really wish it was on the road right now. I think its a great choice and you'll never be dissapointed.

 

I'm sorry, I guess I didn't think that this is a Firebird forum as well as a Camaro forum. The car is a Camaro.

 

It's a Camaro, as I mentioned in the post above this. I don't know if the car is a t-top or convertible. I'm assuming it's a coupe, because the ad didn't mention anything about it.

Okay, that's a great idea. Thanks.

 

If i was you go have u and ur parents look at it! I looked at over a dozen cars till i bought my first car. I bought mine off the orginal owner thats the best way to go! I also love T-tops it the best thing in my opinion besides the targa top.
kevin

 

I'm trying to convince them to do it. They don't want me to waste my money, but I want to buy the car for two reasons: I worked hard for the money, so I should be able to reward myself accordingly , and it's listed low enough that if I need money in the future, I'll be able to sell it and get back at least what I put into it.

I'm probably going to show my dad this thread later today haha.

 

U have to realize that it is about a 18 year old car where stuff will need to be replaced. So far i have had very good luck with mine. I would say test drive it a few times and really look at it close! Look under it make sure nothing is rusted or nothin bc u dont want to go down that road lol. But dont buy the first thing u see trust me! U can even wait alittle and save up some more and mabey buy something even nicer. But it might be a great car with nothing wrong just u and ur dad or grandpal or who ever just keep going over it!
kevin

 

Thanks for the advice. I've been browsing through craigslist for a while, and this one jumps out at me. Obviously if it's going to cost a lot to fix I wo'nt buy it, but if there are only a few minor things that can be easily fixed, I don't see why not to get it. I won't have my license until June, so I'll be able to make sure it's all ready to go before I drive it.

 

care to post the ad, or are you afriad someone else on here will steal it form you? They prolly wont as we live all over the country and most likley none of us will be local.

 

I own almost the same car except mine is red (amusing its not red) . Its fun car to drive and great on gas. I highly suggest for a new driver. I've had mine since November of 2006 I was 15. Im 17 now its my baby probably never sell her. But Im bored on how slow it is. My 1992 RS has never let me down been running great 132k and I've put 10k since I bought it.

 

I'll post it in rephrased type w/ a slightly diff price.

It's a 1992 RS V6 3.1 L
95### miles
daily driver, selling because I need a truck for work.
runs great
looks mint
5-speed manual
$1299

That's all the info it provides.

 

My parents think that the car will cost too much to maintain and keep running. What is your experience with this, especially this engine?

I really want to get this car, but they say it's a 17 year old car that will require lots of maintenance.

What has your experience been with maintaining your Camaro?

 

I will say, out of presonal experiance, it will most likley need some work. Any car of that age will. I'm pretty good when it comes to fixing my own car so it's not a huge problem for me. I know imediatley after I bought mine it started dieing on me, turns out the injectors were shorting out the PCM. Right before I parked it this winter it wouldnt charge above 12V, think it needs a new alternator.
Despite all that it's been worth it for me. The car's just too much fun.

 

My dad's tools should be enough to get a lot of things done to the car, I would probably just have to buy parts. Are parts easy to come by for these cars? How expensive are they? If anything is failing what is it most likely to be? How much would you estimate one would spend maintaining the car per year?

 

My 2.8 Sport Coupe was a great car, I picked it up for 350 bucks, 48,000 miles, I'm the 2nd owner (old lady car). It needed an ignition module to run (about $20), it needed little things here and there, but really nothing a regular even minimun wage paycheck couldnt take care of. 90% of the time its something real friggen stupid and more than likely you'll spend more on what you think it is then what it really is. But I say if it really is a nice car and you can do/pay for the little things that may happen then go for it.

 

I have a 1991 V6 Camaro I bought a few years ago. It will depend on how it was maintained- see if they have records; have it checked out front to back by a shop you trust. With the number of these in the junkyards, this board and a lot of common sense, these are relatively easy to keep running. Case in point: my EGR valve went out, cost from the dealer $400+. I found one for $35 at the junkyard and swapped it out in about 5 minutes.
One tip that I have found useful- if I have a problem that does not need immediate action but will down the road (replacing a bracket or sensor etc) I will go and practice at the junkyard. Kind of like disection for a medical student!! By the way, tell your dad that I am 51 years old, my car has 230,000+ miles on it (70,000+ from me) and it still runs great. I would have no problem with my kids owning one as a first car, because the V6 is not a 'muscle car', it is a 'bodybuilder car'- it just LOOKS strong!!
With a little work, we can help you make this car run stronger, be more reliable, handle better and be safer.
Plus, if it is a car that you a) paid for, b) work on and c) pamper because you love it, you will be less likely to thrash it and drive it recklessly, unlike some POS dropped Honda with a 'can of bees' muffler!

 

These cars are great to drive to high school. and since you have over 2 year sof it left you will find that out. Sunndenly every girl is asking you for a ride home. And even if they aren't that fast you can still pretend and do burnouts in the parking lot.

 

not trying to bum you out, but I don't know if a camaro would be a great first car. I'm not saying don't get it, but seriously think about some downsides. these cars get about 25 MPG, that could be much better for a first car. insurance will simply KILL you! although being a v6 helps. camaros have blind spots, a lot of them actually. sports cars take much more skill to drive overall. the smarter buy would probably be something like a cavalier. 32 MPG, extremely reliable, overall cheap. just beware of the rice. thats what I got, that way you can drive it in winter too.

that being said I think a camaro would be a bad *** first car. the engines will last a very long time and put up with nonstop abuse without complaint. I was 12 when I first drove, I got to drive a 98 camaro Z28 LS1. one of my best memories. its a car you would enjoy thoroughly, but 1300 bucks?! I'd go for just under a thousand or 1k. if you really want a camaro consider buying one for a project car, so you can tear it apart without potentially losing your wheels until you put it back together. check out my signature, I bought it for $200.

 

V6 firebird 3.1L 1992 i had my car for 6 years now the only the i can say is WOW these cars take a beating i can tell u a v6 is great for your first car if ur on ur parents insurance you should be fine my insurance at 17 was 183 a month with full coverage (USSA).

its a strong car the only thing that you need to worry about is the tranmission becuase u know the other guy beat the **** out of it Neutal-BOMBs or 1st gear power pops what ever you like lol had my transmission rebuild -.- last person was a kid that love imports so he didn't care of real horsepower lol

The engine man form personally experience the worst i had was a BAD o2 sensor ans this engine been flood with water 2 times trying to drive after heavy rains don't try these boats don't float overheated 3 time with (no head warpage) and then a 100 shot of Nos i installed 6 moths ago like 100 miles of burnouts and it still gets 20 mpg

the only other thing i can say is change the spark plugs,wires,cap& rotor, O2 sen, fuel filter, PVC value, air filter (who knows you maybe get an K&N one) change the oil i added Zmax or RESTORE with csl it helps
and change the coolant.

Now don't get afraid form the list you can do all this yourself and it cost less then 200 dollars for example you can't get the 5 quarts oil for $20 with a filter at autozone. and after all this and regular oil change you got a other 100,000 miles to drive that bad boy hope this helps

 

Alright, so I convinced my parents to let me buy it. Unfortunately, they threw some harsh conditions on it:

• I have to pay for the car (obviously)
• I have to have the car checked out by a mechanic
• I have to pay for registration
• I have to help pay for insurance

So I'm sending the guy an email now, asking for pics, VIN number, and if there are service records, about the tires, and if there are any aftermarket parts.

Does anyone know a mechanic shop in CT that would be able to cut me a deal on an inspection...please?

I'll definatley have more questions in the future. Thanks a lot for everyone's help and posts, it's all really helpful

 

My 92 was my 18th birthday present. I'm 26 now.....and still have it.

I think it's fine as a first car. Nice looks but not really enough power to get you into serious trouble. Just be careful during the winters.

 

Insurance isn't bad at all on mine. Ive been in and out of a few jobs so my parents have helped me a little, but it's like 300 some dollars for 6 months.

 

I just purchased my 1992 RS. It is a great car for sure. So far I have had no problems, but I don't want to jynx it! The only thing to watch out for is fuel pumps. They like to go and they can cost upwards of $1,000 for parts and labor.

 

Anyone here can tell u a An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. so don't so go crazy if ur not ready to pay for crazy good luck

 

Where in CT are you?

 

these cars absolutely suck in snow... hell there hard to keep straight on dry pavement i got caught in a surprise snow fall one time in my car, it was fun to say the least. so if i were you i wouldnt drive it at all in the winter. before i bought my truck i used to store my camaro and drive moms sunfire all winter

 

Your parents just dont want you to have a cooler car than them hahhaha, my mom was like dont get a camaro! so i got it anyways lol, wish i would have listened, i love/hate my car and thats another thing you'll have to get used to.... ive collected about 2300$ worth of traffic violations and their fixin to take my license lol, dont let your folks see this post....

 

Im glad to here that it is going well for you man! Ya when the cops see you around town they like to follow you alot! I live in a very small town and it took about 8 months of them following me untill they just got use to me always cruzing around showing it off lol everyone dose. Luckly i havent had a ticket but i have been pulled over alot (9 times). So i hope it ends up to be a great reliable car for you if you get it!
kevin

 

Your lucky your car looks good, the cops think im a drug dealer or something with a primed out camaro, its rediculous i always get searched...

 

Lol these cars dont suck in snow. They are fun! Actually they do alright in snow. Insurance is not bad I pay aprox $28 a month for liability insurance (state farm).

 

The hole snow thing i like it but i just scraped against a pool so now i dont want to drive it. i had it redone and the front end. Looks pretty good. I am going to get some studded snow tires for the back see how that works out!
kevin

 

Wow, thanks for all the replies, guys!

South, by the shore. You better not try to steal my car !!!

Haha I'd be willing to go pretty much anywhere if I can get a deal. Know anyone?

 

I'm up in Killingly sadly, its where 395 meets route 6 if you dont know. Believe me the 2 I have is enough for now. There is 2,8/3.1 sport coupes/RS's everywhere around here.

 

The gentlemen selling the car did not respond to my email or call me at the number I provided. When I checked today, the Craigslist listing was deleted by the author.

I can only assume it was sold

It would have been nice for the guy to let me know, but oh well.

 

Keep looking around man, 3rd gen f-bodies are a dime a dozen.