I've saved and saved and saved....Now,when I get my tax return in sometime february,I should have a nice tax return (I am like claiming I think 1 or 0 since I'm not 18 and am living with my parents) and I'll finally have enough for a Camaro!!

I've gone over the finances today over and over again...It's all I can think about. I am gonna finally get me another Camaro.

Of course I'll be looking to get an RS,however if they only have a Z28 and its the right price,I'm getting it.

2 of my friends now have dealers permits. They both have offered to take me to a dealers auction to find a Camaro for me. They both told me that i should be able to find a '89 for about a grand at the dealers auction. Cool,huh? Seems theres lots of em around here so used Camaros are fairly cheep.

My first car that will be MY first car....and I will hopefully never ever sell it and just baby it forever and ever and ever....

Anyhow,I am no mechanic. My friends are. I know a few things about the car,as I used to tinker on my old camaro alot before my parents sold it....

So mostly what I know is the electrical system,sice I spent alot of time replacing wires under the dash. I basically know how the cars are wired and what it should look like.

However,PLEASE help me here...I am going to be going to the auction and I need to know what little things I should look for. I am going to print out a list if someone would be cool enough to help me out here.

So what should I basically look for in a car I want to bid on? I will or SHOULD be able to test drive the car and start it up...But what are some things to look for that are going to tell me to bid on this car or pass? I will be able to get under the hood and look around....So my question again,What should I look for?

Thanks guys SO much...I am SOOO hyped...I cant wait to be a bow tie guy once more...I miss the sound of that flowmaster.....(Tim allen more power grunt here)...Thanks for the info ahead of time and I will probably be checking this post every 30 seconds or so untill I get what I need

Anyhow,thanks again....I think I'll browse the forums...

------------------
Had an '89 RS...sold it. *sniff,sniff*

I'm currently looking for an RS or if I can find one,IROC.

 

Quixk question....If I get a 2.8,and I get a manual,is it a 5 speed? Just asking cause the 2.8 I had was an auto....Wasnt ever quite sure if the 2.8's were a 4 or 5 speed in a manual.

 

5spd bro. Damn I wish that I could get those that cheap out here. I work for a dealership on the side & help them buy cars at the auctions and out here in CA we've gotta pay full bore for these bastards b/c there are not many around that are in good condition any more. Our thrd gens will be collectors & once they hit the classic mark they will be a highly sought after vehicle. Good luck bro

------------------
- Mike Harvey -
1986 Firebird S/E

 

Watch out for rust. That may not be a problem in your area. My sister's 88 firebird came from Fla and I really haven't seen rust. I know around here that if they do not have the original nose emblem, or none at all, then thay have been wrecked. Which brings me to another point: watch out for salvage titles or no titles at all. You never know what you are getting into. Trust me. The lower the miles the better. Look at the tread on the front tires especially. Look for uneven tread wear. Might mean front-end problems or it just may need an alignment. Look for fluid leaks, especially on a cold motor because the leaks might seal up when warm. If you can, look at the frame for non-factory welding. My driver's ed coach from a few years back that they can weld two cars together and you would'nt be ablto to tell except at the frame. I hope this helps and if I remember anything else I'll come back.

------------------
My only mod: Flowmaster 40 series

 

definatally check out the undercarrage and unibody for rust, namely under doors and in rear wheel wells... if it has extremely low miles check things like interior wear to see if they match the miles, ie, a high mile car, look at the brake pedel, it the rubber pad will be pretty worn, etc.. if you get a auto, smell the tranny fluid, especally on a 700r4 (4speed auto), if it has a burnt smell or is real dark in color, the car has either been beat pretty bad and or was poorly maintained.. trannys can be a pain.. check the filters, ie a really dirty **** air filter for example will also point out a poorly cared for car.. if you can start it, let it idle at around 2500 rpm for a couple minutes, check for oil burning.. (bad valve seals), theres a couple pointers to help ya out..

 

Keep em coming...I wanna print this stuff out.

 

Best advice....Wait on it. Dont jump on the first camaro you see. Florida has alot of good camaros so you should be ok. I dont know if you are like I am. But if you are try to get a 91 or 92. You will get the (in my opinion) better looking ground effects. And if you do get a V6 make sure it is a manual. They are faster (if you are good at shifting). Anyways just keep in mind if you get a Z28 watch out for the gas mpgs. That will sting. But anyways, best of luck on your search. If I were you I would start out looking on the internet for camaros around you. GOOD LUCK!

------------------
1992 Camaro RS 3.1L
T5 Manual 5 speed
Cold/RAM air intake
Z-28 Exhaust
8.5mm MSD Ignition wires
TB Coolant bypass

Soon to be a 3.8L turbo RS

AIM screen name - Stopsign696

Kills:

95 (****) Probe GT
94 Mustang GT
91 CRX (dont ask me why he raced me)
2nd Gen Z28 (350) haha to you V8 guys!
1992 RS 305 TBI (good race)
First Gen Integra
More to come

 

http://autotrader.com/findacar/vdeta...year=1989&ac_a fflt=none&borschtid=88777910520978802284

Click that link. Doesnt look bad at all for $1995. Thats also off a used car lot. I wonder what I could get that for at the dealers auction!

 

Oh my dear god... http://autotrader.com/findacar/vdeta...year=1992&ac_a fflt=none&borschtid=88777910520978802284


[This message has been edited by RS'er (edited December 26, 2000).]

 

One other thing, run the VIN through carfax.com It will tell you everything about your car. for instance, my car was resold on 7/15/91 with 31000 miles on the odometer, again on 2/9/96 with 67000 miles on the odometer. No problems found on my car, salvage/junk title: no problem found. Rebuilt/reconstructed title: no problems found. Flood damage title: no problem found. Damage disclosure title: no problem found. Manufacturer buyback (LEMON) title: no problem found. Salvage auction record: no problem found. Odometer rollback: no problem found. Odometer rollover (exceeds mechanical limits): no problem found. Unreliable odometer (not actual milage): no problem found.
There is a small fee to get it checked out, but I thought it was worth it. I checked out some other cars and found problems that the owner didn't say anything about. I really liked the odometer readings because it proved my car only has 86000 miles on it when my parents bought it. Just another suggestion.
Well, I just looked at the links and you can get a free carfax report. Do it. It couldn't hurt.
------------------
My only mod: Flowmaster 40 series

[This message has been edited by Black 86 'bird (edited December 26, 2000).]

 

Geeze, RS'r, if those links and your buddies statements are real, we could start a business here.

I live in N. Florida and paid $5k for my '92 RS, 3.1L, AT ,PW, PDL, PH, tilt, CC. Miles were a bit low at 84k and it's in super shape. I saw a lot of others between $4-6k in much worse shape.

So, you find and buy them down there, we move them up here and sell them and both make enough to finance the mods we want.

------------------
Maroon '92 RS 3.1L AT PW PDL CC Tilt

 

My mom's boss got this for $600 at a dealers auction and gave it to me for $750. After just a LITTLE work, it's lookin good, took it to the paint shop this morning. Check my sig for info on it. It's in perfect shape too.



Hehe, I love getting deals. Got my 87 Blazer for 300 and sold it for 1700.

------------------
92 Bird 3.1L Auto
Best $750 I ever spent....

DRIVE IT LIKE YOU STOLE IT!

Kills:
93 Mustang LX (Before Mods)

Mods-Jet Stage 2 Performance Chip, Accel Cap/Rotor, Accel 8.8 MM Wires, Accell Coil, AC Delco Rapidfire Plugs, Dynomax Catback, K&N

AIM name OVRCLCK350

 

Why do you only want a V6? YOu could get a V8 pretty cheap to. Just something to consider. Something to look for is cracks on the interior. Like on the dash pad or on the console or on the door panels. They will only get bigger over time. TO see how clean the interior was kept, look under the seats near where they bolt into the floor. If there is a lot of dirt here the car was probably not taken care of. Check out the seals around the T-tops and rear hatch. If anything looks odd they probabbly leak. The idea of running the VIN through Carfax isn't a bad one, but I don't know if you will be abdle to while at the auction. Another thing to look for is in the wheel wells, if they are beat up badly the car has had the **** ran out of it. Other than that just visually inspect the Hoses and electrical stuff you can see. this will gove you an idea of what is in need of repairbefore you even start it. This is a good idea to do it this way because the sound of a good engine could take your concentration away from what is wrong to what is good.
Another good point I saw was to wait. Don't buy the first one, and dont just pass the firebirds by. They are good cars to.
Glad to see your making a wise investment... keep it that way.

------------------
86 Trans Am 355 TPI Rebuilt 700R4 with Corvette servo, modified valve body, and a B&M Torque Converter (2000 rpm stall w/ lock up), 87 350 block bored .30 with new crank, bearings, rings, and magnafluxed rods. Reworked 305 heads with 3-angle valve job. Added in the rebuild was an SLP TPI cam, BBK 58mm Throttle Body,SVO 24# injectors,MSD 6A, Hypertech Power Coil, 1.5 Crane roller tipped rocker arms, SLP Intake Runners and Port matching in upper intake including fully ported plenum, TPIS adjustable fuel pressure regulator @ 46psi, Hooker shorty style headers w/ Thermotech heat wrapping, Custom 3” exhaust with Flowmaster muffler and chrome quad tips, Hypertech Thermomaster Computer chip, K&N open element cone filter on modified MAF per TPIS specs, MSD Wires, removal of A/C hardware and a 1LE firewall cover installed. Also there has been a PST front suspension kit with Hotchkis strut tower brace
http://geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Garage/9548/kyle.html

Kills:
95 Talon TSI, 96 Probe GT, 91 T/A L98, 89 RS, 86 Mustang GT, 88 Mustang LX 5.0, 92 Thunderbird V8. couple or ricers that I think were Civics or Preludes not sure what year, 95 Celica GT-S, 94 Chevy 1/4 ton 350, one of those NASCAR F150's ..... **** on Monkie
SOON TO BE A SUPER CHARGED TURBO WITH NOS ON A 500000 CU. IN engine