I have a question to whomever can help me. At the moment i do not own an f-body. However, i have been looking for a replacement for my current car for a while, and recent events have made me look harder. I just found out that someone i know has a V6(don't know size) auto for sale. I don't know much about it, save that it has an almost brand new engine and its in the 89-92 year range.
I'll be finding out more about it tomorrow when i see him next. He has been trying to sell it for a while at about $4000. Is this car worth that kind of money, or should i wait for a v8 to show up.
I do know the guy, he's not likely to have beaten on it badly, but again, i'll find out more tomorrow.
Thanks for any opions that you have to give, as i have never driven a 3rd gen before.

If you have about 4000 to spend, I would get an iroc or a 91 to 92 z28. 4000 dollars for a v6 camaro sounds kind of like a lot. How good of shape is it in? If it's in outstanding shape and runs good, get it! But anything less than almost perfect, I wouldn't spend that much money on it. Just my opinion....

At $4000 for a V6, that thing had better be mint, or damn close to it. There is VERY little demand for V6 third gens, and thus the value of the car is quite low. For four grand you should be able to find a pretty nice V8, that needs little or no work. Find out some more on the car too, and let us know, but IMO $4000 just sounds like too much.

Well,
For those of you who care, i talked to the guy who has the camaro. It is a '91 3.1 v6, though the engine is basically brand new. (don't know why he didn't drop in a v8, didn't ask) However the body has about 100,000 miles on it.

When i asked about it, he seemed like he would come down on price, $3500 was thrown around, but i think i might be able to drop it some more. It seems like he basically left it in the care of his parents.

Anyways, thanks for your responses so far, and if you know anyone who is selling a car cheap please let me know , especially a 5 speed v8.

I'm new here and I have a V6 88 RS in good condition and I can't get $2500 for it.I'm looking for a IROC,but here in So-Cal most IROC's are about 5-9 thousand dollars with over 75,000 miles.IF I were you I would get a V8 RS there's tons of them around for less than $4000.

4K would make a nice downpayment on an earlt LT-1 4th gen. might even buy one with the right seller.

Thanks for the perspective guys. As i have never owned one of these cars (my current ride is a neon for crying out loud!), I don't really know what a good price would be, though thats changing quickly. Around here lots of people want top dollar for theirs, its kinda hard to justify $5k for a car w/ over 100k miles and is 12 yrs old

BTW that $4k was my upper limit, my car buying budget is limited to whatever i can get for the neon + the insurance rebate (yes a 3rd gen v6 is cheaper to insure than a neon).

I know of a wrecking yard with a V-8 Camaro in it.
I know I paid $300 for my beat up V-6 ride.
I KNOW ALL THAT MONEY of yours should go on a newer car.

Save the 4K for a down payment on a 4th gen V8, 7-8K for a 1994 around here 5-6K for a 3.8V6.... I would not pay over 2500-3K tops for a V6 camaro...

Well, I think i found something that is a little better in the price to value dept. A "1985 CHEVROLET CAMARO, Z28, new 350, MFD ignition, 5-speed manual, plus more, $2800"

this seems to be more in line with what you guys are saying that these things should cost.

Theres a Black 92 Z28, 5 spd, pw,pl, 120,000 miles for $4,000 obo here in Jerzey.

You guys also have to remember, that 4 grand will buy different things around our country here... In my section of jersey It'll buy a nice looking V8... My friend paid 3 grand for his 91 RS with a 3.1 in it... and he got it up north... it needed a new ECM but it's like brand new... mine was worn, but the best I could find with my budget of 1300 dollars...

What you really need to do is shop around in your area.. pick up autoshopper magazines or whatever you have by you and look at what you're going to get for what price... I researched for 4-5 months before I actually went out to buy...

Also keep in mind V6 Vs. V8... you might think your Neon has some *****... and I'll bet it pulls pretty good... You'll step into a thirdgen with a 2.8 or a 3.1 and step on it and get tire smoke and you'll giggle like a school girl for a week while continuing to do it every where you go... you step in a 350 IROC and spin your 245, Z rated meats all the way through 2nd and you'll about crap your pants... if you want power, you want 8 cylinders, if you want "a car" get what you can get...

I wanted "a car" and now I'm paying the price... since now I want "an engine"...

Also... don't knock these high mile engines... 120K miles is nothing... 200K is not rare... sure there are exceptions that blow at 148, you might need a trans at 150, but if the fluids were changed and previous owners didn't fu(k up (brake fluid, oil, same difference) they'll last...

Good luck in finding a car... I hope things come out good for you.

Just to compare... I'm looking at an 87 LG4 with an RPM manifold, full true dual exhaust with headers, carb, t-top Z-28 for 1200 dollars... the trans is iffy, but I might be able to get it with a practically new built trans for under 2000... and it ran mid 14's when it was last at the track... (2 seconds off stock LG4 times)

I also know a guy who (at one point, don't know if it's sold by now or not) I could get an 11 second NA car for 1200... It was a beat to crap trans am... he built it... raced it and hit 12's on street tires... since he knew it would be 11's he ripped it apart for a cage then he decided to have kids... and thats where it sits... outside his shop... ripped apart and rusting... he said it needs a battery but it'll run... it's been sitting for 3 years and just recently dissapeared... I think he might have just moved it around back...

Just some examples... Good luck in finding a car... I hope things come out good for you.

i paid $6500 for my 94 Z28, which has a 350 and runs low 14s/high 13s. i'll sell you my 88 Camaro for 750 if you can figure out what is wrong with it

ive noticed that prices for 3rd gens vary alot thruout the country. here in cali there common. depending on condition there between $500-$6k. something with a good engine and decent body usually goes for bout 3k. i havent noticed much of a diff in price between v6 and v8, but its alot rarer to find a v8 and they usually sell fast. there usually the most expensive may-june and nov-dec. right after xmas and before spring is usually the best time to buy one. ex i paid $4.5k for my 91 v6 w/ 3.1. it was in good condition. i paid $9k for the 96 v6 w/ 3.8. it had a warrenty and was in execellent condition. when i bought the 96, i was actually looking at a 94z fully loaded that was $6k. back wouldnt approve me for a loan on a car "that old". but they would for a car $3k more 2 yrs newer. go figure.

if u look around enough ull find 93-95 z28 lt1 v8s cheap. lt1 has better hp and mpg than most 3rd gen v8s.

mike (loomdog)

Wow, thanks for the input. Around here (SE Michigan) v8s are not that rare, and while they don't dissapear as soon as they hit the market, they are usually only around for a week or 2. There is usually quite a good selection on autotrader.com, as the automart classifides around here are for newer, higher end cars. You cannot usually find a 3rd gen at a dealership unless you go into Detroit (that ain't happening), so its ususally a private seller that has one. Some people don't know what they have, and others think that they should get the same as an ls1 4th gen . I think i'm going to look into that 350 5-speed z that i mentioned earlier.

BTW, my neon is a auto, which really kills the power. However, it does handle really well and i have gone an indicated 125mph. Thats when the govener kicked in (its supposed to kick in at 118mph) and told me to slow down .

The reason that i want a good handling car is that i do a lot of autocrossing and while the neon does really well (i can consistantly beat this "supposedly" faster 5 speed civic) something with some more guts would be great. I'm not worried about being moved up in class since i only do 1 SCCA autocross a year, the rest are with my school's car club.

Let me offer this suggestion.
The 1990 & above F bodies have the fuel cell baffles built in.
You can run on a lower in tank fuel level and not sputter.
When I did my fuel tank pump on my 1985 Firebird, I really wanted to upgrade that tank, but......$$
Find yourself a beat V-6 & hop it up using wrecking yard Z-28/Trans Am parts. That shouldn't be difficult.
I've got a light weight body, high optioned HD suspension (Y99/F41) minimal options, high torque engine, that revs.
Perfect for the SCCA races