My favorite Camaros are 2nd gen (my 1st car) and 4th gen. I am a lady who doesn't work on cars, so I am a little afraid to buy a 2nd gen, so I am looking at a 4th gen convertible. I think if I find a nice later model one and keep it well maintained, I can keep it running without going broke.
Chevy dealer has a 2001 V6 (not my 1st choice but ok) 83K mi. Was a fleet car, sold at auction then one owner since 2003. Nice condition. I am concerned about the Dexcool because I have heard it can cause engine damage. What questions should I ask? Anything I should look for to assess overall condition of car besides test drive? Listed at $5,500.
Thoughts? Advice? Thanks.

 

Do you have a mechanic that your trust, or maybe a family mechanic? I am talking a real 40 hours a week working on car what has access to a lift?

There are a lot of guys that work on cars has hobbies but when you spend 40-50 hours a week under a hood for years it is hard to hide stuff from them. Think of it like the dentist no matter how much you brush you teeth the night before a he is going to know how you had done maintaining yourself since the last visit.

If you are serious about the car a range a test drive to this mechanic. Request him to look it over and I would suggest a coolant pressure test.

With the 3800 the concerns are the intake gasket and head gaskets. The Dex cool is only an issue when it is not maintained. (it should be changed every 2 to 3 years). Your mechanic should be able to tell you it has been maintained or if there is an intake or head gasket issue with a coolant pressure test.

I recently bought a 2000 Z with 42k on it and I flush the coolant system and changed the fuel filter the first weekend. Since I plan on keeping the car I wanted a sure base line.

I would also ask how old is the rag top if it is original it will need to be replaced soon. If there are little issues with the top the dealers are real quick to say that is a simple repair but what you will find is most convertible do not want to touch a 10 year old top, then tend to rip real easy and in most case the tops have shrank making any repairs almost impossible. The top can look perfect but if it has shrank enough that the weather striping is exposed to the sun light it will need replaced. If you do not know a lot about a rag top you might want to stop by some place to get it checked. That is a $1600 bill and it is very hard to avoid.

 

it listed at $5500 couse its a covertable ,there would be much better deals then that with lower mile ,craigs list can be good if you find right buyer ,bring someone with knowklege an ask for pre inspection buy ,if they ? that' run ,but you can find z28 v8 for that price ,convertables cost more new ,but don't hold there value ,I had seen a 2002 Cl car 38,000 miles 2002 was $4000.00 ,also bring your states check list an a jack to look under the car ,thes days got to be very careful

 

You see a rag top priced below a hard top or T-tops it is because it needs a top or has some other issues. It is pretty common for people to dump their cars after getting a quote for a new top. Once you hit 15 years even garage kept cars will need a new top soon. Above I posted $1600 for a new top but that is the shopping around price a lot of placed will quote $2500

I love driving rag tops, I use to daily drive one, all I can say is you need to love them (not like them) to own one. They can be a huge pain to drive every day like I do my t-top car. It can be scary in a surprise hail storm. The last time I drove the car in the winter a huge hunk of ice few off a semi and split the top down the middle and left a 6" long welt down the side of my face. That was the car before my 96. I will never own a rag top as a daily driver again.

 

Thanks for the replies. I have been looking for some time. This seemed nice and I am hoping since the Chevy dealership held onto it to sell they've checked it out and it's in good shape.
I am not buying this as a daily driver. It would be our 3rd car. I'd keep it off the road in winter or crappy weather. It would be something fun to drive when the weather is nice. I'd like to keep it long term, but I don't want it to become a giant money pit. I realize as the car ages I'll need to put money into it, but I don't want to have to right off the bat. I'm in no hurry and can be patient and wait for the right car to come along.

 

Go get the car looked at.

I didn't wait, and jumped on mine. I'm getting wrung out now. Transmission, full rear end rebuild, new drive shaft, power steering pump, alternator, accessory drive belt squalling due to a bunch of things, etc. It's added up quite a bit, especially for a car with 72k on it.
Mine was, for lack of better terms, ragged out.

 

DO NOT make that assumption. I worked at Chevy dealerships all 7 years that I turned wrenches and they sold a lot of cars I would not let a family members drive. There are some dealerships that try very hard but salesmen and mechanic's don't always get a long. At one chevy dealer I worked for I was the foreman so I was not work flat rate. I use to try to fix cars we sold recently "off the books" as much as I could. It is common practice to use newer lesser trained mechanic's on your used cars. They tend to miss a lot. One dealership I worked for was so bad when I went out at night I did not tell anyone where I worked because there was 50-50 chance someone there got a raw deal there but even the dealerships that tried hard not to screw people passed on some lemons. Unless you personally know one of the mechanics at the dealership you can not trust them, they could be fired for screwing up a sale for a salesmen.

Just to be clear.
Intake gasket is a common issue, if it has not been done it will need done soon, This is the number one killer of the 3800, when the intake gasket fails it normally starts as a small leak on the exterior of the motor but if you let it go it will let coolant into the oil and wipe out the motor. This is not just my opinion, there was a class action law suit against GM for this defect which GM lost.

If the rag top had any issue with leaking and the car was kept outside you need to see the floor. I can remember seeing Camaro's missing sections of floors years ago with the external body looking great.

 

yes take your time ,I prefur the t top cars myself or hard top ,thing about rag tops is everything gets in the car hard to keep them clean inside ,an like gorn said replace the top is pricey ,there worth less when they become used that cars worth about $1800.00 to 3000.00 depending on shape ,I steer clear of dealers anymore ,best deals can be grams Camaro 1 owner is not allways the best car but it helps ,my 95 was owned buy an older lady for 12 years then a young lady for 2 years ,now 7 years for me I love these cars too ,mine 99.9% rust free to this day my 99 has more rust couse it was driven in the snow ,wich I did not find out till got it on a lift ,was 800.00 to fix it ,got it for $2000.00 with 87.000 few small dents passengers side ,but I ran it near 6000 miles late in the year an so far so good runs good,so when I say take the check list an small floor jack it no joke these cars sit so low to the ground ,its nearly impossible to realy see under them ,an the best thing I mention above is pre buy inspection ,if a sellers has no problem with that then great ,but if the dealer will put the sticker on it ,that could still be sign ,you still want an independent inspection would be the best way to go ,a copy of the registration is enough to get 20 day temp tag ,can be faxed too,one other thing they probley got about $2000 in trade on paper ,a lot of times dealers end up with the trade for near nothing,then again it could be in great shape .but the price is to high ,some think couse it a rag top it worth more ,not for these Camaros for the older rare ones yes ,not these