Basically just as it sounds. If I buy one of these cars, is it something I'm going to have to sink money into? Or is it something that if I maintain and take good care of that it will last quite awhile? I'm sure alot has to do with what kind of condition I get the car in, but I'm curious what I can expect out of a 4th gen in good condition.
Thanks
-Matt

 

My 3.8 has 180k on it. Id say its pretty reliable.

 

They're really good cars. I've had mine for just over a year now. It has 180xxx. They'll last up to 250xxx + if you take care of them. There are some common problems on them though. For instance the water pump. The water pump on these cars usually go at about 150xxx. Other than that, maintain it and it'll be good. Massey or Craby need to chime in on this to let you know more of the common failures with these cars. There are not many of them though. You'll be very pleased if you get a nice 4th gen.

 

Wow you guys are fast! ha Thanks for the input, it's good to hear. I'm getting petty excited about getting one!

 

They're fun little cars for sure. Just don't get a 3.4 if you can keep from it. If you can't pull off a v8, get the 3.8 lol.

 

As with any car, it also depends on how well it was taken care of by the previous owner(s). If the car looks like it was beat on and nothing was ever fixed, run from it. Owners who tend to not take of the cosmetics of a car can just as easily abuse and neglect the engine or trans.

 

Compared to many similar vintage cars, they are very reliable. But like every car, there will be common issues that keep needing to be addressed and it seems a lot of Camaros have different personalities.

My car constantly needs a driver's window motor. And every once in a while a headlight/foglight/taillight.

 

if you like the lt style then look for 96-97. if ls is what you like then all 98-02 are good, look for 6 speed if you want manual trans. oh and red ones are fastest. jk, lol

 

I've owned mine since 2001 (it's a'96), and it now has just over 200,000 miles on it. Just get the nicest example you can afford. As has been stated before, beat up cars will beat you down.

 

these cars run forever, especially if taken car of. like the others say, maintenance is important, i change oil every 5K to keep it fresh as it does get driven hard sometimes.

only time things start breaking is when your modding for more power, auto boxes usually dont like more than 400hp and sometimes the diffs go bang. But they are simple enough and cheap to get spares so no major worries.