now the northstar wow talk about power i had and olds aurora fast as hell i bought it with 36k in 02 (it was a 95) and blew the motor at 83k i took real good care of her never had any major problems then one day it overheated and it was all over

 

As I've said before, I have an LS1 in another vehicle, and it by no means diminishes my respect for my 3.8 in my Camaro. The 3800, particularly in Series 2 and 3 designs, was an excellent motor. It accomplished many things, including getting new money-strapped drivers into f-bodies, and becoming the backbone of GM's V6 performance platforms.

 

The Northstar series are pretty good motors from what I hear about them. They make good power, they are the most technologically advanced V8's that GM ever produced. Ward's Auto World put it into its list of 10 best engines one year. I read that GM is only discontinuing the Northstar series because they are too expensive to produce when they can just build DOHC V6's. I think that the new V6 Camaros are better than the old V6 Camaros besides the new engine being better, but also because they can be mated to a six speed manual or a six speed automatic. Which are better transmissions than the old T5's and 4L60E's.

 

Buffalo think about this how many of the 3.6L are running around with 200k miles on them and still going strong im willing to bet none. 1 because they havnt been around long enough yet and 2 if someone does have a new v6 camaro with 200k miles they must drive the hell outta that car cant be in good shape after 200k in one year. the 3.8L has been around forever really only time will tell as gorn said. my 3.8l has 190k ans still runs strong gets dang good gas mileage(when i keep out of it) its a great motor. the 3.6 hasnt been around long enough to say its better just yet

 

Like said Better is relative. Go ask someone that has or had a Northstar what they think of the motor. I am sure you will find some people that liked the motor but your going to find a lot and I mean a LOT of owners that say it was the worst motor they ever owned. Sometimes high tech is not better. Now you can find people who have had a nighmare of a time with the 3800 but I think you will find a lot more people that will agree it was and is a great motor. The Northstars reputation is so bad even if GM fixed all the issue they would have renamed the engine. There are many caddy owners that would not buy another Northstar no matter what.

 

I have an '02 Regal GS with the supercharged motor. Great engine-unless the cat gets clogged and you are drag racing it. Broke one piston after seeing over 14lbs of boost on the gauge at the end of a run. It was the perfect time for some father-son bonding to replace the short block, add a cam and springs, headers etc. Runs great now!

 

Well in your area, Northstars may not be valuable to many people. Where I live, an Eldorado with a Northstar and low miles will easily go for around $10,000. I guess their popularity depends upon the area in which you live.

 

I believe that any engine will last 200,000 miles if it is well taken care of. Especially an iron block V6 with a simple design, which is the old 3.8 liter V6.

 

I am sure the later model Northstar car still have some value but a 90s Northstar is about worthless. They have a very common headgasket failure isssue and an oil comsuption problem. Most of the time when you pull the head bolts out the threads come out with the bolts. The block will need sent out and heli coiled. Most dealers quote a headgasket job at 5K. The oil comsuption issue is a ring design problem. The fix to replace the rings. Another 4K repair. I go to the auto auction about 6 times a year. When a Northstar pulls up most guys just walk away they are simply not willing to roll the dice.

When I say better is relative I mean better at what? You could say that the Geo Metro had a great engine for the 90's IMO it was crap but to a guy that hyper miles there are very few cars that will keep up with it. You want to know how good a motor is just ask a junk yard what motors they have the most of. ( not true for the LSX motor cause they are snatched up by hot rodders) Yards are full of 3800. A 3800 with over 100K can be bought for $200. Why because in many cases the motors outlast the cars. Now go look for a Northstar or a Chevy 2.4 DOHC motor and see how many you find. Most junkyard have a waiting list. Why? cause the body outlasts the motors.

 

Well when compared to the old 3.8 liter V6 in automotive technology magazines, the new 3.6 liter V6 receives a lot more positive reviews than the old V6. So, my opinion is going to be based upon the information that I learn from these sources. Not from people who take way too much pride into their vehicles that they can't even admit that there are vehicles out there that are better than their own.