Hello everyone, so been wanting a fourth gen Camaro since I learned they were bringing back redesigned. I went to the phone called up Chevrolet and requested a brochure. This must have been in 1993. Now that I can afford one I came across a 1995 base trim convertible with 127,000 miles and the 3.8 engine. So that brings me to here to seek knowledge and guidance to make sure I don't make a mistake I'll later regret. I've read that the on other forums that the 4l60e transmission is reliable and bullet proof. But I also read about a lot of transmission issues and rebuilds. So I am here to hear from you who own them to see if you can guide me on this purchase and what to expect. By the way what kind of gas mileage are you all getting? Thank you in advance for your help. Here are some pictures of the car. Oh and the sale price is $6,000

 

Looks pretty straight and clean,any service records available? Carfax to see if it's ever been wrecked?
There's some guys in here that really know a lot more than I especially on the V-6 cars but seems like it's in the ballpark price wise.
I've owned two 4th gens a '93 Z28 and my '01 SS,I paid $8K for the '01 SS in great shape with 86K miles but that was over 5 years ago,these cars are climbing in value.

 

Cars in this price range are subject to price variation just because of the area you are in. Looking at Kelly blue book is a good start. As a rule of thumb convertibles are hardest to sell over the next 3 months.

I can offer some help.
Rag top.
Based on the picture that rag top has shrank. This exposes weather seals and pulls really tight on everything. The top will tear soon and keeping the car outside through the daytime will quicken the process. Check the back window for leaks. Many convertible owners stop driving their cars in the rain so it may not show leaks and even the current owner may not know of leaks. Repairs to tops that have already shrunk are not really possible. At least most pros will not touch them. You fix something and make the top a little tighter and she could split right down the middle.

Car Drive train.
Does the current owner have records? 3800 is a great motor, there is an issue with the intake gasket, if it has not been changed yet it should be ASAP. After that as long as routine maintenance has been done the motor should be good at 127,000 miles. These at 250k motors when maintained or not over revved. As for MPG you should see 24-25mpg on the highway and 19mpg mix driving. This is a great car for highway driving but the four speed automatic trans hurts the MPG. The 5-speed version can hit 30 MPG on the highway. That is due to aerodynamics. As for the life of the trans it could easily last 180K or more since the 3800 is is a lower torque motor BUT all it takes is getting stuck in the snow or mud one time and you could cut half the life out of a transmission. Transmissions are the big unknown on any used car purchase. Othere then checking to see if it got service and a good test drive from someone that knows what to look for there is not much you can do other then roll the dice.

Body
As always with a rag top check the floor and underneath. Between the tops being prone to leaks door being prone to sag and people just leaving the top-down water can get in between the rubber under the carpet and the floor. This is also true on the t-top cars. I have seen some nice looking cars that required floor replacement before that would pass a basic safety inspection.

In my area. A new top would be $1200-1800 $1200=10-year top and $1800=20-year top, Intake would be $600-800 and floor could be from $300-$1200. If you have a garage, and plan on only driving it on nice day and the floor is solid then all that leaves is the intake. This you should really sort out, IMO the number one cause of these engine failing is the intake gasket. This was a cheap gasket used by GM and it was subject to a class action law suit. The nice part is once the intake is replaced you should never need it again. GM upgrade the replacement gasket and aftermarket ones where much better from the start.

I always recommend spending $50 can have the car looked at and test driven by a mechanic. Keep in mind that in many automotive circles 25 years old considered an antique. Once a car reaches that age how it has been maintained is more important than what you started with.

 

Dealer says it has a clean Carfax. So $6,000 about a fair price for it. I'm going to take it for a test drive and post how it went. Thanks.

 

I Plan on taking a look at it this weekend and possibly for a test drive. I'll take a printout of what you've recommended I look at and will post after
Thank you for your help.

 

Nice looking car, and great color. If you're not into speed, I'd say you got a good deal. As far as engine and trans go, I've heard mostly good things. Enjoy

 

If I'm not into speed. Why do you say that? Are these cars slow? Or I should say is this one I'm going to be taking a look considered slow?

 

3400 lbs and 200 hp, by todays standards it is slow. Most mini vans today are well over 300 hp. Although the 3800 V6 is way better then 3.4 that also came in the same years. Its a rocket ship compared to the V6s in the 80's but those camaros where a little lighter. The 1995 V6 mustang only had 145hp so compared to that...

 

So faster than a mustang and much more cooler looking. I just wish it was a manual instead of an automatic.

 

That's how I felt with my '93 Z28 and after a few years I wished it was an LS1 motor instead of an LT1,I fixed both issues by selling it and buying an '01 SS with a 6 speed stick.