Hi, I have only owned 80s F-body cars, and am looking at an '00-'02 Z28 convertible. The car in particular has the 4 speed auto. I hear though that these transmissions all have problems? What is the average cost to rebuild on these? I had a 300zx twin turbo and that car was a nightmare to work on your own, everything needed an engine pull, I've read around a bit and people complain about this and that, but compared to these turbo imports, is it really hard to work on this engine in the car? Can you change the headgasket, valves, etc. without pulling the engine? I don't mind something thats alot of time to work on, but my main concern is if it is possible in a home garage (no engine lift), and if parts are high priced or not (say compared to BMW or even Nissan) A tranny rebuild on a BMW I had would have put you back $7,000 when on a 3rd gen firebird the rebuild with new clutch and machine flywheel was less than $2k, not sure how the newest models compare. The things i've gathered are weak points are

Auto Transmission (slipping?)
Rear End (making noise)?

Any other common faults on these cars?

Thanks for the help!

 

if u think a weak point is the rear for making noise id read more the rear is a weak point because it breaks ppl hav broke them driving on the street the a4s r less likly to break them without some good power though. the trans ive never heard to much bad stuff about but u can buy a real trans lik a th400 for less then 7k even though its not really for street use but they r tight in the engine bay but definatly not to tight to work on in a home garage

 

these transmissions and rear ends are stronger than anything in the 80s.ive had to rebuild my rear end but that was with 130k on it.ive broke a trans mount, but thats common.My transmission has 155k on it and has never been rebuilt yet and ive never had any problems.With all new cars the engine bay is tight to work on, but you can do tons of work once you get used to owning it.You can do just about anything with the engine still in the car, but if you give up easily dont buy the car.And if youre that worried buy a warranty.

 

I'll agree with Alih. From what I've seen the transmission is pretty robust it's the 10-bolt rear end that's the weak point in the drive line, and that's only if you drive the crap out of your car and do tons of hard launches. If you take care of your car, it will take care of you (in general, there are always potential exceptions). Working under the hood is tight, but doable. I have a buddy that owned a 300ZX (not turbo) and it was a complete nightmare to work on. Harder than my Camaro, but neither are easy. If you need to replace the heads you can do it without an engine lift, but be prepared to spend some time.