Hello all, im new to this forum and I had a few questions about buying a used camaro A4 or M6.

So ive been looking on craigslist for a used z28 camaro (1995+) here in california, and i was wondering what are some things/flaws to look for in buying these cars? My budget is 5K, will that be enough for what im looking for?

right now my list on things to look for are..

1: Any leaks comming from motor or transmission?
2: Does the engine burn oil?
3: Clean Title?
4: Smogged?
5: Straight Body?
6: Bad Shocks, bumpy ride?
7: Clean interior/exterior?
8: Vin on engine and body match?
9: Vehicle maintenance records?
10: grinding in the gears? all gears work properly?
11: clutch slipping or not releasing?
12: Brake pad/rotors good?
13: wheel alignment straight?
14: clean gear box fluid, clean engine oil, tranny fluid, etc?
15: low mileage?
16: few previous owners if any?
17: bad optispark?
18: noisy rear end (10 bolt)?
19: is the z28 a LT1 or LS1?


anything else that i need to look for in these cars? Im new to buying used cars, im trying not to ripped off, im searching this forum thoroughly for any info.

My last question, Is there a site similar to carfax, but free? im thinking maybe it would be best to do a VIN lookup on these used cars on craigslist before i show up in person, hopefully private owners are ok with giving me that info...

thanks again guys

 

for that little bit of money you are in the LT1 era which means the newest vehicle you will see is 15 years old. Again, 15 years old at the newest. Did I mention 15 years old

if you aren't prepared and ready to deal with 15-19 year old vehicles then steer clear of them.


most wires, 15-19 years old

most connectors, 15-19 years old

chances are the rug and interior are 15-19 years old

springs, hinges, hatch struts, blower motor, sun visors, mirrors etc etc etc will all no doubt be 15-19 years old

mechanical things mostly 15-19 years old

elctro-mechanical things 15-19 years old

you are beyond MTBF (mean time between failure) on many items


if you are OK with all of that, then go for it but don't get frustrated every time another little thing descends upon you.

 

Something T.I.G seemed to forget to mention, is that you're looking at a car that is at least 15-19 years old!
As with any old car, not just Camaro's, it generally means it has some miles on it. It may have good miles (moderate driver), it may have bad miles (constant lead foot), so expect to need to fix things either now or later.
But yes, your check-list is pretty good, and more detailed than what many buyers check through before a purchase.

 

with a budget of 5k you can DEFINITELY afford an LS car. I wouldnt even look too much at the LT cars if it were me. I paid 5k for the 1998 SS i had a few years ago, and that was after beating him down from 7k. Now they are more affordable and I would say 5k is a good price on an early LS1 car. Much better in every way.

 

You can either have an A4 LS1 with more miles or M6 LT1 with less. The choice is up to you.

 

you may be setting false expectations. If the OP wants nice interior, no dents, very good paint, good tread on tires, under 150k miles then he's looking at more than $5k

heck, about the only thing with the original miles on my 4th gen are the body panels and it's a 95Z and I wouldn't let it go for $5k......but it's not for sale either


why sell it? It's a rebuilt automobile.

 

yea i know with my budget 5K seems somewhat short for what im looking for.. I just need a reliable car, that will last me longer than 20,000 miles.. Not many people selling ls1 camaros around here where im located in the San francisco area atm

 

So on craigslist, these are the top car choices for me, do you guys think these cars that people are selling them too much?

1: 95 Camaro Z28Lt1 T-tops

2: 1995 Z28 T-top camaro original owner

3: 1996 Z28 Camaro



kelley blue book says that 1995 z28 camaros in my area, with 100,000 miles, in Very good condition cost about $4,500, so are these prices that people are selling their camaros for seem somewhat high, or maybe its just me??

also would i need any kind of paper work from DMV to bring in order for the seller to release the car to me? i know that might sound dumb, i never bought a used car so im trying to do things right the first time, thanks again everyone

 

the first one actually is priced fair considering the new paint and rebuilt tranny (verify it's rebuilt vs just a junkyard swap)

R+R and stock rebuild is at least a $1600 job which you would not need to pay for and would be on the short list of upcoming failures

I need to respray my 95 this year and thankfully I can do it myself.

Both of those have been done to the car so unless you can paint yourself, the car has about $2500 worth of work done (maybe more) which you won't need to do. Does that mean that it's worth $2500 more than other comparable vehicles, no, but it is worth more

 

probably an un-needed comment but i paid 9k for my car and its a 97 lt1 with the 6 speed and only 55k miles and only 1 po (some old dude). i think i may have overpaid slightly but hey the dealer i had bought it from had just repainted the front end of it cuz it was starting to sun fade.