Hey all, I have a co-worker who is selling a '97 v6 coupe with 191,000 miles logged on the odometer.

It's a mid-western car that is relatively clean.

My questions are:

1) Is this typical life-span for a 3800 II or is this pushing the envelope?

2) with this many miles, what are common problems I should be aware of before purchasing?(I heardthe 3800II is a TANK but almost 200,000 is ALOT of miles for ANY engine )

3) Are there any specific tests or troubleshooting moves I can use to make sure this car is mechanically sound?


Thanks in advance!

 

compression test is always a good place to start. look under the car and see if theres any oil leaking, since these cars sit so low, it's hard to find one without an oil pan that's either busted, or close to it. trust me, you don't wanna change the oil pan in these cars. check your rear end, pull the plug on the cover and look at the etal shavings on it, that's a good indication on how much longer the rear end will last. if it's missing, check which cylinder it is, if it's the #4 cylinder there's a good chance it's a spark plug wire that has burned on the exhaust manifold. equal chance for all the rest, but that's the one it always was on my 96.

that's about all I can think of right now, anyone got anything else to add?

 

In general, I try to buy with around 130,000 km for a car I plan to keep... that's about 85,000 miles.

How much is he asking? With that kind of mileage, I'd have a hard time justifying anything more than $1000, especially with only a V6.

 

He's asking $1200..

 

Ask around, Find a good mechanic pay him $50-$75 to drive it and put it on a hoist. Most real mechanics can tell the general condition of a car in less then a half an hour.

The 3800 is a great work horse but 12 years and almost 200K is a lot to ask from and mass produced gas engine.
I have said it before I wish cars had hours meter not mileage. You can get a car out of Philly with 65,000 miles on it and it is completly worn out. Same car from the mid west with all highway miles is still on its original brake pads.

 

Yeah, I have a mechanic friend whom I'm quite confident in.. I think I'll have him put the car through it's paces.

Are there any common issues with the '97 Camaro?

 

Mileage is not an issue as long as the car has been taken care of. You can save a lot of money buying a high mileage car that's in good shape. But try to get a history on it. Was the oil changed regularly? Other maintenance? Suspension, exhaust, brakes? That kind of stuff.

 

The 3800 is a very stout engine, much more stout than the LT1 over time/mileage, but... that's still very high mileage. Get it checked out like the others suggest.