As the title says, I'm considering a '93 z28 purchase. I do however have some questions about Camaros before I take the plunge. I'm a long time Honda/Acura owner so when I see that the car has 160,000 miles I see a car at half life. Is that also true for Camaros, or would buying a '93 with that many miles on it be terminally stupid? I don't mind doing some minor repairs on the weekend, but I don't want to get stuck with something that will be in the shop as much as on the road costing 1500 bucks a pop. Also, what kind of things are common problems with fourth gen Camaros that I should look for before buying one? One last idiot question, please don't hate me for my unfortunate ignorance but, what exactly is an F-body?

 

Well, smart going camaro and getting out of those POS Honda's.

 

if your going with a forth gen lt1 camaro i would go for a 96 or 97. dont get me wrong i like my 93, ive owned two, but,,, in many ways its one of a kind, thats why i like it. lol, also why i dont, sucks finding good oem parts. examples,,, ecu was made for two years, in the 92 corvette and in the 93 camaro, 700r4 was used in the 93 forth gen only, the lt1 emission setup was used in the 93 only, much of the exhaust is exclusive to the 93. this is one reason i think of the 93 as a classic, first of its kind and unique from all that follow. if cared for the car will last 200k easy, 300k possible.

 

I'll take the f-body question. It's basically a Camaro or a Firebird. A Camaro is a Chevy, and a Firebird (or Trans Am) is a Pontiac. They are basically the same car, only re-branded for each brand (OK, its not THAT simple, but that's basically it). If you have a few minutes to kill, skim through this : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GM_F_platform

 

I think that Craby said it best but I am going to chime in here for a few. The LT1 camaros (93-97) have a problematic distributor called the OptiSpark. There are aftermarket optis that can cure the problems that GM never fixed. I am not a huge fan of this system but I love the chevy small block engine. Now if you go with the updated body (98-02) you get a much better setup all around in the LS1 engine. Parts are easy to come by no matter what series you get and the LS1s put out alot more power. The LT1 will get you off the line faster but the LS1 will finish first. As for the mileage... a well taken care of car will easy make high 200s low 300s before needing anything major. The 700R4 tranny is also known as a 4L60, it is a 4sp overdrive with all mechanical controls. Not a bad tranny but the 4L60E used in all other Camaros is an electronic controlled version which will allow for better tuning. better mileage, better performance. and the 4L60E is easier to get a replacement for because they are used for more than one year. The price of the 96+ cars is not much different, OBDII is a big plus. Just some food for thought. I would take a beat-up Camaro over a honda anyday.

Massey

 

Seems like I should be looking for 98-02. OBDII is definitely something I want. It makes troubleshooting much easier. Updated body style is also a plus.
One thing I noticed with the little Hondas is that fuel economy drops pretty quick above 70 mph. I get about 15% better economy at 70 than I do at 80 and I tend to be at 80 far more than 70. Since there's significantly more torque in these V8's so do they behave similarly or do they have fairly consistant fuel economy at higher speeds? What kind of mpg is typical of the 98-02 z28 cars on the highways? I can find the EPA estimates, but those aren't too reliable IMO.
I generally prefer a manual tranny in any vehicle I own. Are there any quirks or models to avoid because of manual tranny issues?

 

All the V8 camaros use the T-56 tranny. It is a 6 speed and fairly reliable I have never heard of any major issues with them. My wife has a 2000 Z28 and we get mid 20s on the freeway and about 300 miles per tank. She has the auto tranny in her car. We have also found the sweet spot as far as speed goes is about 73 for best mileage. 80mph gives us around 19-20 mpg so the fall off is pretty harsh, but around here you will be seeing the blue light special if you are doing 80. Keep your eyes out for a good car, alot of Z28s have been ridden hard and put away wet. You will be able to tell by how loose the car feels. Drive a V6 car and you will not notice as much play in the chassis (in most cases). Good luck in your search and be patient there are alot of these cars out there and you can find a good one at the right price it you look careful enough.

Massey