im in the market for a new car that is preferably under 6000 and is manual and i just came across a 94 firebird with the LT1 engine and the 6-speed. now i know its not a camaro but its close to one and its pretty cheap - 3500. it does have a lot of miles though - 141000 but i thought if i had it checked out by my mechanic and everything was ok i would buy it. my question is do you guys think this is a good idea or should i look for another one cuz i havent found to many camaros or firebirds in my price range ( i live in camp hill PA and i dont want to drive more than 75 miles)

 

I was in a similar position last year. I was looking foran LT1 Camaro or Firebird with a 6-speed manual. My budget was ~$4000 and was losing hope, since I wasn't finding any under $5000...plenty of automatics, but the M6s are rarer and more expensive. I was told I'd have to go to $5500.
After a 5-6 months search, I came across my car about 50 miles from my house. Firebird Formula M6 with 137k miles and in great shape and I got it for $4200 (he was asking $4600). It just had an oil leak that the owner thought was the main seal, but I was pretty sure was the intake manifold leak, which is notorious on the LT1.
I figured it was something I could fix on my own as a winter project, and I did this past winter.
Bottom line... $3500 sounds a little low, but if your mechanic gives it a relatively clean bill of health, good for you. I also suggest investing $25 and getting a vehicle history report from Carfax or one of the other companies that does it. At least this will tell you if there are issues with the title due to a sordid past.
Best of luck...and be patient.
I made offers on 3 or 4 that would not come down to what I wanted to pay before I found mine.