Would you buy a 95-97 manual 'vert Z with 100K on it?
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Would you buy a 95-97 manual 'vert Z with 100K on it?
Is a +100k miles too much for a summer cruiser that would get about 6k miles per year? Or should I look for a lower mile car. Prices are much cheaper past 90k. 95-97 5.7 manual convertible only at this point. Thanks
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You realize this a Camaro fan site? We all have already made that joice!Any info you get here will be a bit one sided. I will try to take off my Camaro hat and give you a straight answer.
You are talking about a sports car and a American made convertible that is 13-15 years old with over a 100K on it. You will have issues. I really don't care if it a Mustang, a Dodge Steath or even a Vet. How many issues you have will be directly related to how the car was used and maintained. If the car has had several owners there will be no way to be sure how it was maintained. I hate the fact we still use miles, I wish cars had hour meters. I see cars going thru the auction from Philly with 60-70K on them and they are worn out.
Has the top been replaced? if so when? As a general rule tops are good for 8-10 years if garage kept. More like 6-7 is it outside. Most people keep tops on much longer then they should. By the time they replace the top much of the hardware will need replaced because of damage done by the shrinking material.
A new top will cost you about $1200-1500 depending on your area. You should learn to tell if a top has shank or not. I have heard salesman tell customes small rips can be fixed easy, No they can't, if they could they would have had it fixed. Once a top reachs a certain age (more then 4 years old) most places will not try to fix it.
LT1 is as good as any Small block chevy but some of the parts that are bolted to it can cause problems and can be costly to fix. You want to find out if the car has had the Opti Spark replaced. If so when and what type was installed. It would also be nice to know if the car ever overheaded but I doubt you will get a straight answer on that.
You get one of these older cars home and you have to replace the top, do a head gasket job and replace the Opti and those low miles cars will start to look cheap.
I am not saying don't do it I am say make sure ou learn what to look for or have a trusted mechanic check it out.
You are talking about a sports car and a American made convertible that is 13-15 years old with over a 100K on it. You will have issues. I really don't care if it a Mustang, a Dodge Steath or even a Vet. How many issues you have will be directly related to how the car was used and maintained. If the car has had several owners there will be no way to be sure how it was maintained. I hate the fact we still use miles, I wish cars had hour meters. I see cars going thru the auction from Philly with 60-70K on them and they are worn out.
Has the top been replaced? if so when? As a general rule tops are good for 8-10 years if garage kept. More like 6-7 is it outside. Most people keep tops on much longer then they should. By the time they replace the top much of the hardware will need replaced because of damage done by the shrinking material.
A new top will cost you about $1200-1500 depending on your area. You should learn to tell if a top has shank or not. I have heard salesman tell customes small rips can be fixed easy, No they can't, if they could they would have had it fixed. Once a top reachs a certain age (more then 4 years old) most places will not try to fix it.
LT1 is as good as any Small block chevy but some of the parts that are bolted to it can cause problems and can be costly to fix. You want to find out if the car has had the Opti Spark replaced. If so when and what type was installed. It would also be nice to know if the car ever overheaded but I doubt you will get a straight answer on that.
You get one of these older cars home and you have to replace the top, do a head gasket job and replace the Opti and those low miles cars will start to look cheap.
I am not saying don't do it I am say make sure ou learn what to look for or have a trusted mechanic check it out.
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