Hey there, I am new to the forum and to camaros and I am looking for a bit of advice on getting one.

Im looking for a v6 preferably a manual transmission, but because of my money situation and where I live I would like to only spend between 2 and 3 grand on the car. I am in minnesota and here i seems like you can almost get the z28s cheaper than the 3800s so one question I have is how disappointed would I be if I decided to go with a 3.4? You can pick up a decent one for less than two grand. Also how do you know if it has the infamous coolant issue when I go to check some of them out? Do the 3800s have this issue too? Also if I HAVE to go 3.4 auto, are they still fun to drive?

Also, from a 3.4 driver, what is the actual mpg that you get driving it normally?

Any advice would be apprciated.

Schuy

 

It all depends on what u want. Do want a camaro for just style? Or power? If not for power get a 3.4liter. There fun to drive. I have one. Ur only looking at 160hp 200 t. Doe. If you want style and power then go get a 3800 or z28. You need to do way more research before considering anything if ur serious. Start with Google then work you way over here. There, you can get all the specs on all gens. Compare there and then make ur choice. It would hard for anyone to advise you on which to get because of different opinions. I love my 3.4 and my 3.8 however The next man might hate both and love z28. now with the coolant leak I haven't had a problem with my 3.8 but my 3.4 did, but Hell at 215,000 I would be leaking too. Lol .......good luck

 

Get what you can afford. If you can afford the 3.8, definitely get it over the 3.4 for a all season daily driver. V8 Camaro are reserved for nice weather for me.

But yes, a 3.4 is fun to drive, just be sure to do a catback, CAI, high flow cat and maybe headers, then shocks, bigger swaybars, change the rear drums to disc and you will be having a lot more fun...

 

Don't get a Camaro! They're horrible cars! I hate mine!

 

Well trade it in and find another forum

 

What ever you decide to get, save some money for a couple jack stands, low profile jack and a case of band aids! (if you plan on working on it yourself)

 

You want to do an coolant pressure test on any car that is more then ten years old. You will need to let it test for at least 15 minutes. You can search Youtube for the how to video, I have posted it a few times here. Autozone will let you borrow the tool with a refundable deposit. Yes the 3800's have intake issues also but any 10+ year old car can have a blown headgasket no matter what the mileage. On these cars head gaskets are a major project. A car with a blown headgasket will sell for 1500-2000 less then its fully functional brother.

If you have a trusted skilled mechanic you should have him check it out. I have been in the car business for over 20 years and I still get a little rose colored glasses when I look at a car I really want.

IMO the 3800 is worth it. I drove a few 3.4 they are fine for cruising but a 3800/5 speed with a few bolt on can be fun to drive and gets better mileage. I can hit 31 MPG on the highway driving 75 MPH.

 

Save up for a Z28. You might regret buying a V6 when you could've got an LS1.

 

There's nothing wrong with having a sixer. Stop being so close-minded. Not everyone wants to spend the extra money on the extra 2 cylinders.

 

Well he said that Z28's in his area are similarly priced to the V6's. Why not spend a few hundred dollars more and get a LS1?