ive been driving a 96 Z28 for about 2 years now and i love it but im thinking about moving up to an ls1 and turning the 96 to a strip car later. what im really asking is what to look for and what to expect to pay for a good low to mid mile car. ( not expecting to find a low mile car around where im from) any specific year to get and stay away from?

 

Since you have been driving a Z for a while you already know what to look for as far as the handling and body goes. As for the engine, 98-00 have a noticeable piston slap when they are cold. This sounds like a lifter only more quiet. This is normal and not a sign of a bad motor. The 01-02 had a different piston that didnt slap around as much. They still make the sound but not as noticable. 01-02 also had a different intake and EGR delete. They were still listed as 315 HP but actually put out closer to 330.

Massey

 

ive been wanting to get a 02 SS for awhile now im just trying to decide on the SS or Z. around my area i can pick up a SS for 15000+ and i can find a Z for around 8000.

 

No piston slap for meeeeeeeeee

How many miles are you looking for? 15k is way to much unless the car has like 25k miles lol. I paid 9k for my 98 WS6 in pretty much perfect condition with 65508 miles on it. Granted I got really lucky on that deal but still... An SS shouldn't cost you much more than 11-12k in the 50k mile range.

 

lots of ignorant people in my parts. lol. i picked my Z up for 1400. lol. ill probably go to kentucky or somewhere to find one.

 

In my area the LT cars are alot cheaper than the LS cars are. Even between 97 and 98.

Massey

 

Same here, LT cars much cheaper than LS cars. But the LS is worth it.

 

i plan on picking one up pretty soon. ive decided to just get another Z. i dont wanna pay the extra bucks on an SS since i plan on not keeping the Z stock. im thinking a 99-02. probably a dumb reason but its my reasoning but i just dont like the idea of having the first year for something new. kinda like ill never buy a 93 Z. just not my plan. that i heard the computers change from 98 to 99.

 

The computer for the 3.8L changed between 98-99 but not the LS1 comp. The 3.8L got TBW in late 98- and all 99's and the new computer was needed to control the throttle.

The biggest change in the LS1 series was in 01-02 when they went with the Corvette intake and dropped the EGR. This didnt mean a new computer but it did have the EGR written out of the software. The computer still has the hardware to handle the EGR built in.

Massey

 

Try to get a 2001 or a 2002 year model LS1. They came with the LS6 intake manifold and some even came with an LS6 block. A 2001-2002 Z28 usually will go for about $10K with arounf 50K miles. I think that is pretty reasonable.