Hi Guys,

I am new to these forums, but not new to cars or forums.

I have the opportunity to buy a 1997 Camaro Z28 30th Anniversary.

The price is $3800 and wanting to know your thoughts, recommendations on whether or not to purchase the car

The owner is an older man who seems very honest. He has some medical issues and is selling most of his toys. I took a look at the car and...

It has been sitting a while without being driven. I am told it was last driven two years ago with no issues. It has been parked and fuel stabilizer was added to the tank at some point.

It is very dirty, but otherwise looks in fair condition. A am told that the fuel pump has gone bad while sitting, and it will not start. The owner says he can no longer hear the fuel pump kick on.

My plan is to put a battery in the car, replace the fuel pump relay, and try to start it. If that doesn't work, pay the guy, and hope for the best.

I would do some more troubleshooting at the owner's place, but the owner is adamant that if I do anything to the car, he wants to be paid first in case I damage something.

So what do you think about my plan? Suggestions?

 

thats a bit much for a non running ride. without seeing it and from your words i would not pay close to that much. cannot test drive or run so you dont know the condition the running gear or motor is in. im thinkin like 500 or 1000 buck offer and see what happens. there is a fuel pump jumper/prime wire on the passenger side that comes out of the wiring harness. it bypasses everything and goes straight to the fuel pump. if you run 12 volts to that wire and the punp does not work then its the pump. ill see if i can find a picture, here it is
http://www.shbox.com/1/fuel_pump_prime.jpg

 

i bought my 1997 Z28 30th Anniversery from a used dealer for $5000. after i got the car and drove it around for awhile...roughly 3500-4000 miles over time (i drove far to work.... the fuel pump went out (400 dollar fix), the ignition went out (600 dollar fix plus new key cost), clutch went out (1300 dollar fix), rear bearings (200 dollar fix)....oh and new water pump (500 dollar fix), and new thermostat. If the guy u are buyin this car from is a good car in your opinion then make sure all of these parts are in good working order before u purchase it. i love my camaro and is my first chevy i actually ever owned and i love it. but she can be a real finicky ***** when she wants to be. these cars are very sensitive and require a lot of upkeep. overlooking anything or lack of maintenace can cause these cars to have a lot of problems that can be nerve racking. I would shop around a lil more if i were you. He let the car sit for a while and didnt run it or anything, there cld be other problems wrong with it and not to mention future problems that cld arise. if u are good wth cars and dont mind fixing the kinks out....go for it.

 

i have a 1997 ss camaro and the only prob ive ever had was when i raced and bent a valve other than that its a good fn car

 

Hmm. $3800 for a non-running, very dirty car. You didn't mention the mileage or any damage that is apparent, but I definitely don't think it's worth his asking price.

Unless of course, the owner will allow you to work on it for a bit to see if you can get it to fire up, or at least pull any codes out of the computer to check for possible $$$$$$ problems.

As Craby said, if everything is there and all of the power accessories work (locks, windows, stereo, etc), I would offer not more than $1000. If there are any serious hidden problems that are the real reason he parked it, then you could be out several thousand more just to get it running right.

If the car is missing parts or the electrical bits don't work right, then I would max out at about $500 for an offer. If he takes it, great. If not, there are a lot of other Z28s out there.