I'm in the shopping phase for my first camaro. I'm specifically looking for an arctic white 4th gen, and i don't know if i could live with a 6 cyl. Just shopping online tonight i've run into an arctic white 96 z28 lt1 automatic with t-tops and mileage just under 70,xxx. From the few pictures posted, the car looks excellent, but i will be requesting more as well as a better description and more descriptive history. As described, the transmission was replaced with a remanufactured transmission 10k miles/2 years ago. (I don't know enough about this model; can i assume it's the 4L60E?) I will also be requesting reciepts to verify mileage and date of replacement. It also describes, more recently, a new water pump. The ad also describes a 3.23 rear end. (I'm sorry to ask...can i assume this is stock?) It has cloth upholstry, which i like, alarm system (assumed to be factory), and premium bose 5 speaker sound system. Summer driven, etc. My question, and i know i can't describe the exterior condition quite yet, is what would be a decent offer on this car. It's a white, 8 cyl, decently low mileage car, but i don't want to pay too much either. ANY suggestions would be greatly appreciated, and i will continue to follow up with a better description given i make the decision to make the 170 mile round trip to test drive it and look at it. Thank you all for reading this novel (ha) and helping me out.

 

Make the trip & look before u buy. It will give u a base to make your judgement. I know nothing about 3rd or 4th gen cars. (never owned one) I would if the chance came about. Sound's like your close enough to make the trip. I drove 3.5 hours to look at 2 camaro's on a sat morning looked, spent 1 hour, drove home. two weeks later took 2 pick-up's and trailers to get them. would do it again in a heartbeat. after u see it look for similar car's and prices . good luck!!!

 

And that i'll do, but i want to make sure i can justify the drive. I'm not going to say what the guy is asking for the car, but if, say he's asking 10k and ya'll suggest only paying 4k for it, i might as well not even make the drive. I'd never be able to talk 60% of the asking price off the car. Also, before i make the drive, i'd take any suggestions possible. Say ya'll suggest i check for leaks or wear in a certain place that tends to be a tell for big money replacements. I'd really like it to be a completely stock car. That way i can modify it as i please, and i know that someone that thought that they knew what they were doing didn't and caused me problems down the road. I'm just looking for a rather clean well running car, and i'll take it from there... I won't buy it without a thorough look over, listen to, and drive (when the weather finally permits). I appreciate it, guys and gals!

 

i would say do a kelly blue book on the car and also look at auto trader for what other cars similar to it are going for in your area and the one the car is being sold in. could look at ebay but its not a great place to determin price if you ask me. this will give you at least a baseline or idea of value. like i tell every one check the wheel wells for brown rust marks

 

Take the car for a drive, verify the SES or ABS lites are off. Check under the engine for oil leaks, especially for the infamous intake manifold oil leak at the top rear of the engine, don't confuse this leak with a rear seal leak, which requires a lot of work to fix. Be very careful if the car has been modified which is an indication that it has been pushed. The optispark distributor is prone to failure especially if it got wet, and check the uderside of the water pump for coolant dripping out of the weep hole and on the distributor. The car uses the 4L60e transmission, which is marginal considering the power the engine puts out, so make sure it shfts up and down properly under normal driving and under powe. No engine flaring or hanging in gear between shifts under full power. Let the engine get fully warmed up, listen for bearing raps/knocks, oil pressure should be no less than 6 PSI at idle, and 50 to 60 PSI at 5000 RPM. Check for unusual valve train noise which would indicate bad lifters. Be wary if the engine overheats, as it could be caused by many things, including a blown gasket.
The 3.23 rear is the standard high performance rear. The Bose sytem is a factory option, the alarm is probably an add on as the car came from the factory with the Pass key system.

Check the Kelly Blue Book for price, but realize the Kelly prices are on the high side to make you think the dealer is giving you a price break.