Hey guys, Sean here. Glad to join the club. I picked up my first Camaro when I was 16 (im now 28), it was a 1989 Iroc-Z and rebuilt it with my dad and simply fell in love!

I am joining because I have a really important question and I am hoping fellow camaro lovers can help me.

Basically, I am looking to finally get back into a Camaro. I am looking at 2002 Z28. I was looking for t-tops, manual transmission, with black leather interior with a color of black, blue, or burnt orange.
I have been looking for a while and even started to look at WS6's. Yet I found something today that I totally fell in love with but I am unsure if it is a good deal, smart deal, bad deal or what.

This is my first huge purchase since my first car and I want to make it one that is a smart decision and the car needs to be reliable because it will be my only ride.

So onto the car.












So that is the car.
My concerns are as follows: price, reliability at the mileage, and bang for buck or value (great, good, fair, bad)

The Camaro pictured had 88k miles on it.
The car recieved a custom burnt orange and black paint job, new tires, new rims, all new custom leather upholstery, new healdliner and black carpeting. The car has been slightly lowered. and a custom striaght pipe exhaust was installed. additionally it has HID lights installed and the tail lights were black out. All of this was done by the private dealer.

The asking price is 17k and I emailed them and put a counter at 16k.

Can I please hear everyones honest opinions about the deal, the ride etc.... Not if you like the color or the changes. I like them. But about the actual car, condition, and whether its a good buy.

Lastly, I would love to know is a 2002 Camaro at 88k miles at the end of its life? is it going to have tons of maintenence issues from here on out or am I solid for another 100k. I will be having a mechanic look it over as a buying condition.

Thank you so much for the help!

-Sean-

 

Welcome, Sean.
Camaro looks nice.
Since SS is on the grille - check RPO decal for WU8 Y2Y Z28 - if Y2Y, check pass door for SLP sticker as to mods they did to Camaro.
Given, SLP installs 17 inch wheels.
You can ask for a birth certificate from SLP if you follow their onsite instructions.
Shifter ball is not OE.
Check every accessory ensuring it works.
Ask for last maintenance work performed.
You'll get good use and reliability in return.

I have a 14K mile '02 SS, her name is Rita, 9800 miles when I bought her last year, and I absolutely enjoy driving her.

 

Check date codes of hoses, belts, battery, etc., seeing when last changed.
Change every four years.
What antifreeze? green = Prestone; orange = Dexcool. Mine has Dexcool and no problems.

Check any mods to the Camaro and look at the workmanship of the install.
Mod should look like it is OEM installed, not hacked in place.

 

Hey I just read an article about how electrical and cheap plastic parts, like in the engine bay, just a sh** ton of plastic. For important things. If ypu are a mechanic and it's got a new LS in it and a bunch of GOOD QUALITY upgrades then it's a winner. But most of us are not mechanics. If you aren't take it to your guy and run all of her codes and get it up on the lift. Why are they selling this beauty? I smell a rat. If they balk at you getting it checked, then pass.

 

I’d say for a 20 year old car it looks pretty good. That’s 4,400 miles a year - little better than one oil change. I’d also say that being a used car there’s always gonna be something. As was mentioned above…check all the fluids, service history, belts…maybe run the vin. $16,000 is a good chunk of money and there’s nothing worse than buyers remorse. I think the price is ballpark for the year, miles..use good judgement regarding the rest. Enjoy your new ride!!

 

The LS1 M6 is a very dependable setup but you are buying a 20 year old sports car with 88k on it. The two major factors are how it was used and how it has been maintained. If you are not buying from the original owner then who really knows how the car was used in it early life. I have always said the miles is a bad way to judge a car. I commute to work, I drive 110 miles a day. I would say that one pass on a 1/4 mile track can be harder on the car then a weeks worth of my commuting. so if the car original owner took the car to the track a lot the first year the wear on the car could be more like 140 thousand miles car. Do you mind working on the car? Do you think swapping a clutch or doing head gaskets is a big deal? (you don't need to answer it is rhetorical) On the plus side the LS1/M6 tends to give you warning when something is failing. I am an X GM tech so old does not bother me.

Common sense says if dependability is a primary concern. you should be looking at low miles, one owner, dealer serviced garage kept car 5th Gen from someone who passed away. Now after saying that I don't do that. Although I tend to find low miles original owners cars. I used 4th gens up until I totaled my 2000 Z. 3 years ago. That is another down side to using a car you love as a daily it can be totaled at any time. My car was hit by a semi wheel and I was going 80 miles an hour. But I replaced it with a 04 GTO LS1/M6 car. Now that GTO only had 42K on it and I still spent an entire weekend with it on my lift going over maintenance issues and replacing belts/hoses and just about any where item I could find. I now have almost 100k on the car and no issues other then maintenance,

IMO the price is still full retail at but honestly if you are keeping the car for the next 10 years does it matter. I would want to be sure it is a real SS not that it is important to me but it does and will effect the value.

 

Welcome to the club. Seems like you got the support you needed from the usual crew. Don't know anything about these years and the technical aspect is was out of my league, but the hood does not seem to sit right. Maybe it was taken off at one time...? Accident?

 

Just noticed is the rear spoiler SS? it also not the factory appearance kit on the front end. Seeing some red flags that this is a clone. Even if its not missing all the original parts hurts the value. You really want to sure that is a SS because if its not they are at least 6K high IMO. We are coming it that time of the year where finished cars are at their lowest value and project cars go up.

 

Post from 2015 guys,don't think the car is an SS either.

 

This fact would only concern me if we were on a DeLorean forum…

Happy Birthday Y2Keglide!!