Hi there guys!! I'm a rock guitarist from Norway and quite new to the world of muscle cars (living in Norway prices are ridicilous...)
But, I'm moving to LA in two weeks and have been surfing craigslist for weeks, and there's really only one car I want, and that's a Camaro!
Now, do you any of you have some hot tips for what to go for, I'm thinking of a car in the pricerange up to 5000$,
Maybe any of you have any hot tips regarding:

a) how much difference it will be in insurance if I buy
-a V8 or a V6?
-what seems to be the more reliable motors? Knowledgeable people seems to say the V8 is a safer buy bacuse the motors are better and needs less repair than the V6...?
-How much will horsepower make a difference in insurance cost? I h've had no insurance in US before (have lived in LA for a year before but borrowed a car)
-If I buy a convertible

b) What should I consider when looking at cars? Will a 93 Z28 with low mileage be a better buy than a 96/97 Z28 with higher mileage? etc..
I'm planning on bringing a mechanic when shopping around, cause I'm a newbie when it comes to that.

Any help or tips from you guys would be great!!!
I'm especially worried about the insurance cost, since these hot cars seems to be pretty priceywhen it comes to that..

 

Many factors will be involved.

#1. Your Age
#2. The insurance company that you will use
#3. The coverage that you will be needing
#4. The year of your car
#5. Daily driver or weekend driver
#6. Your driving record ( not sure how that will factor in coming from Norway )

All of these factors really makes it hard to say how much you will be paying ....... answer some of those questions and I can give you an idea.

Please tell me whom you have been talking to ............ I have some land I would like to sell them

There is no real answer to this other then to say ............ if depends on the owner ........ if you go out and muscle your car around the city/town whatever it will be ...... you will have issues ......... if you baby your investment then you will not have as many problems ........ not going to say that you will never have them ....... but your chances are alot less if you don't abuse your car.


Please refer to the first answer.

It will be some higher due to the fact that they might consider a convertable not as safe as having a hard top.

Depends alot on the condition of the car ......... plus you will need to consider the trade in value in the future .............. that is a big factor to consider.

Your best bet is to do two things when you go shopping :

#1. ASK THE DEALER FOR A CARFAX !!!!!!!!! - This will tell you alot about the car you are looking at. A good dealership will not hesitate to provide you with a carfax.

#2. If possible find out about the previous owner ...... alot about the previous owner will tell you how the car was taken care of.

VERY GOOD IDEA !!!!!!

I know that this isnn't much help but I hope I helped a little

BTW : WELCOME TO THE FORUMS !!!!!!!!!!! KEEP US UPDATED ON YOUR PROCESS !!!!