It's been a while. Fast forward 10 months from when I was last here and I've gone from being concerned about my E-350's driveability and oil burning issues to being concerned about pumping 70-100$ of gas in it every week. Add in failing ball joints, alignment issues, and rust scream it's clearly not sustainable to keep driving this thing 50 miles every day getting <12MPG. Now we have plenty of normal vehicles in the family, each one with a driver. I'm looking to get a daily that'll last 2-3 years and get >25MPG. Ever since I rented a 2020 V6 Camaro convertible, I've been itching to live out my crisis in fashion. The only issue is, last I checked I don't have 26 grand laying around. The budget is basically whatever I can get for the 223K mile rusty E-350 and a couple grand I do have laying around (circa 5-7K tops)
I was fumbling the 'Max Price $7000' depths of Facebook Marketplace looking for something, anything, that would bring back days long gone (maybe a white trash mobile to live out my early 2000's NASCAR dreams such as a Monte Carlo SS) and stumbled upon the 4th gen Camaro. I've discovered a plethora of V6 (and LS1) Camaro's for under $7,000 locally. I initially wasn't sold on an old crappy 2000's GM, but I made a fatal discovery. T tops. What better way to live out the 90's than cruising around in a Camaro with the roof off and a mullet blowing in the wind? Now old convertibles always have issues with the top systems and leaks and tears - BS I don't want to deal with. But I absolutely can't shake the feeling of glory that would surely ensue following the purchase and implementation of a catfish camaro with T Tops.
Now to the actual question... Who here has experience or knowledge on the 93-02 Camaro? I know this thread isn't chocked full of GM fans, but I'm just looking for some opinions. I can get LS1's (That's a 5.7 V8) with 150K miles at the top of my budget (6-7K), and 3.8 V6's with 80-120K miles at the mid-range of my budget (3.5-6k). Most are automatics, but there are a few manuals out there as well. I don't need speed at all, I just want fuel economy on the workdays and a convertible for the weekends. My only limitations to my purchase... It needs T-Tops and can't be red. Since that's all I'm worried about, I've got some questions... Answer one, or all of them. Any input is appreciated
1. Good idea?
2. Higher mileage LS1 or lower mileage 3.8 V6?
3. Are the automatic transmissions reliable?
4. Are there any big failures on these cars I'm not aware of?
5. Are these cars realistic to drive on a daily basis?
6. Firebird vs Camaro? Which is better
7. If not a Camaro, what else can I get with this budget that has a little bit of fun in it?
Appreciate your time.
-7.3
P.S. Obviously I'd ideally love to have a low milage LS1/manual combo, but it just isn't happening. I don't have ten grand to play with. I'm looking for the lesser of evils here.
Hey, so I bought a 2000, 3.8 camaro in 2015 while still in highschool. It had 66k & I paid $2700. Car got me thru my last year of highschool, college, and first 6 months at my new job. the car has given me 0 issues and has been reliable as all hell. I drive 60 miles a day for work, mostly between 75-90 mph, and that car didnt struggle one bit. This weekend I started it up for the first time in 2 weeks (in PA, so pretty cold) & it fired right up with no hesitation. I dont drive it easy either, I floor it way more than I should, but the cars just laughing at me it feels like. One time the drive belt fell off under the hood, stopped the water pump & i overheated it. A few months later I noticed coolant stains on the back of the engine block thinking I blew the head gasket or something, but that seemed to have fixed itself or something, im not loosing coolant so maybe those two events are linked im not sure. I have another 3.8 block im going to be building in the next year or so, gonna wake it up and put a pretty stout engine in it. I recently retired it as my daily bc I bought a new wrx, but try to bring it to work atleast once a week to keep it moving.
So there's alittle background on me & my camaro (which i clearly love), Anyway to your questions....
1. Good idea? - These cars are old, minimum 20 years. yeah both V6 & V8's were both really good engines, but finding one thats not burning or leaking oil, coolant, or have any electrical bugs is gonna be a challenge.
2. V8 will be more fun, turn more heads, and be faster, the V8's also have better suspension (different springs rates to handle twisty roads better) the LS1 & L36 3.8 weight almost the same bc ones Alum & ones Cast Iron. On the other hand, a high millage LS1 is more likely to be way more worn out bc, well its a camaro.
3. The V6 doesnt have enough power to wear down that trans a whole lot. Again, I abuse mine, manual shift it & its still fine. My friend with an SS on the other hand has had some issues. The 4l60e is a well known transmission at least, take that how you will.
4. Cheap, cheap, cheap plastic interiors. They'll crack, they just do. If you find one without a cracked dash, buy it. The owner definitely took good care of it. Also I hate to break it to you, these T-tops are known for leaking too. Mine have a small drip, ive been using silicon based wd-40 to help keep the rubber seal as best as possible, it seems to be working alright. (dont use petroleum based Vaseline)
5. I did, still could be if I didn't buy a wrx. But mine has been maintained well. Give yourself time when pulling out on a main road in the rain, they slide easy when turning even with a V6. Just dont if it snows. Replacement parts are cheap when things do happen, its a GM car, my mechanic said that when i was looking at mine.
6. Purely aesthetic, id prefer camaro, probably cheaper too. also I fell a V6 firebird looks alot whippy-er than one with a V8 just bc the less aggressive looks, mainly in the hood and front bumper. V6 & V8 camaros look pretty similar other than badges, rear spoiler and the "roof panel" color.
7. 4.6 Mustang. if you want a 4 door look at 3.8 SC grand prix, but those trans are weak.
Other - Honestly the V6 is a touch under powered. The 3.8 is a super smooth engine with a nice torque curve, but 205hp/230 tq isnt impressive, the car is around 3500 lbs but still. on the other hand you're more likely to find a V6 that wasn't ragged on as much as a V8. You can probably get a V6 for almost nothing. My V6 was getting 16 city with a bit of aggressive driving, but using cruise control between 70-75 i could get over 30mpg.
feel free to reach out to me if you have more questions about these.
- Nick, PA
Appreciate the input. Seems like I just need to be patient and wait for things to cool down so I can get one in reasonable shape for my price point.
Well if you can find a lower mileage V6 they're decent engines of taking care of all engines were up in time if you're going to buy another one that's got close to $200,000 yards on its last legs
