ADVICE...to buy or not to buy!!!

[BLACKWIDOW.SS]

Ok so I have a 2010 2SS/RS for the wife and I. I'm also looking at a 1995 Z28 convertible to have as a weekend fun cruiser for the family and hopefully a little project that me and my oldest can do a little work on together until he can drive and then hopefully he can enjoy it too at that point.

So the issues I need advice on cuz I just keep thinking things over in my head so I thought I'd throw it out here. I found this 95 Z28 vert in a small dealership that sales all different types of cars really cheap $5300 (do you think this is a fair price). The guy didn't know much about the car other than supposedly a lady traded it in (ya right). Cosmetically the car looks great and has 79k miles. I've read the issues that some have posted about the problems with the early motors being a maintenance/money pit. (Please chime in on good and bad experiences with this). I dont want to buy someone elses lemon. Anyway I test drove the car and it drove really well, lots of power. Steering was straight, no pulling, brakes were strong, tires are about 50-60% tread left, convertible top is in really good shape (some minimal stitch fray, otherwise very clean no tears).

I found a few things I asked the dealer to address before I'd consider buying it. 1) Left lower fog light out, 2) right exhaust pipe hanging down lower than the left due to the mount/weld breaking loose, 3) most importantly the engine light flickered on and off a few times while driving and stays on while parked and idleing. I pointed the engine light issue out to the sales guy who said "it's probably from the battery being dead earlier". (from my experience that's most likely not the case). Anyway the dealer said he'd have the issues addressed and then call me back when it was ready.

So a couple days later he called (spoke to my wife) and said after having the engine light checked the car needed a "new part" and that Chevrolet had a recall on the "part or issue" and they were fixing it.

So do you guys feel this is a sign of things to come and expect with the car?? Or do you think I'll be safe in buying it. Overall the car seemed really good if the issues are taken care of. I've owned a few older cars a realize they aren't meant to drive accross the country...lol...and some work here and there is to be expected. I had an 87 Corvette for a few years and only changed a battery in it so I figure this cant be too bad hopefully.

Any and all advice would be appreciated.....the dealer could call me any day with the problems fixed and then I'll need to pay up or shut up...lol. Just trying to educate myself by hearing some of your personal experiences with the same types of cars.

[OffseT]

Imo don't get a 95 vert, get a 98& up t top.z28 or even a ss for around 6 or 7k make a project out of a ls1 not a lt1 and the t tops are a bit more appealing. Just my opinion, if I could do it all over again I would've waited.. And got the ls1 with t tops

[CamaroSpike23]

when he had the engine light checked... what was the code it gave? that will tell you what the issue was. with the age of the car, it could be something as simple as an EGR valve sticking.

for the mileage and being a convertible, thats not a bad price. when I bought my 94Z28 in 2004, I only paid 4k for it out the door (in Illinois) with right around 100k on the odo to give you some reference. but it had a few cosmetic issues

One thing to keep in mind with the '95 LT1's is that GM started switching over to OBDII computers that year. what that means is that the 95 cars are true OBDI cars, but they have an OBDII connector. This becomes an issue if you want to go to autozone to get your engine codes ran. the hookup is OBDII but it won't read the codes correctly unless they have an OBDI scanner.
Most people will say the biggest thing to watch out for is the Optispark distributor. It has a bad reputation, but with a 95, it should be vented, which should cut down on issues with it.

I'd try to talk the guy down a little. 4th gen's aren't rare by any means.
The LT1 engine can be a reliable powerhouse. Check the stickies in this section. I have a whole bunch of reference info listed for 4th gen owners.

[73camarolt]

I would Definitly recommend a ls1 car over a lt1. A buddy of mine at school has a 95 z28 vert and he has a lot of problems with his.

[Dukeboy01]

'98 model years and newer are better (more reliable) than '97s and older. Of course, if you're buying it to work on it with your kid, then unreliability may be a feature instead of a bug.

[CamaroSpike23]

Originally Posted by Dukeboy01

'98 model years and newer are better (more reliable) than '97s and older. Of course, if you're buying it to work on it with your kid, then unreliability may be a feature instead of a bug.

define unreliable. I put well over 150k miles on 3 different LT1 cars and the only problems I had were because of things that I had done.

[SUX2BU]

Originally Posted by CamaroSpike23

define unreliable. I put well over 150k miles on 3 different LT1 cars and the only problems I had were because of things that I had done.

Yeah LT1s are good motors. They have their problem areas justy like any other motor. But if you want to mod the car at all (engine wise, bolt ons, cam, ect) definitely get an LS1.

[Zabo]

LT series motors are good motors. They are the be all of the original small block. LSX engines are a different breed of motor. But while LS motors are capable and popular, the LT motors will almost always have more low end pull than LS engines. In fact you can refit LT engines for LS1 style coil-pack ignition. After that, the engines reverse flow heads can be an asset.

IMO, if I did it again I'd get an LT1 bird, msd coils, and stroke to 400 in homage to poncho motors of old. They also sell LT blocks set for a 396 stroke if you wanted a 396 iron block 4th gen.

LT1 engines always had a meatier note out the pipes than the LS engines. Thought I'd toss that out..

[dmginc]

i agree the LT motors sounded better, but i would rather have an LS engine.

[BLACKWIDOW.SS]

Hey thanks everyone for chiming in here. As far as what the code was from the engine light coming on?? I dont know what it was, the guy had it done at another shop then spoke to my wife who didn't ask him when he called. I'll definitely be asking him about what was specifically fixed on it when he calls me back. As far as mods go I'm not really interested in modding this car, going to keep it mostly stock and just drive it. I prefer hard top with t-tops also but since I already have my fun car (2SS/RS) this one is more for my wife who really wants it to be a convertible. I told her a vert was fine as long as it had the V8. I'm still searching around for a newer model with a decent price, just want to keep the price really low since it wont be driven a ton and most likely sit in the garage a lot during the off season..also when I refer to a project car I'm not talking about it in the sense that most of you guys who are very talented with mechanical things...I have two left thumbs when it comes to doing heavy mods...lol..I'm referring to getting a good clean running car and maybe doing some small cosmetic upgrades to personalize it a bit...I'll be paying someone who knows what they're doing when it comes to major repairs etc...I'd really love to find a good 98 or newer SS or even a TA but around here for some reason it seems the well is running dry with options...in fact for the low price and condition on this one its the best deal around so far (that's convertible)...I've looked at a few others with a little lower price but they are all beat up....Do any of you guys have a list of things on this specific model to have checked really closely by my mechanic? I intend on taking to him before I decide to buy it once the dealer calls me and says it's ready.

THX again guys...

[Chrisrp454]

My 98Z28 has 248,000 on it now. Used it as a DD last week, yeah I want 250,000 .
Never ever had any motor issues!

[BLACKWIDOW.SS]

Its good to hear some of you are still having good experiences with these Gen4's. I still haven't heard anything back from the dealer. In the mean time I've continued my search and may have talked the wifey into taking a T-Top instead...that opens up more options for us. Found several 98-99's that we're checking on too.

[bluetorp]

The aftermarket is definitely better with the LS1. The LT1 is a good motor, though- more torque down low than the LS1. The Optispark ignition is probably the most common major failing, and is pricey to eliminate.

Overall, I prefer the LS1, but the LT1 can be a strong competitor depending on price. $5300 sounds a little high to me for the one you describe.

[BLACKWIDOW.SS]

I agree on the price being a little high. I'm gonna try to talk him down some once I hear back from him. Like I said we're not really looking to mod or change anything so stock is fine for us as long as it's all in good running order. In the mean time we're looking at T-Top Z28's. I test drove a 99 TA with 122k on it. It was kinda beat but I've seen worse, had good power....