1993 Camaro

[J_loosh]

my friend wants to sell his 93 camaro. it has like 175000 on it. he has a 2500 stall converter, k&n cold air intake on it, performance computer tune(probably nothing to special), the resister to make it think the air is cooler, shift kit, dual exhaust(i dont think any cats or muffler), the body is in decent condition. it has 4.10 gears in the rear end. runs a 13.59 i think. he hasnt driven it in like a year and a half, but starts it up and lets it run like every month or someting. he wants like 5600 for it, which i think is to much. he claims i cant go by the kbb value of it, or close to it cus he put money into it because he got the tranny rebuilt, nothing really special, when he got it and ****. hes used it as a drag car, and a daily commuter for awhile. hes drag raced it, like taken it to the drag strip 10 times, so maybe like 30 or so times down the track, im not sure. he said he hasnt had that notorious intake leak yet, so if i get it ill probably have to change that sometime, not to mention any other matainence it might need. i was thinking about 2500-3000 as its worth.

could you let me know how much you think it should be?
also how much power do you think he has right now, and what are some easy mods to get power from these, like under 1000 bucks?

Thanks
jeremy

[Johnyd2]

see the problem is that a car is only worth what someone will pay for it. And hot-rodding cars, for the most part, does not increase the private party value of a car, in most cases it actually decreases the value if it. While mods do make the car go faster, it makes the car less street safe, especailly depending on where you live (RWD in the winter in the Northern IL is intresting). Not to mention, speed mods usaully are a good indicator if the car was raced (which it was). I'm in the market for a Lt1 T/a right now, and i want something not raced... to me a cherry car is more valuable than a super modified speed demon... they usually last longer. Plus the car is a 93 with 175k on it??? is 5600 the freind price???? that is almost triple what i would even consider paying...... even if the car was babied its whole life... its pushing 14 years old and has 175k, which means that there is gonna be alot of work ahead of you............. One more piece of advice, never buy a car off a freind or family memeber, especially that age.... Because when the bills start to add up.. it could tear your relationship apart.....

[fastTa]

I think you are pretty close. With that kind of mileage, it's not worth any more than 3k and that's if the interior and exterior are top notch.

[Joshu]

he wants like 5600 for it

That's wayyyy too much, your estimate is more reasonable

[Joe 1320]

Please sensor youself so that moderators do not have to clean up. This is your first post, so remember this is a forum that does not allow profanity. It's in the rules and regulations that you agreed to in order to sign up and post.

[Z Ya Later]

Welcome to the boards.

I'm assuming this is a Z28, correct? For the mileage and the work you're probably going to need to do correct some of the "mistakes", I wouldn't give him more than $4000 or so. The resistor mod in the IAC harness is a very bad idea, as are 4.10's on an auto being used for a daily driver. When you say dual-exhaust, do you mean true-duals or just dual outlets? Many people do make that mistake. No cats on the car will make it impossible to pass any emmissions test and, if the car does have true-duals, I'd bet you're actually losing power from the lack of back-pressure.

Also, find out the service history of it. How many water pumps has the car gone through? How many Opti's? Any problems with the rear end, brake calipers, rear main seal, etc.? Does the motor use up any oil? If the car has power windows, have either of the motors died? Have the switches been replaced yet? Same if it has power door locks. And, just because he hasn't had to fix the intake leak doesn't necessarily mean its there. Mine hasn't had the intake leak and I'm sitting at 135+k. Granted his has more, but I think you get what I'm getting at . If he wants a higher price ($3500-$4000), I'd make him pay for an inspection as well. They're not that expensive and its a little piece-of-mind for you.

As I said already, I wouldn't give him more than $4000 at most, and that's if he's going to pay for an inspection. Otherwise, around $3000 or so.

As a side note, as Johnyd2 pointed out, a car is only worth what the buyer will pay for it. If I decide to sell my Z, one of my friends is willing to pay $4500 for it and thinks its reasonable for the amount of work I've done and such. If the modifications are things you would want, then I can see the higher price, but not if they're things you're either indifferent about or have to reverse. Just my thoughts.

[J_loosh]

sorry about the language, i didnt realize that i said it, but ill watch from now on. hes not like a close friend, more like a freind from HS that i talk to every so often, and i graduated last year so it hasnt been that long. he said even before him that the person used it for drag racing, but must have fixed things cus it doesnt burn or leak any oil that he knows of. he said the reason he wants that much for it is taht he paid over the BB for it when he got it, and put like 3000 bucks worth of stuff on/in it, so he thinks that he is giving me a good deal seeing is that he only drove it supposibly 6k when he had it, but still. yeah it is the z28 too. i didnt think the resistor mod was very good either, but i didtn say anyhting to him. he said the 4.10s arnt that bad in it, but i wanna put hte stock ones back in it till i find some 3.73 gears for it or something. dual exaush from what i remember, si headers(smoglegal ones), back to a y then back to some borla tips. i would get a muffler for it or soemting, im not sure what i want yet. i know the AC pump is pretty much dead on it, and makes a whining sound, and he has an adapter to get rid of it but hasnt put it in yet. i did put donw the driver window, and i think the motor is about dead on it. i noticed behind where the car is parked, there is black poweder on the cempt behind the tips, idk if thats a problem or not. im gonna try to talk him down some, and work a deal out with him, i need to give him reasons too why he cant charge that much, and why he should give it to me for a more "reasonable" price, and hese not the smartest kid when it comes to that, but he knows his other stuff pretty good. umm, let me know anyhting else that i need to know/ask him/any other ?'s you guys have. and thanks for the information.

[Z Ya Later]

he said the reason he wants that much for it is taht he paid over the BB for it when he got it, and put like 3000 bucks worth of stuff on/in it, so he thinks that he is giving me a good deal seeing is that he only drove it supposibly 6k when he had it, but still.

That's his problem, not yours. I paid $5k for mine almost 3 yrs. ago, have done about $3k worth of maintenance (if not more) and $5+k in mods. With all that, I think $4500 is a good deal for me, semi-decent deal for my friend...if I sell mine . As was stated, mods do not translate to higher value for everyone, only some people.

i didnt think the resistor mod was very good either, but i didtn say anyhting to him.

Its easy to revert back, so I wouldn't worry too much on that one, but it can be a bargaining chip in your favor.

he said the 4.10s arnt that bad in it, but i wanna put hte stock ones back in it till i find some 3.73 gears for it or something.

If he has the stock gears (which should be 3.23's I believe), I would stick with those for the moment and concentrate on other things, such as suspension and such. Save the gear change for when you need rear-end work done...kill 2 birds with one stone .

dual exaush from what i remember, si headers(smoglegal ones), back to a y then back to some borla tips. i would get a muffler for it or soemting, im not sure what i want yet.

That sounds like a "traditional" setup, not true-duals. Why do you think it has no muffler? I've got the stock manifolds, Y-pipe and cat with the SLP Loudmouth and its pretty loud, so if his is loud as well, that doesn't mean he doesn't have a muffler or a cat.

i know the AC pump is pretty much dead on it, and makes a whining sound, and he has an adapter to get rid of it but hasnt put it in yet.

Sounds like he has the 1LE A/C Delete pulley. If having the A/C in your car isn't a big deal, then putting the pulley on isn't a bad idea. You'll free up a few horsepower, slightly better mileage, etc. If you want the A/C, it can cost about $1000 to have it fixed, charged, etc., depending on what's wrong. That could also be a bargaining chip in your favor

i did put donw the driver window, and i think the motor is about dead on it.

That's about a 2-hr. job or so, not too bad to do. You can pick up a replacement motor from Kragen/Schucks/Checkers/Advanced Auto for about $60 with a lifetime warranty. Def. the way to go. I've had Delco motor after Declo motor fail on mine, so I'm through recommending their window motors.

i noticed behind where the car is parked, there is black poweder on the cempt behind the tips, idk if thats a problem or not.

Does it look like it came from the exhaust? If so, as odd as this may sound, smell it. Get just a little bit of it on your fingers and see what it smells like. It may be a result of the car sitting for so long and not really be a problem, or it could be a major problem.

umm, let me know anyhting else that i need to know/ask him/any other ?'s you guys have. and thanks for the information.

Ask him if he's ever replaced the water pump, Opti (distributor) or pinion seal on the rear end. Also, ask him if there are any vibrations and/or loud noises at highway speeds. And, what shape is the interior in? How worn is the driver's seat? These can work in your favor. Hope this helps.

[J_loosh]

thats what im gonna tell him when i try to bargain with him, that the mods and maintenance dont count. im gonna say someitng to him about the resistor like it is bad for it and what not, so that may lead to more repair costs, lean it in my favor.

it has the 4.10s in it, but i do believe he has the stock ones there to go along with it, and ill see how the 4.10s feel, and possibly go back to the stock, if not keep them around like you said.

hes told me it dont have a cat or muffler, cus hes put a diff set up, but still hads the y back to the dual tips. its pretty loud, but i dont know about the "sound"i think an slp or something would def sound much much better.

I would like to keep the AC, but if its gonna cost a bunch to keep, im just gonna ditch it, and free up the power. by the way, how much power would that free up, and how would it affect my qt mile time?

The window dont bother me right now, my couisn just bought a wrecked 95 and fixed it up, htat was one thing that he had to do, and he said it was pretty easy.

that stuff def looked like it came from the exhaust. ill have to look at it closer when i go back there. im not sure when ill beable too cus he dirt truck races, and hes really busy here for the next few days and what not.

ill write down that stuf, and ask him. ill also get all the mods hes done to the car, anything hes replaced/fixed and all that good stuff. the interior is alright, i think hes modded it in some ways, like different seats maybe. i didnt get a good look at the inside cus it was in a shed and it was kind of dark in that corner.

there is a hood on it, its like a cowl induction, but has a wird thing on the front, and think its okay, but i would rather have an ss hood, and would trade someone straight up if i get it.

he also has a pair of custom rims i think, and it has tires on them, that ill have to get some pictures and post them if anyone wants them, cus he wants to sell those too, and i dont want them. i want to get some corvette rims for it or someting.

any comments or any more ?'s just let me know. and thanks again.

[Blazer]

You are very young an is this your first car. If so I would not touch it with a 10 foot pole. There are a lot of cars out there shop around an take your time A 93 would not be my pick. An A car that has been raced like that one tells me you will be looking at a lot of $$$$$ down the road.But if your have a good job an make super money an it is not your only car look in in to it. Just my 2 cents. Blazer

[Z Ya Later]

A 93 would not be my pick.

Ummmm, what's wrong with a 93?

[Johnyd2]

i know it's of my business, but i never mix business with freindship...... this is alot of money that is being put into a risky venture..... i said it once before... buyer beware... this kind of venture can cost you more than your paying for the car.....

[J_loosh]

yeah. im still gonna see if i can get him to 3000, but 2500 if i can, thats my goal. it may take some good talking and convincing to do it, and if not, i mean i dont wanna blow alot of money, and i can wait. i really wanna camaro, but like you guys say its not worth getting screwed over and having to spend tons to fix it up.

i still have to get ahold of him when he has time to test drive it, becuase it was blocked in the last time i was there. ill see how it drives, and see if i notice anything. is there anyhitng like special i should look for, like that most people may not notice?

it dont bother me that its a 93, i dont see anything wrong. but i wouldnt mind having a new ls1, but i wont have that kind of money for quite some time, unless i find a good deal.

i still have till the begging of fall when my truck is paid off to get his car/ a car. i just wanna get my research done to make sure i have a good idea at what im looking at and so i dont get screwd over. hes also a good guy, and i know we can probably figure soemting out, and i doubt he understands alot about the car and the value of it, so that is proably why he asked so much first. i just told him that number was way to high, and told him what my couisn got his for, and he said we could work someting out sometime. any more imput you have just leave it, and ill get back. thanks again for the imput so far.

[Crazy Canuk]

I would take the car to a mechanic you trust and get it inspected, a mechanic who knows LT1 f-bodies and there specific weak points.

I bought my car (94 formula firebird) as my first car, attributed how the car feels as 'wow this is a how a muscle car feels!!!'. I did take it to a mechanic and they told me it was a good price for the car but didn't tell me about the misfire it had (untill later, kind of a shady place).

In the end I needed to put in a couple of thousand into my car to replace injectors, plug wires, water pump, optispark and spark plugs (and find another mechanic ). My car has been babied too, not drag raced. The car had 86k kilometers (53.5k Miles), I worked with a guy (who went to see the car with me) whos brother was the previous owner and sold it to the guy who I ended up buying it off of, total of 3 previous owners (first was a doctor) so I had good history of my car.

To this day when my car acts up and a repair is needed, I get feeling I should cut my losses but I wont cause I like it too much

Now if your planning for a fun car to drive around and beat up a bit that car may be good, as a reliable inexpensive car to maintain used as a daily driver, it may not, there are alot of warning signs with it.

Lastly, I live in Canada so it may be different, but to change over owership of a car I needed the car safety inspected, emissions checked and insurance. If he lived here he would also need emissions tested this year so maybe that is why he is trying to sell it now. Find out what you need and make it part of the sale, at the very least take it to a mechanic. Sometimes it's worth walking away from a deal and paying 2k more for a car w/o warning signs.

[J_loosh]

i just talked to a guy today, and he said to try to get the car for under 2000, like 2k at the most, but try and get it for about 1800 or so. so hopefully i will beable to get ahold of the kid tomarrow and talk him down.