Thinking about a 4th gen.. need some advice

[Dean80Z28]

Well.. I still have the 80 z28.. but it is at a shop being "worked on" .. been there since March.. and it still has not been started yet. I'm probably going to try to get it out of there and get my deposit back, because this is BS.

Anyway, I'm thinking about just getting an LT1 4th gen. I'm leaning toward a Camaro again. I think I read on here before that there were some differences in the 93 models from other years.. is this true? And what were they if so?

I 100% want a 6 speed model.. were they available in all years?

Last question.. I have checked the Blue Book values on the cars.. but the prices around here seem to be a little bit higher... What do you think about pricing? I'm looking for a 93-97 LT1, coupe (NO convertibles), 6 speed... No more than 85,000ish miles..

Any thoughts? Thanks a lot guys
-Dean

[Cade93TA]

I have a 93 TA, Here are the main differences that I know of:

93's have Lowest horsepower of the bunch, rated at 275; I steadily increased throughout the years, I believe the 97's had almost 330(?)(help me out 97 owners)

93's had Speed density VS 94+ had Mass Air Flow this Something to do with the air fuel mixture the more air was sucked in to the system. I don't know it hasn't bothered me.

Also a change from 22lb injectors to 24 lb injectors and muti-port t Sequential fuel injection

93's were the only year you can replaced the PCM chip all other years the chip is soldered to the board (meaning you have to get a programer to upgrade your car)

in 95 the cars went from single cats. to dual cats.

95 cars got what I considered the "good" radio steering wheel controls, The redesigned ones that dont wear out as bad.

There is more at:

F-body.org technical

Hope this helps
Cade

[Dave M]

horsepower was 275 in 93-94, went to 285 in 95-97. The WS6/SS cars had 305, 315 with the optional exhaust. 6 speed was available every year. I'd reccomend a 96-97 WS6 or SS if you can find one in your price range.

[Z Ya Later]

Actually, 93 and 94 had the same horsepower rating, as did the 95 non-CA models...which is 275. 95 CA and 96 and 97 models were rated at 285, 330 was the Corvette. As for speed density, basically the air is measured strictly by the MAP, whereas with the 94 - 2002 it was measured with the MAF and MAP...little bit harder to mod and trick. Other than that, you're dead on Cade. The other difference was the rear gears. 93 was the only year that you had an option in rear-end gears for the stick, either 2..73 or 3.23...the latter being the faster of the two. The easy way to tell is to look at the speedo...if it goes to 150, like mine does, its a 3.23...otherwise, its a 2.73. To go with this, the stick gears are also different, depending on the rear end you have, and completely different from the 94 - 2002 gears. One other little difference was the lack of a CAGS in 93. Also, the A.I.R. system is slightly different, thus different manifolds/headers are made. The intake manifold and fuel rail assembly is also different in top design, but can be updated to the later design. Although these differences seem numberous, there's really not a big difference in the driving factor, depending on the car of course. Craig's 94 TA and my 93 Z both feel about the same in power and driveability. I've been really happy with mine and love not having an MAF lol. As for price, I picked up my girl with roughly 102k mi. last year for only 5k and all she needed was tires and a clutch job. Good luck man and feel free to ask us anything else you might be wondering about the differences and such. Take care.

[Fastbird93]

Plus, everyone knows the 93's are just plain faster.

[Z Ya Later]

hehehehe i say nothing

[Joe 1320]

93-94 also used the non-vented optispark which is more prone to failure as well as more expensive to replace. 93-95 also used a single cat and is OBDI, 96-97 are dual cat and OBDII. If budget is a concern, IMHO seek out a 95. It uses a vented style opti, is a single cat (non California) and OBDI for easy modding.

[Z Ya Later]

There you go Joe, playin' expert again. Always gotta show me up lol j/k He's right (of course), the vented Opti is definitely better than the standard version that appeared in the 93-94 F-bods. I personally have a preference for the 93 due to the lack of the MAF...and I have a 93 lol