Question for the GM Heads!!!

  • Thread starter Thread starter Junguru
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Junguru

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Im purchasing a car, but I need help on what to look for because this will be my 1st. Domestic Muscle. Im either gonna buy 94 Camaro or a 95 Firebird. Both westcoast cars btw, so not worried about rust... Now I know these are pretty much the same car, and all that biz. But I was wondering what I should look out for when considering buying one of these cars... Heres what the seller has listed for the CAMARO

*******************Heres the Camaro
1994 Chevy Camaro
3.4L V6, Automatic
94,000 Miles
Power Windows
Power Locks
Power Drivers Seat
Power Mirrors
Power Steering
Air Conditioning
Cassette Player with Bose Sound System
Cruise Control

This car runs great and all of the power options are working; The A/C blows cold. The interior of the car is also in great shape. The tires have plenty of tread left on them. There are no tears in the headliner or on any of the seats. The paint is rough, but not really that big of a deal; Some sun fading and chipping (Common on Camaro's). Since I bought the car in December of 2005, the following have been replaced:
Transmission
Driveshaft (Upgraded from a two-piece to a one-piece)
Waterpump (Within Last 6 Months)
Battery (Within Last 6 Months)
Brake Pads

*******************Heres the Firebird
1995 Pontiac Firebird V6 with 90,000 miles, Viper Alarm with Keyless Entry, Auto, AC, PW, PDL, AM/FM CD, Factory Alloy Wheels, Almost New Tires. Runs and drives Excellent. $2,750 OBO

Only thing wrong with the Bird is Crack dashboard...according to owner...

Now I know what to look for in general when buying a car. But I was just worried about what needed to be replaced eventually... Seems like both car were kept in good shape. I was amazed by the mileage of both cars... But the camaro seemed to have alot of things replaced... In anyones eyes who knows GM. Is this a good thing or a bad thing... Someone please give me some assistance...Thanks
 
TopHat
3400 V6! Avoid! Avoid!
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What do you mean? Are the V6 bad engines? I forgot to mention as well, Im not looking to throw a V8 in the car until later, Im just using this as a daily driver for right now... To work and back, and that kinda of stuff... But its a 3.4L V6 Something wrong with those engines?
 
Try and find a later one (with higher mileage) with a 3.8 Liter. You could get them in Firebirds from '96 on.

EDIT: Sames goes for the Camaro. If you could find a Californian model, they had the 3800 in '95.
 
1. They're not as reliable as the 3.8L V6
2. They're slower
3. There's less of an aftermarket (Superchargers for these things are everywhere)
4. I think they had issues with intake manifolds...
 
TopHat
1. They're not as reliable as the 3.8L V6
2. They're slower
3. There's less of an aftermarket (Superchargers for these things are everywhere)
4. I think they had issues with intake manifolds...
Click to expand...


Oh ok, thats not that bad IMO. Again this wont be a full on muscle project until later, hell I might sell it after a few years... Just getting a car for work...
 
This is absolutely in the wrong part of these forums. Should´ve been in "Cars in general".
 
I didnt realize this was in the wrong forum, I will contact a ADMIN to move it....my bad I guess *shrugs*


Yes this is in the wrong section, this is the drifting section, unless you are buying a drift car....which you said it was just for work so thats not the case:sly: Only advice i would give you as being that im a mechanic is to stay away from both of them. Both are horrible cars when with the V6's. The V8 versions are more reliable, but still horrible cars in my opinion. But if you do get either it be a V6 or V8 i would get a manual transmission. The 700R4 4 speed automatic transmissions are one of the worst transmissions ever made, i will promise you that you will be replacing it. But if you "have" to get the automatic just start saving your money so when the transmission goes out you can buy a TH350 transmission to replace the 700R4 with. Much more reliable transmission. Only thing is its a 3 speed so you will lose some fuel economy if you drive on the highway much. Also if you get one you might want to purchase some very good tires and consider getting something to help keep traction in the rear. In the rain the F body cars get loose very, very easy. You won't even be trying to get the rear end to step out and bam, you just spun out in the middle of the road:nervous:
 
breakpoint
Both are horrible cars when with the V6's. The V8 versions are more reliable,
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Someone doesn't know much about how reliable the 3.8 is. Also, the latest V6 FBs were faster than any other V8 Firebird made before 1990.

LS1? Reliable? Compared to the 6? LOL.
 
TopHat
3400 V6! Avoid! Avoid!
Click to expand...
That is the truth for sure. I had a 95 Firebird with the 3.4 V6 and all the info you have heard is correct. Those engines are junk!!! Try to get one with the 3.8 V6 or even the 5.7 V8.
Then I upgraded to a 96 Firebird Formula with the 5.7 LT1 V8, T-56 6 speed, T tops and leather. I also ended up with much better gas mileage over the V6 because I had the 6 speed tranny. Made a huge difference. That was one of the best vehicles I ever owned. If you can get one with at least the 3.8 V6 or V8 LT1 or V8 LS1 go that route. Do NOT get one with the 3.4 V6
 
TopHat
Someone doesn't know much about how reliable the 3.8 is. Also, the latest V6 FBs were faster than any other V8 Firebird made before 1990.

LS1? Reliable? Compared to the 6? LOL.
Click to expand...


someone doesn't do this for a living or have his ASE's....LOL
Do you know how many 3.8's have came in my shop with the 6th cyl's piston shoved into the plug? Thats like saying the 5.4 ford V8 doesn't have a problem:scared:

And also when did the pre 1990 models get into the discussion? He said 94-95
 
How many of those engines were the Series 1? Series II and III engines are ludicrously reliable. The engine was on Wards 10 best for 95-97 for a reason. Not bad for an OHV engine that has a basic design going back to 1962.
 
Thanks for the input everyone....wasnt expecting this many reponses, plus it looks like its turning into a "I know more than you do" type of topic. I went to check the car out today, The Camaro was really clean, other parts of the car had probs I can deal with right now....The FIREBIRD turns out the guy lied about alot of stuff, I basically blew the guy off *No Homo* LOL

Anyway I decided Im picking up a 88 SUPRA turbo. for onlly $1000 with 115k. The car is emaculate, elderly owned... and most importantly its stock..So im happy... Again thanks everybody for the input.
 
You got a much better deal with the supra, so good on you for that. And by the way, i wasn't having a "i know more than you go at it", i was just trying to help you out. If i were playing that i would have said, gee i guess i will bow out to a 14 year old....i just get paid to tear cars apart is all....sigh.
 
LMAO its all good breakpoint, I wasnt talking about you in particular, I was just talking about everyone in general. I asked this same question on a GM board earlier today, and it kinda got outta control because it turned into Firebird vs Camaro, then some mustang guys got in on the topic and it and I just had it deleted... BTW Nice avi my droog!!! Clockwork Orange is the shizz! lol
 
I didn't see you mention it in the original post, do either of the cars have T-tops? if they do, they've probably leaked, and there will be some rust on the floorboards. And make sure they haven't been beaten on by the previous owners. It'll be pretty easy to tell if they've been kept in good condition when they're seen in person though. I would view the replaced parts as a good thing. 90K miles is getting up there and things start to break/go bad at that mileage. See if the owners can provide documentation of the work performed.

TopHat
Also, the latest V6 FBs were faster than any other V8 Firebird made before 1990.
Click to expand...

Not hardly. The 305 TBI engines, yes. Maybe a 305 Tuned Port Injection engine, but certainly not a 350 TPI. This is from expirience, not speculation.
 

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