aklim

Do a compression check. Highest to lowest should be within 10% of each other. Also after you do the test, squirt oil into the cylinders and repeat test. If the numbers now jump up, run, don't walk. If the fluid looks brand new, get nervous. People selling cars don't often spend the money to change the fluids. Could be they are hiding something.

Sellmanb

hmmm, how do I do a compression test? lol... just with my fingers? I have no real tools for cars besides my ratchet set lol. and by squirting oil into the cylinder do you mean just squirt it through a spark plug hole?

I was just going to try to talk the guy down to like 600-800ish, and from the 400-200 I saved was gunna do some general maintenance, and take it to a mechanic and have them run some tests on it.... I'd kinda feel like an *** running out to this place and taking off their spark plugs and squirting oil in their cylinders lol.

BTW, what would squirting oil into the cylinders to see the compression prove? a bad gasket or what? lol.... havent really done much research on that yet.

Thanks for the links btw, I'm reading intently learning as much as I can

aklim

You need a compression tester for that. You take the plugs out and insert one end of it and crank for a bit and see what you get for pressure once the needle stops moving.

Squirting the oil into the engine via the spark plug holes tells you if the rings are shot. If the pressure goes up quite a bit, the rings are shot. If the pressure doesn't go up and is generally low, it might be a head gasket or valve that is leaking

PyRo9862

I don't think I would let anyone do a compression test on my car unless maybie they brought it to a shop. If they manage to break off a sparkplug, mess up the threads or somthing you think they are going to fix it/pay for it?

aklim

I wouldn't buy a used car that I couldn't do a compression test on unless it is from a dealership where they offered a 1 month warranty so I could do it at home. I wouldn't pay a shop $100 to do a test that I could do easily. I lost my remote for my 02 Yukon XL and they wanted $16 to reprogram it. I got the instructions off an internet board and did it myself in 2 minutes. They told me it would have to go thru the fuse box and need some special equipment, etc which justified the $16.

Sellmanb

They raised the price to 2000 dollars since I went and checked out the car, or atleast they raised it online. I'm still going to see if I can get it for about 800..... I'm ok with spending 1000 on it though.... it's probably worth about 2500 if some interior work was done to it.

Ville H. Valo

1991-1992 z28

Pneumatic_Tire

lol in that pic of the car it has 995 on the windshield and side window, but on the website it's listed at 1995. HAHA

Sellmanb

So I went out there again today to buy it, and they bought a new engine for it (used obviously), which is why it's now $1995... well, they said they could put the old engine back in (it had a blown headgasket.... no biggy I can research and replace that myself right?) well... i go to look at it again and they're ripped out a bunch of the trim, and put on some EXTREMELY bald tires (not slicks, but sure looked like it!), looks like they parted out most of the interior to a 1989 Camaro they had layin around there.

They also took out the entire stereo system... and by that I mean the tape player, am/fm radio, speakers, and Antenna even! So I'm thinking here... I'll probably have to fix the T-Tops so that they dont leak, the doors felt like they had some sort of semi-fix on it so it would close right for long enough to get it home.... the hood doesnt align right. The interior is crapped out (not just cloth, cloth I can replace myself), blown headgasket, gunna need new tires, plus all the general maintenance...

I decided not to get the car I'm still avidly looking for a Camaro though, and '86 does seem to be my favorite year. The stance of it just looks nice So I'm going to keep lookin around, hopefully within the month I can find one!

panther

It doesn't sound like they will get $300 for that car now even with the swapped engine! You were wise to keep looking.

rentacopper9mm

keep searching man, ive found a 92 rs t tops 305 in great condition.

Sellmanb

thx for the support heh. Well, I got a call back from a private owner, selling his White '86 Camaro (white being my least favorite color on cars ) it is Z28 at the very least, doesnt say IROC on it, but neither did the last one I looked at, until I looked inside and saw Z28/IROC on the glove box lol. They're asking 1200 for it, and if it still works, it has only 102k on it!!!

It doesnt have T-Tops on it though, which upsets me, I'm all for T-Tops (just out of curiousity how much would it cost me in supplies, and time, to convert it to T-Tops myself? I'd like to think I'm semi mechanically inclined).

So I'm really hoping this one is in good condition, or decent enough for me to buy it, otherwise the money I have set aside for a car will just be milked into school $$$ (which I probably should do in the first place lol)

panther

If T-Tops are that important to you, wait for a t-top car. The best way to convert it is to cut the roof of a t-top car and replace your non t-top roof.

Don't rule out finding a car in PA when you move out there. It seems there are a few for sale in PA/NJ all the time.

Sellmanb

Hey guys!! So I went and looked at this car, drove it, it is like... PRISTINE, WOW. I felt bad for buying it from him for only 1200!!

I have one question though!! It doesnt say RS, or Z28, or IROC/Z28 or something like that, it says Berlinetta (I believe that's the spelling, not sure)... is this like a granny version of the Z28?

So this car IS Carbeurated, any good carbs out there that will save gas mileage, compared to the stocker?

The only things wrong with this car is there's a small ding on the driver side of the bumper, and paint is cracking on that small piece on the bumper where the CAMARO symbol is. I figure I wont even need these fixed.

So I thought I should let you all know that I'm the brand new owner of a 1986 Camaro!!!

FruityOne

The berlinettas are about as close as you can come to a luxury thirdgen without the performance drivetrain options.

But, if it runs/drives well and is in decent shape then keep it and mod later. Its a v8, so dropping a 350 or even bigger in there later will be a cake walk.

How's the tranny shift? 700r4's are known to have a 3-4 clutch pack failure, as well as a few other issues that can eat away at transmission life. Though most 700r4's die from neglect and improper TV cable adjustment.