• đź’ˇ Fun fact. Whenever you start a thread, TCG Mechanic 5000 (our AI bot) will reply to you to start helping. It doesn't know everything and it will struggle with more complex questions but it can get the thread going and provide valuable information. You can choose to disable it prior to submitting a thread.

looking to buy, need some advice

ldyzluvdis06

Supercharged C5
Sep 30, 2008
6,349
1,896
Jacksonville, IL
Real Name
Danny
well i will be buying a LS1 this summer...:jg: i am putting a cap on the price at 10K give or take A TAD BIT!!! i will be paying in cash so there isn't much wiggle room as i know where i am comfortable.

here is the issue though...my wife and i will be trying for a kid this winter so money will be tight for mods. so i am wanting to buy one already modded. i am usually against this, but my family comes first. but i know if i buy a stock one i will just spend more and more on it.

the car will be a DD (minus winters) and will also see quite a few 1/4 mile passes. i prefer to get a TA but would take a clean Camaro also. im not new to working on/building shit but am no expert by any means

so the question comes to this:
- how many miles is to many?
- auto or manual for DD and tracking?
- Which rear end?
- What are the best cams?
- What kind of mods should i look for?
- how much nitrous is safe?

and anything else you think i should know. :roflpicard:
 

PhoenixTA

Regular
Jul 20, 2011
183
0
Morris
Buy a stock one for around 6k and sink the other 4k into a nice turbo kit from my builder... Nitrous is fun, but it sucks having to fill your bottle all the time. I used to use nitrous but the hassle and cost to fill the bottle constantly was starting to get annoying. With a FI setup it's like having a full bottle all the time and the faster you go, the harder it pulls. You won't be disappointed :) He offers a complete bolt in kit for 4100 that includes the turbo, wastegate, BOV, all hot side and cold side piping, oil feed and return. all you would have to do is upgrade the fuel system and have it tuned.
Just my .02

BTW I DD my trans am and get about 18 mpg out of an auto if I stay out of boost. When I get a heavy foot on the other hand, mileage sinks as low as 15.
 

6literEat'r

TCG Elite Member
Oct 21, 2008
1,239
0
i got lucky and found my t/a on ls1tech...talked the guy down to 5500...and it had mods already..so theyre out there cheap, just havta looks around..youll find somthing worth it!

im with phoenixTA about the nitrous, i also had it and got VERY old having to fill bottles and not being able to get half a tank up to 1k psi...said fuck it!...went turbo as well
 

PhoenixTA

Regular
Jul 20, 2011
183
0
Morris
i got lucky and found my t/a on ls1tech...talked the guy down to 5500...and it had mods already..so theyre out there cheap, just havta looks around..youll find somthing worth it!

im with phoenixTA about the nitrous, i also had it and got VERY old having to fill bottles and not being able to get half a tank up to 1k psi...said fuck it!...went turbo as well

I got lucky and found a guy on Tech as well. I bought my WS6 two years ago for 4800. It had a lid and complete edelbrock exhaust system including long tubes and ORY. I had to drive all the way to southern Ohio, but it was well worth it for the deal I got :jg:
 

ldyzluvdis06

Supercharged C5
Sep 30, 2008
6,349
1,896
Jacksonville, IL
Real Name
Danny
i may in time turbo but it would not be for a year or so at least so i wanted some mods to keep me well entertained in the mean time. im not worried about gas mileage for the DD. and def. not worried about driving a good distance to pick up a good deal. if you done mind me asking, how many miles and what were the details of your guys buys? that seems real cheap and i havnt seen to many at that range.
 

PhoenixTA

Regular
Jul 20, 2011
183
0
Morris
i may in time turbo but it would not be for a year or so at least so i wanted some mods to keep me well entertained in the mean time. im not worried about gas mileage for the DD. and def. not worried about driving a good distance to pick up a good deal. if you done mind me asking, how many miles and what were the details of your guys buys? that seems real cheap and i havnt seen to many at that range.

When I was looking for a car I literally checked on LS1Tech, Craigslist, and autotrader at least 8-10 times a day. I know it
sounds a little obsessive, but in order to get the best deals you have to jump on something as soon as it is posted up. I searched for probably 2 months before I came across two different T/A's and it was just chance that they were both in Ohio. I convinced the sellers to hold onto the car for me for a day until I could make a road trip out to see them.

As far as details, my Trans Am is a 98 WS6 Auto. I bought it with 140k on the clock which was one reason why it was so cheap. I didn't mind the mileage because my plans for the car were to rebuild the engine anyway, although even with the higher miles, the car still made some great power. The body was in great shape for a 98 and the paint was decent. That and the first mods had been done for me so I figured it would be a good buy. Don't necessarily be scared away by a LS1 with higher miles. When I pulled the engine apart it was still running strong and I could still see the cross hatch pattern on the cylinder walls!

Since I bought the car it has gone through a few different phases.
1)At first I just put a 3600 stall in the car along with the exhaust that was already installed and was reasonably happy with that.
2)After that got boring I went to an engine builder I knew and had him port and polish a set of 241 heads. I also bought a Super Victor EFI intake and a Torquer II cam. That setup was fun for a little while, but I quickly lost interest.
3)Next was a better set of PRC 215 heads and an EPS single plane cam. It was a decent setup and put out a best of 462whp, but I wanted more.
4)Now I just finished the turbo build on my car and am very happy with the results... :hsughcool:for now...
 

6literEat'r

TCG Elite Member
Oct 21, 2008
1,239
0
bought my 99 t/a from a guy in waupaca wisconsin, so essentially i was driving 250 miles to go look at a car based off pics and vid i seen of it...but the car had 124000 miles, and had SOME cosmetic blemishes, and the 4 tires were rotted out....however it came with a full header back exhaust, lid, and c6zo6 wheels. guess i got kinda lucky because he was a college kid just lookin for some cash and originally wanted 7500, so im sure the 5500 cash i waved in his face was pretty E nti Cing! lol
 

daturbosix

HNIC @ GoodFellas Garage
TCG Sponsor
Mar 2, 2008
16,372
15,222
Aurora
Real Name
Jeff
theyre out there cheap for sure. just gotta find them.
my 01 formula has 65k miles on it. i daily drive it. i plan on a big rowdy cam, converter, full suspension, and a boat load of spray.

i still should be under the 10g mark.

ill just make sure i stock up on some extra ls junk yard engines! lol
 

ldyzluvdis06

Supercharged C5
Sep 30, 2008
6,349
1,896
Jacksonville, IL
Real Name
Danny
Work a deal with NITEMARE for his? :dunno:

i wont be ready to buy for 2-3months yet...granted it has been for sale forever though. but on top of that i don't want to buy something that i have to fix before i enjoy. obviously i will probably break something at some point with any car i buy, but that's different then buying something to instantly have to repair
 
Old Thread: Hello . There have been no replies in this thread for 90 days.
Content in this thread may no longer be relevant. Consider starting a new thread to get fresh replies.

Thread Info