1987 Camaro HELP

[BRIAN10197]

Well, My dad did a job for a friend and his friend couldnt pay him in cash so he gave him a 1987 Camaro V.6 2.8

And now he is giving it to me as my first car.
Its a stick shift but I plan on learning how to drive it this summer im going to be very dedicated towards it.

My big question is..

The car has 500,000 miles on it. It needs 4 new tires, New spark plug, New battery? ( Dont know if it needs a battery, We jump started it it turned on fine the engine started smoking mildly and the RPM WAS AT 7! We waited for it to go down but it wouldnt) Then we turned it off, And attempted to turn the car on without the jumpstart IT WOULDNT TURN ON so i think it needs a new battery. Its going to need a drain on the old gas the car has been sitting on his driveway for a VERY long time.

Their are MINOR scratches

POSITIVES
Old owner installed an AC system
Aswell as a sound system, Speakers in the front and back of the car aswell as in the trunk i found that pretty sexy! since the trunk window is BIG so you can see the speakers right in the middle its kool

New leather White and black seats, all i can say he payed about a good 800$ for that, Not to mention the A.c + Sound system


So im wondering.

Do you guys think i should keep the car and work on it? Or put a downpayment on a new car

The camaro is FULLY payed off, it just needs work.

[MagicRat]

That car is not worth much money but its a GREAT first car, because:

1. It looks cool and sporty, especially with the 5 spd, but the 2.8 is not fast enough to get you into trouble. Believe me, a combination of big power and inexperience usually leads to trouble.

2. I am sure you have better uses for your money than new car payments.

3. This is a mechanically straightforward and fairly simple car, and excellent way to learn about auto mechanics.

4. Good on gas, parts and service is cheap, and insurance is cheap.

It will need lots of details. If its been sitting that long take a good look at the brakes. Even if the pads and shoes are good, the brakes may still need some servicing.

[BRIAN10197]

Originally Posted by MagicRat

That car is not worth much money but its a GREAT first car, because:

1. It looks cool and sporty, especially with the 5 spd, but the 2.8 is not fast enough to get you into trouble. Believe me, a combination of big power and inexperience usually leads to trouble.

2. I am sure you have better uses for your money than new car payments.

3. This is a mechanically straightforward and fairly simple car, and excellent way to learn about auto mechanics.

4. Good on gas, parts and service is cheap, and insurance is cheap.

It will need lots of details. If its been sitting that long take a good look at the brakes. Even if the pads and shoes are good, the brakes may still need some servicing.

Thanks!

But was hoping someone would awsner something about the 500,000 miles on the car part and the RPM being at 7 and the engine smoking

I was told, The sensors could be wrong, And for the smoke the old gas is causing that, was hoping for a verification or sumthing but thanks!

How much do you think it would be to fix? and maintain?

[MagicRat]

When you say the RPM was at 7, do you mean 7000?

Excessively high rpm in a fuel-injected car points to a big vacuum leak somewhere. Check all the vacuum lines around the engine. Some may have come off their fittings and/or are cracked and need replacing. Or your throttle is stuck open. Check the throttle blade to see if its closing all the way. The gas pedal cable may be sticky or the return spring is broken.

Engine smoking..... do you mean smoke out the tailpipe (which may mean burning oil or coolant, depending on the color), or the engine itself smoking (which may be something as simple as oil/debris on the exhaust manifold).

As for the mileage.... 500k is a lot but it all depends on the condition. A rust-free, well maintained car at 500 k is better then a rusty, neglected car at 100k.

[BRIAN10197]

Its 7 rpm not 7000

How do i get rid of the white smoke tho?

[oldblu65]

I have to agree with MagicRat as to it being 7,000 rpm's as the tach isn't calibrated down to 7 rpm's and the engine won't run that slow ! Probably the tach face shows single digits meant to represent that specific number x 1,000 ! Is it also possible that the 500,000 miles is also wrong ? That is a very high number , not impossible to reach but at the same time not probable ? Could it be 50,000.00 miles and possibly be more like 150,000 miles as the speedo probably has turned over at least once ?