I finally got to test drive it!

[-cy-]

Alright, i got out to an area with a lot of dealerships, and i saw a nice DEEP purple trans am. I went to check into it further and it was what i needed to see, of course the V8 and it had the 6 speed manual (i hadn't had chance to drive a manual f-body yet, and i needed to if i wanted to decide on the f-body). It was a '98, leather, t-top, monsoon stereo option, power everything, 38k miles, $16k, and nice I drove it very conservatively, i kept the RPMS below 3.5k, and i felt tons of power, i love it. The actual ride of the car was GREAT, my only complaint is the turn signal lever thing, it had a very cheap feel to it, but for a car like that i can withstand that small imperfectiong. Although i love the trans am, I will most likely be getting a '95-'97 Camaro Z28, black with (hopefully) black leather) and the 6 speed.

[Blackbird01]

kept it under 3500 rpms?
shit, then you didn't even BEGIN to feel the power.
LS1's don't really start to get up and MOVE till after 4k...
You should get an auto if you plan to drag race...
It'll save ya money in the long run too!

[-cy-]

I don't plan to drag, the only racing it MIGHT do is just screwing around on empty streets (i almost never do that b/c i know how dumb it is). The thing is i am finding out the LS1 is going to be out of my range, so the LT1 is gonna be my engine, luckily that will do just fine.

And on test drives i almost feel guilty if i drive fast or to higher RPMs. What amazed me was when i was at like 2300 rpms up hill, gave it a little more gas and felt it just power up the hill. I am used to my mom's solara that downshifts way too often and its power band (if you wanna call it that, lol) is near red line. The trans am had more power at lower end uphill than the solara on flat in its power band...


What makes me happier is that my parents no longer oppose the car, they only warn me that its gonna be a pain to feed the beast with gas. Luckily i have no other expenses except going out, so i can afford it. WEEEE i can't wait, my first car

[Blackbird01]

Gas isn't too bad.
Even my car will average about 25mpg on the highway.

With a 6 speed, you should get even better.

[-cy-]

Ya, especially since i drive very conservatively most of the time, i shift at low RPMs in any manual that i drive so i am not wasteing gas. Of course there will be times where i go up to red line and vrrooom.

[LiuBei]

Hell do some looking around, you can probably get an LS1 Camaro or Firebird for around 15k. Trust me, the worst mistake you can make when buying a car is not shopping around for the best car with the best deal. One of the only really bad things I found with my T/A is its high depreciation.

[Pikachoo]

Hey BLACKBIRD01,
How does an auto save $$ in the long run?? I always thought that auto's were more expensive, and used more gas?

[-cy-]

The thing is i don't really have $15k to spend, more around 11k. I have searched through autotrader for within 75 miles of me, for all prices, for each individual year, and cheacked the kelly blue book values on many years, milages, ect. I have a good idea of what is a good deal. That trans am was a good deal, unfortunatly i can't afford the 16k.

[Blackbird01]

If he plans to mod the car it will save money.
They are cheaper to make fast.

Not only that, but he won't go thru clutches like water.

[-cy-]

Here is the thing: i don't plan on needing to make it much faster, i am not gonna drag b/c it will be expesive and dangerous (especially if i get ticketed as 16/17 year old). I enjoy driving a manual, and luckily i never have to drive in stop and go traffic for hours. Getting a manual IS what i am going to do, i am set on that part.

Now here is the dilemma: I can go TOPS 14k with tax and lisencing, and i would really like to go with a '98 Z28, formula, or trans am. The trans am looks great and has a lot of the little extras stock that i want, but may be hard to get. With the Z28 or formula, i would probably not be able to get leather and all, but it will be cheaper and easier to find.

[Blackbird01]

Try to find a used '98 Formula or Z28.
They can be found relatively cheap.

Check out the "Classifieds" section on both LS1.com and LS1Tech.com

People are frequently sellin' their cars on there.

[-cy-]

Well, what i am going to do is go through my mom's credit union. Basically they have this car expert go to these car auctions (cars that are just comming out of lease, rentals, normal people's used cars, ect.) and he takes a list of what car, year, milage, condition, and add-ons you want and if he finds it in your price range he buys it, and brings it down near me. After that i can take a look over the car and all before i actually buy it. What becomes the problem is do i wanna put in an order for a '98 Trans Am (has the extra i want like leather, nice stereo, t-tops, ect) and wait maybe a while before he find one, or just see if he can get a '98 Z28 or formula with an extra or 2 i want. I LOVE how the trans ams look, the Z28's seem to have taken a more mainstreem shape which i can't say i love or hate, and the firebird looks good. I gotta look at some more pictures of cars and decide what i want.

How much better is the LS1 as compared to the LT1 on gas, reliability, cost of maintnance and repairs? Is it really worth the extra cash to get a '98 with the LS1?

[Blackbird01]

LS1 is MUCH better in terms of performance.
In terms of reliabilty, it's also going to be a bit better.
No need to worry about the Opti-Spark and crap.
Plus, the fact that the LS1's are newer helps too.

You CAN get a Formula with T-Tops, Leather, etc. etc.
There are hardly any features on the T/A that you CAN'T get on the Formula (if any) it's just that T/A's come STANDARD with more.

[-cy-]

Update: I went into the same dealer with the T/A today to make the offer of $15k out the door, in person (they needed to get rid of the car as it was getting near the end of the month for it). So i get there, and don't see the car. I ask a salesman if it was moved or sold, he checked the computer and said it was sold. Not only sold, but sold that morning, and at $13.2 with no tax and lisencing, which is on par with the offer i made of 15k out the door...3 DAYS AGO! Well anyways, i and my parents are angry for their bad business practice, they had my number but didn't call back as they said they would if they wanted to talk with my offer. ANYWAYS, we find a '98 firebird with 46k or so miles, black leather, t-tops, 6 speed, premium sound and CD, power driver seat, power windows and locks, and all that good stuff. My parents basically said we are go on it (loan has been approved, we found out what the insurance will be and its not much at all). So tomorrow i'll find out if it is meant to be....

[-cy-]

Well, it was meant to be, and now its in my driveway. I feel weird when i say "my car"...Anyways, i still suck at driving a manual, so i need some work. The thing that confuses me (well, not confuses me but makes it more complex) is the "skip shift" feature. I read the manual and it said it was to save gas, so when the light goes on you can only go from 1st to 4th gear, and like 3rd to 6th. It is hard b/c that light is behind the steering wheel, but i am getting a feel for when it turns on and i am avoiding it. I'm able to drive around, but i avoid stop lights with steep hills as i SUCK as starting on hills (i can on my friends truck b/c i've driven it more). Also, i found if i was in 3rd, and slow down, i will put the clutch in and keep slowing down, then right before i stop i go to put it in 1st (not even let the clutch out) and it grinds. Do i always have to go down the gears (no letting the clutch out, just go through it), if not in what circumstances can i? I never ground the gears before, and i've done it like 3 times and i am scared every time i shift, i just hope to god it doesn't grind...maybe i need some confidence.