Ad in todays paper, need some input:

[Canuck5056]

Ok, here's the ad as it appears:

1987 IROC Z28, 355hp, ZZ4 crate engine, Holley 750cfm, K&N air filter, port and polish heads, T56 standard 6 transmission and much more. Very clean and low kms, $6500. Matt at (phone numer).

What do you guys think? The only one of those ad ons I've ever even heard of is the air filter, I have no idea what the others do, nor what a ZZ4 crate engine is. Little help telling me what this car has would be great, also how good is the price, etc.

[Genopsyde]

ZZ4 is a crate motor from GM Performance parts, haven't heard anything bad about it, Holley is the most popular carb company around, port and polished heads means they've been re-worked for better air-flow and performance, T56 is the 6-speed manual tranny. If i had the money, i'd buy it in an instant.

[KaotiKCamaro5]

the ZZ4 is a sweet motor. it produces 355hp straight out of the factory.. which is always a good start. the Holley750ctm would be the carb, and the T56 is the 6 speed transmission

the price seems kindof high to me.. the exterior would need to be in good shape.. its not worth it in my opinion if you are gonna have to do all kindsof body work and paint..

[Canuck5056]

That's Canadian, by the way. So that's 5300 US. Plus I could bargain.

I'm guessing the ZZ4 is a gas-swallower.

[KaotiKCamaro5]

then i would go for it..

[Canuck5056]

I called the guys wife (he was out) and got some more info:

They don't know exactly how many KM's, but the motor was installed roughly 4-6 years ago, before they bought it. The interior and exterior are decent, and mechanically the things that have gone wrong are the things you'd expect from a high-performance car, just requires more regular tune-ups and maitanence. Most of the mods were profesionally done. It has a Clarion 6-disc changer, rims (she didn't know what kind).

I'll find out more later...

The only thing that concerns me about this car is whether or not it's going to be pricy to maintain. Plus the insurance on a souped of IROC is going to be through the roof. I also don't know if I can handle that much HP as my first car, heh.

[Canuck5056]

Forgot to mention the car hasn't been driven in a year because the seller's wife just gave birth and a Camaro isn't practical for 2 kids.

[KaotiKCamaro5]

yeah.. you dont see many soccer moms driving Camaros... mainly the moms that hang out at the bar.. or work at the local strip club..

[Canuck5056]

Ok the actual owner called back and even though the car sounds and appears (he sent over a couple pictures) to be in great shape, I'm not sure if it's the right car for me. He's literally done a TON of stuff to this car, here's what I was able to frantically type down while he was listing it off:

BM Shifter,custom crossmember, clutch replaced-new only year old-replaced rear axles, rear bearings, full energy suspension,poly eurothane something, excel coil, cap, rotor wires, hooker, headers, replaced water pump, pro gaskets, 3.23 posi rear end
It's got 16 inch IROC rims, power everything.

I hadn't actually heard of some of these things and I was rushed so spelling might be off.

The PROBLEM is that he said this car needs someone who knows what they're doing, to tighten bolts, headers, etc. on a fairly daily basis, and I'm not that guy. I want to learn more about cars, but I don't know that much right now, and I'm really not set up to handle tinkering with an engine daily.

Is this a skill (maintaining this car) that would be somewhat fast and simple to acquire, or do I have to have extensive know-how going into this?

BTW, if anyone wants to view the pictures he sent me, I can send them to you, it'd help me out a lot if someone with more knowledge took a look at them (hes got one side view and two engine pictures.)

Also, he said he gets about 300-350 KM per gastank (about 40 bucks to fill). Is that good/bad? I really have no idea, this WILL be my first car.

[DaMoNe6969]

hmm.. sounds like whoever built this car really thought it out!
Price for the car is CHEAP! A regular 87 Iroc here in SK. very rarely goes for under $6000cdn.. They've probably got over $6000 invested in the car

Gas milage sounds pretty bad.. But what can you expect out of a performance car?

If you want to learn how to start doing your own mechanic work, then a 3rd gen camaro is definatly for you.. They are simple and straight forward to work on, although i havent had any experience with the ZZ4

but, IMO this car doesnt really sound like daily driver material, if thats what your looking for.. and probably will be time consuming..
Also, if your not even sure of the parts you've mentioned, its probably best you stick to something in a more stock form and learn from there!

either way you choose, the guys/gals on the forum can help you out with Anything you encounter

[Canuck5056]

I think what I really want to get is just a (more or less) stock V8 Camaro, maybe even just a 305. Only problem is the ones that are not babied (like this one) are driven hard, or lots, and this is the first Camaro I've seen with under 200 thousand clicks.

[MMonnier2302]

May not seem like the right car now, but in two years. That car is worth more than 6 grand. It worth at least 8. The crate engine alone retails for 4500. And thats just the engine. Well if you turn it down you'd be making a mistake. I'd buy it

[Canuck5056]

But I really would not know how to maintain it, at all.

[Canuck5056]

I forgot to mention, I asked the guy if he's ever tested it out and he said it runs, in good weather conditions, mid-high 13's.

On a non-related topic which I'm hoping you guys can help me with...I've been driving my sisters 91 Tercel lately, and the windows are messed up. I think it only happens when it's raining, but no matter what I do, the windshield fogs up to an extreme degree, very quickly. Every 20 seconds I have to leave forward and wipe it with a paper towel or I can't see. I've tried having the fan on, air conditioning, defrost on, and every combination of these 3 things, but nothing stops the windows from fogging. Is there a way to fix this, or is there any spray or something I can guy to prevent it? It's incredibly irritating.

[Canuck5056]

Huh. I was looking in the paper today, the same ad is in there, except now its for FIVE GRAND, Canadian! He's also added a "Must Sell!" so he obviously reeeeally needs to sell it. 5 grand Canadian is pretty much dead on 4 grand US, by the way.

Feck, I know this car is such a steal right now, but I really think it's just too much for me to handle with all the mods and such.