I'm going to check out a 94 Z28 automatic tomorrow. I'd like to know what are the main things I should look for while I do the inspection and the test drive.

Thanks

Wish I could help but I have no clue, give us some info on milage and color and such.

check all the common stuff. check the oil levels. look around the oil pan for leaks, look at the tranny pan and tail shaft. most likely the tail will be a little wet but it depends on mileage thats pretty common. try to take a peak under the dash if you can to see if there is a wiring mess or if everything seems pretty neat. when you drive it try to hit as many bumps as you can to check for rattles and stuff like that

theres really nothing in particular to check for. its a used car so just go through the paces and check what you would normally check on any other car. The common things that might give you trouble would be the intake leaking but it may be hard for you to tell since half the engine is under the damn dash. Also the OPTI on that year is an unvented one and they tend to go bad but its nothing you can check. Whenthey go, they go. Make sure the car has decent oil pressure. Look inside the rear wheelwells and look for chunks of rubber stuck to the panels. Tell tail sign of REKLESS driving
Look good on the floor inside the car to see if there has ben a sign of water leaking in thogh ether the ttops or the rear hatch. Look under the car to see if it has any severe damage from speed bumps or anything. Check the fluids, etc. let usknow the details. Post pics if possible.

Took it for a test drive today and motor seemed to have power and he showed me some receipts for an engine swap 10k miles ago. Tranny shifted fine through all the gears, but it I think it needs all four shocks replaced. Everytime I went over a bump all I could hear was the whole car rattling. The inside needed some cosmetics like dash where the vent is located has a big hole, no more vent, needs new rear view mirror, all wires for radio were cut. If it wasn't for all the rattling I probably would've bought it but that drove me away. Tomorrow I'll be looking at a 96 Mustang GT auto and this time i'm taking a professional with me to check it out.

"Tomorrow I'll be looking at a 96 Mustang GT auto "

agreed. stick to the good boys. LS1 power ftw.

not sure on your budget or your personal preference but take your time and find the right Fbody that makes you happy.

I like both cars and i've had a 97 30th anniv. Z28 white with oranges stripes. I've been looking for the past week and kinda need a car by monday. I've been told that the 96-98 are the slowest and with the auto tranny makes them even more of a dog but I'm not planning on racing around the city or even making it to NH dragway. All in all I like them both and I'm trying to find one in the $3k range or lower.

the joys of owning an fbody! lol the sooner you accept it the better

oh an LS1 ftw

just saw this.

96-98 those year ranges have 2 different motors...96 and 97 have the LT1 98 was the first year of the LS1, and in terms of the ls1, the 98s were EH, they fixed quite a bit in the following years on the motors

i drive an auto, doesnt really make it a "dog" althought in those year ranges, not sure about the 96 and 97 but im almost positive the 98 autos came with 2:73s, and the M6s came with (01-02 i know for sure) came with 3.43s so i would plan a gear swap if you go auto but otherwise not bad. alot less damage on the already pretty weak 10 bolt as the car picks up power vs the m6

The 96-98 was referring to the mustang.

Well the mustang was in worse shape that the camaro. Rear end leaking and rear rotting away, leaking tranny fluid from a hose next to the radiator, different seats. It wasn't worth buying because it would cost more to fix it.

Nelson (stangman) came with me to check it out and gave me advice not to buy it.

nelson would definitely know!!!!

Im pretty sure Nelson is in the guiness book of world records for most mustangs owned in a single year

make sure you beat the snot out of it on the test drive, trust me, i have a 1994 trans am, same motor, same tranny...when you get in high rpms if it pops or backfires or boggs, dont let them tell you it just needs a tune up, because it doesnt, it needs an opti spark which will run you 500 for the part and 500 for labor...also if you ever hit rev limiter with the pedal to the floor, the tranny is going...and i just had mine rebuilt and it shifts real firm, so you will be able to tell if the tranny is good or not, youll definatly feel it shift nice and firm....also, if you do end up getting it, DO NOT hit any puddles, because that optispark will be toast and youll barely be able to get it home.....besides 3 optisparks, 2 water pumps (which caused 2 of my 3 optisparks to shit out because the water pump is right above the optispark so the coolant leaks into it, and the 1st was a puddle), and my 1 tranny rebuild, its been a great car loll...good luck, keep me posted on how that goes

the lt1 cars are actually real easy to check on, ive had more go wrong with mine than you can imagine lol, so i know the major defects between reading on it and actually having it happen...optispark you can check by beating the car, when its first starting to go, high RPMs itll backfire and die out...water pumps go bad all the time so make sure it isnt dripping out of the bottom vent on the pump, mine leaked from there both times, and the rest i already explained right before this actually lol...oh btw, oil pressure gauges are very unaccurate on those