Talk me out of getting a Trans Am...

[exdeath]

Call insurance to verify, but they should tell you that you are covered for 30 days and you can just go get it without having to do anything.

Plates just get a 3 day for moving. Take all documentation with you including insurance card.

 

[96Firebird]

Right now I am under my parent's insurance, once I get this car I will be on my own. So I may as well get the insurance before going down, since I'll need it anyways.

 

[KentState]

Have you considered an LS2 GTO? Might be able to find one in the price range and it's a better built car.

 

[KentState]

Even the LS1 isn't that great. It only puts out 50 more horsepower than a new Camaro or Mustang's V6.

50 more HP and 100 more ft/tq. How many "modern" high revving V6 or V8 motors with over 400hp have as much torque as an LS1?

 

[exdeath]

50 more HP and 100 more ft/tq. How many "modern" high revving V6 or V8 motors with over 400hp have as much torque as an LS1?

Coyote 5.0 and other LSx motors, that's about it :awe:

 

[Gillbot]

over 300#/ft from 2600 through redline.....

 

[96Firebird]

Got insurance set up through Geico, $400 for 6 months. Not bad, since Allstate quoted me $800 for 6 months. My old roommate, who is an insurance agent for Travelers, quoted me $2200 for the year. He said take the Geico haha. They may not be the best company to deal with, but I'm not paying twice the money to go with Allstate.

Talk to the seller, he may be willing to leave his plates/registration on while I drive the car home and let me mail them back to him. I'm hoping he does, so I don't have to worry about in-transit registration. Gonna have to get the CEL for the missing O2 sensors taken care of, although does anyone know the policy on registering a car from a different state in NYS? Do I need NYS inspection before I can register it? They DMV website is horrible, I think I'll just call tomorrow on my lunch break.

 

[Gillbot]

You'll likely need to get those O2's fixed so it can pass inspection, otherwise you can check with your DMV about registration.

 

[96Firebird]

Yeah, I stopped by New Era Performance on my way home from work today and talked with one of the guys there that worked there when I worked there. He said it shouldn't be a problem, and another guy said he had something that would take care of it. Mike (the owner) is away in Dubai and will be back Friday, so I'm going to call then to see if he has any input. While I was there I saw some toys being worked on, including a newer GTO getting an LSX block. :thumbsup:

 

[Viperoni]

You can easily get C4 vette with LT1 for that money.
Depends on what you want to do.

 

[sdifox]

so I guess we are no longer talking you out of a Trans Am?

 

[96Firebird]

so I guess we are no longer talking you out of a Trans Am?

Well, to be honest, you guys didn't put up much of an effort.

Here are some more pictures that I figured I'd post, he sent me some of the underside and close ups of the interior too. The previous owner (before the guy I am buying it from) said there is nothing wrong with the car, and if he had the finances he would buy it back. He said the only gripe he had with it was the sagging door, which the current owner fixed. The guy I'm buying it from also sent me a lot of pictures of how the paint matches after getting rid of the ghost flames, and it looks good. Can't wait to get it home...

The only blemish he claims is on the car...

 

[Ferzerp]

50 more HP and 100 more ft/tq. How many "modern" high revving V6 or V8 motors with over 400hp have as much torque as an LS1?

pretty much all of them?

 

[exdeath]

pretty much all of them?

 

[Squisher]

In retrospect the only thing I don't like about my '02 Z28 is the turn signal lever. Not that it has ever failed to do its job, but using it feels like I'm bending a chicken wing until it breaks. Every time I use it I laugh because that analogy was made by another poster here years ago and it's so true, but if that's all I've got to complain about I consider myself pretty lucky to have owned this car.

 

[jlee]

In retrospect the only thing I don't like about my '02 Z28 is the turn signal lever. Not that it has ever failed to do its job, but using it feels like I'm bending a chicken wing until it breaks. Every time I use it I laugh because that analogy was made by another poster here years ago and it's so true, but if that's all I've got to complain about I consider myself pretty lucky to have owned this car.

The one in my MR2 is starting to get like that...wonder if a new one would fix it. Has yours become worse over time, or has it always been like that?

 

[Ferzerp]

Compared to the current analagous engines from the domestic makers?

You have the LS3, the current 5.0, and the 392. These have 430ish, 390ish, and 470ish lbs*ft, respectively. The LS1 was 370ish?


Maybe he was comparing it modded, or different types of engines. I do see "high revving", so maybe he's saying "compared to engines designed for HP, and not tq, the LS1 has more tq?"

 

[Squisher]

The one in my MR2 is starting to get like that...wonder if a new one would fix it. Has yours become worse over time, or has it always been like that?

Always been like that. I'll bet there's an aftermarket fix, but taking apart a steering column just seems like a lot of work. I've done them before, but that was before they hung so much stuff on the steering wheel.

 

[exdeath]

Compared to the current analagous engines from the domestic makers?

You have the LS3, the current 5.0, and the 392. These have 430ish, 390ish, and 470ish lbs*ft, respectively. The LS1 was 370ish?


Maybe he was comparing it modded, or different types of engines. I do see "high revving", so maybe he's saying "compared to engines designed for HP, and not tq, the LS1 has more tq?"

Not including ancestors of itself (LS3 == LS1) that's two whole engines, both domestic, and one of them a "limited" trim (392), and a decade later.

 

[Ferzerp]

I was really only thinking domestics since the european and asian engine design philosophies are so different.

I'd not really call the 392 a limited trim engine, but even if you bump it down to the 5.7L, that's 370-400 lbs*ft depending upon the vehicle they put it in.

What engines would you compare it to?

 

[exdeath]

I was really only thinking domestics since the european and asian engine design philosophies are so different.

I'd not really call the 392 a limited trim engine, but even if you bump it down to the 5.7L, that's 370-400 lbs*ft depending upon the vehicle they put it in.

What engines would you compare it to?

There aren't very many, that was the point.

 

[IcePickFreak]

Wow, never knew they made the 4th gen TA interior that color, or any other color than the black/charcoal.

 

[Ferzerp]

There aren't very many, that was the point.

I can see that, but I guess my point is that the engines of the same class/style (high-ish displacement V8s, reasonably low cost) are all more capable than that engine. I mean, we should expect that a decade later though. I guess you were probably comparing to the European and Asian engines? If we look at the big 3 though, each has a similar philosophy engine that is much more capable (including the decendent of that engine on the GM side).

 

[Gillbot]

The guy I'm buying it from also sent me a lot of pictures of how the paint matches after getting rid of the ghost flames, and it looks good.

Be sure to stand back from it and look at a distance. When they redid the pain on my hood you can tell the difference from a distance but up close you can't. It has to do with how a body shop adds the flake vs. how it's done at the factory. It annoys the hell out of me but most people don't realize it until I point it out to them.

 

[96Firebird]

Wow, never knew they made the 4th gen TA interior that color, or any other color than the black/charcoal.

It wasn't a popular color, just like SOM isn't a popular color either. Who knows, one day this car might be a rare collectors item. :biggrin: Last year WS6 with SOM exterior and beige/black interior. ()

I will definitely be checking the car over top to bottom. Bringing a scanner with me to make sure the codes are only for the O2 sensor, and any other emissions issue that can be taken care of at New Era. Otherwise, it looks like this car will be in my driveway next weekend. :thumbsup:

Oh, and I found this thread when researching to make sure the guy was legit. They seem to like the car, so that gives me more hope that it is a decent car.

http://www.wvmotorsports.com/threads/25782-2002-Trans-Am-WS-6-Sunset-Orange-6-Speed

Also, does anyone know a good place to get tires, besides TireRack? Or are they still the best?