1998 Camaro, any issues I should know about?

[andrew N.]

I may be looking at buying a 98 Camaro, 3.8, 5-speed. Over 100k miles.

Are there any issues specific to this year that I should be aware of? I had a 95 3.4 for a looong time and knew a ton about that vehicle....

Just checking b/c I bought a 99 lightning about a year ago that never had a recall done 4 or 5 years ago that I'm going to have to drop around a thousand dollars to fix. The recall expired in 2002.

[geocor]

Believe me in '98 a lot of fuel pressure vacuum regulators went out rapidly .I changed mine at 36k & the dealers mechinics said watch for it again in that 35-50k range. There was a special warranty on the wires that said they could become defective prematurely.Cats have a tendancy to rattle & need replacing in your milage range.Electrical gremlins have been reported by some.

All said it seems to have pretty good engine & a sturdy trans & rear gear.A lot of members here have some heavy duty miles on theirs, & most have had just wear & tear items changed other than what I mentioned.Hope some others ring in if they don't believe I'm correct with the issues.
IMO I'd change all fluids ie. trans ,gear,coolant, oil(10 w30),brake fluid &even p/s fluid.Then if the wires & plugs were not changed ,them too...

[Need4Camaro]

Also for Auto's in your year all the way till early 2000, watch for the dreaded P1870 Code... If it's not taken care of QUICKLY it costs you a transmission rebiuld. Basically you have to get a Sonnax Valve Kit for the Tourque Convert or Trans I forgot which... I just knew I went through it TWICE with TWO Camaro's and it's NOT fun...

[terminaldegree]

forget about the p1870 if you're looking for a M5 car.
Honestly, the condition and maint history of any specific car you're looking at is more important. It's damn near impossible to find one that hasn't been thrashed, wrecked, or badly modified.

I actually ended up getting one that was water damaged, but was able to determine how high the water was in the car [not high at all]. The only premature failures I've had was the cat and 2 ignition coils. Good thing the car had no power options on it.

Oh yeah, that's the one thing you can check: do the power windows work well.... sore spot for a lot of people here.