New LS1 Owners - Newbie Tech - When is a trans am becoming high mileage? (in your opinion)

I drive a 1994 firebird with 216K miles. When I first bought the car I planned on driving it till it died and getting a new car. The longer I drove it and the more I looked at all of your cars, I became hell bent on a 98+ Trans Am. I have been looking around and was planning on spending 10-12K, but I was just asking from actual owners what is considered high mileage, or are there any certain concerns I should have?
Thanks for the time and advice!!!!

In MY opinion, i would say "high" mileage would be 200K and OVER. The main things i would worry about are oil leaks from worn seals, and of course if its any auto tranny..was it ever rebuilt? If not, you can bet the clutch packs are getting worn out. If its a 6 speed..the sycros will eventually wear out after time. Other than that, just your normal wear items, a/c, alternator, starter, sensors getting older, wiring going through more heats cycles=more brittle insulation, etc, etc. "A car just gets older the older it gets":drive:

u should be able to get a pretty low milage TA for 12k.... so I wouldnt worry about high milage. I bought mine from a dealer with 39k miles in June 08 for 13.5k

I know T/A's usually have higher values than Camaro's... but I just picked up my 00 Z28 for under 8k with 69k miles on it... so good deals are definitely out there, you just have to be patient.

I know T/A's usually have higher values than Camaro's... but I just picked up my 00 Z28 for under 8k with 69k miles on it... so good deals are definitely out there, you just have to be patient.

That's a good deal IMO. I looked for 3 months and finally picked up my 98 T/A with 49k for $10,250 (3 years ago). I paid a little more cause I really wanted a SOM car.

I paid $8,500 for my 02 WS6 with 80k...the owner had a 2010 Camaro SS being delivered and needed garage space...envy...lol

I paid $8,500 for my 02 WS6 with 80k...the owner had a 2010 Camaro SS being delivered and needed garage space...envy...lol

Not bad at all!!!!!!!

iv seen people swopping out cams on a 200,000 mile ls1.... so i wouldnt worry about high miles if it was ''stock-ish'' and has been taking care of imo

iv seen people swopping out cams on a 200,000 mile ls1.... so i wouldnt worry about high miles if it was ''stock-ish'' and has been taking care of imo

I've also seen alot of people doing cam swaps at over 100K. An if you have a problem with the engine just build it to be bigger and badder. lol:twisted:

175k plus IMO but from your budget you can find a real nice car with a good deal of mods on this site that's the way I would go if I did it again...

I've also seen alot of people doing cam swaps at over 100K. An if you have a problem with the engine just build it to be bigger and badder. lol:twisted:

yea my car has 120,000 almost and it runs great....im about to swap a cam to....getting a custom cam this time!

I really wanted a SOM car.

What's a SOM car?

What's a SOM car?

sunset orange metallic

http://tinypic.com/1zyo0o


And don't worry about mileage with these cars. I just rolled 98k last Sunday and the car still runs like a champ with nothing but new plugs and wires! I do plan on doing some maintenance at 100k just to be safe though, like changing all the fluids and getting a tune.

I guess I have low standards. I would consider anything over 100k miles high mileage on any car. That's just the number that sounds right in my head.

I paid $10,500 for my T/A w/ 35k miles on it in Feb. '08. I've looked at prices online for 3 years. The months of January to April seem to offer the best deals and most selection.

I also believe high mileage is generally over 100k. It isn't so much the engine life but all the 'other' repairs that tend to creep up if the car wasn't maintained properly. On the other hand I would jump all over a 75,000 mile car with a documented maintenance history, one or two owners and kept mostly stock. I would completely pass on a 35,000 mile car that is heavily modded with no maintenance history or multiple owners. Each and every Trans Am has it's own life history. Truly do your homework on each car and don't assume that something was done. A documented maintenance history will really save you from buying a 'money pit' which will sour you on your purchase in no time at all. Good luck with your search and don't be afraid to travel to find what you want!

Thanks!!!!!!

I'm at 100k and still going strong. In the 20k miles I've owned the car I've only ever NEEDED to replace 2 things. Thermostat and intake manifold gaskets. $100 total and never had anything else break on me. I had a brake pad fail once but that was just due to a faulty replacement product, not the mileage. I did a bit of a "tune up" by doing boltons, a tune, and basically full suspension. Runs extremely well, no odd noises or squeaks/creaks to speak of.

Only thing I'm worried about is the transmission. The fluid is still pink and fresh but 100k miles on the car, no torque management, and 355 ft/lbs of torque when it's only rated to 360 (with torque management mind you) I'm sure it's not going to last forever. When it goes I'll rebuild it and throw in a mild stall. Beyond that, no worries whatsoever. If the fuel pump or water pump goes whatever. Takes a few hours to replace, no biggie. Nothing wrong with high mileage cars.

Mileage doesnt mean anything. my 98 ls1 m6 has 183000 miles on it. It runs, rides, and awesome, you would NEVeR know how man miles it had. people are in shock when I ask them how many miles do you think are on this, they guess anywhere from 30,000 to 65,000 miles. Think about it..I would rather have a car that has 150,000 miles that has been highway driven runnning at 2K rpm and then a 75,000 mile car thats been redlined in everygear going from constant stop light to stop light.

Good point. I finally blew a head gasket at OVER 216K, so im not complaining.

I paid $8,500 for my 02 WS6 with 80k...the owner had a 2010 Camaro SS being delivered and needed garage space...envy...lol


Holy crap! That's more than a deal. You ripped the guy off unless the car had issues. Private resale is still around 15 grand for that car last I checked.