In this video, I review my 2002 Chevrolet Camaro z/28. I talk about the 4th Generation of the Camaro and go over some history of it. Watch to hear my thoughts on this American Icon.
Still have my 98 Z28 w rs package and t-tops. I bought it back in 2000 and have garage kept it and I'm just now at 54,000 miles on it. Paint still looks like new and I still take it to shows and drive down to the jersey shore with it occasionally. I wish I had more time to drive it and mod it more than I did, but marriage, house, and kid put the kabosh to that. I'm hoping to hand it down to my son though when he's old enough. Still own the car I drove in high school and it still drives perfect. Love my Camaro.
@@niceguyhector nice. Enjoy it. Definitely do your mods before you get older and distracted by other things in life. I was on the cusp of installing an APS twin turbo system on mine but sold it instead to help with a down payment for a house. Treat it right and it'll treat you right.
Just wanted to say that this was a really well thought out and executed review on the 4th gens!!! I just picked up a 5th gen LS with 33k miles and a 6 speed and I'm looking to keep some miles off it yet still have a Camaro to have some fun with on the daily. This video was exactly what I needed and now I'm for sure going for a 6 speed with the V8! Thanks so much brother keep doing your thing, this was definitely tight.
Got a 1996 z28 w/6 speed manual & owned +20 years, showroom condition & a beast - will never sell & have had lots of offers. absolute connection with the road with so much feed back, love it!. also have a 2016 C7 auto - diving it is like playing a video game... no where close as fast, but old camaro so much more fun.
We bought our Zee in 1998 and it has been an incredible daily driver. If you wanted a cruiser then go and buy one. This is a performance car. My wife (it's her car) bought this car for performance driving. She is now 82 yeas old in 2022, the back seats are UNCOMFORTABLE!!, the passenger seat is UNCOMFORTABLE! This is a DRIVERS CAR!!! WE LOVE THIS CAR!!! Ours is black with grey leather interior, and every option that you could order on a 1998 Z28 Camaro! And YES!! it has a 6-speed! We have a shit load of grandkids who have NEVER ridden in the back seat! Oh! Bye the way, her other car is a Z3 BMW. She is the "Grandma that everyone wished that they had!" THANK GOD!! FOR Z28s!!!!
About the so called "CONS" of these 1998-2002 Z28 Camaros. There are not a lot actually ... if you maintain them properly and regularly, they're all pretty much bulletproof, specially the 6-speed manual transmission ones. About the "DRIVABILITY" (Sorry ! this word doesn't belong to the dictionary :D ) ... there are a couple of things that can be easily upgraded : 1st _ Original tire size _ If you're looking for good 245/50 R16 tires, you're not going to find them anymore, or just a couple of brands with pretty crappy and expensive tires. You need to go 17inch (or more) with the wheels, and you'll find plenty of high quality tires in size 245∕45 R17 (which is the equivalent of the original overall size with 16" wheels), like the Bridgestone Turanza T005 245∕45 R17 95W summer/rain tires. 2nd _ The rear end really needs a limited slip differential to get a "modern style" type of traction. If you're ready to invest a bit, then you'll find complete rear ends like the "Zumbrota RAA435-1932D-P Limited Slip Differential Drivetrain" with original "3.42:1"ratio that you can find at "summitracing.com". The only disadvantage I can see about ANY limited slip diff., is that, apart from oil change, it requires regular maintenance consisting in replacing the differential clutch plates when they start to wear out (and maybe the springs too). The open differentials (like the original ones on the Z28 Camaro) only need oil change. 3rd _ The suspensions can easily be upgraded to "modern standards", and you'll find tons of solutions of the highest standards of quality in the after market. Once again, it's an investment choice. 4th _ A Strut Bar will greatly improve your front end. Use any easy "one piece" Strut Bar for that upgrade, it's way better and way more solid/rigid than any strut bar consisting of multiple pieces, and installing a "one piece" Strut Bar is a 10mn easy job (4 bolts factory torqued 43Nm (32ft-lb)). 5th _ The brakes can be upgraded, although, I find the original ones powerful enough to handle most emergency situations quite well. In case you really feel like upgrading them, you'll have to pay a lot of attention to the rim size that you're going to use, and the offset problematic (original is ET55). I won't go deep into that subject, but quite some performance brakes require pretty big clearances to be installed. Of course, after making major upgrades around the front and rear ends (wheels, suspensions, etc), and in order to maximize the handling, you'll have to let a professional make an "alignment" of your car. When you've done with all this, you have a powerful fun car, with "modern drivability". Here's my 1999 Z28 before the upgrades (except the brakes which are replacements of original ones) : www.irista.com/gallery/5xtmyahqjkaa
Sick video bro. I got my 02 z28 t65 convertible with 99k on it January of 18 for 6k and I LOVE IT. rn I'm doing the H/C/I swap on it with all supporting mods should be tuned nxt month. Keeping it a street car so didn't go too crazy with it. Nvr getting rid of it. Second f body I've owned. First car was an 01 3.8 automatic convertible firebird. Still miss it
LT1 wasn’t hard to work on. I can change a water pump and optispark in an hour. Not made to handle well? These cars handle very well and with a few suspension mods can become a very potent corner carver.
Lol. I love that you defend them! That sir is called love! I've owned a 1994 z28 which was horrible to do a tune up because of the unnecessary work needed to remove the water pump for the plug wires, distributor cap and rotor. I also owned 2 '95 3.4l v6s a '98 WS6 TA and this 2002 z/28. The ignition coil system is much easier to do on the v6s and LS as they didn't require any unnecessary work. As far as handling none of them handled well at all! As you can see from my wide array of ownership with 5 4th gen Fbodies I have tested multiple different engines and none of them handled a corner worth beans... But what do you expect with suspension layout that was carried over from the 80s and the 3rd Gen Fbody.... They could drift a corner great however! Let me clarify in no way am I trying to trash these cars as I loved every single one of mine... Just from experience in owning multiple German cars and my Viper it's like night and day! Thanks for watching!!
I agree. I have a 96 LT1 in the UK. Not owned a LS so can't comment on the performance thing but the LT1 isn't that bad to run and maintain even if you do it your self. It's an old engine yes with smog stuff randomly bolted on yes. It's annoying they use water pump bolts to fix on other brackets. But once you've done it and figured out where things live things .. get easier. (Done water pump twice, once just gaskets). On z28 you can adjust all the suspension, I had a guy set mine up properly and she drives like new like a slot car. When I got her she was a dog, truck ruts she'd ride around in. Either way I think the 4th gens are great, lowish cost route to proper US muscle and so underrated in terms of style and performance. I love mine. Very quick, but quite happy pottering, rattling doors and turning eyes round English country roads! This looks like a lovely car, keep it ... mines all leather. tom
@@black5f I never knew you could adjust the suspension! I couldn't agree more. The 4th gen IMO is one of the best looking cars ever produced by GM! It must be a blast driving her out of the US!
@@tommyjeanstrue Cheers for the reply! Your car is very nice! All adjustable ... at 24 years old it depends if the bolts undo of course. Honestly, she's wonderful, no one here knows what she is! Spares are a little issue, sometimes you have to wait two weeks. Hoses, rubber bits all been done. 30 ani leather seats but not a 30 edition. But LSD door codes etc. She has just clocked round to 50k, wanted one for ten years and picked her up at 38k, had her 3 years now, but they were built for driving right? And what a drive, what a machine. I feel lucky to have found her. Fitted a CME last year... which is awesome. Tom
I drove a "94" for 17 years. LT1 is a great engine. I put some money in it but I loved it. I sold it last year. It had 341,000 miles on it. Leaked oil but never burned any. Great body style! Aerodynamic. Cut through the wind.
@@Ballen1182 Yeah..I look at them all the time. I'd have one already but I only have a 2-car garage. Not very many people know more about them than me. The first tranny went 300,000 miles!
Love the vid, however for spark plug wires you can just go in from underneath, honestly I got new shorti headers on my lt1 trans am and it makes spark plugs MUCH easier
Bean counters ruined the OEM suspension unless you opted for the 1le RPO code. Get some good 200TW tires (BFG Rival S 1.5 or Yokohama A052) and a suspension upgrade from Stranoparts and it'll be night and day different for the better. For anything other than repeated high speed stops, stock brakes are fine. The only cup holder I use is near the ash tray... the others don't hold cups well in my experience. My most recent mtc issues are a failed abs module, a code that says both of my airbags suddenly died (I question that diagnosis), and tilt pin mania.
Speed Razer Right on bro! I have owned my ‘01 SS since ‘03, and I have only 55k miles as of today. It usually just sits in the garage collecting dust, but I been saying I want to road trip it for years....so this past weekend, I finally got up the nerve, and drove her from VA to WV. These cars are starting come back and be appreciated, as you don’t see them that much anymore. Every where I park it, someone comments on the original paint and asks if it’s been repainted. Love 4th gen Fbody’s.
I have a 1998 z28 with the sport kit which has a sport suspension from the factory and owned for over 15 years. Duck billed spoiler and front splitter and it puts down a bit of down force when going fast. I put a set of long tube headers and cat back with a tune and it definitely has more torque down low to high now. Its ok in corners but not a vette, but I will put a watts link in the rear to calm it back end down a bit. I heard it makes a difference in the handling. I put bigger wheels on it with 275/40 zr 17s and it handles fairly well. This car will beat 85% of the cars out there and it was paid off 10 years ago. 147k on the motor now and still runs fine. Looks cool too. I get looks all the time and now its a classic. When the time comes it will get a built motor and even more power.
10:13 I spun mine out probably 2 or 3 times. Thankfully it didn't cause any wrecks. The last one just damaged the side of the front bumper because it hit some for sale signs that were going to be removed a day or two later. I got a new front bumper and now I'm waiting to install it
They are a handful for sure. I think it makes you respect their power after going beyond the limits. Sometimes it's the best way to learn unfortunately.
Actually these cars even in previous form were some of the best handling cars of their era. Many people mistakenly say what you did. What you were referring too is having too much power to use in a curve. Which lends itself to throttle control not actual handling. Still the aftermarket has so many upgrades to modernize these cars in various ways. Still nice video though
Thanks for the kind words. No I bought a Dodge viper and it felt like I had 2 of the same car. I made the decision to let the Camaro go and let someone else enjoy her as much as I did.
for the horsepower of the camaro and corvette, they used BHP for corvette rating and WHP for the camaro because they didnt want anyone catching on to it having the same engine for cheaper
Can you please tell me what stereo set up you're running, and why it looks like a double din when mine came stock with the old suburban 1.5 din stereo.
Hello, I actually installed a samsung Galaxy tab tablet as my radio which I go over in detail in this video. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-RiLjGuN1Uh8.html As far as the size of the opening it is an after market double din panel I purchased off of eBay.
@@tommyjeanstrue Yeah, BMR sells suspension but I wouldn't consider them premier resellers of quality products. Seriously, if you want better handling in a F-body, lookup Sam Stano.
Honestly you would be surprised how low maintenance these cars are. Over 13 years I changed the oil every 3000 miles and spark plugs every 50000 miles. In that time I had to replace the water pump and alternator. If you are good to it. It will be dead reliable to you. I did have to repair the rear end twice however as the 10 inch can't handle the torque the car has. Was mostly my fault for doing burn outs all the time though. I have a friend with 700whp on the stock rear, so its all how you drive. Good luck!
I also have a 2002 35th anniversary, sadly its one of the last 1000 made b4 the plant shut down.. So every time I work on it, I realize I will never work on a newer 4th gen camaro than what I have lol... kind of fucked up problem to have I guess. But anyway, I measured my car its 71" wide from rim to rim, the rubber makes it about 73" wide, that being said, they're WIDE cars.. However tall.. I know BMR and several other companies have full suspension and sub frame/rear end kits to really bring this things in... And the trick is to not run staggered tires, if you want to corner that is.. drag racing, well duh. I haven't had the balls to try it yet but I keep hearing 315's on all corners makes it a corvette killer in the turns.. not to mention its only a 3300lb car stock, so if you lose the extra crap there isn't much weight being thrown around really and I do believe the engine sits lower in these cars than the modern Camaro's. and the near perfect 51:49 weight distribution.. I'm just hinting it might be fun ; )
Lol. No more new unfortunately. Mine actually has a BMR subframe, BMR rear control arms, torque arm and panhard rod. It does have the staggered wheels though. 17s with 246 up front and 18s out back with 295s. The weight is distributed great though because of how far back the engine sits in the engine bay. Crazy to think it's not much heavier then the Corvette!
I have a bunch of BMR stuff on mine, including sub-frame connectors, trans tunnel brace, shock tower brace, relocated LCA, panhard bar, etc, and Eibach Pro kit, and run a staggered wheel set up. I have 18 x 9.5 with 275s in front, and 18 x 10.5 and 295,s in the rear. The car loves to corner. I think a square set up with the same size wheel is the best way for all out handling, but she is still a slot car in the curves with the stagggered combo. JMO.
It's an amazing first car. Mine was a 1995 Camaro with the 3.4l v6 and I loved it enough to own a total of 5 other fbodies with different engines. I think the exterior styling has held up great through the years. The interior is a different story... Bare bones and carried over from the 90s.
Ehhh idk man I got stock suspension on my 93 z28 and that mf handles corners pretty well actually thinking about setting it up for some corners or drifting it really no point of having it set up for corners when I got a Honda I'm already building for that but she can definitely take corners turn it feels nice not bad at all
I've been watching this car on Craig's list for a LOOOONG time.... You have a few ads for it, with different prices. Are you entertaining offers at al?
Lol. As the title says I have owned it for more than 13 years. I've owned 5 different f bodies in my day. A 1994 z28, 2 1995 v6s, a 1998 ws6 TA and this 2002 z28. I would say I have more experience in a Camaro then most. Obviously I love the fbody or I wouldn't have owned so many. Because I love it I am not afraid to point out both it's strengths and weaknesses and not expect more from the car then what it can offer. Maybe you've never driven a good handling car? A BMW 3 series or Audi a4 handles like a precise knife where as a 4th gen is more like a blunt axe. It can still cut but it won't be as clean. Again, not knocking the car I just know there are better vehicles for turning. A 4th gen is a monster for what it was made for. Going straight.
They’re really not muscle cars. They followed the pony car segment pioneered by the Ford Mustang. Also with a little work they can handle quite well, you just have to know what you’re doing and what changes to make. Look to Detroit Speed as a reference.
Pony cars are 100% muscle cars. Each of the big 3 American car manufacturers created the niche based off the success of other muscle cars doing so well in the 60s, the peak of the muscle car timeline. The mustang was first, then the Camaro and last the challenger. Each with big torque high horsepower engines in the front and rear wheel drive... The same drivetrains shared with every single other "muscle car". Not sure how anyone could argue otherwise, especially with modern muscle only being these 3 outside of the charger from Dodge still in existence. Hell I'd argue my viper with a V10 still follows the same formula and would fall into the American muscle car category, although thats a bit more of a stretch.
