New member, looking at 98 WS6 tomorrow.

**79TransAm** · 05-07-2012, 09:20 PM

Hello everyone figure I should introduce myself a bit and hopefully I will be around for quite awhile. My name is Jon and I live in west central Wisconsin. I'm 28 years old, married and 1 kid(4 months old). Currently I have a 1979 WS6, W72 Trans Am and have had it for 8 years now. Tomorrow I am going to look at a 98 WS6 and if all goes well hopefully it will soon become mine. Some details on the car are
98 WS6
Stock LS1, magnaflow exhaust added(any issues with this?)
101K miles on it, automatic
Woman owned for 6 years, first owners sold it when they were in their 60's
T-Tops.
Asking 7500

Just looking to get some basic information about what I should be looking for. I've been told I can check the door RPO codes for WS6. I know the 99-02 models have bad door cracking issues but apparently 98's were not as bad? Ive been told the windows may wind slowly, the lights may have worn motors, look for dark taillights as they are an indicator of leaking, and I should give it some WOT to make sure the tranny shifts properly. Is there anything else I should be looking at specifically? I have seen the car after hours at dusk and it looked very good but that can be deceiving. Any help or suggestions is appreciated.

For good measure here are some pics of my 79

Thanks

Jon

P.S. Any previous 2nd gen TA owners that have made the switch to 4th gen curious to hear of your experience. I may or may not be offloading the 79(hopefully can just have both)

**Knight** · 05-08-2012, 04:32 AM

G'day and welcome. Check out this thread for some good tips - http://www.ls1.com/forums/f6/guide-buying-fbody-118628/

Love the '79. Check out the Classic Muscle section, and post up a thread there.

Hope the '98 turns out good for you. Any specific questions, feel free to ask and we'll do our best to help out.

**kingls1** · 05-08-2012, 06:25 AM

Welcome, I went from 2- 3rd gen Camaro's to a 99 T-A and I love it, it has 122,000mi and is clean as a whistle and runs great( I think it had a lot of sixth gear highway miles). Keep that 79 if you can it sure looks clean and the prices are climbing, and soon so will the 98 and you will have some good investments for later in life.....

**79TransAm** · 05-08-2012, 08:35 AM

Originally Posted by kingls1

Welcome, I went from 2- 3rd gen Camaro's to a 99 T-A and I love it, it has 122,000mi and is clean as a whistle and runs great( I think it had a lot of sixth gear highway miles). Keep that 79 if you can it sure looks clean and the prices are climbing, and soon so will the 98 and you will have some good investments for later in life.....

Thank you. it's not perfect and really is about 90% complete. Seats need to be recovered and the body has some dings but nothing major. My ultimate goal is to keep the 79 and get this 98 but if push comes to shove I'm not sure what I would do haha I have been having an internal battle for about 5 weeks now. I actually give up looking for a 4th gen until I happened upon this one getting dairy queen. I will be looking it here in the next hour or so. I will get some pics and post them up

**KahanaReef** · 05-08-2012, 09:19 AM

Welcome to the site, Jon! Hope it all works out for you. And, I also say keep the 79

You'll most likely hate yourself later on down the road if you don't. Especially if you have an attachment to it. Ask me how I know...

For the most part, 4th gens keep getting cheaper. Classics keep getting harder to obtain and are becoming more valuable. Just food for thought

**FinZ28** · 05-08-2012, 09:52 AM

Good luck with the WS6. I stumbled upon my Z28 several months back playing around online looking at used cars. The car was by no means perfect, but it was perfect for me. Hope it works out for ya.

Oh, yeah, keep the '79. It's hard to find a nice, clean 2nd-gen these days.

**79TransAm** · 05-08-2012, 12:38 PM

Originally Posted by KahanaReef

Welcome to the site, Jon! Hope it all works out for you. And, I also say keep the 79

You'll most likely hate yourself later on down the road if you don't. Especially if you have an attachment to it. Ask me how I know...

For the most part, 4th gens keep getting cheaper. Classics keep getting harder to obtain and are becoming more valuable. Just food for thought

Thanks for the welcome everyone. I took my 79 to go look at the car today and everybody went nuts over it, needless to say I'm keeping the 79 even if that means I have to wait longer for my 4th gen. I did go look at and drive the car here are my impressions and a few photos.

1. Exterior: The exterior is very nice but does have the to be expected minor scratches and 2 very small dings. The paint looked good and honestly the appearence of the car is good for me. I'm buying my 4th gen to drive on days I don't drive my harley or my 79.

2. Interior is nice. Aftermarket CD player, front seats, door panels, and carpet are in great shape. Back seat has a spit in the top center portion of the seat. My wife, mom, mother in law all are master sewers so I think I could easily patch that up. Was some slight rattles in the back of the car as we were driving it

3. Electronics. The headlights flew up and down no problems. Did it about 4 times. Drivers side window is great, passenger side window is a little slow but nothing to bad(I would guess it lasts another few years) The heat blew hot, the AC blew cold but both of them would only blow out of the floor and defrost area not out of the vents. it would do this regardless of what setting it was on? The passenger side reverse lamp has moisture in it and the running lights are dim compered to the drivers side. Obviously a leak there. The speakers and wipers worked.

4. Drivetrain. The car accelerated at WOT very very very smooth. Man oh man was it smooth it felt new. The tires are evenly worn and have about a summer left on them I'd say. The brakes worked great but the discs were a little rusty and I would replace them eventually. The steering was really tight Ive heard that its normal. The alignment is off but nothing too terrible. It's not a bumpy ride but I could fell the bumps in the road. Much like my 79 but smoother. Is this normal or are the shocks pretty worn?

Here are a few pics that I could get. It was weird light so most of them did not come through.

The seller is pretty firm on 7500. Even after I mentioned those few things she was hesitant. She kept saying how she wasn't sure she ever wanted to sell it but since I called. She has paperwork for the magnaflow mufflers and tips and they sounded great with no drone inside. Before I buy it I would have my mechanic look at it and get a chance to look under the car. So what does everyone think.

**FinZ28** · 05-08-2012, 01:08 PM

Car looks pretty decent. Check out www.nada.com or www.kbb.com to see if that price is right.

**79TransAm** · 05-08-2012, 01:27 PM

Keeley blue book has it listed at at about 7200 for private party ad 8600 for a dealer. I think the price is fair from what I have seen so far. Getting it on the lift will give me the rest

**0rion** · 05-08-2012, 04:05 PM

the vent issue is an easy fix....there's a small vacuum line behind the intake on the passenger side. It's either cracked or broken most likely. The water in the tail light is also very common. There's a thread around here somewhere on refurbing those to look like new and then resealing them so no more water gets in.

**79TransAm** · 05-08-2012, 04:07 PM

Originally Posted by 0rion

the vent issue is an easy fix....there's a small vacuum line behind the intake on the passenger side. It's either cracked or broken most likely. The water in the tail light is also very common. There's a thread around here somewhere on refurbing those to look like new and then resealing them so no more water gets in.

Thanks for the info. It's not a deal breaker for me at all haha m 79 does not have heat or AC so anything is an upgrade as far as that is concerned. All I have been thinking about since I got home was how I want the car. Hopefully things work out.

**0rion** · 05-08-2012, 04:09 PM

I had a 79 trans am years ago.....had the ever so potent 301 in it. It was so slow it had dead bugs on the back windshield.

**79TransAm** · 05-08-2012, 04:11 PM

Originally Posted by 0rion

I had a 79 trans am years ago.....had the ever so potent 301 in it. It was so slow it had dead bugs on the back windshield.

LMAO haha. Mine has the 400, long tube headers into true dual exhaust with no cats. I'm also pretty sure the original owner put in a mild cam. She scoots pretty good.

**98BlackMambaWS6** · 05-08-2012, 04:43 PM

Any accidents on her? The picture showing the ram air box has a RR 30 on it in yellow chalk, reminds me of how a junk yard part might be marked, my TA had a front and accident so Im not hating just giving you something to inquire about. I always look at the fasteners as they always help tell if something has been replaced or repainted

**FinZ28** · 05-08-2012, 05:17 PM

I actually came up with $7600 for private party sale value, but I might have checked a couple of extra boxes that I shouldn't have. Price sounds reasonable, you might offer her $7k for it and see what she says.

**79TransAm** · 05-08-2012, 07:15 PM

Originally Posted by FinZ28

I actually came up with $7600 for private party sale value, but I might have checked a couple of extra boxes that I shouldn't have. Price sounds reasonable, you might offer her $7k for it and see what she says.

I plan on offering her 7K to see if she will take that. I do think her asking 7500 is reasonable from what I saw of the car today. I should know more hopefully tomorrow.

"98BlackMambaWS6

Any accidents on her? The picture showing the ram air box has a RR 30 on it in yellow chalk, reminds me of how a junk yard part might be marked, my TA had a front and accident so Im not hating just giving you something to inquire about. I always look at the fasteners as they always help tell if something has been replaced or repainted"

I plan on carfaxing the vehicle once I'm about to buy it. She has been really knowledgeable about these cars in general. Said it was her 5th one she owned and was aware of the differences between years and problem areas. My instincts are to trust her for now. Obviously when it comes time to pay the bill I will have all my bases covered.

**FinZ28** · 05-08-2012, 07:19 PM

Sounds like you're headed in the right direction. Good luck!

**SSCamaroMan345** · 05-14-2012, 10:22 PM

I remember the day I bought my car, first car I've ever bought. I was rushed or so the dealer said, supposedly there had been a guy from Tennessee who called about an hour after I did and said he'd be there to pick it up the following day at lunch. I didn't find out til the next day after I signed the paperwork and put down the down payment, overall I haven't had any issues but one. The left rear axle came out and had to be replaced, I had 2k saved up for an emergency and what do ya know there was an emergency.... shame but overall a damn tank and man I love that car. Can't wait for my prayer for judgement is over I can speed again without too many worries. Back to the issue at hand, my car's speedometer has been off since I bought it so watch for that and stay away from autowashes as my spoiler light has broken away from the screws. Personally, I wouldn't mess with a car that has over 60K miles but if the lady is old and potentially has only highway miles I say go for it. The LS1 is a tank and can take a lot of stress before finally giving out. Seems like a sturdy car from what I saw in the pictures, test drive and having a mechanic look it over before you buy are good ideas. Hope it works out for ya.

**goof4080** · 05-15-2012, 06:25 AM

My 79 is a hardtop 403 auto. My 98 is a non-ws6 (but has hood n 17s) 6speed. I love my sexy 79, daily drove it while restoring/rebuilding it, but now a nice fun cruiser. i also love my equally sexy 98 just as much. The 98 whoops the 79s ass in performance, ties in good looks, but they are perfect garage buddies. Actually since I've been rebuilding the 98 I've been spending more time with the 79 n falling in love all over again.

Get the 98 but be aware of the auto if you prefer 6 speeds.
The 98 you're looking at will probably need window motors...a fix on the tail light and sounds like the suspension is pretty shot. Just like mine. Every single problem the same. (Although it had 39 k when I bought and 57 k now....its still 14 yrs old.)

Good luck!

**79TransAm** · 05-15-2012, 09:07 PM

Well a small update for everyone. My financing was denied which was a shock to me. I got a copy of my credit report and see that not only was a collection I had 6 years ago still listed as being owed but that I am also the victim of minor identity theft and have 3 different credit cards maxed out. Been on the phone all week getting this stuff straightened out and the frustrating thing is they are saying it could take 30-90 days for the items to be deleted from my credit report. Trying to look at the bright side of it and realize that maybe this is what I needed. I'd rather have a 6speed so maybe I should go find it.