1990 Chevrolet Camaro Iroc-Z 5.7 from North America

Summary:

Fantastic sports car with killer looks and sound

Faults:

Need new thermostat and coolant flush.

Front brake pads.

New exhaust pipe, old one rusted through.

Weatherstripping needs to be replaced, especially around the doors.

Overall very reliable car, just have to deal with basic maitenece issues.

General Comments:

Kick ass car, handles very well, decent acceleration and speed.

I have some minor performance goodies in the Camaro; chip, headers, performance exhaust, K&N filters, ACCELL wires and coil.

This car is fairly fast; my best run for the 1/4 mile was 14.63. Has lots of torque, so it's real quick off the line, but does suffer high rpm from lack of hp and low red line, but it is to be expected, this engine is a torquer, not a high revving import.

The 89-92 third gen Camaro's and Firebirds with the 5.7 are just as fast as Mustang 5.0's, and they will beat most imports out there in the 1/8 mile, and will be close in the 1/4 mile, not the high $$$ stuff of course.

Handling is this car's strong suit. To simply put it, for a older car like this, and looking at the fact that this ain't a Vette or something similar, the handling is just amazing (with real good tires of course). I added a strut tower brace, subframe connectors and a polyurethane bushing kit, and it made my baby handle even better.

The front seats are very comfortable, and even my 6'6" brother can drive the car without complaint.

Fuel mileage isn't great, but what did ya expect, it is a 245hp/345 torque 5.7L in stock config, (mine's near 260hp/350 torque or so).

Overall I love this car. I regret selling it, but I know I will buy another one within 2-3 years.

P.S. they are even OK to drive in winter, as long as you have good winter tires and half a brain (this seems to be lacking in most "this car sucks in winter stories" LOL.)

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 6th November, 2005

7th Nov 2005, 10:07

Very nice review and good luck with your camaro. One thing though; you need to check your spelling BEFORE you submit your review. It's Torque, not tork. And REVVING has two "v"'s in it. And if you want to "Beat" an import. You had better ad an A to the word.

9th Nov 2005, 11:35

Lol, it was way to late at night, didn't even notice the spelling mistakes it showed me. Oh and I usually spell torque "tork", quicker to type in, yes I'm lazy.

1990 Chevrolet Camaro Rally Sport 305 c.i.d. V8 5.0L from North America

Summary:

A true testament to American engineering and ingenuity.

Faults:

The dashboard cracks easily.

My torque converter let go and took the transmission and transmission pump with it.

The trunk lid motor is somewhat unreliable and fragile. I have replaced it twice.

General Comments:

This is a very reliable and affordable powerhouse that is easily upgraded with plenty of room in the engine bay.

Fast enough to do something stupid in, but controllable enough to save it.

My car has 165,000 original miles on the odometer and yet it still runs like it just came off of the assembly line. That's after putting it through it's paces for five years.

Very few major problems.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 27th March, 2003

1990 Chevrolet Camaro IROC Z-28 5.0L Tuned Port Injection from North America

Summary:

A high performance bargain

Faults:

Hood and trunk hydraulics are shot. Can be replaced relatively inexpensively.

Automajik trunk opener is hatched.

Factory paint top-coat peeled and the car recently had to be repainted.

General Comments:

I love this car. It accelerates like a rocket and the nice, stiff suspension keeps it stuck to the road. Every thing about this car rocks...except, the really, really crappy gas mileage. I spend $35CAN a week on the thing, and I only drive it 6 days out of 7.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 24th November, 2002

1990 Chevrolet Camaro IROC-Z 5.7 T.P.I from North America

Summary:

The poor man's Corvette

Faults:

The alternator failed to keep the battery charged due to a bad connection. We replaced it with a remanufactured unit which fixed the problem.

The front disc brakes have given me problems in the past. When I put new rotors on they always glaze over and squeal a lot.

The factory Bose CD player doesn't like to play any CD when the weather is cold out.

Transmission mounts for the 700R4 don't like to stay in one piece when you are putting the car through it's paces. I've been through four in two years.

Exhaust seems to rattle too much at idle speeds.

Driver's seat starting to tear on the left side.

General Comments:

The 350 T.P.I. has tons of power (245 hp. & 345 lb. ft.), and the automatic always finds the right gear.

Handling on the car was greatly improved by adding Falken 245/50/R16 directional tires. They make a huge difference off the line and in the corners.

You don't see many third generation Camaros around today with low mileage and good looks too.

Decent gas mileage for a V8 on the highway due to a very tall fourth gear. I can go 90 in fourth, and barely break 2500 r.p.m. with the 3:42 axle ratio. However, city driving really takes its toll on the fuel.

Overall a great car with great performance and good reliability.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 21st November, 2002