Started overheating at around 77000mi.
Just had it tuned up at 75k. I took it to a mechanic who told me the head gasket was almost completely gone.
Had to replace front ball joints.
A/C stopped working at about 82K.
Amazingly bad build quality.
Windows don't meet up with weatherstripping, so every time I get it washed, water sprays into the car.
Makes about 65 different squeaks and rattles. Sounds like the car is going to fall apart.
Engine makes a strange winding sound when accelerating. It also runs extremely rough when going 45-60mph for some reason.
Just recently noticed when car is stopped in traffic there is a metal clanking sound.
I've never had a crappier car, and it doesn't even have very many miles on it.
Sluggish acceleration for a car with a V6. This is just about the slowest car I've ever driven and it is supposed to be sporty. Although it does handle well.
Interior is cheap.
Here are some non-sports cars I have driven that have more pickup than this "sports car": Contour, Expedition, Explorer, Sable.
If ANY vehicle is "overheating" then you get the
problem fixed right away. If you continue to
drive a vehicle while it is over heating, then
the head gaskets are the first to go. This would
easily explain what your mechanic told you. The
95 and newer Camaro's got a MUCH stronger V6 as
the base engine, which at the time, could run neck
to neck with the Mustang GT (V8). Unfortunately
your car came with the dog of an engine. I am
quite surprised that you had to replace the ball
joints at such low miles. My 93 Z28 Camaro now
has 190,000 miles on it, and I have only replaced
the shocks, all other suspension is original. I
have actually launched the car many times on my
friends ranch (yes, too many "Dukes of Hazzard"
episodes watched as a kid). Keep in mind, that
in the future, never allow an engine to over-
heat.. that's worse then running low on oil, or
going 6000 miles between oil changes, something
that my Z28 has lived with from day one. The
noise you are starting to hear now, is most
likely the rod or crankshaft bearings, which is
also a result of overheating. The damage can
be traced back to then. It takes longer to fail
then the head gaskets.
Not to sound rude, but it just looks to me like you didn't maintain your vehicle. Overheating should obviously be looked at before you drive it again. On top of that, it's an old car, so it's going to need a lot of matinance.
If you are disappointed with the Camaro's performance, you should probably have purchased an SS or Z28. The eight cylinder is obviously going to give you the zoom power woefully lacking in the 6 banger.
No offense to camaro owners, but these Canadian made cars are a curse, I had a '94 z28 with 124xxx miles and heres a list of what went wrong...
Distributor caused missfire, went to dealer, said bad water pump dripped coolant on optispark, fixed at a cost of 300$
Still misfired, went to another dealer, said I had a blown head gasket causing low compression and missfire problems, fixed myself on my only vacation time I've had to myself in 18 years, BY THE BOOK, car blew head gaskets again a week later even though I went by chiltons word for word.
Oil leaks from heads and intake.
Alternator.
Battery (twice)
Exhaust leaks even with dealer installed copper gaskets.
Overheating even with dealer installed 160' stat.
I HATE LT1 POWERED CARS!! the later series II 3.8 and ls1 engines are beautifully made and yes, the late model v6 camaros can kick some 'stang ass, but everyone I've talked to with a lt1 powered car wants the same thing I want, to find and hang whoever made this crap box of a small block!