An '01+ LS1 is going to be the strongest. GM revised something in the engine (cams, intake?) in '01 that made them slightly stonger.

 

There are bargins out there.. I picked up my 02 WS6 6-speed with 37,000 miles on it for 15,000.. The other differences between a WS6 and a regular T/A is the rims, and hood along with the other stuff mentiond above.. I was looking for a regular T/A but came across this WS6 for a good price and couldnt resist.. If he just likes the look of the WS6/SS then he can just get a base model T/A or Z28 and get a aftermarket WS6 hood or SS hood and airbox on Ebay for around 450.00.. The company on ebay that I bought my hood and airbox from is called Tamarez.. Thats what I did with my 98 I had..

 

or your buddy could buy rally's car and be just as fast as a stock ls1 a4 car

 

Tell your buddy to get an '01 or '02 if he can, they got the ls6 intake, better flowing heads(241s), better rod bolts and carbon fiber blocker rings in the tranny(if he gets the m6). If he finds a better deal on a 98-00 I would say go for it cause I highly doubt he will leave it stock.

 

Yeah, but when you purchased your car it was 2005, and it had 37,000 miles which is high for an 02. This guy is picking up a 2001 with only 27,000 miles on it in 2006, it is a very low mileage car, so it will get a little more cash. Like I said 18-19k, and if it is the most flawless thing you ever saw and is still relatively stock then it may be worth 20k.
I agree the aftermarket hoods are worth the investment, especially the lightweight bolt-on versions, they look the same and fit well, and save you about 25lbs off the front end. I would not get the airbox with them though, you get more air from the free air mod than you ever will with an airbox.
The 2001 and 2002 cars came with a lot of extras in mechanical terms, as already stated the better flowing LS6 style intake, the 241 heads, better flowing exhuast manifolds, bigger injectors, possible LS6 block, no EGR, stronger rod bolts, a cam profile that worked better with the intake, lighter weight flexplate on auto's (which tend to crack with mods added), and a few other minor things.

 

i have heard that some of the 01s are a crap shoot. a guy in RPM had an 01 WS6 built right before a strike, and someone had used a pair of pliers to pinch off the filler neck and vent. couldn't put more than $1 worth of gas in it at one time. the dealer bought it back.

 

Just tell him to go for it. With that kind of mileage it obviously wasn't a daily driver so it was probably kept in a garage and taken out on weekends. Hopefully it is all stock. Bottom line, it doesn't take a whole lot of money to make a LS1 "streetable fast." So if he's looking for a relatively cheap, reliable, "street car" with some power an LS1 is probably just what he's looking for. Just my $.02

 

well he's decided he's not quite ready to spend 20k on a used car... so i'm trying to talk him into getting an 00 ss 6spd with 53k for 13.5k... he says the only reason he doesn't want it is it doesn't have t-tops... you can get those installed aftermarket, correct? i think he really needs to get this car.

 

if it came down to t-tops or hardtop, i would go with the hardtop car. little more rigid, and less leaks to worry about. anyone who's had a t-top f-body can see the value of a hardtop car, i mean it is fucking embarrassing when your car springs a leak on a passenger...

yes you can install them, there are a few writeups but it will cost you. if he is dead set just get him to wait for a t-top car that he wants.

 

A hardtop car is rare, especially in the higher end models like the TA and SS, not to mention a pretty nice weight savings. My SS is a hardtop and I really do not miss the T's, my Z28, and two TA's all had T's.