Faults:

Clutch.

Front seats are shot.

Transmission rebuild.

General Comments:

This car is nimble and quick. Only a Cummings or Duramax that is chipped will whip you. A Q45 is a good race too, but this thing just strokes.

My fuel shut off has been deactivated, and it runs easy at 130 - 140 mph.

Needs rear disk brakes (Easy Mod). They are on the list. Under drive pulleys and shorty headers will make this configuration scary.

Mine came with Z28 suspension and performance pack. What a great change from my ex-girlfriend's 25th aniv. edition with the 305/auto. What a dog that was compared to this thing.

Faults:

When I bought the car, the engine had just been rebuilt by the previous owner. He did the work himself, as it was just a top end rebuild, but the car smoked when it started up, and when I took off from a long red light. I'm assuming it was a gasket issue, and I never had it fixed. It didn't really seem to hurt the performance of the car, and it did not need much oil between changes.

The face plate of the aftermarket radio was missing, and I replaced it, the sound was nothing to write home about, but I rarely listened to it anyhow, with the beautiful exhaust note from the V8.

The paint was coming off the nose of the car, which was black plastic, so it didn't really bother me. The button for the hatch release was broken, as well as some other electronic do dads in the cockpit.

I wrecked the car twice in my short ownership, so I can't really complain about the rear end sticking out to the left more than the right after the first wreck.

General Comments:

It's been about ten years since I last drove my beautiful Z. As is the saying, I was young, dumb, and full of you know what, and I had no business driving this wonderful car before I knew how to operate a high performance vehicle like this.

It was the most beautiful black on black Z28 with a newly rebuilt top end with performance heads and cam; a real quick car that never ran out of power, as I pegged the 140 speedo and kept going one night.

The car had brand new 245/50 Bridgestone Potenza tires that were soft and sticky, and never felt like they were going to give, which may have inspired too much confidence in an inexperienced driver.

I didn't mind the giant 8 ball shift knob, and I loved to row through those gears driving up the Angeles Crest highway every chance I got, after work or on weekends.

To me, there couldn't be a better highway cruiser, as I could easily be humming along at 80 mph with the tach barely over 1500 rpms.

I couldn't tell you about the interior noise at highway speeds, because I usually had the windows rolled down so I could hear the engine and exhaust.

I can tell you I didn't mind the murdered out interior, charcoal on black, with the only color being the Z28 badge on the passenger side dash. The seats weren't very bolstered and kind of flat, but were still very comfortable on long drives.

I can tell you it felt like I was riding a roller coaster every time I took a long fast sweeper up in the mountains.

The last time I drove my beloved Z, I made the mistake of trying to pass a small pickup on a short passing lane, oblivious to the "20mph curve up ahead" sign as I shifted into 4th going about 75. I made the mistake of tapping the brakes mid corner and lost it, hitting the side rail and careening back into the side of the mountain. That was the end of my joy ride, and the best car I had ever owned.

What makes me miss her more than anything else, is that even after I had crashed, with the radiator about two feet off center and one tire in permanent left turn mode, I was still able to start the car and drive 20 miles back home, stopping at every gas station on the way to refill what was left of my crippled radiator.

I ended up saving the aluminum wheels and putting them on my 98 S-10 before the insurance company rolled her out to junk her.

Overall, it was easily my favorite car I have ever owned, and one I will never forget, may she rest in pieces.