1994 Chevrolet Caprice Classic 5.7 V8 multiport injection
Summary:
A great high performance boat, a little pricey on the gas
Faults:
At about 201k miles the blower motor for the fan went, in the middle of winter.
Something wrong with ignition system, stalls when it goes through puddles. New high performance ignition wires, distributor cap, and rotor on the way to remedy this problem.
All new heavy-duty police package brake rotors and pads all around (has 4-wheel disc brakes), are about to go on to help this 6000 pound beast stop on a dime.
New tires put on at 206k miles. Eagle GT+4 235/70R15 with V speed rating and 102 load rating. A chunk out of my pocket at $130 a piece.
A problem that strikes most every Caprice is the rear passenger window sagging. It's happening, and I plan on fixing it as soon as I get a hold of the GM window tape.
General Comments:
I think I may have been spoiled by this car. No other car I drove before or have driven since feels any thing like this ex-cruiser from Maryland.
Sticks to the road like it's its business. Except for a little tilt in sharp turns, it remains almost totally neutral through turns. Handles good at low speeds, and it isn't jumpy at high speeds.
Has zippo problem reaching the speed limit in a hurry when I need it to. I'd estimate its top speed to be around 145mph, but I've only had it up to 122mph. Not too shabby for a beat up undercover police car. Gets to 60 mph in about 7 seconds.
Belongs to an EMT, so I have the lights in the grille. Riding on the highway I get the VIP treatment. Cars move out of my way and state troopers and police officers wave to me.
On the amount of room available to you, it's endless. The trunk is cavernous even with the full-size spare. And the interior space is huge. The back seat holds three full-size adults more than comfortably as long as the middle one isn't too tall. The front seats have loads of leg room and are very comfortable. The only thing this car is missing is a console. It was ripped out before the MD State Police sold it. As soon as I can get a hold of a nice full size one that will fill the gap between the front seats, the Caprice or "Big Blue" will be perfect.
Excellent bang for the buck. Even though it has high miles, it runs like a gem. Picked it up for $3500, and I estimate that by the time it is done I will have spent about $1500 in fixing it up. I have no worries about hitting the quarter million mile mark, I am planning the 500,000 mile party even now.
The only drawback that I can see is the money that is spent on gas. It has a 24 gallon tank, and I usually get about 17mpg in the city, and closer to 22mpg when I just ride the highways. The 5.7L LT1 pursuit engine certainly delivers power that is worthy of the price of the Super grade gas that I put into it. Using the good stuff gets me this kind of mileage. With regular, the way I drove it in the beginning, I get about 14/19mpg city and highway respectively.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 26th April, 2001
16th Feb 2005, 08:18
Nice troubleshooting job. Always check the basics first.
18th Mar 2010, 00:15
I snagged my 94' up for 500 bucks and put 1500 into the tranny and that's it. Runs like a charm, definitely something fun to cruise in.
I've noticed that when I go through water, my car starts to run funny to it, lugs behind, but after it dries up, it's good to go. I think it's just my distributor cap is so old that the plastic is probably cracked. I got the 4.3 V8, and I hope I never change the plugs again.
13th Apr 2003, 12:42
I bought our '94 new for my wife. It developed the "miss when wet" after less than a year and under warranty, and, even after many repair attempts by dealer and myself, was never fixed until November 2002 when I discovered the PCM harness worn through against the fender well. You will need to remove Air Filter too see this. Broken wires were spliced, soldered, and wrapped, and I slid a coffee-can lid tightly between harness and fender to further prevent friction damage. Car has run fine ever since, except for other unrelated issues.