Are Camaros Reliable After 100K Miles? Here's What to Check

If you want to buy a Chevy Camaro used, you should be careful. This is not a car that the previous owner was driving carefully and without any aggression in their habits. Many readers ask me if it's a good idea to buy a Chevy Camaro after it reaches 100K miles. The reason for this question is simple: such Camaros cost much less than the ones with low mileage on the dash.

In short, the majority of Chevy Camaro models are still OK after they hit the 100,000-mile mark. But you should be careful and check the vehicle before you buy it. There are such factors as the quality of service, car accident records, registered breakdowns, and overall durability that have to be considered.

In this article, I will tell you about the following:

• What happens with a Camaro after it reaches 100,000 miles?
• Common problems of a high-mileage Chevy Camaro.
• How can you check the used high-mileage Camaro before you buy it?
• Where to buy a used Camaro with lower risks?

Let's get started!

Chevrolet Camaro after 100,000 miles - is it still good?

Any car that has already reached 100,000 miles will not be as reliable as the new vehicle. The engine has seen some life and now needs proper maintenance and repairs so that it could serve you for some more time. Also, the transmission is about to show some common issues.

But when it comes to the Camaro, you can never predict its condition just by looking at its mileage. With a Focus or a Toyota Sienna, it's quite easy to say that it was driven calmly and you can say that a 100,000-mile car will have certain problems that will cost you a certain sum of money to solve. With the Camaro, things are absolutely different.

Here's what you should understand:

• owners usually drive these cars aggressively and sometimes they develop abusive driving habits;
• some Camaros are even used in street racing where one lap can easily kill the car;
• a lot of Chevy Camaro models will have several body defects, painted elements, etc.;
• not all owners of the Camaro will maintain the vehicle well;
• very often, Camaros are driven at the edge of their possibilities.

These factors squeeze all the life out of these vehicles and 100,000 miles can be a huge mileage for these cars. It means that if you are going to buy a used Camaro with more than 100K miles on it, you should be extremely careful.

Below are presented some of the common problems with the Camaro after it reaches 100K miles and more. Just follow these common issues to check the vehicle you want to buy. Remember that repairing the Camaro is not a cheap task!

What are the common high-mileage problems in the Camaro?

The list of problems will depend on the chosen generation and engine. For example, for the fifth-gen Camaro, the 3.6L V6 LLT engines weren't actually good. They had plenty of problems and didn't provide the vehicle with enough power, so owners used to torture them to get proper acceleration. After 100K miles, these engines are almost dead.

For the sixth-gen Camaro, the 2.0L EcoTec Turbo became the worst engine in terms of durability. It's not a bad engine, but for a Fusion or something like that, not for a Camaro that says "I'm a sports car!"

Well, here are the weak spots you should pay a lot of attention to:

• Weak engines. While bigger engines are completely OK, some base engines in the Camaro are just weak. If you get the 3.6L V6 LLT engine in the fifth-gen, you are guaranteed to have a bunch of problems with it.
• Overheated and broken transmissions. Not all transmissions in the Camaro are OK to drive for years. Some 6-speed automatic models are much worse than others, so they need to be checked before you buy a high-mileage car. Also, transmissions tend to overheat and spoil with aggressive driving.
• Electrical issues. When making a Camaro, Chevy engineers concentrated on design and engines but forgot that other units of the car are important, too. So, the Camaro may have a lot of electrical issues and glitches, especially with the infotainment system.
• Body parts. Camaro owners are not the most careful drivers in the world. They often get into small accidents and damage their cars. Then, they usually have their cars painted in the local shop and keep driving. But this will cause corrosion after some time.
• Tons of minor problems. An average Camaro with 100,000 miles on it will develop a ton of minor problems that you will have to cope with. I should say it's not that cheap to repair your Chevy Camaro, so this should be taken into account.

Even if you get a Camaro with a good engine and transmission, it doesn't mean that the vehicle will not have any problems. Most likely, this car will develop all kinds of minor issues with other units rather than with the engine and transmission.

I can't say that the used Camaro is the most problematic car in the world. But when you are buying it, you should be ready for some investment. Even minor problems are pretty expensive to solve. And the number of problems your used Camaro is going to have will depend highly on how it was driven and maintained by previous owners.

Checking up the used Camaro with 100,000 miles on it

Before you buy such a vehicle, you will obviously need to check it and understand whether it's a good purchase. Unfortunately, not all people understand that checking the used car is the most important thing you can do to save yourself from buying a rusty bucket with a load of problems.

Here's how you should check a used Camaro with more than 100,000 miles on it before you decide to buy it:

• Check the paint on the body parts. The fewer painted parts it has, the better. Usually, you can do this with a special tool that checks the thickness of the paint layer.
• Use the OBD-2 scanner to check for error codes. Sometimes, the codes won't trigger the check engine light but they will tell you more about the condition of the vehicle.
• Check the records using the VIN. Use various online resources to check the history of the vehicle with its VIN. It may cost you several dollars but such services as Carfax or some other ones will give you detailed information on accidents, repairs, etc.
• Listen to how the engine works. It should sound smooth and pleasant. If it doesn't, chances are the engine is affected and needs serious and expensive repairs.
• Drive the car and feel how the transmission shifts. The Camaro transmission should shift at the predicted time and without any punches or kicks. If it works smoothly, it's going to work for some more time.
• Have a look at MPG. Turn the trip computer to the immediate consumption meter and see what it shows. The average readings should be just like the claimed city consumption in the car specs.

These are just the most obvious things you should check in the Camaro with over 100,000 miles on it before you buy the car. If you buy the vehicle and can't make sure that the car is OK, you will most likely pay thousands of dollars to get this car going in the future.

If you can't check the vehicle, never buy it. It's always wiser to buy or lease a new car rather than to pay for a Camaro that you can't check.

Where should you buy a used Camaro?

It doesn't matter where you buy this car but you need to check it carefully. Without a proper understanding of what was happening with the vehicle during the time of its life, you will most likely get a car that you will have to repair every other month.

Here are some ways to buy a used Camaro:

• from a Chevy dealer who often has used cars for sale after they took it for trade-in;
• from a dealer of used vehicles - here you should be the most careful with all checkups;
• from your neighbor or friend - at least, you will know a little of the history of this car;
• from a private seller - you can buy it on eBay or something like that but check it before you pay;
• from an auction of salvage cars - sometimes it's a great option that will save you lots of money.

When it comes to auctions, you should choose a Camaro with minimal damages that are easy to repair. Also, you will know the actual mileage, some records, and actual damages, and will be able to see the actual condition of the car.

Final thoughts

Buying a used Camaro with more than 100,000 miles on it is not the best idea for those who want to just enjoy driving their sporty vehicle. But if you want to spare some money and still have a good stylish vehicle, a used Camaro can be a great option for you.

If you are buying a high-mileage Camaro, be careful. You better find a person who can check the car for you and give their verdict on its condition. Because without proper checkups, you can buy a dead car that requires thousands of dollars for repairs.