filberts

I just took a look at this car which showed up a little while ago just up the street: https://cargur.us/tdZ0Q and I'm curious what you guys think. Its a 2007 Z06 with about 60k miles in pretty good shape. Most everything looks great, zero body damage I can see, tires are new, rotors looked perfect. The only issues I see are brake fluid is black, like it has never been changed. Driving it, they worked, but my honda fit brakes work better even at low speeds. The oil was dirty and seems to be 2 quarts high, it was WAY over the max marking. Its a 2007, so it should be 8quarts, the 2008+ is 10quarts, which is why I think its 2 over. It could be a lot more, it was only a few inches from the top of the dipstick.

Which kinda led into the biggest red flag though, the oil pressure gauge was all over the place. After it was started, the pressure would jump from 40-60-20 just about every second. Sudden jumps up, then down. Didn't stabilize with throttle. Once I started driving, the dash gauge dropped to zero and stayed there for the remaining 2 min test drive. I didn't think to check the digital gauge as I was kind of concerned at that point. There was no error alarm on the dash for low oil pressure though, just a low tire pressure in one tire.

Other than that the car sounded perfect. Looked perfect in and out. Price is good assuming it is just higher mileage. Assuming worse case scenario though, it needs new bearings in the motor. I think they have it priced where it is to try and catch someone clueless thinking they are getting a bargain. Am I way off base? There are a lot of warnings about putting too much oil in an ls7 leading to engine damage and I think I may have been watching it happen. I have zero experience with this car though, or even dry sump oil systems.

jimbob8915

You can walk away or ask the owner to let you take it to a dealership for an inspection. If piece of mind can be purchased for $120 it might be worth it.

92rsz

There is a procedure you have to follow to check the oil in an ls7. Can't check it cold. If it's overfilled it will smoke out the tail pipes. The gauge bouncing around would be enough for me to walk away

phxcobra

Run away

Texan79423

Run Forrest Run

JimsCorvettes

Walk, run, jog but get away!

shane p

Make sure to check the oil the correct way and the oil pressure could be a faulty sensor. If the gauge shows 0 pressure it will only take a minute or so of driving to know if it is really 0.

449er

You have to follow the procedure for checking the oil level in a dry sump engine, could be why the level seemed wrong to you. I would also have a Chevy dealer check the oil pressure & oil pressure gauge to see what is going on there, the car may turn out to be fine

Pb82 Ronin

My decision would be based on asking price. If this car is ANYWHERE in the 30's...not worth it when there are so many other cars that will not have these "issues." That being said, if the owner is just trying to offload it and would accept a low offer, it may be worth the time just to fix a few small things. As mentioned by numerous members, the oil thing is a concern. Figure out what is ACTUALLY wrong (if anything). Only then can you make a determination.

captain vette

I’ll pass on this one

TOM WELCH

why not negotiate with the seller? get him to replace the brake fluid, replace the oil sender and have the oil checked properly while you both watch, if this corrects the issues you see, then maybe you could buy the car, if you choose to and reimburse the maintenance that he just did for you, if it doesn't fix the issue, you could offer 1/2 of the maintenance cost incurred as an added incentive. These cars are not THAT complicated. Ive done these things several times for and with buyers/sellers it usually works out good. and yes we work on these cars frequently, mine included

BRISLS1

Hate to bash any Z06 car out there, but this story about a bouncing oil gauge is about as bad as it gets. It just sabotages the trust between you and that dealer. If they let that vital part go to pot, what else are they neglecting?
I'd walk away on principle, even if it's just a cheap part to replace. This kind of flaw, you may tolerate at a wholesale auction, but not a showroom car. Hate to interfere with a deal, but this is low hanging fruit, this dealership can pull down in half a day, and better represent the market for our cars, rather than spread bad karma around.

As far as dark brake fluid and high oil levels, Not sure that stuff matters, and like others have said, our cars have weird oil checking procedures.

03Zcrit

When my motor spun a bearing the oil pressure bounced around exactly as you described. I would have him deduct the cost of a long block and labor. It cost me $20k for a new motor, clutch and install.

shane p

When my buddies car ate the bearings it had a steady 10 PSI.

moose.b3

Not worth taking a chance.

filberts

thanks for the input everyone, seems like I wasn't just being paranoid.