Collectible Creamsicle: 1997 Chevrolet Camaro Z/28 30th Anniversary – STILL $17,500

June 4, 2023 Update – The seller replaced their expired listing with a fresh Craigslist ad. The pictures, description, and asking price all remain the same.

April 30, 2023 Update – After letting their second listing sit expired for a few days, the seller replaced it with a third Craigslist ad.  The pictures, description, and already-lowered asking price all remain the same.

March 26, 2023 Update – The seller replaced their expiring original listing with a fresh Craigslist ad. While the pictures and description remain the same, the seller lowered their asking price from $18,000 to $17,500.

Like most Chevrolet fans, one of the cars you’d like to add to your collection is one of the Creamsicle-colored 1969 Chevrolet Camaro Indianapolis 500 pace car editions.  However, if you’re like most enthusiasts, the going rate for a quality example is now beyond most of our budgets.  As a compelling and much more affordable alternative, we argue a 4th generation, 1997 Chevrolet Camaro Z28 30th anniversary edition is a better choice.  With 315 horsepower, a six-speed manual, better handling, and modern air conditioning, try to change our minds.

A prime example is this 48K-Mile 1997 Camaro Z28 30th Anniversary Edition listed on Craigslist in Spring, Texas (Houston), which is reportedly a garage-kept, non-smoked-in example.  The only thing we don’t like about this modern edition is the 1990s practice of white-painted wheels, but that’s an easy fix.

Currently offered for $17,500 (the original ask was $18,000), Classic.com, the analytics and search engine for the collector car market, confirms the ask is slightly below the one-year rolling average of this guide’s summary for all 1997 Camaro Z28s.  By clicking on the green dots in the graph below, you can navigate to each comparable car sold as a way to help you evaluate the price of the Z28 here:

Chevrolet offered their fourth-generation, General Motors F-Body -based Camaro from the 1993 through 2002 model years.  The fourth generation Camaro offered a modern interpretation of the brand launched in 1967: a sporty rear-wheel-drive, 2+2 in either Coupe or convertible form with a choice of either six- or eight-cylinder power.

The high-performance fourth-generation Z28 featured rectangular dual exhaust tips to distinguish it from the base models. More importantly, Z28s came standard with a 275 horsepower version of Chevrolet’s LT1 5.7 Liter V8. The V8 engine came standard with a 4-speed (4L60) automatic transmission, although the Borg-Warner T56 6-speed manual transmission was a no-cost option.

For the 1997 model year, the Camaro featured a new interior and tri-colored taillights that became standard on all models from 1997 to 2002. A “30th Anniversary Limited Edition” trim package, commemorating 30 years since the Camaro was introduced, was added to the range, which included unique orange stripes on white base paint. It was only available on the Z28 and SS models. A 30th Anniversary Camaro may be identified by RPO code Z4C on the trim tag. A total of 979 30th Anniversary models were made in 1997. New 5-spoke 16-inch wheels became standard on the Z28 this year (17-inch ZR-1 style on SS coupé models), available in either polished, chrome, or white (only on the 30th Anniversary models), replacing the previous 10-spoke turbine style design.

The MotorWeek YouTube Channel features this 1997 Review of the then-new 30th Anniversary Camaro Z28:

Based on the pictures posted and the fact this 1997 Camaro Z28 30th Anniversary Edition for sale has only 48K original miles, this appears to be a nice example. Given the white leather interiors in these cars can get dirty just looking at them, we would ask the seller for better pictures of the front seats just to confirm no restoration work is needed in that area.

If you are serious about buying this 1997 Z28, you can start the conversation by emailing the seller.  When you connect, please mention that you saw their restored pickup featured here on GuysWithRides.com. Good luck with the purchase!

Here’s the seller’s description:

1969 or 1997: Which Z28 which you rather daily drive and why?