Originally Posted By: eljefino
I think no, that's a series II, the series III came out in 99 or 2000. A plastic intake manifold with EGR "stovepipe" means the (slightly more) troublesome series 3, IIRC.
Of course the rest of the car's condition matters too, blah blah blah. Get the trans warmed up good and see if it slam shifts.
Not quite correct. The Series III came out in 2005, and fixed the lower intake manifold gasket and UIM issues that plagued the Series II. The Series III is generally considered more reliable than a unfixed Series II.
That's a Series II 3800 in that 1998. It should have been fixed by now. The lower intake manifold gaskets are visible between the heads and lower intake. If they're silver-gray, it's been fixed. Likewise, if the nylon upper intake manifold does not say "Delco" on it, it's an updated aftermarket piece.