1990 GT Advice

[TnPaulMan]

Ok fellas,

I have a question for all of you. I have an incredibly good offer on a car that looks to be in great shape physically, never been wrecked, has a new Mark 7 motor with 28,000 mi, new clutch, offroad H pipe, and flowmasters, with only 107,000 on the whole car including the 5-speed. The deal is really great in my eyes. It also has 3.73s in it which is something I would have done in the first place.

The car is in Chatham, New Jersey and I am in Nashville TN for all purposes intended. It is a long drive. But worthy. The car is gonna go for $2500. Is there anything I should look out for? I don't think it has been painted. It was owned by the current owner's uncle who had it since new and he has owned it for 3 years. He seems to be a real honest guy which I know is always a gamble anyway.

What do people think about the deal? What should I really look out for? Also, it needs a new clutch cable. How difficult is that to do? Where can I find one in stock? He said it should take about 10 minutes for someone who knows what they are doing. So I translate that into an hour for me.

Thanks a million guys,

Paul

 

[ECU5.0]

i would drive that far to get a car like that. a clutch cable isnt that hard...just in a tight space. check for rust, proper panel alignment, torque boxes are good, thats all i can think of right now

 

[TnPaulMan]

i would drive that far to get a car like that. a clutch cable isnt that hard...just in a tight space. check for rust, proper panel alignment, torque boxes are good, thats all i can think of right now

The best part is that it looks real good and that all the VIN numbers match except for the motor of course. But the motor doesn't matter all that much when I think about it. I will go off on a new one down the road. Dart...

So you think that it is a sweet deal? How reliable should it be for me? I want to drive it for at least 2 years before putting a ton of work into it.

Thanks,

Paul

 

[HISSIN50]

since you will have to drive it back....... have him put his toolbox where his mouth is. bring a new cable and as part of the deal, have him install it.he said it only takes ten minutes.
kinda weird that someone would take care of a car, but not put a 30 buck part in (that is so important for test drives). make sure it is not an excuse for something else.
good luck.

 

[TnPaulMan]

since you will have to drive it back....... have him put his toolbox where his mouth is. bring a new cable and as part of the deal, have him install it.he said it only takes ten minutes.
kinda weird that someone would take care of a car, but not put a 30 buck part in (that is so important for test drives). make sure it is not an excuse for something else.
good luck.

I think that that is what I will do. If it isn't that hard, he should be able to do it real easy.

Paul

 

[SLiM JiM 156]

but think of it like this, if it only has 106k miles and already has a new motor, how was the car driven??

 

[TnPaulMan]

but think of it like this, if it only has 106k miles and already has a new motor, how was the car driven??

Very good point and I have thought about that too. He said that he hasn't had time to tear down the old motor, but he is pretty sure that the oil pump failed. I don't know how likely the story that is but I think it might be worth the chance. Convince me otherwise.

Paul

 

[TnPaulMan]

bizzump.

Ran a Carfax and it came out clean.

 

[PonyBoy90]

As it's a GT, these car's are heavy up front due to the fog lamp harness. Check for stess cracks on the A-pillars. If you see them, chances are your torque boxes may be f'ed up also. Does the car have subframe connector's?

Check under the car for rust holes, or split weld seams. A good way to check how sound the floor is, is by firmly grabbing the front seat base and trying to move the chair. If it rocks, could be a wrecked floor pan at the worst or just a bad seat or seat brace.

Pull out the spare tire and check the wheel well for any holes or major rust.

Check the front carpets for stains. Sign of a rotted out heater core.

Any leaks? Check the spot on the driveway where the car was kept. If it's a mess, the engine's leaking.

Check the radiator out. Are the fins straight or all mushed up? Check the coolant reservior out. Is the coolant nice and green or black or frothy? Check the oil dipstick also.

Take the car out for a good drive.

 

[TnPaulMan]

Excellent info, I can't thank all of you enough. I plan on being here for a very long time. Good folks here.

Paul

 

[TnPaulMan]

Oh well, funding fell through. Probably a good thing.

Paul