Here's my dilema... I found a 86 SVO with like 88,000 miles, it needs a bit of body work and a lot of interior work. But the car has an aftermarket turbo, cylinders have been bored over, and a few other mods to the engine eicluding 35 lb/hr fuel injectors (giving it horrible mileage, guy said it gets like 10-13 mpg), and he also mentioned a koni adjustable suspension on it. He showed me like $9,000 of receipts of mods and things done to the car. He said it has between 350-370 hp. When he drove the car it sounded like it didn't have an exhaust (flowmaster will fix it, right?), and the gears grinded a little bit. He said that he'll take $4,500 for it (really asking $5,500) but for the interior work that it needs and it needed a bit of body work for it, is it worth the $4,500? The army doesn't exactly pay a lot so money isn't exactly growing on the trees in my back yard. Any advice would be appreciated.
What kind of turbo? I doubt it's making 350hp with the 35lb/hr injectors, because they can only support ~300hp. What other mods has he done? What kind of intercooler? How much boost?
I don't remember all the mods but he did say boost was at like 24. The mods I do remember are fuel injectors, turbo (I don't remember the name of the turbo), bored cylinders, and a bunch of other misc. things that I cannot remember. Blue book for a 86 SVO in fair condition is like $5,000 so with the koni suspension, and other engine work it would be worth it right? I'm thinking something more like $3,500 or somewhere in that area due to the interior work it needs and the body work. The body doesn't ever look like it has been in an accident but the paint is fading and the clear coat is peeling, the tail light is cracked and is starting to break, part of the trim is falling off... car is dirty as hell, looks like it hasn't been driven in a long time. It ran like hell until it warmed up a little bit then it got a little better but it was hard to tell because it was loud like it didn't have a muffler. The rpm's and idle sounded consistant though. I'm not much of a car buff so I don't know a lot about them. It's sad, I can work on a 20 million dollar aircraft but cannot do a camn thing on a car.
Sounds like he's BSing you and asking too much. This car is gonna need a lot of work....I'd offer him $2k, no more. Ash
What jets do you work on? I'm an F15C/D electrician. BTW, yeah that car isn't gonna be worth it. I agree with asha'man, like $2500 or so at the most.
I'd check into the fine details of the car, ive seen svo's in that condition go for 1000-1500$ . A few good notes is, the car came STOCK with Koni's all the way around. Find out this : what kind of "aftermarket" turbo is on it. brand, size (place of purchase)? Ask him if he did a computer upgrade when he put 35lb injectors in? (if he didnt no wonder it sucks gas , among other things) if the gears are grinding, time for a new tranny...time for body work, interior work, motor work, exhuast...hmm sounds like a labor of love to me, talk him down. Any questions about anything he tells you, post it up here....collectively, we have your back
35 lb injectors are stock on t-birds, his gas mileage is low becasue of other problems, not the injectors. Koni's came on the car to begine with! The only thing he could have done was replace them. Flowmaster will not fix the exhaust. Gear grinding mean you need new synchros, that's money. It's not worth $4500.
Keep the info coming... this is good brain food to bring his price down. I can do tranny work on my own so replacing syncro's won't be a problem. Interior work -- it needs to be vaccumed and shampooed (sp?), and maybe the floors repaced if not replace the floors and just because I love leather replace the seats with some groovy leather ones. The outside has a few tiny bumps and some major paint issues. I can do all the work myself with the help of some friends so it won't take much to dousche out the car and turn it into a nice toy. Anyways, I appreciate all the input! The koni coming stock is good info too, I never knew that! Keep the info coming btw: I don't work on jets. I'm a maintainer for the MH-47E Chinook.
svo's came stock with koni suspension so he if claiming that as something he added he's full of it. personally, it sounds like that poor car is ragged to hell and he just doesn't want to fix the tranny. I'd pass and look for another/better deal than that particular car.
Those injectors are stock too. So it's got stock suspension, stock injectors, a bad fuel pressure regulator or poorly tuned, a bigger turbo (do you know this for sure?) and it's beat. Sounds like it's worth about 500bux to me.
I snaged my 86 svo from an old ladie that could afford or did want to fix it, sitting in a back lot of a ford dealer i worked. 800 bucks same situation needs interior, otherwise minor swirls in the paint looks good from about 20 feet or so. I'm finishing lining up my 2nd motor for the car. going all out.... i'm getting anxious to see dyno numbers by my combo... enough about me 2000 is little high... but i'd question him more. peices of paper and bs are different, paper is real and shows somthing. Ask him what machine shop did the bore on the motor, questions like that...
