I was enticed by the mods list, and it really stung me in the ass. If one of these cars doesnt have the original paint, odds are it had bondo on it. Banging on the panel wont tell you if it has bondo. Given the torque these cars make, the whole body tends to twist, and 6 months down the road you'll have bondo cracking open all over the place like mine. Stand by each tailpipe, and look down the side of the car. If you see a bunch of ripples, it has bondo, and bad bondo work at that. Find yourself a really weak magnet. One that barely holds on in an area you know there is no bondo. Go all over the car with this magnet, and if the magnet refuses to hold in some places, there is bondo there. You'll have some on the rear pillars, but you cant do much about that. That said, look under the car and inspect all the bushings for cracks and look all over for rust. Open the doors and look underneath to see if the drain holes are still open, and once again, look for rust. Look at the weatherstripping underneath as well. If the guy will let you, pull back on both of the side covers in the trunk...the ones that cover the opposite side of the quarter panels. Look for holes drilled with bondo seeping through them. Look underneath the gas tank and make sure there are no dents or cracks, and look for repair work...they're sheets of tar paper they glue over holes. Push down on each corner of the car and get the car bouncing. Let go and see if the bouncing stops or if it keeps going. If it keeps going, the shocks are gone. Look to see how much of the brake pads are left in the front.
Make sure the shifter goes into ALL gears. Mine didnt go into first.
Make sure the speedo doesnt grind or bounce.
On the steering column, there is a big ring that would have the shifter arm attached if it were a column shift car. Check how much slop is in it by rotating it each direction. Move it in each direction and make sure the key will still rotate all the way and start the engine. Mine would turn to the on position, but wouldnt start the car. Thats from bad bushings, but you can do a quick adjust under the car that will fix that for the most part.
Check the weatherstripping and listen for wind noise in the doors when you drive.
With the hood up, turn the igition key to the on position. Start counting. Immediately get out of the car and listen to the sound of the brake motor (powermaster) running as it builds pressure. From the time you turn the key on, it should take no more than 7 seconds for it to cycle. if it takes longer, you likely have a bad accumulator.
Ask the guy if you can pull the up-pipe off. its the one that goes from the intercooler to the throttle body. Its held on by 2 hose clamps and should come off very quickly. Look to see if there is alot of oil in that pipe. If there is, you probably have a bad turbo seal.
Make sure the engine idles smoothly (assuming it doesnt have a cam.)
Make sure the tranny shifts properly, and for the love of God, MAKE SURE that the torque converter is locking up at 45mph or a little higher. It will be like a 5th shift and will bring the rpms down further. This will give you better mileage and will keep your tranny cooler. If this isnt working, it will be a pain to figure out the problem and can end up being very costly to repair.
Print this post up and take it with you. Dont worry about looking stupid or pissing this guy off by looking at everything. Looking for these things will save you thousands and thousands of dollars, and will spare you a ton of stress and heartache. Dont talk yourself into buying the car if things arent right. Another GN will come along and it will be well worth the wait.
Buy them both! :biggrin:
