Should I buy one again?

[turbowannabe]

Hey guys,
Well I'm selling my 94 SC and am going to buy a new car. I had a 86 GN and four days after owning it the crank snapped in two on a rebuilt motor. Fixed the car and had to sell it because I couldnt' afford it. Well a TR is what I really wanted from the start. But my parents are leary about letting me get another because I can't afford to have something like that happen again.
After I sell my car I'll be looking to spend up to a maximum of $7000. So far I've seen a few good deals on TR's in that price range. I even went and checked out a nice WE4 last night that the guy was negotiable on the price. I am a 17 year old senior in high school, but I've got straight A's and work co-op half day 5-days a week for a local technician(also a 20 year experienced GM Certified World Class Technician, only about 30-40 total). So I've got access to cheap parts and free time to work on the car pretty much whenever I want. Also, I got a really good deal on top and bottom snap on box full of tools so I have my own tools to work on the car. And I'm going to UTI (Universal Technical Institute) in july.
Here's my question. How many of you think it would be a good idea for me to buy a TR? Despite what many people think I have a lot of respect for vehicles especially after the last incident. How much maintainence is involved and what precautions should I take. I would definately always run 92 or higher octane and mobil 1 synthetic oil and switch over to other synthetic fluids wherever I could.

Just let me know what you think, good and bad opinions appreciated. I'm going to show the repsonse I get to my parents so hopefully there's more good repsonses than bad.


Thanks
dan

 

[racemybuick]

personally, you are young, you got a great mechanical influence, and a good tase in cars. I think you should consider buying a great GN that needs a motor job and such, and start with a good body. Find a car with little or no rust, and use it as a chalk board. Build the motor yourself, to exactly what you want. Since you are going to school, you might want to consider tabling the idea at all until you can save up more money to build a nice stage car or sumtihing.
I would like to see you put your mechanical intelect to good use and start by building a motor first, then find the car to slap that HP hungry machine into.

I was a freshman in college when I got my hot air. I have to pay for school by myself, and because of that, my car has sat for almost 4 years. Yes, I do have a lot of performance parts on the car, and sure, the body looks good, but that car needs some serious time and a lot more $$$ to get it show like.
Be smart and do not buy the first car that sound nice with a macco paint on it.

Look deep into the car. If you can, put one up on a lift and check the joints. Do vin checks and make sure that car is not a wreck!!! If you go ahead and buy the car, make sure it can be garaged and locked up tight. The car can wait until you are ready, but if you jump right in, you may disappoint yourself.

DO it right the first time and start from scratch if you have to. Otherwise you'll end up like me with spun turbo, spun crank, and a nice short block sitting in a crate on the garage floor begging for attention that you have no time to give.

Good luck man. Sorry about the lenght, but, it means a lot to me seeing you so young ready to jump in. I think you should look at every car and see the common problems, and start with something you know already...If you build it, you know it...If you buy it, you got a lot of questions to answer.

GOOD LUCK!!!

John

 

[Slow91z]

Well, here's my deal...I have some mechanical experience also, and my own tools and a place to work on it...I went out and found a 70,000 mile car for $4000...Now it is in primer, but runs perfect...All I had to do was a tune up and new radiator...I would feel fine driving it to california, it's that solid of a car...You have more of a budget then I do, you could find a pretty nice car for that money, just take your time and get the one YOU want.

Also if you get one that hasn't had much done to it (original engine, tranny, etc.) yeah you might have to deal with older parts, but you won't have to deal with some elses mistakes you will KNOW pretty much everything it has, and can come here to find the parts most likely to fail...If someone did some less then reputable work (like you last one) before you then that is twice as hard to fix.

Also go to gnttype.org there is a very good buyers guide there for used TR's.

 

[cwelk87gn]

It sounds like you have a good insight into what you are doing. I have a 97 F-150 I drive everyday to work and the GN sits in the garage. These cars are rather maintenance intensive, but on the other hand the can be fairly reliable if taken care of. I say go for it!

 

[turboscott]

Here is my opinion although I don't know if it will help you convince mom and dad. I would recommend buying yourself a $2000 car that is very dependable that you can get a couple years out of with little to no work needed. Something like a Chevy Z24 or a 4 cyl. Cavalier. Not as glamorous I know but the 2.8 V6 and the 2.0 4 cyl. are very dependable. While you are driving that you save up some more money and do some more research on these cars in the meantime so when you do finally buy one you will know more and will likely get a much better deal. You live in IL, I can't imagine one of these cars would be the best winter car if it is your daily driver.

These are great cars. I am on my 3rd one now and I FINALLY got the one I really wanted. My first one was a 42K mile T roof GN. But at that time I couldn't afford the maintenance or mods that I wanted so it wasn't as much fun as I thought it would be. Then I bought an 87 Grey Turbo T about this time last year. That didn't do it for me either, I needed the GN. So, last March I bought my current car. 87 Hard Top GN with 10,056 miles. Why do I tell you this, because I am stressing saving for the car you want. It took my 3 years to get my car but I get so much more enjoyment out of this one that i did my first one because I was ready for it and I have much more appreciation for it.

Great cars though. So much fun. Good luck with whatever you decide.

 

[Danster]

Another thought if you do decide to purchase one, ask for some assistance from someone on this board who can help you and your parents inspect the car before the purchase is made.

Dannyo

 

[racemybuick]

I think Turboscott has a good point. You first need to think about something daily first, then going for a project you can handle, however I must disagree about waiting. With these cars, good offers do not come by often at all. What you should consider is figuring out exactly what you want out of the turbo car. Do you want a show car, a drag car, or just a daily show and go to drive around in. Once you decide, you need to set goals. It is extremely hard to put money aside at your age, when everything looks like a great deal, and when you know you have the money. What I did to prevent wasting my money, and to know I am getting what I want, I set on paper my goal for spending on each and every single performance or resto part that I want.
When I find that part, I compare the value to what I set aside, and if it is close, I'll go ahead and buy it. If it is no where near what I need, or close in value, I ignore and move on. I am an EBAY fiend, and it is a costly habbit, but It has saved my GN from the scrap yard a long time ago.

Take your money, divide your goals, and then divide the money accordingly. From that, you can build your car, or just flat out by the car you want. Either way, you match your goals, and you get what you are looking for.

Good luck and be smart!

John

 

[Renthorin]

Dan, for 7 grand you are looking at a higher milleage GN. If you buy it locally to you it will probably have rust and you don't want that (unless you plan to sell the car again in a few years).

I went to VA to get my GN as they don't salt the roads.

If you are looking for a daily driver don't get a GN, particularly if you plan to take it to malls, the movies, school, etc. Someone will either damage it or steal it and that will make us both cry.

I don't know how far from me you are but I am willing to help if you want a second opinion on something

 

[turbowannabe]

Thanks for all your help guys, I really appreciate it. Here's what I'm considering doing. Well I've got my 94 5 speed SC that is my daily driver and I'm trying to sell in order to buy a TR. I've got a loan out right now but I've got more than enough money to pay that off. I'm going to go into the bank and see what kind of monthly payments I can get on a loan. Then I could get a loan for the TR and keep the SC and put it up for sale while I drive the TR. After I sell the SC I take the money, buy a cheap four banger or something, then use the extra money to pay part of the loan off.
The only problem is the bank will only loan me for the amount the car blue books at. So I'm not really sure what to do about that. My parents do own a respectable local business and the bank waived the need for a title on my $1500 loan my parents cosigned for, but that was only $1500. There is one particular car that was looked too good to be true, that I really need to find out about. Might take a day off school this week and make a road trip, or possibly this weekend. I really would like to buy now because during the summer TR prices will probably soar when everyone will be looking to buy one. Let me know what you think


thanks
dan

 

[TRFanatic]

don't

PATIENCE. Don't get screwed again. If it "looks to good to be true" it probably is. Wait till you can comfortably afford the car then you won't make a quick judgement and buy the wrong car again.

Ravi

 

[turbowannabe]

I had a local tb.com look up the VIN and everything seemed to check out fine. The car isn't that cheap, it's in the $8k range and has low miles. And like he said and carfax clarified, he's the second owner since 94. Also went over to a local guys house and checked out and 87 GN hardtop. Had a few mods, rebuilt trans with paperwork, but it's leaking oil out of the main seal. He is a hell of a guy and is asking a reasonable price for it. Although I'm not quite sure how much work a rear main seal is. My goal is to look at as many cars as possible and narrow the list down. I really want to get a TR but I just can't afford to get myself into another hole. That's the thing about 17 year old cars and 17 year olds like myself, you just never know what they're going to do. Thanks guys

dan

 

[racemybuick]

If you are looking at taking out a loan, you may want to consider not buying a car right away, but maybe pieces. With you mechanical inclination, and your resources here on TB, you can put together one mean longblock to install in a car that you can build later. Like everyone has stated, when you buy a car that has been worked on, you never know exactly what to expect. What if you put your money into your own project? Build it all yourself. Start with a fresh block, and buy all the components you want. Then find a TR like your old one, one iwth no motor, or a blown motor, get it for a deal, and put your own powerplant in it. At that point, you know what you have, and what to expect. If not that way, then find a bunch of us around you, and we can help find you a car that may need nothing or very little. You do not want to just shop around and find a bargain. You want to know every detail about the car, or you are going to be left with a lot of questions, and another money pit. Best of luck to you!

John

 

[turboscott]

As someone who got his first car loan when he was 16 I always try to convince people not to get themselves into such a hole at such a young age. I got in a hole very early and it took so long to get out of it. 2 loans would be the worst thing you could do in my opinion. Rear main seals are is common on these cars as filling the gas tank. If you find someone that says their rear main seal has never leaked they are either lying or they have no oil in the motor. But, I also understand you impatience. When I was 17 I made a few impulse buys as well. I let what I wanted overrule what made sense. My parents tried to show me the right way and I didn't listen and they were right every time.

Having said all of that, if you do find a car send me the VIN#. I work for an insurance company and have access to a database that all accidents are reported too. It shows things that Carfax doesn't. Carfax sucks by the way. Just email me the VIN# to scottbianchi@hotmail.com. I don't think you should rush into the purchase but if you just HAVE to buy one I don't want to see you get burned.