I happened to drive by a car for sale, that is one I've always wanted to own-- for some reason I love the looks of these and they are getting rather hard to find. I stopped by and test drove it. It's a typical 22 year old car- lots of little interior bits need fixing, the stuff that was typical of GM cars in this era. Broken door handle, drivers inside door handle works intermittently, some squeeks, rattles, nothing major. Exterior is a 7/10- great original paint except one tiny rust spot, some rear tint peeling, missing Pontiac decal on front, probably some other small things I'm forgetting. No underbody rust, just the typical surface rust you'd fine on cars in most any climate. Interior is an easy 9/10, pretty immaculate besides the various things that need repair.
The only huge red flag is that a previous owner rigged the cooling fan up to run full-time. I'm hoping this is just the infamous failed intake gasket on the 3100 engine, but this problem could be a potential money pit. Needs bushings, maybe shocks/struts, but I would expect to replace these things on an older vehicle anyhow. ABS actuates on dry pavement, could be ABS module or wheel speed sensors.
The car for me serves no purpose other than to sit in the garage, fix it up, and drive it on weekends. Unfortunately the drivetrain combo of this year is a pretty unexciting one - 3100 V6 with 4T60E tranny. But what it lacks in performance, it more than makes up in looks, and I can fix the performance part over time. No idea if a L67 (3.8L supercharged) would swap in, but that route might have some potential in the future.
I talked the guy down to $1,400, but haven't pulled the trigger yet. At that price, I have a budget of about $1,000 to do any needed repairs, which would entail mostly parts as I do all the labor myself, within reason (alignments and stuff I don't have equipment for, I take elsewhere).
Lousy idea, or does this look like it might be an okay deal? I know the answer is different for every person, but I like older vehicles much better than new ones with a hefty car payment!
Images below:
The only huge red flag is that a previous owner rigged the cooling fan up to run full-time. I'm hoping this is just the infamous failed intake gasket on the 3100 engine, but this problem could be a potential money pit. Needs bushings, maybe shocks/struts, but I would expect to replace these things on an older vehicle anyhow. ABS actuates on dry pavement, could be ABS module or wheel speed sensors.
The car for me serves no purpose other than to sit in the garage, fix it up, and drive it on weekends. Unfortunately the drivetrain combo of this year is a pretty unexciting one - 3100 V6 with 4T60E tranny. But what it lacks in performance, it more than makes up in looks, and I can fix the performance part over time. No idea if a L67 (3.8L supercharged) would swap in, but that route might have some potential in the future.
I talked the guy down to $1,400, but haven't pulled the trigger yet. At that price, I have a budget of about $1,000 to do any needed repairs, which would entail mostly parts as I do all the labor myself, within reason (alignments and stuff I don't have equipment for, I take elsewhere).
Lousy idea, or does this look like it might be an okay deal? I know the answer is different for every person, but I like older vehicles much better than new ones with a hefty car payment!
Images below: