Well..The title says it all...I found a 1987 with 100,000 miles that doesnt run. The guy wants 900 for it cash, it the turbo 2. ACCORDING to the guy selling it...he said the only thing it needs to run...is head gaskets. I guess what im wondering is, WOULD this car be a good buy? Obviously im not a mechanic...so Keep in mind i'd be paying for labor and stuff like that too. Any one have some advice?

 

i wouldnt pay more than $500 for a non running FC.

 

It does not have "headgaskets" or need them. It probably needs a rebuild.

 

If the car needs 'headgaskets' (Which this car does not have, it has what are called water jackets) then it for sure needs a rebuild to fix such things. Not to mention other damage could've been caused to the motor from this failure.

Buy it if you want to rebuild the motor or swap another in. If you want a car that for $200 labor you can drive...buy a Toyota.

 

^ yup, basically anything the P/O says is probably nonsense.

 

i bought my 91 vert for 500 with a seized motor+150 for some 18 motegi. all i need is like 5gs more for a tII swap and bam a car that eats vetts with no pistons. i dont regret buying it at all. as a matter of fact best money ive ever spent. now the 700 i spent for a (supposedly) fresh reman that turned out to have bad coolant seals is another story

 

It is a good buy if you do not mind spending $900 on a collection of used car parts of unknown condition. Since you can't test drive the car, and you are not a mechanic, it is nearly impossible for you to evaluate the condition. Plan on spending about $2,500-$6,000 to rebuild the engine, and I would set aside about $3,000 for tires, brakes, fluids, hoses, spark plugs & wires, filters, drive belts, and various parts and pieces that are worn or broken. If you post pictures on this forum we can maybe give you a better idea of what the car needs for repairs.

 

if i bought the car, i planned on doing an engine swap, because the guy was like "OH NO IT RUNS GREAT AND HAS 100,000 MILES ON IT" which im pretty sure..cant happen because you need a new engine about every 70,000? SO, basically, what you guys are saying is i should make an offer to the guy closer to the 400-500 range if that? The interior was decent, but there was rust on the panels, and i didn't check anywhere else( More or less, i'd be getting buying the car expecting a complete rebuild, which would cost a **** ton more cash then i have at the moment, but at the same time am in no rush)

 

The engines last over 100k miles all the time, especially if not turbo'd. But since he said it needs 'head gaskets' it probably will need a rebuild soon if not immediately. It would make a good project car though it sounds like. If you have another vehicle and don't mind putting some work into this one. But ya, pics would be great

 

i love how u say ur not a mechanic and yet u wanna do an engine swap? If its an N/A model they last forever if you keep up the maintenance. Turbo engines dip well past the 100k mark all the time.

 

I never said i'd do the swap myself <_< and I'll see if i cant run out and get some pictures of it later today.

 

Being a mechanic is not a prerequisite to owning a RX, in most respects it's exactly the same as running a similar year Honda or Ford*.
Finding a qualified person to deal with your engine issue(s?) will be more difficult but once that's straightened out the ownership path will be pretty normal.


*I recently sold a set of seats to a woman who is the original owner of a 10th AE and she has had all her maintenance done by local mechanics since the car was new. Engine has never been opened up and seemed to run fine.