i am from chicago and found a clean TT 94' FD with 69k miles on the clock and priced nicely at $7,900. you get what you pay for and what i am getting is that the car doesnt run. they say the engine turns but doesnt start. its kinda iffy on the fact they say they have no idea whats wrong with it. leaving me to assume these guys just beat on car like a dumbass. anyway, my question to you guys is this car worth grabbing and having the engine rebuilt. i kinda think having the engine rebuilt myself will have some ease on my mind. ive talked to a few sellers and they always say they' ve had their engine rebuilt but have no reciept or any other form of proof to prove theyve had it rebuilt. so any suggestions to what the car is going through with the little info i was given? thanks in adv.

 

they can always go back to the shop who rebuilt it and askfor a receipt. If ou want to buy the car and you end up replacing the engine you will have to add up 2K to your total plus shipping and installation unless you can install it your self.

 

yea i was planning on adding 5k to my total for shipping and the whole rebuilding process. it ended up to be that this car was owned by some kid who just got his license and messed it up and his dad is trying to sell it out for him. so thats done with. thanks though.

 

Heh, your logic is the same as mine. I am in the process of getting that car.

 

I would pick it up brother. I hope you have a daily driver. Even if you have to put a new motor in it, I think it will be worth it. It sounds clean and the miles say a lot about it. Are you sure the motor needs to be replaced? I would buy it for that price regardless. Worst case scenario, you out a new motor in it and you have 10K invested. Hell with a running motor, you can turn it around and sell it for 13.5K and pocket the cash. I know you wouldn't do that after all that work but the option is there.

It sucks you are in Chicago. I would help you if you were close.

 

if they don't have a receipt, then it wasn't done. nobody spends that much money on something like a rebuild engine and doesn't get a receipt.

add up the various items you will need to fix and then see if it makes sense.

- new motor (reman) $2,800
- clutch (stock) $2xx
- coolant hoses, fuel pulsation dampener and fuel lines $200
- silicon hoses $120 parts
- maybe turbos (used) $300 broken apex seals often take out the turbos too.

add labor to the above for a rough estimate

then also consider brakes, tires and overall condition of paint and interior.

$7900 isn't a bad price at all but it really depends on what else you need to do. after it's all done at least you know what was done and hopefully it was done right and will be reliable and maintainable.

good luck.

 

If it turns over but does't run then just do a compression test. If it has compression then it will run, the problem is either spark or fuel. If there is no or low compression then it needs a rebuild. There is a compression "how-to" on our website at www.banzairacing.net

 

If the car is in otherwise good condition, and you have the ability to get the rebuild done, i.e. got another car to drive, it might be worth picking it up.
Maybe the engine is blown, but it's also quite possible that it's a few other very simple things. It could be flooded, the battery is weak, bad spark plugs, blown fuse, broken egi relay, or a number of other things.
A compressoin test would tell you if it's the engine internals or some other component, as BlueTII already mentioned.