'95 SHO still worth buying?

[jonsvolt13]

I am looking for a "fun" car and found a nice looking red 95 SHO mtx with 150k on craigslist. my question is are these worth buying? high maintenance? what kinds of things should I ask about to seller? thanks

 

[jonsvolt13]

A lite background. My Chevy volt lease is up and I need something to get me through the next couple years when the tesla model 3 comes out. I was thinking the SHO cause it could be something to keep as a fun car when the new ev comes. I don't work on cars currently and don't care to start.

 

[zoomlater]

If the car you are looking at has had all the maintenance done to it, then it will probably be more trouble free than other cars in that price/year range. However, most craigslist cars are not in that condition.

If you prefer not to work on cars, then the SHO is probably not the car you want as a daily driver. Parts can still be found and there is a lot of help from the members on this forum as well as the information from past and current owners. The SHO can a fun car and 1995 was the last year of the MTX. The last car I sold last year was a 95 Red MTX. It was reliable, but not my daily driver.

 

[itwonder]

The SHO is an enthusiast car that can be reliable, but that takes attention, and proactive maintenance. If the car is let go, it is indeed high maintenance. Some things to ask about / look at:

1. When was the last 60K service done? documentation for it? Did the 60K include a new water pump, new crank sensor, new timing belt, valve adjustment, and new valve cover gaskets?
2. When was the clutch last replaced? Does the clutch engage really close to the floor, indicating it will soon be due? Does the car go into the gears reasonably well; some grinding going into reverse is normal, as is a little resistance going into first, but it shouldn't be terrible.
3. Drive it, put some newspaper under the car, and wait a few hours. Any oil leak spots?
4. Does the automatic temperature control work and hold the set temperature ?
5. Have the rod bearings been changed -- this will tell you if the owner is an enthusiast or not. A regular owner will not have changed them; which is not a terrible thing, but figure on doing it in the next 50k miles.
6. What shape is the exhaust system in? Has the front pipe with the catalytic converters ever been changed?
7. Has the car ever had crank cancer? - The harmonic dampener pulley bolt gets loose and screws up the end of the crankshaft.
8. Are there any clunks or pops in teh suspension when driving? Have the struts been changed?

 

[rubydist]

I agree with all of the above from itwonder except for one thing: if the rod bearings have not been changed after 150k miles and 20 years, I would do that at once.