buying a SHO

[jacob822]

im considering buying a SHO, its a 1992 manual with unknown miles, i will be going to look at it soon, its white with white wheels also. the owner said they tried working on the exhaust but it "didnt go so well" they say but i know i can fix exhaust easily, the car seems clean and they say it runs well, is there anything i should look for on the car to make sure its ok?

 

[Bizzy]

Look for:
Oil leaks
The oil itself (is it clean?)
With the oil cap off, take a look in the front bank gallery with a flashlight. Is it stained dark with deposits or is it clean?
Oil in the plug wells (it happens but is a good indication on whether the 60k maintenance has been done or not)
Holes in the transmission (blown diff)
With you being in Washington (I'm assuming Washington state) you shouldn't have problems with rust, but look for it anyway.
Coolant leaks

Take it out for a drive and listen to the motor, do not turn the radio on. Who cares about music. Listen for any ticking noises. Run it through it's paces. Ask for any maintenance receipts they might have and look at them. Don't take their word that "It's been done". Also pay attention to the look on their face when you ask them if a certain service has been completed or not. Often times people get a dumb-founded look on their face when they don't know. Some are honest and say they don't know, others will lie through their teeth.

It's just like any other car really, pay attention to everything about the car. And if you get it, expect that there will be repairs that will need to be made. Maybe tomorrow, maybe a year down the road. The more observant you are to things the less likely it will be that you will get taken for a ride.

 

[jacob822]

ok, can do, thanks for the help

 

[shobote]

ALso be sure to check the clutch for proper operation, and the trans for smooth shifting and engagement; these clutches are very expensive and time consuming to fix compared to about any other car. FIgure $1k parts and labor if you have it done, and most mechanics are not familiar with these cars at all, so take caution.
Brakes are easy to fix if needed; suspension not too bad to work on, but still a PITA compared to most RWD cars.