Buying my first SHO

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CTTaurus

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Hey im from CT and im a new user. I had a 99 Duratec but always loved Gen1 and Gen2 SHO's. Any way i now drive a 2010 2.2 cobalt. But last night i had a dream about getting a 89-95 SHO. So here we are im going to buy one. I only want 5spd and looking on spending no more than $1500. I don't plan on registering it for a while, i want to make it a project. What are major "No No's" when looking at these SHO's? What Major problems do 89-95 run into that might ruin the whole project? Thanks for Replies!
 

intimdatr

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First if they say runs but wont move its usually a blown diff from doing burnouts. Sorta pricey to due the fact you need a tranny. But other than the PITA it is to get parts and work on these cars they are extremely reliable cars. If your looking for a ood site to get parts go to SHOsource([URL="http://shosource.com/catalog/index.php"Link[/URL]). These cars have tons of personality and everyone here (all jokes aside) love them to death.
 

CTTaurus

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Yeah i know about SHOsource i bought a MAF from them for my 99 Duratec. I work at a used car dealership so i know obvious problems but i just want SHO owner insight from they learned after buying. But blown diff is help, if i have to do a tranny i will but prefer not to!
 

SHOclass

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Hello,
Where abouts in CT are you ?
Rust is the enemy, a blown diff has been said, look for oil leaks, look in the plug wells to see if it has water/anitfreeze or some other undesirable fluids. look for a SAS, and make sure you give it a good test run, listen for "knocks" or "ticks". Usually the SHO is pretty good at letting you know it has an issue within a good test drive. Use common sense. That last one is the best advice.
Welcome !
 

CTTaurus

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yeah i will update before march because i plan on gettng it with my tax return so we will see what happens.
 

Racer X

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A no no would be buying it in CT.

Look south for a rust free example, and go from there.
 
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Step one: Don't buy one from a rust belt state. Rust and rot is more expensive to repair than mechanical items.

Step two: Find a nice rust free car from a southern state.

Step three: Email [email protected] for help in transporting said rust free southern car to CT. Kirk does a lot of transporting, usually to southern states and back.
 

CTTaurus

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Hello,
Where abouts in CT are you ?
Rust is the enemy, a blown diff has been said, look for oil leaks, look in the plug wells to see if it has water/anitfreeze or some other undesirable fluids. look for a SAS, and make sure you give it a good test run, listen for "knocks" or "ticks". Usually the SHO is pretty good at letting you know it has an issue within a good test drive. Use common sense. That last one is the best advice.
Welcome !

I live in Litchfield county
 

CTTaurus

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This car is not gonna be daily driven, weekend warrior if you will. I don't think I will be able to avoid rust but, I'm deff gonna find one with solid frame. I saw some ads about garage kept so. But I expect.......
Rotted fuel/brake likes
Seized calipers
Crack springs
Motor mounts
Rotted exhaust

Besides that Im not to worried.
 
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This car is not gonna be daily driven, weekend warrior if you will. I don't think I will be able to avoid rust but, I'm deff gonna find one with solid frame. I saw some ads about garage kept so. But I expect.......
Rotted fuel/brake likes
Seized calipers
Crack springs
Motor mounts
Rotted exhaust

Besides that Im not to worried.

You'd be able to avoid rust, it's a question of whether or not you're willing to. Sounds to me, that despite the advice from a few that have "been there, done that", you'll settle for a rust belt car.

IMNSHO, not having to replace rotted lines, seized calipers, cracked springs, exhaust, and the many rusty things you haven't mentioned (not to mention, the ease of not having to torch off every bolt on the car), is worth a price. A used rust free southern SHO sells for just about the same as a used SHO in the rust belt. It's worth the cost of transport to save yourself a ton of time and money in rust repair.
 
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JRA2000TL

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x10 on the rust free car. One of the main reasons I bought my red 89 was because it was rust free. Most on the forum would have crushed it because it was in such poor shape. It was worth the save and looking and running well currently.

I wouldn't worry so much about a previous body repair. These cars are old--so long as it's not a major salvaged total loss. The body guy said my car had bondo and stuff in places. The body panels seem original though. Either way, little stuff like that can't hurt the value on such an old car. Having rust/rot is a lost cause though.

You have to be able to work on it yourself though. That's good you have it as a project to learn and have fun with it.
 
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CTTaurus

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Yeah I'm used to rusted cars, but usually how I buy is if the body is good I can ways put a new tranny and motor. If I'm not satisfied I will bite the bullet and buy and transport. Thanks for input, very helpful
 

CTTaurus

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All rusted parts get replaces with performance :) Idc I just always wanted one and appreciated these cars. True sleepers. I will have one! Lol
 

notbange

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First thing I did when I moved away from Mass was sell my rusty SHO and replace it with a non rusted one. Best thing I ever did; my rusty car broke my heart every time I laid under it and saw the holes and wondered how the subframe was still hanging in there. If it's going to be a project, why start with a rusty one?
 

CTTaurus

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well i can only hope for a good car. where i work i have acess to
shop prices on parts plus no tax
a lift and tools
a car trailor or a dealer plate if it moves lol

so im going in on this. if its a rust bucket im not buying it but bear with me here lol i want this car and i understand there will be rust but if the things is falling apart from underneath it then yeah i wont buy it, cant replace that.
 

notbange

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Mine wasn't very rusty from above, you'd only see it if you looked under it so be careful. My rocker panels were completely rotted away under the side skirts. The doors and fenders were rust free except a bit around the gas cap in the rear.
 

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