Looking for advice

[WI-SHO]

Hi everyone, I signed up on this forum to get some info on these cars. I have been looking at cars for over a month now and can't make up my mind on what to get. I recently sold a very nice rear drive car because I can't see making payments on a car that sits in storage for half the year. I just want to get something I can pay cash for and perhaps put some into it if needed or to enhance performance. The two cars I've narrowed it down to are the Gen II SHO and Regal GS. I have to have an auto trans. From everything I've read, the SHO's are great cars however may cost a bit to maintain, which is fine as long as it's not rediculous and often. All the SHO's I've seen for sale that I've called on, the owners were not knowledgeable of the 60k tune-ups so I imagine that would be something I'd have to have done right away. I've been looking for the lowest mileage possible however there don't seem to be too many under 100k miles but I'd atleast like to get something under 120k miles. My friend's wife has a SHO and it's been a great car for them, I believe they got about 170k on it and have had minimal repairs.
The Regal's have the GM 3.8 which is a great motor too however every one I've test drove so far had crappy suspension. The regals are also priced a little higher it seems.
I am wondering what the most important things I should check out when looking at a SHO? Are there ways to tell if they have been abused or to tell if they have been well maintained? Obviously I should ask for service records but some people do all the work themselves.
I appreciate any advice.
Thanks

 

[smokin joe]

something to keep in mind since you are looking for an automatic the 94-95 autos are better than the 93's but most auto SHO's need a rebuild at about 100k the autos are notoriously weak,

 

[93rev2sev]

Buy one that has a blown tranny and have it rebuilt by someone who can spell "SHO". You will pay less in the long run.

Also, some SHOs that had tranny problems early in life got new tranny's...from SLOs. Make sure the tranny pan says SHO on it.

I might be off the mark here...someone slap me if I am.

 

[smokin joe]

Also, some SHOs that had tranny problems early in life got new tranny's...from SLOs. Make sure the tranny pan says SHO on it.

My GL says SHO on the trans pan AX4N anyone know what thats all about?

 

[1993MTXSHO]

My GL says SHO on the trans pan AX4N anyone know what thats all about?

maybe someone swapped in a sho transmission

 

[smokin joe]

i know in 95 they were testing them for the 96-99 SHO maybe i got one of those???? but either way it still sucks! its bad when my GL can squeal the tires into second better than my mtx sho!!! haha i always get funny looks when i do that next to hondas they look at me like WTF??

But back on topic it would be a good idea to get a cheap SHO with a blown trans there are plenty of them out there and then you know the trans is new and it will prob end up cheaper

 

[WI-SHO]

Someone's selling a 93 with a rebuilt trans. Would that be a safe bet? Thanks for the help.

 

[93rev2sev]

Someone's selling a 93 with a rebuilt trans. Would that be a safe bet? Thanks for the help.

If you know who rebuilt it and they are willing to transfer the warranty, go for it. Otherwise, start saving for a rebuild.

 

[Kickinsho]

Okay, i gotta stick my two cents in here. I have a '93 and will be flipping
150K on it in the next day or two. I still have the original tranny and it is in great condition.

I think the key here is simply to find a SHO that is in as good of condition as possible. If you have never owned one before, you will need to learn all of the things a SHO can be, good and not so good!

I absolutely love my cars, especially my '93. I have had it about 8-9 years now.

Do a ton of searching and don't be afraid to ask questions.

 

[WI-SHO]

I'll guess I'll just do my best to evaluate the overall condition. It seems that with these cars especially, if regular maintenance is kept up they will have far less problems. I'm doing my best to find a low mileage one with service records. If the car is well over 60k miles and hasn't had the 60k service, I should probably stay away.

Thanks for the help.

 

[Force4]

your tranny will last a long time if you dont slap stick it. my biggest regret... LOL

 

[Mrhappytuzi]

and if it does slip.. your biggest mistake will be to add any tranny oil additives..

 

[362104]

I was talking about my SHO on svtperformance.com and a member mentioned this site to me. Good thing thing he did because there's not much activity on the other site. I learned about the 60K here.

I have "dumped" over $1K in my SHO in less than 3 months. It's worth it. My MPG is awesome compared to before.

Looking @ Eibachs & Koni's now.

 

[WI-SHO]

I'm still looking, not having much luck. I guess I really want to find a low mileage SHO if possible. I looked at a '95 with 70k miles on Wednesday but the spark plug wells had a ton of oil in them and the car seemed like it had more wear than some high mileage ones I've seen. Another thing, the idiot dealership thinks their sitting on a gold mine. They're asking over $2,000 more than KBB excellent condition retail value. I told them that it needs the 60k service and they don't really care. I'd appreciate any leads on a well maintained SHO with low miles if possible.

 

[FREAK_SHO]

I'm still looking, not having much luck. I guess I really want to find a low mileage SHO if possible. I looked at a '95 with 70k miles on Wednesday but the spark plug wells had a ton of oil in them and the car seemed like it had more wear than some high mileage ones I've seen. Another thing, the idiot dealership thinks their sitting on a gold mine. They're asking over $2,000 more than KBB excellent condition retail value. I told them that it needs the 60k service and they don't really care. I'd appreciate any leads on a well maintained SHO with low miles if possible.

Where is this car located?

 

[WI-SHO]

It's at Elmhurst Ford in Elmhurst, IL. You can find it on Autotrader.com.

 

[FREAK_SHO]

It's at Elmhurst Ford in Elmhurst, IL. You can find it on Autotrader.com.

Thanks.

 

[Mrhappytuzi]

Yeah you gotta watch the low mileage SHO's.. they might happen to have a sludge problem... like mine but **** i bought mine with 65 on the clock.

 

[Bluestreak]

When I bought my SHO, the dealer had $7499 on the price tag!

HA! Nuts huh?

 

[Mrhappytuzi]

Yeah there was one out here for that much. had twice the miles mine had. and in way worse condition haha. Man that guy was an ass too..