New to SHO...what to look for?

[Vitamin G]

NOTE: Maybe this should be in the buy/sell/trade section? I intened the post to be more mechanically oriented...but after looking it over I'm not sure I did that. Sorry if I posted in the wrong spot...take it easy on me, I'm new

Hey SHO-heads!

I'm new to the game and I'd like some advice on what to look for when buying.

Right now my wife and I are looking at the following:

-'91 MTX (private owner)
-White on black leather
-87k original miles
-Sunroof
-Used as a commuter since new; current owner lives in a medium sized city (Spokane, WA.)
-Recently replaced radiator, throttle sensor, fuel pump and spark plugs
-Price: $3200


-'92 MTX (dealer)
-White on ?? (didn't ask)
-87k
-Fairly stripped in terms of options
-Price: $3995

In order to avoid buying a lemon, what should I best most aware of? What short list of questions would give me the most insight as to the condition of the car? Also, what, if anything, would you expect to replace or repair in the near future?

Any input and insight would be greatly appreciated!

<small>[ April 03, 2003, 11:13 PM: Message edited by: Vitamin G ]</small>

 

[mosho93]

I've only had my sho since october of 2002. Take the spark plug wires off and see if there's oil in the plug wells. ask them if the 60K check was done on it. cuz thats a good thing for sho's to have them done. other then that i cant tell ya much w/ my little sho experience. good luck and always LONG LIVE THE SHO!

 

[JoeHoe_SHO]

Welcome to the world of SHO!

You have the right idea in my bood (MTX). There are Pro's and Con's in dealing with private owners. They could have beat the **** out of the car, on the same token...they could have babied it. Dealers....can scam you, on the other hand, they could have re-furbished the car(not likely due to expensive parts)

With older models like that, check out the exhaust piping, make sure if shifts fairly smooth...(clutch is expensive, so is tranny)...

Things that go wrong in my experience are half shafts, CV joints/boots,(cheap fix) tie rods, wheel bearings(again, sort of cheap)

Ask about waterpump replacement, 60k maint.

The engines, as long as you/previous owner takes care of them will last well over 200K.

Check out these links Shotimes Midwest SHO

 

[FAST4DR]

Here is what I think about when looking at a used car.

In no particular order....

-Ask what maintenance has been done...

-definately pull the spark plugs(at least on the front) and look for oil.
-Ask if the timing belt has been changed.
-Ask if the valves have been checked/adjusted
-Ask if the fluids have been changed(brake, antifreeze, power steering fluid)
- Look at the power steering fluid. (if it's brown it's probably real old)
- Has the clutch been replaced
- grab a hold of the front of the intake manifold and try to move the motor(**** on it real hard to see if the motor mounts are shot.) I recommend starting the car(with the hood up), leaving the parking brake on, put it in 1st gear and let the clutch out and torque the motor. It should move a little, smoothly backward, under load, but if it jumps up or pops up then the front motor mount is probably bad. Do the same in reverse to check the rear mount.
- you could compression check the cylinders with a gauge if the owner didn't mind.
- push the clutch in and see if it is smooth. Drive it and make sure you can deal with the clutch. Some sho's are tough to drive as the clutch doesn't engage smoothly because of a worn clutch cable, etc. If it engages when the pedal is almost all the way out try putting your foot under the pedal a lifting up. This activates the self adjuster for the cable.

- Crawl under the car a look around. Look for any thing that might look unusual. Heavy scrapes, etc.

- ask if any of the calipers have been changed or serviced.

- put the parking brake on and make sure it grabs effectively.

- Ask if the air conditioner has been recharged and who did it. Take a temp gauge and put it in the vent and see what temp it drops to. I think anything 20-25 degrees below outside tempature is adequate, not sure though.

- push down on each corner of the car and see if it bounces more than once, checking to see if the struts are shot or not.

- pull back the interior in the trunk and see if any work has been done.

- look closely under the hood at the side of the fenders that are inside the hood. If you see any faint tape lines where it may have been repainted. Pull back gaskets near the roof and see if there is any paint lines.

- Roll all the windows all the way down and up noting any weird noises.

- Flip the turn signal switch and see if it has any catches or kinks when you move it. I think I have replaced a turn signal stalk in every sho I've owned

- If possible jack the car up and grab the wheel top and bottom and try and move the wheel to see if it needs a new wheel bearing. If you grab left/right on the wheel and it moves a little it could be a bad tie rod.

- When you drive it try the cruise control.

-- Be somewhat suspicious if you pop the hood and everything is real shiney. People like to spray "armor all" all over the motor to makes the hoses look new and the metal shine.

--- Most important is sit and make a list off all this stuff and whatever else you can come up with and go down the list as you look at the car and check things off. Also, take your time and don't get rushed. Don't get overly excited about a great looking car that could have a shitload of mechanical problems. Looks aren't everything.

-- You might even ask if you can take it to a garage you trust to look it over if you aren't familiar with the mechanical stuff yourself.

 

[TimboSHO]

It all depends on how well it was maintained. I just changed the spark plugs in mine, and they look like the originals! My car has 139,000 miles too! Otherwise, just ask to see if the 60k was done, check for any starting of rust on the bottom of the doors (you'll have to look from the inside) or by the gas tank. For $3200 i'd expect a 91 to be virtually rust free, and all of the power options, A/C, etc. work. With a dealer, it's hard to tell if the car has just been prepped to look/perform nice for a sale (as mine was). I'd definitely say check for oil in the spark plug wells. That's probably your biggest worry. Otherwise, enjoy! Sounds like a very nice car (the 91, that is... i'm partial to GEN I's though too)! Good luck.

 

[TimboSHO]

Fast4DR, that is one spectacular list. I might just have to copy that to help others in the future! Shocks and struts are definatly one thing i forgot.... check and make sure the car looks pretty level. I think about 24" from the ground to the rear fender well is pretty good. If it's much lower, you may need new springs, unless it has been lowered.

 

[bradman]

Yep! FAST4DR has it nailed. Of all those I would definitely make sure the timing belt and clutch have been replaced. If they have not, then you will have some big repair bills soon.

 

[Mr Anonymous]

Another thing to look for on the '91 is rust.

 

[Vitamin G]

Wow! This is great! Thanks to all for the in-depth and expedient feedback!

We're taking a look at the cars over the weekend and hope to have one of them parked in our garage by mid next week. I'll be sure to take all of your suggestions along for the ride as they'll undoubtedly help in making the final decision. I'll drop by in the next few days and let you know how it went

Thanks again!

 

[Vitamin G]

Well, the little lady and I made the 2 hour drive (one way) to look at the '91, but didn't get a chance to check out the '92 (found a thrid, an '89, but didn't see that either). Anyway, it turns out the '91 has a decent exterior, fair interior and questionable power plant. As you recommended I popped the hood and looked for oil in the spark plug wells and sure enough there was oil in all three front wells. Despite this, we took it for a quick spin around the block. Doing so illustrated a few more little quirks, such as a clunk/creak from the front-passenger side at take off. Idle was a little rough. Something sounded loose near the rear-driver side wheel well. The hood stanctions were shot. The trunk's carpet was moldy or bleached in spots. The seating had seen better days and the climate control buttons were all broken (superficially...they still worked though).

What made it worse was the fact that the owner's husband didn't have clue #1 about the car (the owner was at work and thus unable to take questions)...no recollection of 60k maint., or any other basic mechanical details.

I was seriously upset and fumed about the experience for the entire 2 hour trip home. Not only had I wasted $50 in gas, food and incedental purchases (totally unavoidable, heh heh), but I got up early (on a Saturday no less) expressly to scope this car with the intent to buy. There's a lesson in all this, I just know it

The good news is that you guys save me $2800 now (they lowered the price) and potentially thousands more later. I have not given up...I WILL have an SHO. However, I will remain skeptical until the very end. Oh, and I'll make sure to call and get some answers before I embark on another all-day trek wink

<small>[ April 06, 2003, 03:11 AM: Message edited by: Vitamin G ]</small>