What to look for when buying a SHO?

[88Irocker]

Hey! As you can tell from my screename I have an '88 IROC and I saw a good deal on a '91 SHO I might wanna add to my collection! Of course, this car is way different from what I'm used to (V8 RWD auto going to FWD, V6, stick). My question is, what should I look for in this car mechanical wise, ie, what problems are common in a '91 with 101k miles? Fuel pump? Timing belt/chain? CV joints? Clutch? Do these cars have Ford engines or another brand? How reliable are they? Is 150k miles without a rebuild a good expectation? I saw on autotrader.com that the one's with the auto trans got better gas mileage than the sticks. How's that? Are the stick's really close ratio, geared low? Is the enging Iron or Aluminum? Heads? The one I'm looking at says it's excellent condition, black w/ leather and wants $1600. Is that a good price? I would have expected more like $1900. What kind of gas mileage do you get? Autotrader says it seats 6. Do the '91s really have 2 bench seats? My friend had a '94 Taurus 3.8 auto and had a lotta expensive problems after the first few years. Are the SHO's drivetrain more reliable? Sorry so many questions, but I'm diving into something I'm afraid I don't know enough about yet. Thanks for any help.

 

[Yamaha V6]

David, I'm not going to get into the whole "what to look for" thing, as I'm sure everyone else here will cover that nicely.

The following answers are for the 89-95 V6 SHO:

Timing Belt, not chain. Non-Interference engine, so no worries if the belt goes. I've only seen one belt go.

Yamaha designed & built the engines.

Iron block, aluminum heads, aluminum oilpan, aluminum intake manifold.

V6 SHOs (if maintained) have hit 300,000+ miles.

Depending on condition, fair price. High end example 91's have sold for $4,000 range here recently. You can also find them in the hundreds for poor examples.

5 seater - 2 buckets, 1 bench in rear.

3.8L Taurii were notorious for head gaskets (not an issue with the SHO like the 3.8L was). The SHO can be very rewarding, but can also be a money pit (yes yes folks, I'm one to talk about the money pit, I know).

Best of luck with your potential new SHO.

 

[MilTownSHO]

Use the search feature and you can find alot of the answers to questions you listed. Go to shotimes.com also it has TONS of info. For the price it sounds nice if its as good as you say it is.

 

[SW SHO]

I would have probably sold mine by now if it wasn't for this forum, so keep the SHO going and add it to your collection.

 

[NotSoSlowSHO]

Here's a small collection of SHO links that should be of interest:

www.SHOtimes.com

www.SHOshop.com

www.midwestSHO.com

www.SHOclub.com

http://www.shoregistry.com/

www.SHOracing.com

visit SHOtimes first!

 

[jelloslug]

See if it has a painted emblem on the trunklid that says "PLUS". That was the only "limited edition" SHO there was. No performance upgrades on the plus cars just apperance. They are still rare though.

 

[NotSoSlowSHO]

jelloslug:
See if it has a painted emblem on the trunklid that says "PLUS". That was the only "limited edition" SHO there was. No performance upgrades on the plus cars just apperance. They are still rare though.

Why dont you take the time to visit www.SHOtimes.com as well...


The SHO "plus" DID NOT have an emblem that said PLUS Rather, the Taurus emblem was color-matched to the body.

 

[jelloslug]

I could have sworn that I have see a plus that had a "PLUS" emblem in the trunk lid. shrug shrug

 

[91 SHOplus]

jelloslug:
I could have sworn that I have see a plus that had a "PLUS" emblem in the trunk lid. shrug shrug

I've seen that too, on ebay. It's something that the owner fab'd himself. It was not part of the plus options. Kinda cool though.

 

[jelloslug]

That must have been it.

 

[SHO--ripper]

At 101K i would be planning on doing a CPS if it wasn't already done. Also you will need to put a new water pump and timing belt in within the next 20K.Pull a plug wire out and see if there is oil on the end of it. If there is plan on putting new plug well seals and valve cover gaskets on the car. Check the intake manifold for shiny spots. If there is a vertical spot your SHO will need motor mounts, if there is a horizontal spot you need subframe bushings. Make sure it doesn't grind in any gear while shifting. Good luck with the car if you buy it thumb

 

[MilTownSHO]

SHO--ripper:
Make sure it doesn't grind in any gear while shifting.

To get it into reverse put it in first or second then reverse to avoid grinding, this is normal for a SHO.

 

[88Irocker]

Thanks for all the responses guys, especially the heads up on the CPS and "shiny spots" on the manifolds - subframe problems.