Ok, so my car is dead, or rather dying, so im in the market for a new one. Im really looking for ThirdGens, but i cant seem to find many in my price range. Im going to look at a car on monday, its an 87 5.0 TPI 700R4 with t-tops and a salvage title from water damage sustained in 1989. Probably in a hurricane, i hear there quite common in Florida. Its got about 120K on the clock. Other than the usual spots for rust, and no leaking fluids is there anything else i should look for on these cars? I made a few mistakes assuming alot with my past car and i dont want to make the same mistakes. I know where to check for rust, my current car has tons of rust on it. Also does anyone have a handy list of the RPO codes and what they represent? I know we have the decoder on here, but i dont plan on bringing my computer with me.

RPO list there you go, dunno how accurate or complete it is tho

Could get the VIN and do a carfax report on it. I would avoid T-tops like the plague unless you really, really want them.

Check around for loose wiring. A lot of people buy third gens only to notice too late that there's a rats nest right by their feet. People love to try their hand at car alarms, remote starters and audio in these cars, and they often fail.

Check the fitment of the windows to the frame and see if there's obvious leaks (same goes for T tops if it has them). Its a pain starting out with doors that sag or seals that are screwed. Also, if the seals are bad now, its likely they have been for a while and there's gonna be rust/rot/mold that goes with it.

Find out why a car has a salvage title. Mine has one, and I was told it was because of an overly brutal police search of the interior that destroyed the seats and carpet. Well... when I tore out the interior I realized this car has been whomped on the rear end pretty dang good. If you don't know why, assume the worst. Don't be hopeful that it was just water damage.

Start out with the engine you want. I've got the 305 TBI and don't have the money to switch it out. If you want a 350, start with it. You'll be much happier.

Biggest thing is don't wish the car to be something its not. There's way too many third gen's around to settle for something less than you truly wanted. Don't fall in love with any specific car unless it really deserves it.

its been said, but first, above all else, is rust. If you find anything serious, forget about the car. Rust hides and if you can see rust, chances are there is more you cant see

wiring. Under the hood and under dash will dive you a good idea if somebody have hacked up the wiring. Wiring gremlins can be really tough to fix if somebody has f-ed with the wiring.

Make sure the body is straight, bode seams, bumper to hood and decklip line up well. You can usually tell if the car was hit by how the body lines up.

After that its a personal taste.

check for RUST, pretty much everything else is fixable. i would diffantly check the floors front to back and for any major collisions. and make sure the water didnt get up into the wiring or anything electrical like the computer.