Billgluckman

I spotted this car while out cruising back roads one day, it was sitting behind someones house.

88 Iroc, 305 tbi, auto. Body is solid as can be other than the hood which is useless. Interior looks fine besides the dash pad. The car has sat up since 1999, it is a 1 owner car. The owner said the car was parked because it was burning oil/smoking.

Now let me say this, I have/had a project 88 camaro(still in my yard) for which I've collected a 350, tpi setup including complete harness, plus lots of random parts. The car ended up having a tweaked frame and being pretty damn rusty. Considering this is a base v6 car, I've decided it's not worth it and to go with another body.

I offered 500 for the iroc and was basically laughed at. I then offered 800, and they said they'd let me know. Am I being a cheap *** or am I valuing this car correctly? How much would you pay? I'm in bad need of a 3rd gen.

fokeyman

Does it even start? After all that time sitting, the injectors are gonna be replaced at least. That's 165 bucks. Not to mention it's other nuggets that might have corroded, seized like the ias, tps, maf/map, fuel pump. Battery, oil change. 500 might be lowballing, but was the car for sale? 700 and the yard back sounds like a good go. Have him consider the cost it's gonna be to get that smokey exhaust fixed for himself. And don't tell him you're dropping in a new one anyways. craigslist for your area and surroundings for a decent comparison. Around here a decent 91 is up for 1200 but needs fuel pump.

Billgluckman

They left this car for dead in the back yard, and now that someone's interested they feel that they can get a high dollar price for it. That's the vibe I get. Left me kind of pissed honestly. If they don't sell me the car, it's gonna sit there and rot.

and no the car won't start. it's been untouched since 99/2000. I want it for the body only basically.

-=Z28=-

iTrader: (3)

I'd be VERY leery/cautious of the condition of the underside of the car if its sat sense 99'. Unless you dont need the shell.

As mentioned above, who knows what else is wrong.

Chances are that they have a sentimental attachment to this car. Explain to them that you will be bringing it back to life. Send them pics or something. Or not.

Billgluckman

I'm a mechanic and very aware of the risk involved. I got under the car and it's solid as far as I can see from the bottom. My top dollar on this car is 1k and honestly, I'd only pay that much because it's very close to home, and it's an iroc.

The owner was supposed to contact me by 3pm yesterday and I've heard nothing as of yet. I even sent a message earlier asking what the price is and I've gotten no response. This car will end up rotting in their back yard, and what bothers me is the owner seemed ok with my offer, but her nephew(who had absolutely no mechanical knowledge, said pistons were in the head) said my offer was too low. Just can't win sometimes I guess.

-=Z28=-

iTrader: (3)

Make em some cookies or a pie, (cubfoods) and be a friendly neighbor who also has a 3rd gen and would love to see that car not rot. Give em some time. Im sure they are thinking about it. Its the young nephew who you need to get around.

Billgluckman

I won't even say what I think the nephew needs lol

Tibo

iTrader: (15)

Go over there with cash in hand. Tell them you need a new iroc because your old one was irreparable. Offer them however much, pull it out of your pocket and set it down. 800 they would be foolish to pass up. If they pass on that explain the true condition of it is unknown since it won't even start and drive. Maybe bring some Craigslist printouts of drivable Camaro to show your offer is in line. If they still don't accept walk away saying you will go ahead and look at others Camaro to buy.

Billgluckman

I'm thinking this deal is officially done. When I messaged the owner earlier I told her I was looking at a few cars and needed a price before I made my final decision (which isn't exactly true), and I haven't gotten a reply yet.

There's nothing local on cl btw, nothing reasonable anyway.

86 Money Pit

The nephew has probably watch too may episodes of Fast & Loud (or one of the dozen similar shows) where every week some shyster “steals” a valuable automobile from an uninformed owner and then flips it for big bucks. To the uneducated (the nephew) he probably thinks his auntie is sitting on a gold mine. All of these shows (and I include the TV auctions on this same vein) ready do car lovers a huge disservice by driving up the cost of these cars and putting them in the hands of speculators rather than true car enthusiasts.


I have been on both sides of this situation I know it can be frustrating to both parties. Not long ago I had a guy come to the door asking about my 1986 IROC which he saw sitting in my garage. He actually offered a reasonable price for the car but, he wouldn’t take “no” for an answer. He kept driving by the house asking if, “I had changed my mind yet.” I am sure he was just excited at the prospect of getting a new project but frankly, by the time he was done, I wouldn’t have sold it to him for any price because he had pissed me off.


My suggestion is to go by one more time and talk to the owner directly. Explain your position and offer (I agree that cash in hand would help). If she still doesn’t want to sell at your price leave your number and tell her to call if she finds the car isn’t worth what she is thinking it is worth. Then be prepared to walk away. From my experience calling every other day and dropping by doesn’t help, she knows how to get a hold of you if she decides she wants to sell the car.


Good luck.

fokeyman

Had the same thing happen to me, messaged, no reply. So I bought one that ran decent. Drove 2.5 hrs to even look at it, ended up buying it. It ran funky, but finally nailed down the problem. IAC was unscrewed entirely internally, screwed it back in and blammo...I'm stoked to drive it now. Today truth be told. But it's been what couple days? I'm assuming you're only half*** looking for a shell. Keep an open link to them, maybe drop by after you've forgotten about it and see what's up with the bills in hand as mentioned up there. Good luck with your .

Tibo

iTrader: (15)

Repeated calls, texts, offers and visits let's the seller know they have you on the hook. Cash in hand is hard to turn up. Return once more with the cash shown and make an offer. If he refuses, counter offer or leave your number again and walk away. Too many sellers are controlled by greed and not logic, don't let their greediness control the deal and if it does, walk away.

yaj15

iTrader: (3)

Cash is king! No banks or other intermediaries to deal with. $500 may seem like a low ball to the owner but, it's been sitting for 15 years. There is going to be a lot of work required to get the car up and running. Owner may want more but, if that was the case he should have at least started the car every once in a while to keep things in shape.

Billgluckman

I have no plans of going back by the house or contacting the owner. I'm very actively looking for a thirdgen camaro and there just isn't anything out there right now. Not in my area anyway. I'll just have to wait until I come across the right deal. It's killing me... lol

AmpleUnicorn88

You have to be careful with trying to show too much interest in it. I was pissed when the guy I bought my 88 base camaro from wouldn't move passed what I paid him for it because to me, I felt that it was in need of a full total restoration simply on looks alone, and who knew what I would find mechanically once I started driving it. I don't know much about 3rd gens still, but $800 for a non-running car that potentially needs almost everything replaced/fixed, seems kind of high. Granted it is an iroc, but did you confirm that it is an original iroc? I'm not trying to insult your intelligence but plenty of people have tried to dupe others before. The other thing I am wondering is if you meant TPI instead of TBI. I thought irocs only came with TPI's.

I guess I sort of take for granted the fact that I live in AZ and rust isn't really an issue for us here. We constantly have 3rd gen camaros/firebirds on craigslist here, and often times people come here just to buy a car because it is rust free. I was pretty picky when I was searching for mine, had to be a 305 TBI manual. Those are hard to find here this year, so I basically bought the only one for sale at the time that met those requirements, even though I could have waited a month or 2 and found one that needed way less work. So this might be a goo thing, because tomorrow some guy might be selling his teenagers car as punishment for them getting bad grades or not caring about wrenching on a car. That is something I see in ads frequently for these cars.

1988CamaroSC

iTrader: (2)

irocs didn't just come with TPI, in the mid eighties you could get a b4z coded car (iroc) with an lg4 under the hood. could also get the l69 .

AmpleUnicorn88

Yeah I just found somewhere online that said it was available to get TBI in an iroc in 88. I had no idea. I thought TPI was standard in the irocs.

1988CamaroSC

iTrader: (2)

If im not mistaken, when you ordered a car with carb or tbi, im pretty sure it was a -$xxx on the window sticker....tpi was standard

ktthecarguy

Hi there,
take a look at this link about IROC equipment - very thorough. I do remember looking at ordering forms when I bought my 1988 convert back then, and was surprised that the base IROC came with the L03 engine and the old 15" Z-28 wheels. All the rest was optional.

http://www.iroczone.com/2009/10/iroc-z-spotters-guide/

1988CamaroSC

iTrader: (2)

good info, thanks

GASPEDDLER

iTrader: (2)

I agree, be prepared to walk away. Decide what your best offer is, (that you can live with) offer it, give your contact info and walk away. If your offer is realistic and fair to both parties they will usually call back once the tire kickers and low ballers make their rounds to see the car. Resist the temptation to call the seller and always remember there are many of these cars still available, another one will come around in a few months or even weeks.

-=Z28=-

iTrader: (3)

Remember ppl, He approached them.

They didnt have a for sale sign out or anything. He found/saw it under the tree in there back yard cruising by.

I guarantee they have some sort of sentimental value to the car. or they woulda sold it if they new what was good for em. Otherwise, It will just sit there and rot..... and, THATS what you need to get into their heads.

You offered them what you thought was fair. They know how to get a hold of you.

Who knows, maybe they are all worried, like, Who is this guy? Snoopin around and saw my car and think I want to sell it...Who knows.

Keep looking....

However, as the old saying goes: "If you want something, Get after it."

-D

Billgluckman

The owner actually contacted me today, and the car should be mine Monday.

And yes, it's a real Iroc, tbi with the old 15" z28 wheels.

1988CamaroSC

iTrader: (2)

sweet!

-=Z28=-

iTrader: (3)

Well thats good news!

Billgluckman

Good news indeed but I really was hoping we could close the deal today and i could have the weekend to play with it. Ah well, lets just hope she doesn't back out on me.

fokeyman

I had a feeling you two would meet again. Just not quite so soon. Monday can't come soon enough. Enjoy.

Billgluckman

It really can't lol. I may not even be able to have the car at my house until next weekend because of work, but with the title in my hands I'll feel much better.

1988CamaroSC

iTrader: (2)

pics

Billgluckman

Don't have any yet. I was suppose to get the title today, owner sent a text saying she can't do it today, "maybe wednesday". I tried to call her earlier and she won't answer. I don't understand what's so hard about all this...all this "maybe" stuff is frustating.

fokeyman

[/QUOTE]Don't have any yet. [/QUOTE]

Boooo !! Wednesday can't come fast enough.

jharrison5

This is something I do all the time and tend to get what I'm after. Before I approach the people I do a quick search on current values then I always find out what they know about the car in question and if it has sentimental value. If the car is rough and has sentimental value I'll ask if the original owner would have wanted it to rot away or if they would have wanted someone to enjoy it? If they're not intrested I whip out a few 100's and most of the time they bite, because as other people have said cash is king lol! I have $500 cash in a lock box in my truck just for that reason.

I have no issue talking to people about cars just sitting on their property and have bought quite a few on a whim. My buddy Ced had been coveting this '68 eldorado for eight years and it had been sitting in this guy's yard since 1992. Ced would never knock on the door or anything and would always say how it would be so cool to get that caddy. So one day while coming home from work I see this old boy in his garage working, so I called Ced and told him to come over. In the ten minutes it took him to get there I was already talking price on the car. The guy had been wanting to sell the car, but didn't think anyone would want it since it had been sitting for 20 years. Ced had wanted this car for 8 years and in less then 20 minutes I had the car bought for $2500. Took us a month to get it started, but it did run, and now Ced is dealing with the fact that he has a one year only body style and can't find parts lol!

As for your IROC issue, in my neck of the woods a rust free straight non runner goes for around $1200. I paid $750 for my '87 IROC two years ago, but it was missing the engine. So an offer of $800 seems in the ball park but might be a little low for your area.

Good luck!

Billgluckman

Well I can't say it's rust free. I haven't pulled the carpet, just looked under the car. The hood is rusted beyond repair, several rust holes. The rest of the car is straight and solid, the weatherstripping even looks great. Interior is all there, it looks like a great project car, but who knows what could be hiding. I'm willing to risk that.

I still feel like I may not get this car lol

Billgluckman

Well Wednesday has passed and I'm done with this. The iroc hunt continues...

fokeyman

arrrg, that stinks

mjdavis68

iTrader: (1)

people are finicky, goofy, weird and just plain inconsiderate unless their hillbillies then i understand a little better

Billgluckman

Just thought i'd update this thread, the deal with the iroc never went through, but I should have an 88 camaro roller sitting in my yard tomorrow evening. It's not an iroc, but it doesn't appear to be rusted out, and the interior is all there. I'll either start a new thread following the project or just keep this thread rolling...can't wait to get started.