| Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Wahiawa, Hawai'i
Posts: 1,209
Car: 1989 TTA Engine: LC2 Transmission: Worn-out 200R4 Axle/Gears: BW 9-bolt, 3.27's | 87 LG4-auto TA 4sale
A buddy in my Church wants a Firebird, I guess me having two of them might have biased him in that direction - not that I was pushing for him to get a 'Bird in any case. He spots an ad in the paper (I haven't seen it) and calls me up to have a look with him - a 1987 Trans Am, V8 with automatic. Decoding the VIN, I find it's an LG4, so it comes with the 2.73 peg-leg rear, the only option available (supposedly) for the LG4-Auto combination. 150k on the clock, not terribly high, but the body is in very good shape. However, it's missing the spoiler. Looks very odd without it, but for some reason, it isn't just a hack job, it looks very clean and nicely done. A/C works, all four speakers work, interior is passable, the t-tops are in good shape (glass) and the car drove pretty well - at least, it seemed to, as I was relegated to backseat duty, listening for rattles and squeaks, nothing that caught my attention too much. Brakes seemed okay, didn't seem to pull, and the steering wsa pretty good. Started up pretty nicely, but he idle was a bit high. A stab at the gas pedal fixed that and it settled down at around 500 RPM or so. Paint is white, slightly yellowed from age in some spots, but looks pretty nice considering. From an exterior perspective, it looks really sweet. Well, all the emblems are missing. Possible re-paint, then. If so, not a bad job of it.
Oil gauge didn't read squat, but for the thirty minutes we putzed around in it, I'm sure a total lack of oil would've done some major bad things to the car I would've picked up on. Sending unit most likely, that or the gauge itself. Horn doesn't work. No clue how to fix that. Interior lights are out, but he owner had removed the fuse so his kids didn't run the battery down by leaving them on when he wasn't looking. Interior neds to be cleaned up, and the dash top is cracked badly. Nothing a new one can't fix, that or a cover. Engine bay could use a good bath, too. I'm not familiar with carbed cars though, I wish I was. Plus, the usual suspects, all the stuff that usually needs to get replaced when buying a used car, like windshield wipers, spark plugs and wires, a good full tune-up wouldn't hurt things, either.
Here's the kicker. The owner wants 2300 for it. I stifled a laugh, even with the body pretty much rust-free and in great shape, I doubt it's worth much more then 1800. I told my buddy that, out of earshot of the owner, so when he haggles with him Thursday, hopefully he can talk the guy down some (2 grand would be more like it) - isues are issues, and will need to be addressed sometime soon (or at least before safety is due, in September). I also told him, that if haggling can't happen, to walk away. He got back from Iraq recently, so he can afford to drop some coin into it if he decided to do it. I told him to sleep on it.
If he gets it, he would like to throw in a carbed 350 in there or maybe even an L98 if anyone has a complete one with ECU and harness. The 305 seemed healthy enough for street use, but it's a mere sixteen-second car, and that was when it was new.
If it was me, I would've tried to haggle or simply walked away. What do you all think? Anyone else seen this ad?
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'89 TTA - Will Work For Brakes
'89 Firebird - Will Work For Paperwork
'06 Vibe - Will Work For Baby Seats That Fit
'90 Mazda 323 - Will Work For TLC |
