Flynt

I made a 45 minute drive to take a look at this IROC. It is a two owner car with 99,000 miles. It has the original 350 V8. It seems to be fully equipped with a lot of power options. I like the car because it has no T-tops.

The owner wants $4,000 but it needs a paint job. The paint is weak. The interior is all stock and very clean. The car drives very well and has no leaks.

What do you think?

Brennan

car looks very clean but 4 grand seems steep. and the hood struts dont work, my pet peeve lol

igotta355z28

iTrader: (1)

nice car offer 3500 for it. i mean its got all around disc performance gear ratio, L98 and some other goodies if that RPO list is legit, its a good car, basically a 88 version of my 89 IROC and i paid 2k for mine not runnin and with 2 rust wholes in the roof i had to fix..........o well im a sucker

JamesC

iTrader: (5)

Welcome to TGO. Buying an unmolested car is always a plus in my book (It'll save you time and money in the end). I once looked at a Trans Am which appeared to be clean inside and out. I popped the hood to find the wiring harness clipped. Walked away. I'm not sure that the person who finally purchased the car ever tracked down all the problems.

JamesC

ghettocruiser

iTrader: (4)

I agree with James... I picked up my 86 with low miles and it was 98% unmolested. I paid more than some people might have...but it was SOOOO nice to work on it. All the wires in the original place, everything clean, no restoration type work was required. Paint is alittle rough now due to poor clear coat back then... And it might sound dumb, but having all the original hardware both inside and outside in its correct location and all present is one of the best parts. haha. The worst is finding wood screws in places due to lost hardware.

It looks nice, and if all it needs is a fresh paint job, I would have no problems paying 3500 for it...Ide probably pay 4k if it was nice enough...but you always try to make a deal regardless.

Good luck!

Justin

Flynt

Guys,

Thanks for all your comments. It looks all original to me. I am not an expert on third generation F bodies but I see nothing suspect or aftermarket on the car. It even has its original radio with built in equalizer.

The car's original dash pad is cracked and needs to be replaced but the carpet,door panels and seats are all clean.

The car is not perfect; the paint is weak and the driver's door needs bushing to close correctly. The owner understands this and I think I may be able to negotiate the price to the $3000-$3750 level.

Doc_G

iTrader: (1)

If it were me, I'd go take 3K out of the bank, and have 27 of those 100 dollar bills in my front pocket, pull the 2700 out and make the initial offer. It might seem insulting but it'll get you closer to the magic 3K mark you are shooting for. Besides, if I'm selling a car w/100K miles and a few "charracter" issues, 27 100 dollar bills speak VERY LOUDLY. Besides, you've always got the other 300 in your hip pocket to make it an even 3K if the seller thinks 2700 is too little. I WOULD NOT pay more than 3500 for that car.

JeremyNYR

iTrader: (2)

That seems like a very nice car and a fair price to me. You might land an LT1 4th gen for cheaper, but it won't have the syle and appeal that the 3rd gen offers :-)

ml258-89iroc

it sounds like a good deal to me. i would go for it.

Flynt

The car was purchased in southern middle Tennessee and has spent all its life there so it has no rust issues from road salt.

I did not check under the carpet but I think the chance of rust in the floors is low since the car does not have T-tops that could leak rain water.

ROCFATHER

Dude its worth it! 4 grand is cheap!!! Lets step it up guys and stop low ballin our own rides!!! Cheap B**tards!

Dmans85

If it were me, I'd go take 3K out of the bank, and have 27 of those 100 dollar bills in my front pocket, pull the 2700 out and make the initial offer. It might seem insulting but it'll get you closer to the magic 3K mark you are shooting for. Besides, if I'm selling a car w/100K miles and a few "charracter" issues, 27 100 dollar bills speak VERY LOUDLY. Besides, you've always got the other 300 in your hip pocket to make it an even 3K if the seller thinks 2700 is too little. I WOULD NOT pay more than 3500 for that car.Echo this line of thought. THere are many strategies in negotiation and which one you use varies mostly on how much you really want it and the numbers of other interested parties. Go bring the franklins (maybe 30) and tell him you want to take another look. Never look too interested. (Hopefully you haven't done this already!) Be prepared to leave. 4 grand is his hopeful. find out what his settle is. Hopefully for your sake he's motivated to sell. This would increase your savings greatly.

Good luck!

Flynt

Dmans,

I do not think he is a motivated seller because he has only advertized the car one time. I think he wants to sell the car but he seems not to need the money. He is in his 60s and retired. I am the only person to take the time to look and test drive the car.

I did not get excited when I was looking at the car. I told him I would show the photos I took of the car to a mechanic friend of mine and give it some thought.

I would be comfortable paying $3000 for the car but in this economy I don't want to pay more. On the other hand, it is a nice rust -free original car. It is not perfect but it is a good car to have since it is totally stock.

Thanks for allowing me to "think out loud".

JamesC

iTrader: (5)

I understand his stance perfectly well: I don't need the money, so if you want the car, purchase at my price or I'll keep it. My guess is that you won't get it for 3 grand. That said, you have nothing to lose and everything to gain by making an offer. To me, personally, an unmolested car in good condition is worth a thousand more (but I'm in my 60's and retired) .

JamesC

Flynt

JamesC,

You are correct. I think like you that an original unmolested car is worth $1000 extra. I am not a mechanic nor a body man so it would be money well spent since mechanics and body men are expensive. Pluse it saves a lot of aggravation. On the other hand, a thousand dollars is a thousand dollars.

Doc_G

iTrader: (1)

While I agree the car in good condition is definately worth the money, however, it needs paint, a new dash, door bushings, and what ever else may pop up (as it ALWAYS does on a vehicle this old) The original offer of 2700 is a good jumping off place. As stated I wouldn't give more than 3500 for this car, but the op stated 3K to 3740.00, I think that the extra 300 held back and added w/the proper persuasion would net the OP a new thirdgen and still be a fair price. Am I not looking at this correctly?

Genuine question, not sarcasm btw.

daferris

iTrader: (8)

As allways a good deal is defined by what the buyer is willing to pay. If it is truly rust free you are probably going to be happy even at $4K if you get it for less all the much better...

As to the rust spots to look at the best places to look for the early signs of it are on the rear bumper support where the plastic "rivits" holding the bumper cover to it expecaly near the center of the car. The next spot to look is under the floor boards both sides where the subframe is welded to the floor pan the area near the trans crossmember is the best place to look try to look thru the holes at the floor and also the area facing the trans above the crossmember in Michigan it seems that they rust 1st between the nut plate and the side of the subframe.

ANY place the GM put seam sealer is a PRIME place for rust to start. We found that out on my son's '92.

If you ever have any questions on the '88 PM me I am the original owner of a all original 46K mile '88 IROC
Good luck with the purchase

lthrneck

iTrader: (2)

That car is almost identical to my 89 and I paid more than 4k for it. My paint is still in great shape and there was not a single blemish inside. I was willing to pay up to 6k ( 5K for me ) for a nice 350 car that had been taken very good care of and that is what I bought. Now, know that if it is a car that has not been driven much becomes your daily driver be prepared for it to start showing its age rather quickly but you can not go wrong with an unmolested car and that was the deciding factor for me over a car that had been repainted and had some work done to it in the same price range.

Flynt

daferris,

Thanks for that information about rust!
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lthrneck,

According the the car's owner the clear coat begain to peel off the car's hood and he decided to have the entire car painted. I wish the car had never been repainted since the repaint was not a quality job.

Do you have any photos of your IROC posted so I could see your car?

ghettocruiser

iTrader: (4)

What lthrneck said is very accurate to what I experienced. I picked up my 86 TA for what I considered to be a fair price. 33,xxx miles, garage kept all its life, not a speck of rust, paint looked as good as it did in 86, interior mint etc etc. However...I couldnt garage it. Plus I was working on it. It didnt take long at all in the sun for the clear coat to start to go bye bye.

86 was the first year they used clear coat I believe. And it showed. Lots of peel, and it was very thin. It might have stayed "nice" if I kept it covered or in a garage, but thats not what I bought it for. I bought it to be a summer time DD.

I still think its a great deal...even at 4k. Paint issues aside. Ide rather have to repaint a car than replace interior, fix rust, replace panels etc etc.

J.

JamesC

iTrader: (5)

Here's something to compare with (if I hadn't just bought a super black Altima coupe, 3.5 SE, I'd serious consider this car):

http://ksu.craigslist.org/cto/947634787.html

JamesC

JeremyNYR

iTrader: (2)

The paint looks really good from the pictures, so maybe the car is giving a better impression here than it does in person. What specifically is wrong with it? And regarding the door hinges and dash pad, that's a problem for 90% of 3rd gens out there so I don't see it impacting the cost very much.

scottmoyer

As much as I agree on the "keep the prices high", it's hard to do when you need to work on the car. As was mentioned in other threads, Once you add in a $2500+ paint job, possibly another $100 for decent used dash pad and let's say another $400 for miscellaneous items, you now have $7k into a 100k mile car. Is it possible to find another car, all original, paint and dash in good shape, hardtop, needs nothing 88 IROC-Z for $7k? Only you can answer if it's a good deal and worth it to you.

Personally, I think you can find a lower mileage original car that might need nothing for that or a little more. But then again, if you want to creat a custom paint job because you think the factory job is boring after 20 years, then this is the perfect canvas to start with. It all depends on what you want. Good luck.

Flynt

Jeremy,

The repaint was poor quality and the painter got overspray on some black rubber moldings. The paint on the hood has "crows feet" on one spot of the hood and a dime size spot of surface rust next to the hood lovers has started.

The car looks fine from ten feet but you can see the poor quality paint when you inspect the car.

On the plus side, I see no evidence of any previous body damage and there seems to be no body corrosion from salt since it is a southern middle Tennessee car.

Rumblin70SS

I bought almost the exact same car recently for $4200 and I think I got a great deal....

ml258-89iroc

i just paid 4000 for mine. it also has a bad repaint. i am just happy it was a california car with zero rust. it also had the engine rebuilt recently that i really don't care about because i am doing a ls1 swap. but for me it was worth 4000 because the body is so clean and i plan on keeping it for the long run.

Flynt

Rumblin,

That looks like the one I am interested for except your car has the T-tops.

Flynt

ml 258,

You car looks like a twin to the one I am interested in purchasing. How is your car optioned? Does it have leather or cloth interior?

ml258-89iroc

cloth interior. it's optioned the same as the one you are interested in 350 g92 etc.

Rumblin70SS

Its close......someone took my yellow stripe off though

Make a decision yet? I think it's worth the 4k with the G92 package no matter what anyone says. Where else can you get a good looking, fun to drive car that will be a classic, gets tons of attention, easy to fix, runs 13's in the 1/4 with a 150 mph top end and will still get 25 mpg on the highway.......thats what I thought..

Flynt

Rumblin,

I have not called the owner to make him an offer. I want the car but I really do not need it! I thought about calling him tonight but did not. I think I will offer him $3,000 and see what he says.

Rumblin70SS

Let us know what happens.....as you can see from my list, I didn't need mine either.....you must want it if you drove 45 minutes to go check it out!

Flynt

Rumblin,

You are correct; I want the car! I will let the forum know if I purchase the it.

rough

I agree, cash speaks, my gsx , the person wanted 7 grand, i pulled out 3 grand cash, at first he didnt want to do it, i started to walk away and he took the deal !

SamS

That car looks great in the pictures. If it hasn't even been in an accident, I'd say go for it.

If you get it, post some more pics!

Rumblin70SS

I guess it all depends on the person and if they are in a financial hardship. I can tell you right now that if I had something for sale for 7k and was offered 3k, I'd walk away and that would be the end of it.

rough

bluebook printout talks for itself And be sure to point out any flaws/broken things, wheelin and deelin 4tw.

rough

I www.kbb.com it as a 89, they didnt give the 88 option.


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Id try with 2k first then work up to 2500.

Arizona IROC

iTrader: (4)

Neat car but it does seem a little high to me but I'm cheap so....

Flynt

Arizona,

I am also cheap! I want the car but the owner is retired and does not seem to need the cash. He has only advertised the car once so he is in no hurry to sell the car. I would love to get it for the Kelly Blue Book price listed above but I doubt he would ever sell it for that low price.

okfoz

KBB and Edmunds are BAD for low ball quotes. NADA seems to be more realistic to real world values
http://www.nadaguides.com/default.as...3&z=48420&da=1

JOhn