lessthanhadley

Ok so there is a GTA on eBay that I am looking at getting, but it has a few problems that Im not too sure about. So if you know what could be causing any of them, and about how much you think it would cost me to fix them let me know.

First, when it is cold out, the car squeaks until it is warm like there is a loose belt or something. Any ideas what that would be?

The parking brake isnt working correctly. Any ideas there?

The heater and AC both work, but the air only blows out of the defroster, and it doesnt work on high. Im assuming that has something to do with a vacuum problem somewhere, but Im not sure how that would be fixed.

The rear window defroster works at times, but at other times it doesnt. Im guessing that would have to be a loose connection somewhere, but does anybody know how involved that would be?

Also, I am in PA, and the car is in NJ. Ideally Id like to tow it, but I dont have access to a trailor, so does anybody know what would be involved with legally being able to drive the car home? Im guessing I would have to get some kind of temporary liscence plate and registration in NJ, but I really dont know. If anybody has done anything like this, what am I looking at for a cost?

Let me know if you can answer any of these questions, and thank you.
Andrew

8Mike9

Welcome to thirdgen.org.

First order of business is to ensure the car is capable of meeting PA emissions standards...check with your local DMV to see what's involved.

A few hours of searching this site, will probably get you al the possibilites answered to the cars problems, and give you an idea of associated costs.

Good luck..I'd personally have to look at a car before buying it..unless it was a "classic".

ddn69

well im no mechanic by a long shot but all that stuff seems like easy fixes. Squeeling belts are 10.00 and some wiring and stuff. Ive got the same problem with my heat. It only really comes out of the defroster and the bottom. Not too worried...I would mainly have it checked out. You never know with ebay.

Also. Im pretty sure if your deff. buying it you could insure it and everything before driving it home.

Maybe youll come across some answers. And I hope u'll look at it in person. Good luck..

Nate

RednGold86Z

iTrader: (1)

If you already have insurance on a car, then I believe you are insured for at least 1 day on any new purchases, maybe even a week.

If the E-brake doesn't work, there could be a problem with the rear calipers not working also, which is hard to tell in regular driving. When buying a car, it's a smart idea anyway to have regular maintenance done, and check/rebuild the brakes.

Good Luck!

ColdGTA

Well I'll chime in here. I'm new too. I just bought a GTA long distance my self. I live in Alaska and the car is in Florida. So I can relate to some of what you are feeling. My best advice (if you already haven't) is to actually call the person selling the car and talk to them about it. On the phone you can get a better feeling about how this person is and if they have taken care of the car or not. Ask lots of questions and play a little dumb. Make them feel comfortable and B.S. with them. This tends to bring things out. The problems that you listed are pretty minor. I know years ago when I had my 83Z that my heater did the same thing. The unit was bad(or atleast the switch was). I just replaced the heater from another car and it worked again. Switches go bad all of the time. No big deal. Sometimes the vaccume stuff gets out of whack, but that isn't to common. Still not super hard to fix. As for the emergency brake I would think that the cable has worn out or was disconnceted. Cables ware out. Maybe it might be a rear caliper problem ,but I wouldn't be positive on that. Maybe you can get more info out of the person selling the car. The defrost issue is in lines of what you are thinking . Just have to check it out to know for sure. Not real hard to trouble shoot or fix. It is minor. As for driving the car I am nott sure of the laws in your state, but I am sure you can get some type of temperary tag to drive it home. Most cities offer this. Good luck man and let us know haow it turns out. By the way which car are you looking at on Ebay? I wouldn't mine looking at it to see it.