hi, im currently interested in buying a used 1988 firebird. this will be my first car.

the guy is selling it for 2200$ canadian. however, he told me one of his headlights does not come up properly or at all.

im wondering if anyone knows how much it costs to fix it? what does need fixing? a new motor for the light?

also, since this car is so old, im wondering where you people bring it for maintainence and repairs etc. do you guys go to GM dealerships? or to other body shops?

if possible, what other common problems should i look out for when i go look at the used car?

sorry for asking so many questions in one thread, but i know very little about the whole process of owning such a old car.

thanks in advance!

 

Headlight problems are common with the Firebirds. I know there are sponsors/vendors on here that sell high-quality replacement kits. If I recall correctly, it's like $65 for a headlight gear setup. The gears usually end up stripping out in them, but occasionally it's a motor problem.

If you decide you want to buy one of these, that's fine and dandy.. but almost all of these cars now are guaranteed to have problems somewhere. That's just part of having an older car that was designed to be beat on. That being said - unless you're willing to learn how all this stuff works and attempt to fix it yourself, you really should know a good person to go to that knows their stuff that you can pay to have things fixed for cheap. A dealership is NOT the place to go to for fixes, and generally speaking - neither are local shops unless they have a good word about their quality work.

As far as common problems - it's like any other car. Look for overspray, do the panels line up correctly, do the "walkaround" looking for bubbling or rust spots, does the transmission shift smoothly and the engine operate with plenty of oil pressure (and not burn oil), do any of the seals look bad around the T-tops or doors (or show signs they are going bad)... the list goes on, and on. I would bring someone who knows these cars well and offer them a tip for their time to come look at it for you if you're just starting out learning.

Like I said - alot of the time these cars are rough and have been beat on. This kind of thing is a commitment, so if you're not willing to stick with it then you might want to find a newer car. Not to say these are all worn out rustbuckets as that is not the case, but the chances on them having the typical wear and tear from years of use are obviously higher.

 

I fixed a headlight in my firebird with a kit from top down solutions. It came with directions and took me a few hours to do. The plastic pegs that spin the gear off the worm drive fell apart. The replacement kit had new gaskets and pegs to get it working again. The hardest part of doing it was using a paperclip (like the directions said) to hold the springs for the contacts in when reassembling the worm drive.

Some quick things to look for that I forgot all about when I bought mine are:

Does it smoke at all on startup? If it does, like mine that means the valve seals have started to wear and are leaking a little bit of oil.

Does the heater work? I bought mine during Summer and the first time I turned mine on after buying it was greeted with a floor of antifreeze. I highly doubt it failed during the week I had the car. More than likely the private seller must have known it was bad, but cleaned the carpet and system out. As soon as I kicked it on the diverter value pumped antifreeze through the heater core and out onto the floor. $30 part + a full weekend to change it (dash has to come off the firewall basically).

I like to check the engine oil. If it's clean that means the previous owner either kept care of the car or changed it for the sale. I've seen a lot of used cars that have very dirty oil or even foam (meaning there is moisture in the system usually from antifreeze).

Look at the antifreeze and coolant tank. Check for any debris or if someone put a can of stop leak in it. If there is that usually means it's had a leak usually from a head gasket or intake gasket and it's been patched up to get working/sell quickly.

I also like to check automatic transmission fluid. It should be a red color. I even go as far as smelling it. I get weird looks at the dealership, but I don't want to get a transmission that has fluid that smells burnt. If it's brown and smell burnt that means the transmission has gotten hot. If autos get hot enough clutch packs glaze and you usually end up with metal in the bottom of the pan (which means time for a new transmission or rebuild).

Check the hood shocks. They should hold the weight of the hood up when fully extended.

Check that the air dam is in place. It's a big black plastic extension on the underside of the car directly behind the radiator. If it's missing that means someone ripped it off possibly on a speed bump or parking stop and the car will probably overheat.

Check the proper hatch pull-down motor. It pop and motorize raising the latch system when you turn the key. It should also click and motorize pulling the hatch back down when you gently close it. If it doesn't that means someone more than likely slammed it. You'll get to take it apart and fix that too.

Check the hatch shocks. They should hold the weight of the hatch up when fully extended.

I like to take cars for test drives. You can tell alot from a car when you do that. Not only if it's running good, but if it's out of alignment (pulls), or possibly brake issues if it pulls or vibrates under braking.

 

hi, thanks to the both of you for giving me such detailed replies.

this may sound embarassing, but i barely know half of what you guys mentioned here. @___@

i DO plan on test driving it, and i SHOULD be able to tell between good/bad conditioned/cared for car. however, i dont know the individual pieces that you guys have specified.

i understand these cars are usually a more... enthusiast based choice, where i am not as committed as most of you. i guess i'll go take a look at it, and then decide if i want to put in all that effort. keep in mind, this will be my FIRST car, which means i'll baby it, but it also means im a noob when it comes to the mechanical side.

i also am looking at a 1997 trans am convertible. its selling for 5000$. seems a bit too cheap for what it is, do you think the seller is hiding something? and if i were to buy this (although its a 4th gen, and not talked about here), would that make my life easier in terms of taking care of it?

final note, there is a well known third party body shop right above my house. guaranteed quality. my brother got his 2010 camaro fixed there. bad part is, they only accept "COOL" or "EXPENSIVE" cars. dont know if they would take in a old firebird, being cool and all, but a little out of date.

 

headlights sometimes if the motor is still spinning (black ***** on rear of hood latch; you can manually twist them with your hands and kinda *re-align* them and they come up. These cars can take any beating you throw at it (trust me i've drivin like I was in a movie for 2 years with mine) and they will last. But as mentioned once you buy you need to be committed in learning to fix things

 

I wouldn't buy one unless you're experienced. 1993-1997 had a different engine and transmission in it, and some aspects of them require special attention. By all means a capable and formidable setup, but the repair costs on them can be VERY high in comparison to the older stuff (or even the newer Firebirds 98+). I'd say stick with the third generation (1982-92) cars. They're easy to work on for the most part, and they are very easy to find parts for. That and you can learn alot from them. Not easy jumping into things without learning the basics first. These older cars are about as basic as it gets.

That and you need to ask yourself - what are your plans for the future? Do you want a cruiser, or an eventual drag car? I bought my car with a hardtop because I KNEW I would eventually drag race it frequently. When you start modifying things, things start breaking. It's part of the game. Buy the car that best fits your goals.

 

i'v never had to pull the motor cap to do a motor fix. all iv ever done was pull the side covers. granted the side where the lift shaft dosent go thru the main motor case takes a lil effort but no biggie for the most part.

i use 15/32 bearings for the motors iv done and this eliminates any chance of it happening again. its been about 7 years and mine work like nothing ever happened.

 

W/respect to the headlights:

Another common problem is the control module. I always recommend proper troubleshooting over just guessing. Try tapping the control module (right next to the brake booster on firewall) or wiggling the wiring harness connectors to it. If that changes anything, your module is the problem.

It seems from what I have read (and experienced on my own cars) that the solder joints on the board tend to crack over time. There is also a relay in there that might need to be replaced. In my case, all I had to do was repair solder joints and the system worked perfectly.

The control module costs about $300 new (if you can find one) and I've seen places where you can buy a used one for about $65. My fix only cost me a little solder, whatever electricity the soldering iron used, and a few minutes of my time.

 

I replaced my gears before i realized Advance auto sells the motor with the gears for around $85. 4 bolts and and the job done.

 

i go spend $7 at the local bearing supply for 20 or so bearings and im done. i use those bearings to fix other peoples motors. charge em $40 total, nearly all profit.