Hey!

First off, a brief synopsis. Once upon a time, I fell inlove with 3rd gen cars. Then things happened so fast, I couldn't find one and needed a car desperately... and I was stuck with a 92 Toyota Carolla. Ouch. I know Well... after paying $500 for it, and having it for a year and a half ( got alot more miles out of it than I thought), a rod was thrown. Ouch. Junked.

Well, now I'm looking for a car and decided I will not settle! Period! This is what I want, and that's that lol. I'm looking for a 3rd gen of any kind... Camaro, Firebird, Trans.. anything. lol. I'm looking to spend roughly $1000... might go up to $1500 if the price is right. I'm a college student who works as well and just can't afford to drop thousands of dollars into a vehicle right off the bat. I figured I could buy a fixer-upper and slowly add onto it.

The only things that are a *must* about it are:

-Runs. It must be a reliable driver. I drive my fair share for work, and this will be a daily driver while slowly putting money into it.

-And... that's about it lol. Color. Engine size... doesn't matter much to me. Just must have a solid engine/trans, and a somewhat decent body.



(I would repost this in the Firebird forum, but...but I figured one place is enough. So if you know of anyone there who is looking to get rid of their 3rd Gen, send em here!)


And of course, I live in Knoxville,TN. I'm willing to go pretty much anywhere in TN, and most parts of NC, KY, and GA. Maybe even a little bit of Virginia. 3-4 hour trip at most I'd say lol.


Any help guys?

 

did you try autotrader.com

 

Try craigslist.org

 

i found a 89iroc 350 t-top with rear disc for 860!

 

I tried both no avail unfortunately Any other recommendations guys?

 

I was in the Bardstown area of KY a year ago and in driving around I saw two third gen camaros just sitting out in peoples' side yards. Have you tried just driving around the out lying areas?

 

classified in the paper??

 

Appreciate all the tips guys, still no luck

However, a guy I work with at the chevy dealership is wanting to sell me his 91 RS with the 305 in it for $1500. The body is well, rough..will need alot of work... hood corners are folded up, weather stripping around the hatch is missing, weather stripping around the windows are virtually not there, clearcoat is missing on most of the paint, needs tires, interior is worn out, no backseats. He has put a new exhaust on it, new starter, new radiator, new brakes, and other little things. He drives it to/from work everyday. About 20 miles each way, so it is his daily. Has 14x,000 miles on it. Is this a reasonable price, considering the work that needs to be put into it?

Plus, he doesn't have the title. He says it should come in within a couple weeks. He said he bought it at about 3 months ago to restore, but decided he wants another Mustang (he is a ford guy heh), which is why he is getting rid of it now.

Any advice?

 

Wait around man.... I'd just wait and save up some more money, you're gonna put a lot more money into a $1000 fixer upper than a $2000 good to go car..

I landed a 92 RS off TGO, for $1500. It's got a few quirks, they all do at this point, and several very minor bodywork issues. I mean dimples from doors etc hititng it and the worst part is a section on the passenger rear quarter, and even that you cant evn see unless the light is just right. The key to getting yourself a nice car I think is finding one that's high mileage. The most valuable thing I learned is that engine work is cheaper than body work. At this point engines have seen most of their usable lives anyway, IMO.. THe newest of our motors are 15 years old now. Get a car that's high mileage already to get yourself a nice deal. Dont get a beat up car with a new hacked in 350. Who knows what they did to get it in there from ditching the fuel injection to not properly tuning it to and you never know anything about the new motor anyway. Chances are you're going to redo the motor swap yourself in addition to any body work. Get a mostly unmolested car with a straight body, if it means getting a V6, get a V6, that's your best bet. Dont pay for a motor, pay for the frame, that means dont accept ANY rust and be very, very selective about paint and bodywork, that's where all the money is.

http://s6.photobucket.com/albums/y22...t=100_4030.flv









You can get a nice car for $1500, I think I made out pretty good all in all, but I had to wait several months to find that car, I scoured craigslist and TGO, and IMO the guys here at TGO will NOT overpay for one these cars, tehy know exactly what they're worth, and the guys selling them here know that. Your best shot at a good deal is here on TGO.

 

I would have no problem waiting around and spending a bit more, however...

I need a car lol. I still have to work everyday, and plus I have summer semester starting May 1st, when I will be working and school at the same time.

But hopefully I may come across a steal somewhere. I'll try holding off as long as I can, and wait for the right vehicle.




Oh and btw, nice car Wish I could come across somethin for $1500 like that.

 

It all depends on whether your willing to wait for a deal to come alone. Sounds like the guy with the RS is selling you a project. To fix all the things you mentioned could eat up another $1000 including paint. And then it would still be an RS. If it was me I'd keep looking.

 

My car is solid, no rust, it runs well, but it's also a very low options car. It originally had the 15 inch rims on it (I bought it with the 16 inchers, though), manual doors and windows... the only power option it has I think is the hatch release, doesnt even have cruise control, A/C works but the heater core is bypassed... It's also got 180,000 miles on it. But as you can see, it's a damn nice looking car, and that's the kinda thing you have to look for. I dont care about power options, but other people do, and it just makes it that much harder to sell a car for what it's worth. And that's what you need to look for, high mileage, low options.