Hey all, been lurking around for a couple of months, I'm 16 looking to buy my first car. Searching the all-might craigslist, I've found an '86 camaro with what looks to be a decent body; however, the guy says it needs a battery and battery cables. Now I don't pretend to know much about cars, but why would it need battery cables as well? Also if there is a valid reason to why it needs cables, how hard are cables to replace with the assumption I can do it myself within a students' budget. Thanks in advance!

 

Welcome to the boards and welcome to the world of thirdgens.

my car was also a craigslist find!


So getting onto your question, do you know anything more about the electrical system?
does the battery seem older and tired?
other wise it shouldnt need a battery

now as for the cables, i cant really help with that one other than maybe they got to the engine heat and melted the insulation, or maybe has a bad ground possibly?

maybe one of the older guys around here could help you out, im just 16 as well.

Good luck!

 

Thanks! I'm still waiting on a email back from the seller, but that's all the information that was on the add. Thanks for the info, hopefully I get an email back and can actually start with a thirdgen.

 

Welcome to the club.
Don't hold your breath about the car running. Craigslist is full of retards, liars and cheaters. If the seller claims that the car "only needs a battery", that usually means that the car won't start or run and he pulled the battery to keep you from seeing that. You assume you just need to spend $50 on a new battery but when you tow the car home, you find out the engine is blown, suspension shot, brakes rusted through and carpet moldy underneath.
Be wary of Craigslist ads, they're rarely accurate and truthful.

Replacing the battery cables isn't a big task, just follow the old ones, pull them out and put new ones in. You'll need a few wrenches but shouldn't need any special tools. It can take you an hour, it can take you 4 hours, depends on how slow you take it and what you find in the meantime.

Lou

 

Yeah hes right about craigslist cars
i went through maybe 5 other camaros in my area before finding this one, which still wasnt that great, but it was all little meaningless crap that needed to be done which was simple for me.

what you need to do though, is make sure it runs, test drive it for any gremlins and make your decisions from there. like i said, ive been in that type of position before, beware!

 

WELCOME! I'M NEW AS WELL. THESE GUYS ARE ALL RIGHT IN THAT YOU NEED TO BEWARE OF A CAR THAT WON'T START AND RUN. IF THE BODY IS IN DECENT SHAPE AND THE PRICE WOULD BE TOLLERABLE FOR A CAR IN THAT
CONDITION, THEN YOU COULD CHANCE IT AS LONG AS YOU KNOW AHEAD OF TIME THAT YOU MAY NEED TO REPLACE THE ENGINE AND/OR TRANNY. I KNOW THAT MONEY IS HARD TO COME BY FOR SOMEONE YOUR AGE SO BE CAREFUL. ONCE AGAIN, IF IT WON'T RUN AND YOU CAN'T DRIVE IT, BETTER TO STEER CLEAR OF IT. I BOUGHT MY 1982 Z28 OFF EBAY FOR $1500 AND WENT TO LINCOLN,NE AND DROVE IT HOME. BE CAREFUL AND GOOD LUCK!

 

Thanks guys, I really appreciate all the information! Hopefully I can find a decent thirdgen soon.