hi, i have been pretty active on this awsome site for about a week or so (as i just found it), and after a day of me posting a question i usually have a response that is greatly appriciated. so i figured this would be a great place to ask you guys what i should look for when going out to Minnesota from New Jersey to look at this Iroc-Z. i was wondering if you could tell me some trouble spots on the car where i should look for stress or damage or rust. any other things that would show except vin and rpo, to see if this car's motor and or paint was tampered with at all. also the last one we went to look at, the front end made alot of noise. are iroc's usually noisey in the front or was the last one justed screwed up? thanks for your timee, and hope to get some decent response before Fri. when i am flying out. thanks albert III

 

Well I'm assuming that if it's an Iroc, you're looking at a 350. The TBI is obvious to spot, and who would have a 350, and say it's a 305? That being the case, the bumper emblem would say 5.7 liter tuned port injection. The 305 has no size mentioned, just the "tuned port injection". The 350 also has the 145 speedo, although some 305's do too, I think. I'd also look for the B2L RPO indicating the 350. If someone really wants to fool you, all that stuff can be swapped, but most people looking to fool someone don't know better. The VIN is your best bet.

T-tops? Check the headliner for water stains to indicate leaks. Also check the the rear center, and rear outer edges of the t-top area to see any stress cracks on the body. Of course, that can be pretty common, and doesn't mean the car is a bad deal. check the front and rear bumper for paint cracking. They're rubber, and paint can crack....but again, that's pretty common. Check for fading clearcoat.

The interior is normally a good sign of how well someone takes care of their car too. ...check the pedals for wear if it's supposedly a "low mileage" car. Most people don't replace the rubber pedal pads.

Check all the gaps between the door/fenders/QP's, hood etc. to see if any of them have been replaced. Again, good alignment doesn't always mean it hasn't been damaged, but it's just something to look for.

I'm sure other people have other things too, I just rattled off some off the top of my head. Keep in mind that these cars are getting old. Things are going to need replacing. I'd put more faith in the way someone took care of the car, and less on minor nicks dings and things like that.

What kind of car is it?

Bottom line is I'd run the VIN, and get a carfax.

 

Sorry for the little info i gave on the car. It is a 1989 IROC-Z with the 350 T-tops and 700R4 transmition. I am still waiting for the gentleman to send me the info of the RPO codes, so i will varify the B2L code when i recieve it. i just dont understand carfax. i paid the price of it, and it was pretty much no help. it said that it wasnt sure of accidents and wasn't sure of the milage being correct. Then when i looked at how many times it said it was registered, it only gave me back to the year 1992. WTF is that??? i paid the money and they couldn't even give me a good report. So right now with the info we allready know about Iroc's and cars in general and what i get from my post, we will just go there, and hope for the best i guess lol. thanks again albert III

 

The easiest way to verify that your car has a 350 is to check the VIN number. The 8th digit is for the engine. 8 = 350 TPI while F = 305 TPI. IT should also have 4 wheel disc brakes and a higher speedometer and a 5500 rpm redline I believe. It seems like a pretty clean car so you should really find many problems. It is northern though so check the underside for rust.

One of the main spots I found is right underneath where the drivers feet go right behind the firewall. Also the metal where the windshield meets the cowl is sometimes prone to rust.

When you open the door lift the end of them up. If they move up alot, that is usually a sign that the car has been driven hard and may be somewhat twisted.

Check the air filter and see if its been properly maintained. Have a look at the oil too. Check its level and how dirty it looks. Just kind of gives you an idea as to how well the cars been looked after.

I still say your car looks too nice to worry about though

 

Where exactly is the car located in Minnesota? How many miles on the car.

The reason I ask, the twin cities metro area uses alot of salt and if the car has miles, it could have been driven in it and there are more things to look for. Another reason, the outer areas, use sand and not salt. The car might be fine if it was driven during the winter months in the out lying areas.

There are also many members here that live in Minnesota. Before you pay to fly there, find someone on here that is knowledgeable and have them inspect the car for you. I used to live in Minneapolis and I did that for people all the time. You have to be careful what you buy up there. I was lucky finding my IROC-Z just south of Minneapolis in mint condition. It was stored during the winter.

That leads me to another point. In Minnesota, the temps swing from extreme to extreme. If the car was stored during the winter months in an unheated garage, you could easily have dry seals that will require immediate attention. The best storage up there is a heated or temperature controlled environment. The temps swing so much that it rained one day in my garage. There was moisture in the air that evaporated and froze on the ceiling. The next day it warmed up and melted causing water drops everywhere. Take this into consideration while looking at the car to look for areas that could be affected by temps or improper storage.

 

Gas tank leaks seem common around here, and are pricey to fix.

Caked on tire bits inside the rear 1/4s indicates a hard life

Records! Ask if there are any, and make sure to get all the paperwork that they may have. Otherwise, they might dig it up one day and throw it all out! (Almost didn't get my window sticker!)

Bring a weakish magnet to check for bondo. It should stick to the metal fine, but won't stick to the bondo... wish I thought of that when I got my car

I know it seems common sense, but check all the lights and power stuff. Those kinda things can cost big $ added up.


It's always a good idea to have a mechanic check the car out before you buy it. You can get a nice checklist (around here about 60 things) for $25-70.



BTW, my doors sag... but it's just the high mileage. I doubt there has been any twisting! (Maybe on a t-top car though) I also got the 5500rpm tach with the LB9.

 

don't forget to check the back hatch area,especially the underside of the hatch,water gets under the spoiler and will rust it out ,on the carfax it only shows back to '92,what info does it have from '92,figure that would make the car just 3yrs. old,i knew of one that was a dealer retained car,it was 3 or 4 years old when the dealer sold it,don't remember if it was driven by the dealership or what,maybe retained due to the short '90 run??all the info so far should be helpful,GOOD LUCK !!