I know it's hard to say without any pictures but I need a rough estimate. I saw this (assuming year) red 89 Trans am GTA with t-tops sitting forever by a local recycling depot. The problems that's with it is, it looks like it got in a nasty accident on the body right infront of the passenger side tire would be, the metal has been pushed inward and there is a hefty dent on the front bumper. It would also need a new paint job as it is very faded and chipping in some places. The interior is in very good condition from what I saw. I'm going to phone the owner and see if she is selling it and assuming that it runs well with no problems, how much should I offer her for it? I was thinking around $1200 because it would cost a decent amount to get the body repaired. Does that sound like a fair offer? I'll try and post pics of it soon.

 

I would start by asking what the owner will take.

Then consider:
As uni-body construction cars, if the damage has gone into the
front frame-rail/core-support area, repairing this can be well
beyond the average gear-head's capability. And not cheaply,
if you want to be assured that the basic structure is restored
correctly & straightly. Some pro body techs can chime in hear,
but I would expect about 5 franklins, if you brought it in with
all the external sheet metal already removed. Then you get into
replacing the fenders, etc. If you're patient, you can probably
find everything you need in the classifieds, or by WTBs in this
forum.

Overall remaining condition will have a significant factor, cause
you can get these cars w/ 100k+miles (smoking engines, ragged
upholstery), but STRAIGHT bodies for $1200 - $2000, if you're
patient. Your dollars can then be spent on things that are more
commensurate with your experience level.

Bottom line, if the other condition(s) are good, I'd start an offer
at $700, and be ready to go up some.

Good luck, and keep us posted.

 

Thanks for the post! Fortunately, I don't think the dent looked like it was enough to bend the mainframe, although it is quite severe to the exterior of the body, I'm sure if I took it to an autobody repair, they would be able to fix it up. I've attached a reference photo of roughly where the dent is. I'll keep you updated with some pictures of the actual car soon. Now I'm just hoping that the owner is actually wanting to sell it I think he will, just because it's been sitting there for that long. I attached a picture of roughly around where the big dent is.

 

Alright I'm bringing back my dead thread, this time with pictures of the car

The paint might look nice in these pictures but that's because it just stopped raining and it's taken on an iphone. It would definitely need a repaint





what do you think?

 

I'm thinkn I don't want anything to do with an Iphone!!!
Nice start for a project tho

 

How much do you think I should offer for it?

 

500$

 

that sounds reasonable, Just a rough estimate judging from those pictures, how much do you think it would cost to fix it up?

 

i dont know, but dont use "lowest bidder" as the basis for paint/body work.

 

Personally I would be very wary of the car. That damage does not appear to be from the outside, it appears to have been caused by the door, which means the front end has been pushed back. If I am right, you are looking at needing someone with a frame puller to straighten it back out, that is far too much for your typical home repair. It looks pretty obvious based on the bumper cover being pushed back under the lip of the hood, but without seeing clearer pictures of the front corner I can't be 100%, just be aware that this is a possibility.