Considering purchasing a 86 TA. It is a one-owner car, 157800 miles on it, A/C does not work. Has the 305 LG4 engine but other specs are unknown. Going to look at the car tomorrow but it does not have Ttops. I am sure it is driveable and the lady who owns it is really attached to it. I don't want to low-ball anyone or be insulting, however I am assuming the risk of having to spend money getting the air fixed and other items that due to age will wear out and have to be replaced. I can't find cars comparable to this. I just want to keep it stock and not modify it for performance. Is 2,000 reasonable to offer? That is the max, but it may be $1,500 depending on my other findings. Any thoughts??

 

One owner cars are not easy to come by and the further detailed mechanical history you can obtain, all the better. Sounds like it's been driven enough to keep certain seals from drying out. You'll appreciate not having t-tops eventually. AC could be a pricey fix if your not mechanically inclined. Question her whether the carb has been rebuilt. Gaskets and o-rings inside shrink, dry out and will fail over time especially if the car's been sitting a while. A failing carb will typically show its ugly head on a hot day after prolonged driving (don't ask how I know). Pricewise you sound close depending a lot on the body, interior, fresh tires etc. I'd also see if any of the suspension bushings have been changed out ever over the car's lifetime. Best of luck.

 

Really need to know more about it to put a real number on it (as I'm sure you do as well). Generally when the same person owns a car that long, it slowly goes to pot and they usually don't notice, or they'll have an excuse for problems (oh I never drive on the highway so I never had the the cruise control fixed, the paint was really nice when I got it, etc.). Sometimes a one owner car can be worse than a multiple owner car, condition wise.

Sure, it's nice to have all the records, just make sure it's the right TYPE of owner. If it's a little old lady that hasn't drawn a paycheck in 20 years, don't expect maintenance (or cosmetics) to be up-to-date.

 

Thanks for all the input. I've decided to hold off for awhile and look at other options. I drove the car and thought it drove great, but I don't think it's what I want. It does show signs of being 27! Guess ill just have to be patient. I'd like to have an 87 or 88 GTA or IROC-Z that is still pretty much stock.