Hello everybody ! I hope I'v put this in the rught board!
Heres a White and Gold '85 or '86 Trans Am, it has the GTA style wheels so im leaning towards '86?






Its been sitting there on that lot since atleast 2011, and my understanding is that the TPI cars dont like to sit very long. When I stopped and looked at it late may of '14 the TPI 305 would crank but it didnt start. T-Tops are sealed tight and Tan cloth interior is in excellent shape. When I stopped and looked it a yard worker said something about it being a special edition with 500ish produced ? Thoughts? They wanted $3,600, is it worth looking into and if so at what price? Thanks for all help and comments!

 

It's worth what you can get them to sell it for...
It's called haggling.
I certainly would be offering less than asking price for a car that has been sitting.
Easy to tell if it's 86, third brake light started that year.

 

That's a lot of money for a car that doesn't even start. No way of knowing if the transmission works, brakes are solid, etc. Whenever I see a Firebird with headlights that don't work, I see it as a red flag. It's not like they're that difficult or expensive to fix. It could be a relay, or a motor problem, either way it's not a big deal to fix. If they didn't fix something like that, what else did they let slide? Clearly they let it get bad enough it doesn't start. At this point, it's basically a parts car. It might be an easy fix, or it could be a complete basket case. If it were a more desirable car, it might be worth it, but not for that kind of asking price.

 

Thats the issue right there, I'll need it as a daily driver. Granted I have my S-10 to drive but what ever third gen I buy cant have more than one, maybe two months tops of down time for repairs. Then it'll need the obvious tags, tires and insurance costs. I know swapping in a TBI 350 is easy for a TBI 305, you need a couple of 350 specific sensors amd such. But would it be the same stuff for putting in an LO5 350 into an LB9 engined car? Everysearch i've found on the subject is TBI305 swap to TBI350, or TPI 305 swap to TPI 350, or a TBI whatever to a tuneport whatever. We have about 4 good transmissions along with that TBI350 and a crapton of SBC parts. I'll probably offer $1,500-$1,700(if it can start and move) for it. What points can I use to lower price? The points of 1)sitting for ages/no interest, 2) cost of going through everything and making sure its good to drive, 3)cash, rightnow. Anything else? Sorry if thats a stupid question, only car I've bought was my '77 T/A.

 

If the wing is original to the car, it's not a 86.

 

Your biggest argument is the fact that it doesn't run. Like Drew said, you can't tell if the brakes are seized, the tranny may be shot, the engine may be locked up, etc. You're taking the risk so they should understand your concerns. Make the offer and hope that the repairs are simple due to just sitting.

 

I would pass on that car if I were looking for reliable transportation in the near term.