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Was flipping through craigslist and ran across an IROC-Z for $400. It's warn a little bit and a few missing parts. Doesn't run but the engine and transmission are there. The title is missing but as long as it's not stolen then that shouldn't be a big deal. The current owner was gonna make a dirt car but decided not to. I hate to see a IROC-Z go to waste and the mechanic in me wants to make it run again for the fun of it. Before you ask, I don't know the engine size or transmission or the year. Yes, I know what it takes to make a car run and drive again. I love the TPI engines and currently have one in my 1985 Corvette. Is there anything that could redeem this car into being worth any effort (special options, parts, etc.)? I'll probably have some free time this weekend to take a drive and have a look but I though I'd start a discussion with you guys who know more about these cars than I do.
The ad claims to be rust free. Now that someone has pointed it out, I see the third brake light which means it has to be an 86 which also means it has to have a 305. Does anyone have experience buying a car with no title? My main concern is making sure it's not stolen.
The ad claims to be rust free. Now that someone has pointed it out, I see the third brake light which means it has to be an 86 which also means it has to have a 305. Does anyone have experience buying a car with no title? My main concern is making sure it's not stolen.
u can get a title u got to go to a notary or dmv depending on which state u live in.i bought a 91 z28 when i was living in Florida and had the title then moved to pa and lost it so going through the same thing just got to have patience takes about 8 weeks because of it being out of state.
The ad claims to be rust free. Now that someone has pointed it out, I see the third brake light which means it has to be an 86 which also means it has to have a 305. Does anyone have experience buying a car with no title? My main concern is making sure it's not stolen.
I bought a 1929 Ford Cabriolet without a Title. I won’t do that again. I had to purchase a Bond, have a State Inspector come to look for Serial Numbers, then he did a Nationwide search for previous owners, etc. Next, he came back out again, installed a State Issued Serial Number and gave me the paperwork to purchase a Bonded Title. I believe it was 5 years before I could then get a Regular Title. I believe if someone had come forward in that 5 year period, that had proof of ownership, I would have lost the car to them. If you can’t track down the last owner of record, and get a Title, I would pass. It was a pain, and I thought they made you feel like a criminal through the entire process.
Lost title problems will depend on state. If the current owner transferred it to his name, he should be able to get a replacement title from the DMV. There has to be a means to get a new title, because things happen, like Fires, how are you supposed to sell anything if you have a fire when your title was burned or lost? However if he did not transfer it to his name, and he does not who he bought it off of... then it might be screwed, more along the lines of LeonardS experience.
Being a car made with the 17 digit VIN, the DMV should have on record who the current registrant is, if it was brought in from out of state... that might be more difficult, you might be able to get the VIN and search CARFAX to see where it was registered last, and then go from there...
I'm gonna call later and ask what it will take to get a title if the current owner never had the title. If the current owner did have the title at some point then it wouldnt be anything for him to obtain it. I'm gonna hope for the best but who knows. I guess I could always take it to the local dirt track and try to make my money back.
My bet is he got the car pretty cheap and instead of doing work to restore it to road worthiness, he decided it would be a good race car instead. I can not blame him since I have had numerous people tell me that third gen F-body cars make good dirt track cars. I don't have high hopes for any $400 car but if it's 95% there, rust free and needs some love then I can do that for sure.
I texted him asking what was missing, his words exactly were "Drive line gone, shifter, radiator, all pullies, brake booster, and wheels. There is no way all pullies are missing, that just makes no sense. Brake boosters aren't expensive so I cant imagine someone actually took the time to take it off and reuse it. I hope he just means the IROC-Z aluminum wheels are gone, which is fine. If the goofy thing is on block then that may scare me away . The way he spells, I dont think he is the highest of education so anything is possible. no offense to him.
If the current owner has never had the title then I have to fill out a form for a bonded title and make sure the VIN is clear. Once it is approved then have a bonded title for 3 years (I think) then a actual title will be issued. The lady didn't act like it was a big deal.
Since I have some free time this weekend, I am probably going to go take a look. If I see potential then great, If not then at least I didn't sit around the house all day.
It sure sounds like the pics are older and don't represent how the car currently sits. Sounds like what the seller is saying, is he's already stripped parts off the car. The pics are probably from when the seller brought it home and took pics for Facebook or whatever, before they tore into it and decided it wasn't worth the trouble. Lots of that on Craigslist.
So um, yeah... 86 Irocs are common as they come. That one is beat to hell, and missing the title. It doesn't run, drive, and it needs a complete restoration to really even be a viable driver. I'd close that tab and never give it a second thought. To put it another way, I've got a line on a 91 Z28, 350 TPI G92 car. It's mostly there, in roughly the same condition as that Iroc, except it runs, drives, has a title. I'm not sure a 91 Z28 with all the good stuff is worth the $$$ and labor, an 86 wouldn't even make the needle on my interest meter jiggle.
Was the alternator on the left on the 86 305s? -- if it still has the engine/trans rear axle then it may be worth it... if not haggle him down and do a LSx once you are sure you can get a title. ---
true, if it still has the engine, if it doesn't and you drove over there expecting the engine to be in it it... then ... might as well try. If it is as pictured with no rust, yes just drop the $400 and throw it on your trailer.
Idk, $400 seems like the "this car is garbage, do you want it?" price. It's not really a high enough price to waste the seller's time. But I honestly don't think I'd say yes if a buddy called me up and said he was going to dump that car in my driveway in 10 minutes, for free. Just not worth the hassle. By the time a person goes through the suspension, weatherstripping, brakes, etc etc etc that car needs, and jumping through the legal hoops to get a title, and a paint job, he'll wish he'd just bought something decent to begin with. The space it'd take up in the driveway or garage, or parked in the back 40, would be worth more to me than anything on that car. It's not worth insulting another human being over $400 and that car.
If you REALLY want it, go ahead and pay the asking price, because that $400 is nothing in the grand scheme of what it'll take to make a complete basket case like this viable.
It's always worth the effort to get a lower price. An 86 IROC is not a car on the top of my list to get but $400 peaks my interest. Since I can do all the work myself, it only cost me time and a little money to make it road worthy again, unless the engine or transmission is actually toast. If I were to one with then it may be a long time before it gets painted. How much paint cost and it does so little to the mechanical workings of the vehicle I couldn't care less. Would I prefer to pay a little more for one that runs, YES. Honestly I like working on them and if they are perfect and running then there isn't much to do in my free time
no doubt you guys are right. I feel the picture are older but it has been cloudy here lately like in the picture but that could be coincidence. You guy are definitely giving me the advice I was expecting.
There's $400.00 worth of parts there if you have the time/energy to strip them and sell them on craigslist. Past that, trying to get that car back on the road could prove to be much more costly than the final product is worth.
Regarding the title, the current owner should be able to provide a duplicate; if he balks, you'd do well to walk away. If you're still interested, copy the VIN off the car---in person---and run it through your state's DMV or state police; you don't want to be in possession of stolen property.
01-30-2019, 06:36 PM
An 86 IROC is not a car on the top of my list to get but $400 peaks my interest. Since I can do all the work myself, it only cost me time and a little money to make it road worthy again, unless the engine or transmission is actually toast. If I were to one with then it may be a long time before it gets painted. How much paint cost and it does so little to the mechanical workings of the vehicle I couldn't care less. Would I prefer to pay a little more for one that runs, YES. Honestly I like working on them and if they are perfect and running then there isn't much to do in my free time 
