I think I found a black IROC that might be worth saving..

The good:
-Black and Gold 1987 IROC
-relatively low miles (60k)
-5.7 L and SPID looks pretty solid 3.27 axle
-Gray Deluxe 87 interior and highly optioned
-T-Tops that don’t leak but edges are sun faded
-Price $5000 and negotiable
-runs and drives strong and everything works including A/C (per owner)
-underneath appears ok from rough videos
-Interior plastics and dash appear good
-carpets look good and rear seats look mint (of course)
-Well maintained passed inspection and no oil leaks (per owner)

The bad:
-Repaint with decals in the wrong spot
-no door moldings
-foot long scrape from a child’s bike handle
-Worn driver seat (broken piping, and worn fabric on side bolster)
-Paint looks faded (Florida car originally)
-Wheels look beat
-covered in mud and looks to be kept outside even though owner said was always garaged

Other than the bike scrape the owner says there’s no other dents or dings on the car.

I’m thinking if the mileage and records on Carfax check out for $4000-5000 plus maybe $9000 of restoration I could have a black 5.7 IROC that can show and cruise for around $13,000.

I’m thinking for $13k invested it’ll show just as nice as that one on eBay going for $25k to the average spectator..

Optimistically besides routine mechanical maintenance and detailing I’d just do:
-New Paint (not as crazy as my Vert, maybe a $4k paint job)
-17” Hawks replica wheels
-Phoenix decals
-New seat covers from Lethal

How could this go wrong? Ha ha

Its almost a 3-hour drive so if I make it up this week I’ll get some pics..

 

Irocs are hot, you may could even get your $ back out of it. Will cost probably more than you are figuring but yes probably worth it especially if you are keeping it for yourself.

 

I’m not looking to make money on it.. I don’t need it to be showroom perfect, but also don’t want to pay $25k for one..

Figure pick up a solid car for $5k and do a little bit here and there..

I figure if I had to sell it I could at least about break even..

Hopefully it’s mechanically sound..

Even if the miles are correct, it looks more like 160,000 miles from what I can tell..

 

sounds like a good plan to me-fix it up nice and period correct for a proper '80s vibe while correcting the factory mistakes (floppy chassis etc) GM made with these cars

 

Yeah, I wouldn’t be afraid to change some things with this car.. Suspension upgrades, etc.. That would be down the road..

We’ll see..

 

Having a beater 87 Iroc in the garage that I've been nibbling away at for two decades, I think you could take that $13k and find a nice driver and actually enjoy driving it NOW rather than farting with a restoration. But then I just did walk in from the garage after sanding a shitty repaint off the Firebird, so I could be biased. I just know that every fall I tell myself this is the year I'll get the damn bird stripped, epoxied, and start getting it ready for fresh paint, then come spring I can spray it and start putting it back together.... Well, it's March and I'm still grinding green paint. Fu... fudge restorations. Keeping a thirdgen on the road is hard enough when it's not a pile of excrement. Wish I could go back and avoid every potential thirdgen I've bought that just needed paint and some interior, because I haven't had a thirdgen with nice paint that I could actually drive on a regular basis since 1998.

Oh I almost forgot... Multiple thirdgens is where you really lose your ***. Because it's not one project, it's two projects. It spreads your time and your budget thin. You don't accomplish as much on one project because you're always doing two oil changes, two car washes, shopping for parts for two projects you have in mind. You cruising time and quality time with 'your' car is suddenly split between the wife and the mistress. You end up driving the beater because it's got nothing to lose, while your nicer thirdgen sits in storage racking up storage bills, tags, insurance, and you never drive it because you've got the other car.

Maybe it's just me, doesn't matter what I'm interested in, if I've got one of any toy, I appreciate that toy more, and spend more time enjoying that toy and becoming familiar with it. When that toy multiplies to two or three, they don't mean as much. I really miss having ONE thirdgen, simply for the simplicity of it.

 

Buy one from out west here. Don't even bother with east coast garbage. It will surely be hiding cancer somewhere.

GD

 

All true, true, true! But.....we just can't help ourselves.

 

That’s the worry..

Supposedly it was a Florida car most of its life and not driven in winter so we’ll see..

I have a feeling it’ll be disappointing underneath

 

Those are all my fears.. If I end up wanting to do something to the convertible I’ll have too much money tied up in another one.. I don’t really want to be limited that way..

But I really want a nice, black IROC and figure out how to get one without paying $25-30k.. I’d like to be under $12k or find one that’s all there for under $7k and fix it up. I just can’t come up with over $20k for one of these cars..

Any decent car that doesn’t need paint and interior is overpriced right now. I want TPI and it’s got to be a 5.7L or a stick..

This is legit advice though.. well said and I am keeping all that in mind..

I don’t know if you can beat the system with these cars..

 

So I had to run the Carfax based on the SPID

Looks like it’s definitely 160k Miles..

So it’s 5,000 miles/year of you want to be an optimist..

Not a Florida car..

One owner though.. It’s currently for sale at a tow company/tire shop and that guy said he bought it from the original owner which I guess is true..

 

Just not even sure if I should waste my time driving 3 hours..

He tried to get underside shots

 

 

i agree!! i got three project thirdgens and this is it for me no more projects for me i definitely spend more money and buy one that's already done.

 

25k lol .. i see nice 5.7 irocs and trans ams in the teens all year long with low miles .. ebay is a joke

 

I know you find them.. where are you looking?

Facebook is pretty easy to check different areas.. Craigslist is hard to search every city.. I haven’t seen much though..

Hit me up if you find a nice black one 87-90 5.7L or 5.0 stick..

 

All too true. I see potential in garbage. Feel like I have to save em all.

It won't work out the way you think it will. You'll spend far more restoring than a finished car is worth.

Searchtempest.com searches all of Craigslist + Ebay. Pretty sure they have one just for cars too, autotempest.com maybe?

Just be patient. I find nice thirdgens all the time, or at least potential projects, and I don't have room for anymore.

btw that interior is black, not gray. FWIW

 

ill take a look and post one up for you .. give me a minute to search

 

after a few minute search i found this one
88 iroc 5.7 with 26k for 14,500
https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/599545773853287/

 

DARN THATS CLEAN!!!!!!!!!

 

For example:

I've been mulling this one over this weekend.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/1989-Chevro....c100290.m3507

Seems like a rust free California car. 125+K miles, paint is trashed, owner claims it's original, has some other needs and is local to me. Asking $3750 and has been for sale a while. I don't know, I rationalized I could spruce it up a bit, drive it around and sell it down the road. Have I mentioned I'm out of space and have barely had time to even look at my other stuff the past few months? I can't help it, I'm looking and pretending I won't buy.
Well, thank goodness the seller got back to me and told me that on top of it's other needs, the trans is ***** up. Makes it easy for me to walk away.

 

You are good...

 

I'd definitely consider that over painting and freshening the other one. It'll be better and cheaper in the long run.

 

did you see the 5.7 black trans am i posted yesterday with 13k miles on it for 16,000 .. what a sweet car

 

For sure..

 

Here is one for you. looks to be in good shape and with some negotiation you may be able to get this close to 10K. He is asking 12.9K
This looks to be right up your alley as it looks like it just needs a deep detailing.

https://www.carsforsale.com/vehicle/details/7291137







The ad says it is a Florida car

 

Nice one Vinny... OK, a couple options..