Well i have found a 1989 firebird that i am interested in.. The only thing not interesting is the 5500$ cash price. When i first looked at this car he told me it had a 350 (its a TBI motor) and the usual 1 owner bla bla.. i ran the VIN and it says its a 305. It does have an aftermarket exhaust but thats it. This car has been sitting at this lot for close to 2 years.. It is a small lot but has alot of traffic.. I have seen people look at it but never seen it leave the lot. I will post pictures when i can get some of it.. Hopefully today.. I dont plan on buyin it until the first of next year.. And i have no doubt it will still be sittin there..

It doesnt seem to have any leaks under the car and the body is nearly perfect of any dings.. The paint of course is bad on the hood and maybe some other spots.. It is also a 5speed car.. Something i rarely see in the 3rd gen firebirds.. I know there are plenty of them but not from around here.. This is my main cause of wanting this car. I plan on using it for Auto Cross..
It has 112k miles.

My questions is what do you think a good price for this car is?
What should i look for when i take it for a test drive.

I have owned a 1986 T/A, 89 camaro tpi and a 89 350 crate car.. but never had them for very long.. So i dont know much of the problems except the fan relay usually being placed on a switch.. Thanks for all help

 

where do you live? doesn't sound worth it at all.

 

Without seeing it or knowing anything about this particular car I'd say it's about 2500$ overpriced. If somewhere along the line it has had a 350 put in then the price would go up some, but they better have some reciepts on hand to show you. If it had a high quality new paint job and a 350 with low miles, maybe I would think about it.

 

I live in IL 20 mins from Stl, MO. I been looking around just so i have cars to compare it too, so when i go back i have some negotiating power. I just feel with the way things are going it is hard for me to let go of even 3.5k for a car this old. It is a nice car as far as dings go, I have yet to drive it, so not sure how the drivetrain is.

I was thinking 2500 would be a good asking price. I am not sure if you would agree, because of your knowledge of the value of these cars. There is nothing special about this particular car, it is a 305 5 speed, so i wouldnt think of it rare in any way. He talked of it being a classic, but im not buying it to put it on the show floor.

Just to give you a full run down of the specs that i can see from the outside.

T-top car
Blue with anniversary looking decals
Stock rims
5 speed
305 TBI engine
112k miles with 1 owner (supposively)

I did hear it turned on once and i thought i heard a small ticking sound which to me could have been an exhaust leak/rattle.. The engine looked well maintained as far as any noticable leaks on the covers.

I did talk him down to 4k plus title and tax.. But i just feel that i could get a better vehicle for that amount of money.. Am i wrong in thinking this because i could buy a LT1 car for 5k and a LS1 car for around 8-9k..

 

Make sure you check under the car for rust. Look at the wiring under the hood. If you can show him it has a 305 then maybe he would come down more on the price.

 

I would look in the classifieds here rather than going to any deal. At least if the person has several posts you can get an idea of what was done and what might be wrong. So don't trust sellers that have less than 100 posts.

If I were to do it again, I would look for a 6 cylinder and start from scratch. Main thing is to get a straight body that was never in an accident. Paint would be second, but the factory paint on all these typically have bad clear coat.

 

It is only worth the $4k if it does not need brakes, tires, or other costly maintenance. Sure you can get $2k thirdgens all day long, the problem is they need $1500 to $2500 of repair work to make them safe and road worthy. If this car doesn't need a clutch, brakes and tires and runs straight and true down the road, then it might be worth it. T5 cars are hard to find. T5 cars that run good with a straight and rust free body are ever more rare. Suddenly $4k doesn't look bad.