here is a description of the car:

8 cyl. Auto- Power Locks, Windows. 305 TBI, OPEN ELEMENT, NEW: 3" HEDMAN HEADERS,3" CATCO CAT.,8MM TAYLER PRO IGNITION WIRES, A/C DELETE BOX, POLYURATHANE TRANSMISSION MOUNT AND SWAYBAR BUSHINGS, BS POTENZA RE730 TIRES, POR15 COATED CHASSIS, RUNS WELL.

Needs: A/C, Paint job, needs new interior, dash cracked, steering colum cracked due to someone trying to steal car, but everything works as fara as that is concerned. He states it passes New York State Inspection but it smokes on start up but the clears up, could it be valves?

here is a photo:

 

that smoke is most certianly from the valve seals. not bad to change but it takes some speciality tools. you need a spring compressor, air compressor and a fitting with hose that will screw into the spark plug hole. all you have to do is take the plug out put the fitting in hook air up to it(at least 90psi) and then use your spring compressor and take the valve locks out(use a magnet) pull the spring off and change the seal it will be down next to the head. get good quality felpro viton valve seals. i left out the valve cover removal and the rockers if your not comfortable with those too you shouldnt attempt the valve seals. good luck

 

The hood has been changed. Have you looked for front end damage?

 

I have checked the 89 formula and it was totally no good, maybe just for parts. So, as for now I am going to keep my 1991 V6 3.1 until I come across a good V8 TPI.

Thanks for all the info, guys

 

Just so you know my car also puffs smoke on start up, but it passed emissions perfectly just this past month.

 

What was wrong with it and how much was he asking?

-- Joe

 

The steering column was busted (he stated it was from theft).
The T-Tops leaked. smells bad from leaking
No A/C
Runs really rough

he is asking $1800

But if you want a pretty good one there is a guy in Mass. who is selling a 1991 Trans Am asking $2500 with the following:

The body is in good shape, there is no damage. There is a little surface rust but it is not bad. replaced the plugs, wires, cap and rotor and cleaned the K&N air filter, ball joints, inner and outer tie rod ends, sleeves, center link, and idler arm, rear shocks
with KYBs, brakes. new O2 sensor, but it is not installed. The transmission has about 20k miles on it and was rebuilt with a Transgo shift kit. There is a strut tower brace, and the TPI unit has been ported. It has a single out Flowmaster cat back and a Catco cat

2 things that do need to be done to the vehicle right now are to replace the rag joint and obtain a new drivers seat. The seat is just worn out, and has a permanent backward slope.

 

Woulda offered 1200 for the formula.

-- Joe

 

I have decided to go with the 1991 Pontiac Trans Am WS6 - White w/ grey int, Hardtop, Automatic, 5.0 liter TPI V8, 102k miles, Pioneer CD, All new brakes, tune-up, shocks, and front-end. Recent tires and transmission has about 20k miles
on it and was rebuilt with a Transgo shift kit. strut tower
brace, and the TPI unit has been ported. single out Flowmaster
cat back and a Catco cat.

Two things that do need to be done to the vehicle right now are to replace the rag joint and obtain a new drivers seat. It has a little surface rust by the front wheels.

he wanted $2500 but I think I can get it for $2200.

I figured I can do alot more to it than w/ the 91 V6 3.1 I have now. What do you guys think?

 

Did he say anything more about why it needed a 'new front end?' A little rust around the fenders may not be alot to worry about, but look under teh car with a flashlight. Look around and make sure there isnt any serious rust. A small spot here and there can be wire brushed and repainted, but lots of rust is cause for concern.

Id also check all the fluids. Check the oil, trans fluid, coolant, etc and make sure they at least look semi-normal. Things to look for would be: creamy milkshake oil, transmission fluid in the coolant tank or strawberry milkshake coolant, dirty coolant thats never been changed, black dirty oil that shows either a lack of maintainance or problems with blowby.

After that start it up and note how it runs, any smoke like continuous blue or white smoke? Take it out for a test drive and when its reached operating temperature give it some gas and note how the transmission and engine feel. Should accelerate normally and the shifts should be reasonably quick (or nice and firm with a shiftkit) without flare up or slippage. Also make a hard stop and note how the brakes feel. Lots of pedal pulsation or pulling to the side indicate problems with the brakes or alignment issues.

If the car works well then Id say its worth 2200 dollars or so. As long as its sound and hasnt been in any accidents then a few blemishes dont mean that much in the long run.

Ive done this sort of stuff when buying a car and it annoys the hell out of the owner but I want to make sure Im not buying someone elses problem, unless its really cheap.

 

The Red Formula I would pass on, it looks like it had a reasonably hard life, and it has the TBI... Good choice to pass...

The white trans am above looks pretty good, the pic is a bit fuzzy, so it is hard to tell detals, As stated before, look at it close, underneeth for rust, and in the engine Bay. Look at the bottom of the doors, It has ground effects, so that will hide alot of lower rust.

Looking at the pic the front GFX look like it is either cracked or has a dirt smudge, but like I stated its hard to tell from the fuzzy pic.

IMO $2500 is not a bad buy if it is in as good of shape as it looks in the pic.

Other things to look at, make sure the wheels are centered right to left in the front, and drives straight, The rear axel can be adjusted right to left with some aftermarket panhard bars. But may raise an eyebrow if its not reasonably centered.

Good luck

John

 

That white one is my car! It is in really good shape. I just put new steering box in it and bought some fourth gen seats. I redid the whole front end because the steering was loose and it needed ball joints anyway. My other two cars are pretty new, so I am not used to driving something that feels loose. It feels great now. I just spent about $500 more on the car so I had to raise the price. It is in the classifieds right now. I agree, the picture is kind of fuzzy. If anyone is interested, I can e-mail some higher quality pictures, but they are big. BTW, the front GFX are cracked a little, no biggie.