found this on craigslist, talked to the guy and he said he could take 1300 cash and 400 in payments, so jw do you guys think itd be a good deal? http://syracuse.craigslist.org/cto/2203459985.html
my first car was an 86 camaro, loved it...then i got rear ended and totaled been through about 6 other kinds of cars and nothings the same :P anyways, what stuff should i look out for when i go down friday to look at it? thanks in advance for any responses, also my names Dustin, great site btw!!!

 

please don't take this the wrong way but it's a $1700 car.

If it runs, shifts, the brakes work and there is at least some miles left on the tires then you got your $1700 worth.

 

It's been listed for 7 days and no buyer yet. If it were me, I'd wait another 2 weeks, then go see him again, and take the 13 $100 bills with me, and let him see/smell the cash - bet he'll take it - money talks and no one can stand to see $1300 just walk away!

 

Look underneath of the car.look at brake lines check for rot...What kind of miles are on it...Check the door jambs for rot and rust..Test drive it if possible.checking for weird vibrations or auto (if it is an auto) trans slippage..But like a previous poster said its a 1700 dollar car..Just remember there are alot of things that break on a car not just engines and trannys..Good luck on your purchase

 

thanks guys, theres 100,000 even on it. i just didnt know if there was anything specific to look out for

 

yeah when i go down im bringin a dealerplate so i can test it out, and if i do end up buyin it ill post some pics up.

 

It seems like a good deal to me if everything checks out on it.

 

looks like a decent deal I think, looks like its in good shape, but keep in mind that he mentioned 350 (corvette enigine) so be sure to let him know that you know its not a corvette engine,that its just a thirdgen camaro/firebird engine, although still a 350 so thats not bad. also be sure to check out the emissions sticker, I have seen quite few people in my day pass off a 305 for a 350 just because they saw it as a v8 and its a corvette engine cause its a gm v-8, that may just be a michigan ******* thing, but I'm always weary of people who outright say corvette engine in something other than a corvette

 

Here in hillbilly Missouri so many people say it has a Corvette engine in their 3rd Gen. for sale ad's on Craigslist it's ridiculous. Do they really think that by saying it has a Corvette engine that it makes any real difference to a smart buyer? Personally it sounds stupid and almost like the seller is trying to be sneaky about something.

 

how would i know if its the 350 if the emissions sicker is missing? any way?

 

yup, bring a mechanics mirror, a flashlight, a smartphone with internet access and check the stampings on the back of the block.

As you extend the mirror, and the seller asks what you are doing, you simply reply that you're verifying if it's a 305 or 350.

If it ends up being a 305 you take money off of the table. Who knows, maybe the seller knows and will be forthcoming.

 

since i grew up in syracuse(they dont call it the salt city for nothing) ill give ya a couple of pointers,look the undercarriage over very well for RUST-most f bodys of that age,unless only driven in the summer are real rot boxes underneath,ive seen some where the floor was all rigged up with patch panels etc-if you live in that area i know a buddy who has a shop that will look at it for you pretty cheap,pm me for his number if you want it!i live in florida now,but went to high school and lived in that area most of my life

 

thanks for all the info!! what would be stamped on the block if its a 350?
and unfortunately i do not live in that area. im about 2 hrs north of 'cuse. yes i know its a decent drive just to look at a car, but i really want a thirdgen again, im sick of driving this stupid four banger around...ive searched craigslis for awhile now and its hard to find one within the price range of $2000 or below.ive checked out a few already, but just like you said, they were all rotted out and missing floor pans an such.

 

tried searching for what casting numbers i should look for, but i couldnt find anything useful. could someone put up a link to a list of these numbers i wanna look for? also wouldnt the vin tell me the engine size? thanks

 

would you trust the vin on a 23 year old vehicle?

it's not hard to find casting info, yahoo.com is your friend

http://www.nastyz28.com/sbchevy/sblock.php

 

thanks

 

The VIN would tell you what engine the factory put in it. 8th character = "8", it came with a 350.

 

Yeah, the VIN is what you should look at. "F" would stand for 305 I believe and "8" would be for a 350 engine.

 

that works if you are certain that it's the original engine; thus why i asked "would you trust the vin on a 23 year old car"

 

That's why I said, "The VIN would tell you what engine the factory put in it."

If the seller says it has a 350 and the VIN says it came with a 350, the chances that it is a 350 are much higher than if the seller says it has a 350 and the VIN says it came with a 305.

But, the only way to know for sure is to check the block casting #.

 

I defy anyone to say that fast 3 times.

 

well just picked the car up for 1500, thanks for all the info guys it helped. turns out it was a 350 engine, it has zero rust or rot underneath or on it, has poly mounts and bushings everywhere, and the only issues with it are that the one headlight motor is broke, and all the cluster and panel lights dont work so im gonna guess its a fuse since i highly doubt every bulb is blown :P