rfoster23g

do you guys think i should buy this camaro he said all it needs a new water pump and he said he would take 1800 for it http://richmond.craigslist.org/cto/3621816461.html

this will be my second car i am 17 so i am not really sure if this is a good deal also do you guys think i should get a manual or a automatic this one is an automatic but my friend said i should get a manual even though i dont know how to drive stick thanks in advance

rfoster23g

please help

Rolling Thunder

Depends what your looking for. What are your expectations?

I mean at a glance that car doesn't look bad not that that really means much just looking at a few craigslist photos. The price doesn't seem to bad. My only big concern is the water pump issue. A water pump isnt a big deal but thats a classic used car phrase all its needs is a..... when in actuality they have no idea what there talking about or are trying to pull a fast one and dump their headach on you. Unless the pulley feels loose when you wiggle it I would really like to know how he knows that water pump is bad. Also it does have a good number of miles on it. Well maintained you may get another 50k out of it but be prepared to shell out cash.

The biggest thing though is your expectations. If your expecting something you can hop in and drive as your daily driver with minimal investment you might want to look further for something that is drivable as is and with a few less miles on it. If performance is a big deal to you it might be wise to hold out for an IROC or a Z/28. If you you just want a Camaro just because you appreciate them that may be a great car.

As far as stick shift vs auto... either one is fine really but these are the sorts of questions your should be asking yourself. Do you like stick shift? Even if you don't know how to drive stick shift it's not hard to learn no need to be discouraged. The key is just buy what you want the first time. It's a lot cheaper to just buy what you want than trying to take something and build it into something that already exists.

90camaro355rs

I would look at the water pump real close like Rolling Thunder has said, see if it is leaking out the vent hole on the bottom or see if the bearings are bad by checkin pulley play, run vehicle long enough to make sure it doesnt over heat if its not leaking coolant, what does the interior look like, how does the trans shift, does the rear end make noise on accel or decel, does it leak any other fluids oil, trans fluid rear end grease, powersteering fluid, some of this might be minor stuff, it tells how the previous owner took care of his car or not!

bwiencek

I would read that ad as "water pump failed and it severely overheated and blew the head gaskets so now I need someone to take it off my hands" Seriously unless he's willing to GUARANTEE that all it needs is a cheap water pump then I'd either offer him about $12-1500 for it or go in expecting to put headgaskets on it and have the heads surfaced.

If he's willing to let you thouroughly check it out - fill the coolant resovior and radiator with water (if it's low) then start the car and let it heat up - if it blows smoke out the tailpipe then you know what's bad (headgaskets or worse cracked block/heads) and if it just dumps the water out of the water pump then you may have a decent deal there as the body looks nice in the pics. Just be sure that you don't leave the water in the engine if it's going to freeze up solid soon...

FNFAL308

iTrader: (1)

Lets see, sell it for $1800 needing a water pump or spend $30 and 3 hrs and ask $3500? If I saw that on Craigslist I would not even think about trusting what he says. But he may not be a mechanic and just wants to dump it.

I'd buy it for 1500 right now and put another engine in it. I would not even think about trusting that one - but that is just me. At 50 yrs old I have trust issues with engines that "just needs a water pump"

wbstearns

take 15 cash with you let it heat up and as long as it doesnt overheat buy it he should take it if you have $100 bills in hand still be ready to put some headgaskets on it in the near future or like fnfal308 said get cash together o put a new motor in it i would still buy it if it overheats but not for 1500

DeltaElite121

it sounds to me like you shouldn't be taking this kind of gamble based on how you've asked the question. Don't gamble with a car like this unless you're willing to lose.. because I can almost assuredly tell you that there's a 70/30 chance he's lying and there's something SERIOUSLY wrong. A water pump swap isn't that difficult.. and for someone who already knows what the problem is - I find it funny they aren't willing to fix it. Like FNFAL said - at minimum he'd rake in another $1,000 if he just fixed it (and that's assuming he paid someone else to do it.. my water pump was $40 brand new).

neeb_usmc

iTrader: (2)