Ok, i have been working off a small loan for the past few months and have it just about paid off. Now i have a 91 rs with the little ol L03, and want more car. I have two options at this point that i am strongly considering. 1) is to take out a loan for aroun 1500-2k and do a bunch of work to the rs (both maintaince and performance) or 2) to sell the rs and take out a loan for about the same and buy a tpi car. If i do the second i am wondering about things to look for when buying one. I mean rust obviously is something to look for, power loss, extremely clean engine bays, shock and strut life, same with brakes, all the usual car stuff. What are some specific to the TPI cars things? I mean i can find a nice 5.7 tpi with aroun 98-110k miles on it for under 4k with a better body and interior than my RS so this is a very tempting idea. Heck even the 5.0tpi cars sound good to me since i am seeing alot nicer bodies and paint on em.

 

For around $4k you should be able to find a very nice F-body within that mileage range. They're on Ebay all of the time (though you'd need to find one in your area to test drive). You will probably be able to find one in the 80,000 miles range for $4K and above average condition. Locally, there's an '89 GTA with 86,000 for $4500 O.B.O and it's in VERY nice original condition...

Just remember, O.B.O. means don't offer to pay the price on the window!

 

I've been in your situation before. I had a 1989 RS w/305 TBI for over 10 years and always wanted a TPI counterpart so badly. Finally in 2001 I bought a used 5.7 TPI GTA stock w/90k miles. I had several bolt-ons on the RS but the difference between the 350 GTA is like night and day. I was so used to driving the 170-190 horsepower RS and then a jump into a 235 horsepower TPI was a nice kick! I've gotten used to GTA now and need more horsepower.

 

Ya, i just really want more power, but reliably and its probably cheaper for me to go this way (since i get better paint, body, suspension, interor and power) than to try and do it with the RS. It also has the potential for the least down time (going back to college here in about a month and some change) transportation wise. My dad is cool with the idea, so once i get this loan paid i will start doing some hard core research. Still wondering though if there is anything fairly specific to a tpi car to watch for when buying it.

 

The things I checked before I purchased the used 5.7 TPI GTA were:

1) Idle. Gave it several full throttle gas at the linkage and let go right away to check for bogs or shakes.
2) Listened for air leaks around the plenum and runners.
3) Made sure it really was a 350 code vin #8 on 8th digit. Center console info RPO - L98
4) I gave a good several hard tap on the MAF sensor while idling to see if idle changes (if so MAF may be bad).
5) Started car, turn off and restart right away (if it cranks over 10 seconds fuel pump may have been going)
6) I felt each of the injectors for pulse (better if you get an Ohm meter and check values 16+)

7) Removed each sparkplug wires at the distributor cap to check if there is a change in idle (there should be a change when running from 8 to 7 cylinder) and made sure all cylinders were firing.
8) Checked for "Check Engine" light on, if it was I had a code reader or paper clip to obtain codes
9) Made sure misc. items like power windows, lights, hatch release etc were working.
10) I brought a broom stick in case Hatch or Hood struts were shot. It's difficult doing all the check-outs with one hand holding the hood up.
11) Checked transmission and engine fluid for unusual color or odor.
You've got the basic idea on the TPI Engine department. Then there is the body/rust and test drive check. That is all I could think of for now.

 

Cool, thats what i was looking for. Been checking all of the ads with a vin and so far no suprises but anything i consider i will be checking the vin on to make sure. Didn't think about air leaks on the plenum and around the runners. Thanks for the help, and by all means if anybody has something to add go for it.