Hi guys. I'm new to the board but I have a question for you tranny experts.
I might be buying a 89 Trans Am GTA with a 5.7 V8 tomorrow. It needs exhaust and tires but here is my concern.
The guy I'm buying it off of says it needs trans work because when u hammer on the gas, the tranny down shifts but it will not up shift at all unless you let off the gas. Now I havent bought a GM product for some time because I was a blue oval pony boy for the last 10 years and I want to come back to the light side. So the question is do I run and hide from this car or is it just a minor problem? Any suggestions or opinions would help me out alot and would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks
ARBOC

Ps
I am getting the car for $3250 canadian
Loaded, digital dash, t tops.

Here is a part of the e-mail he sent me "As far as the tranny work that needs to be done, I really don't know...it has to be taken to a transmission shop to be checked out...it could just be the shift linkage, as the transmission was changed, but does not want to shift right....as far as the exhaust it requires new muffler and tail pipes....why selling?..I'm buyin a new house and after storing it for five years don't see the point of paying to store it for another 5, always thought I'd get back to it but always have other things to do...it is the GTA model so it has the LT1 Corvette motor in it and the digital instrumentation " and "It shifts properly when you are light on the gas, but when you matt it, say to pass, it will kick down, but does not want to shift up, until you let off the gas....it moves in all gears....no slipping or anything...."

 

for that price for a gta, loaded, i'd say jump on it again for $3250 you can't expect it to be perfect.

exaust will be under 400 bucks and the tranny shouldn't be more then a grand.

in canada the average gta goes for 5k so even after the work its still a deal.

only thing i can say is to check for rust and if its clean grab it

 

I'd be inclined to agree; doesn't sound like there's anything wrong with it that can't easily be fixed.

Don't forget, it's a 15-year-old car, don't expect to find one that's perfect, for cheap. But that price sounds like you could buy it and deal with it and still have a good car for the market price or less.

 

Are you sure about this a LT1 in a 89 GTA... Doesn't sound right to me.. my 91 B4C only had a vette L98 in it. I didn't think they put the S.P.I. LT1 in the vette untill 91 or 92.., i was also told it the LT1 was never put in a 3rd gen except the Z4F concept camaro in 92. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong.

 

The "LT1" business sounds like typical uninformed spank-off, not to be taken seriously.... I'd ignore that and rely on a visual identification.

Rule #1 of Used-Car Buying: Never believe a single word out of the mouth of a used-car seller, except what you can verify with your own eyes.

Corollary #1A: When what you see is different from what the seller says, believe your eyes, and ignore what the seller says.

Rule #2: If what the seller says sounds to good to be true, it isn't true.

Rule #3: Never pay for anything you can't verify by some means other than the seller telling it to you.

 

So I guess I must have gotten a good deal on my car... got an 89 GTA, 305, 5 spd in decent shape for $1800 Canadian... for safety it needs brakelines, rear pads some work on rear calipers, and a wiring problem or 2 straightened out. Needs new valve seals, pilot bushing, and a little body work and paint, but overall its a good solid car... not a bad deal then, eh?

 

that is an awsome deal.

anytime you can get a gta or iroc in decent shape for under 5 grand canadian its a good deal