High mileage.What to look for?

[iowabowhunter]

Hey guys I've been looking to buy a "cheap" 94-95 GT 5-speed and I think I have found one. The guy is asking 3000 obo but the car has over 200,000 miles with nothing done to the engine or drivetrain other then maybe a clutch. My main concerns are about the drivetrain. Should I be worried about diff bearings, ring and pinion wear, how bout the trans.
Thanks
Bob

 

[Car Nut]

I wouldn't worry about the rearend too much. If you can rebuild the rearend yourselft then great, but I'd go ahead and plan on spending $500 to have someone replace the gears and most of the other components.

Check for oil leaks the best you can. If that engine really is bone stock and has 200,000 miles, I would consider the engine in the price. Instead, is the rest of the car worth $3,000.00? You may get another 20-50K miles out of the engine, but that is a lot of miles SOMEONE ELSE has put on the car.

That may be a good price if the body is in great shape with little or no dings and only a few scratches. The interior should be pretty clean, too. Hopefully, all of the electical stuff works and it appears to be a solid car.

If I were buying that car or even my own, I'd be considering a new/rebuilt engine, rebuilt tranny, rebuilt rearend, and a total suspension upgrade/replacement (springs/shocks/struts/braces). In the end, it is cheaper than buying a new car AND a rebuilt/new engine could result in over 300hp with the right mods.

Oh yeah, you might want to replace those brakes, too.

Sounds like I'm saying you're going to have to replace everything, but when buying a 200,000 mile car........is there really any reason not to expect that you're going to mod it fairly well? Stuff will go wrong eventually, depending on your driving habits and the level of care taken by the previous owner(s). 200,000 miles on a stock engine probably means the owner(s) have done something right in taking car of the car, so don't take this as being too negative.

Good luck.

 

[wytstang]

With that many miles things are going to give way I wouldn/t pay more than $2,300 with that many miles. The engine itself is solid there are many 150,000+ cars running n2o with no problem. I wouldn't worry about the ring and pinion to much those stock 2.73 should be replaced with 3.73 . Take it for a test drive and if the tranny shifts fine and doesn't make any grinding, whining I would just change the oil in the tranny and the diff.

 

[mo_dingo]

First test is to see if there are any leaking fluids. Check both engine, trans & rear end. If there is a leak, I would get it inspected by a mechanic. Not to say a leak means it's broken, but it could be a problem.

Start the car and let it idle. If it runs rough, I would think twice about it. It could simply need a tune up, or it could need new bearings, etc....

Once it's started, take it for a test drive. Shift into the gears very slowly. You shouldn't feel anything out of the ordinary. If you can feels the gears bumping, the synchros are probably going out.

When you do shift, release the clutch, and listen for the pinging of the driveshaft or any other noises.

I would do a compression test/leakdown test at the minimum.
Scott

 

[scarless]

Unless you want to rebuild the car, I'd pass. If you want a project then $2K max.

 

[iowabowhunter]

I drove the car today and everthing seems real good. The body is straight with a few door dings and the paint needs buffed out. The interior is black leather and is in good shape and really clean. The only problem I see is that the seats have lines in them, but no rips or tears so can the seat covers be dyed? I do plan to mod this car quite a bit thats why I was looking for a 94 or 95 with the 302 easier and cheaper. I have had several 3rd gen f-bodys in the past with t-tops and I really liked them, but I really wanted a 94 or newer style mustang, but I didn't want a vert so I decided that I was going to find a "cheap" coupe and have one of the targa top conversions installed. I have read on here that some of you guys were thinking about doing it but weren't sure of the out come and the cost was pretty high. My uncle has a body shop and has been at it for 30 years and said he would do it for me. It'll probably be this coming spring before it is done cause they are real busy right now, but when its done I will post some pics.
Oh BTW I'm going to offer 2000 for the car. Does that seem to low-ball?

 

[Scott_95GT]

If the condition of the car is how you say it is, 2k is a good deal. I would not count on that engine, but the rest of the car sounds solid. You can buy a gt-40 crate motor and some new engine accessories for under 4,000, rebuild the tranny, have your uncle touch up the body, and you have yourself basically a new, great performing car for under 7k.

 

[scarless]

No more than 2K. Remember that every part of the car has 200K on it. You need to look at replacing break hoses, vacume lines, bearings, engine & trans mounts, shocks, struts, ball joints, tie rods, bushings, etc. At 200K accessories like alternators, AC compressors, PS pump, and the like tend to fail as well. You are looking at a lot of serious work. For $5-6K you could get a car with 80K-110K and not have to do as much work. Unless you have lots of tools and time and can do all the work yourself, I'd skip the project car. How much is your time worth. You will never get the money you put in the car back out.