Newbie buying a 90's Roadmaster ?

Another....looks like a horse barn in the background. Maybe was a puller? Price is right if it's nice.
http://nh.craigslist.org/cto/1839965041.html

 

Hi Silverfox,

Thanks for the leads. I got to late to the black on in Pennslyvania but it went high for a non running unseen car. Some people get carried away in bidding wars. So I'll check out the one down South. I was just in his town last week. Darn. Not exactly next door.

He said the engine ran rough before noticing he'd blown the head gasket, but despite this it wasn't caught too late?!? Sounds like major rebuild time. And it looks like the engine isn't the only thing that took a beating. Seems as though a dog got to chewing the front of the driver's seat. The rest of that seat is hidden with newspapers, not what you usually garnish the main seat with unless it's to keep the springs from hurting your backside.



I asked him for a description and other pictures but think he may be wanting to sell a non running parts car as a temporarily disabled cream puff. At least it's cheap but may not be worth the 28 hour round trip drive plus a flight to go pick it up once repaired...

Thanks for the leads. Checked out a 72 Dodge Charger with my son today, he's competing for my Roady budget.

Vic

 

Well.....these are not my usual recommendations. I was just toying with cheapies that MAY turn out good. I knew the black one would go way up. OTOH, it still may have been a deal if you didn't have to travel for it. Anyway, Vic...I didn't mean to send you on wild goose chases. I didn't realize you would jump on these, but then, one never knows without looking. I will try to refrain from the cheapies and adhere more to cars of your liking that you have described. And cars that I feel are good cars.

 

More temptations

Hi Silverfox,

That's the trouble with eBay. There are always local people who can check it out first and if it's a solid car they will bid higher. You not knowing yet what you're getting into have to bid lower or run the risk of bidding too high against others who are also far but think that a high price is an accurate reflection of market value since some other boob is willing to spend that much.

I sent a message to the guy in North Carolina, to find out more about the car. But he priced it low for a quick local hassle free sale, so I doubt he'll be too accomodating. With a dead engine that might be a good car to plunk a Hot Engine into? Aren't you one who mentioned I could do that for a long roof muscle car? Maybe an LS6 pulled from a wrecked Cadillac CTS V-Series for its 400ftlbs? I'm open to that idea.

The other car has no interior pics which isn't a good sign for a car with those miles. Also the rear left quarter panel is caved in by a small accident which they neglected to mention, not a good sign either. It is the rust belt and with those miles I have no illusions. I may however go see it in person if they can give me better info since it is ONLY an 8 hour drive round trip which seems just like next door after my last time on the... Wagon Trail.

Vic

 

Hot engines work easier in older wagons. You can have a screamer with one of the 94-96's but it will cost you mucho moola.

 

Do you mean older than this body style or these wagons before the LT1 was used in 94 ?

Also, is the mucho moola due to computer switches, adapting harnesses ?

Sorry for the questions but I can't figure out why.

Vic

 

Pre computer era is cheaper. Lt1's are losing part replacements daily and it has the OBDII system. You can take one of these cars, 94-96, and upgrade to the LS platform and have a lot of HP and a lot of money in it. But it WILL go! You can drop back to the 80' wagons and drop in a 455 and get eveything to work in the car. Still...if you want to build a car...it is NOT as cheap as it used to be no matter what. Best to stick with a small block Chevy for parts availability or a Ford 302 for the same reason.
EDIT:
I get lazy when I'm tired. Don't like typing in the first place. I can address this issue in more depth at a later date if you wish.

 

Sure thing Silverfox, if you want a big block it's better to stick with an older wagon. But while my son is dying for a muscle car wagons are out. So it's never going to be a compromise. This will be my wheels, not his. The main reason I need this is to retire the ageing rusted van with a lingering transmission, and still be able to occasionally haul a load but also travel distances without being sent to the poor house. That's why the Roadmaster did so appeal to me.

Siince you can't find a crispy clean one these days without fighting off half the planet lunging for it, I'll take one with issues to sort out as long as it diesn't have such bad rust that it can't even be sandblasted away. But it isn't going to be a cheap proposition no matter how it goes. Mint cars priced beyond rational levels. Good cars far away and hard to test before they're snatched up. Average cars with their lot of surprises and not such good pricing to make them a better deal than the former. And those with serious issues such as these two, both with high miles and one with a dead engine and the other that was hit.

Regarding an engine swap with OBDII, I can also swap in the computer and then reprogram it for different features in the car, a number of outfits provide that service even if my local shop is specialized in Mopar they're burning a new chip for my ODBII engine swap tomorrow. So if the frame, body and interior aren't too shabby on the southern car I might be game for the hunt for a used LS engine at a decent price.

Also, I was wondering if removing the wood decals isn't too nasty a job, I guess I'll check out the threads about that in the other longroof forum. Reason for that is that if it becomes mechanically modded there's no point in preserving intact its original appearance. Not going so far as flames but something less sleepy for a sleeper might not be a bad idea.

Vic

EDIT: It's midnight, I'll let you off the hook. Thanks for the leads and I'll keep you posted.

 

See my edit above.
Removing the dinoc is a BITCH! If you want a wood delete car we will find one. Easier to find a Chevy but hard to find one with leather. Can swap in leather though.
An LS swap requires the entire harness swap, all the front engine accessories and more. It's not just a reflash thing. Trust me...it's like trying to drop a 351 into a Chevy. The LT1 and LS are completely different. And it's expensive. But cool.
Tired....short answers.

 

Here's a car thats been sitting in Chicago forever. It has cloth but could be swapped easily to leather. You would have to run a Carfax on it....I don't like the way things line up but it could be just loose strips. It may be sitting because of the cloth or .......? Mileage is unlisted may be another problem. Do you still have days left on Carfax?

http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.jsp?ct=u&car_id=279874834&dealer_id=593834&car_year=1994&rdm=1279171879990&lastStartYear=1981&model=BUICKROAD&num_records=100&systime=&make3=&make2=CHEV&highlightFirstMakeModel=&start_year=1994&keywordsfyc=&keywordsrep=&engine=&certified=&body_code=128&fuel=&awsp=false&search_type=used&distance=0&marketZipError=false&model2=CAP&search_lang=en&sownerid=1360698&showZipError=y&make=BUICK&keywords_display=&color=&page_location=findacar%3A%3Aispsearchform&min_price=&body_style=WAGON&drive=&default_sort=priceDESC&seller_type=b&max_mileage=&style_flag=2&sort_type=priceDESC&address=53581&advanced=&end_year=1996&doors=&transmission=&max_price=&cardist=168&standard=false&rdpage=thumb

 

Silverfox,

It has 140k miles and spent its life in Wisconsin before being sold at auction as a dealer car in 2010. I'm wondering if it isn't one of those cash for clunkers which somehow got recycled. Also I wonder how flexible their price would be. Both front doors aren't aligned with the fenders or the rear doors, if the trim is any indication. Maybe their hinges have slumped or else the car was front ended making it one to be avoided. Or the dealer just doesn't know how to close car doors properly.

This is the exact color I prefer, and leather can be found one day. However it didn't get the towing package meaning less cooling for hard use plus lower gearing. I don't know how much wiggle room there is in their pricing but the cheaper cars are getting more attractive after spending a bundle on the trip to 'sniff out' the grey car.

Vic

 

I live in WI and wouldn't want a WI car. On a $5K car figure the dealer has around $1500 on top for the trade. If you are dealing with cash you should be able to drive out for somewhere between 2800 to 3200. Maybe less if it has been sitting or there are problems. I would offer him $2000 for starters to let him know where I am up front. Seriously doubt he paid over $1600, probably less, at auction but I am just guessing. Don't have current books anymore so I can't look things up like I used to and I haven't been to a dealer auction for years. Anyway...that will give you a feel for where dealers are sitting. Or, at least, the way it used to be. Can't see any reason it would change since it has always been that way.

 

mixed bags

Well, I spoke to the seller of the one down south, a 28 hour round trip drive away. He says a mechanic wants it and is supposed to pick it up tonight, but if not he'll call me back. The seller restores corvettes using parts cars and got this car to drive and is now selling it. It has close to 200k miles, some of its trim missing and the leather interior is shot. He says that he heard the engine skipping and that 2 cyliinders next to each other had bad compression, but no fluid mix. He says it runs but needs that head gasket changed. Of course it can also be a cracked head or a cracked block, or broken rings, who knows?

I'd qualify this as a local only purchase for a mechanic who can't afford one in running condition and who really wants a RMW. No rust is a plus but the interior is cooked. Heat also supposedly melted off the stainless trim that won't stay on even using 3m tape. This one sounds too far gone for me.

I also spoke to the seller of the one in my area and it isn't as sweet as it sounded. Here's the lowdown. It is not just starting to rust. There may be quite a bit of bondo, but this is what's apparent in the rear left rocker panel.



Also it got hit in one fender which isn't a biggie if the frame is straight. The rust is going to be the deal killer if the floorpans and rockers are shot. It may just be at the end of its frame... I may still go to check it out, the driver's seat isn't any fresher than could be expected of a high mile car but useable as is.



With a bit of luck it only needs a driver's seat leather covering and the rest can be reconditionned to good condition. Window lifts not working and the usual broken little stuff. Remains to be seen how it runs. Might check it out further tomorrow.

Vic

 

I wouldn't bother.

 

day trip to the coast

I'll ask a guy I know who doesn't charge much for doing metal to metal rust repair what he'd want for setting it right. That's the advantage to being in Vermont, plenty of call for that skill set. If the frame rails and floorboards aren't hit then it won't be too bad. I'd want to have a body shop in the seller's town put it on a lift and give me an estimate of repairs. THIS TIME I WON"T TELL HIM IN ADVANCE WHERE I PLAN TO GET THAT INSPECTION DONE. Then with that pricng in hand I can make a lowball offer and see where it goes. Calling him in the morning, he's pretty desperate, maybe because he knows just how bad the rust is? Or just because there's no market for a problem car at his $2k asking. He's locted 2 miles from the seashore which won't help rust either...

Vic