I need your opinion
 

After lurking on this board I have decided to take the plunge and buy one. I need to know if you guys (and girls) think this price is right...

- 1992 model AWD w/sunroof, aftermarket am/fm cass (no spoiler)
- 145k miles
- no noticeable body damage

Seller wants $4,000 (no warranty)


Now I drove the car and everything appears to function normally such as engine driveablilty, tranny shifting, steering brakes etc...
I have a few questions.

-Is it normal for the AC to come out only below the dash and not the upper vents? Perhaps some vacuum operated flap is not working?
-Does the sunroof shade slide back w/o the sunroof opening?
-Is it correct to believe that with 145k miles that the tranny has been rebuilt at some point?
-Which brings up my next point...why buy a model with around 100k not knowing for sure if the tranny has been rebuilt
-When I put the tranny in D from P on an upward incline and take my foot off the brake the car wants to roll backwards. Most cars would creep forward of hold there position, right?
-I found 3 inches of standing water in the spare tire compartment. I didn't see any bad seals around the rea trunk lid???
-The brake light idiot light on the dash occaisionally lit up. Is that worn pads or just a bad bulb?

I am looking to put 4k/year on the car. What would you do? I'm thinking maybe $3,000 - $3,500 would be closer not knowing if the tranny could take a dump at any moment.

thanks in advance

I dig the handle! Can I take it? :)

I'll answer what I can.

- There is no sunroof shade - it's not a glass roof.

- No, it is not correct to assume that with 145k the transmission has been rebuilt. Mine has 130k and is doing just fine on the original transmission.

- Do you mean 'from P to D?' Because if you shift it into park, it shouldn't 'creep forward.'

- Are you talking about the 'stop lamp' light? That's there to tell you when a brake light is out. If it comes on intermittently, sounds liek a wiring issue.

Anyway, if the car has been taken care of, it'll serve you well. If it shows any signs of abuse, I'd forget it and keep looking. It's easy to fall for the first SVX you see, but worth it to find one that was cherished by its owner. Mine was taken care of by the previous owner like it was his child, and it shows in the unflinching service the car has given me.

A couple things -

The A/C, of course, should be blowing you in the face. There's an arm (rod?) under the dash that gets stuck. This issue has been addressed here somewhere before.

Has the car recently passed the VA annual inspection?
At least you'd know if there are any nickle-dime issues, such as brake pads & windshield chips to deal with.

I'd take 35 one hundred dollar bills & wave them in the face of the seller. Kindly moan that without any tranny records, you're taking a BIG chance on instant repairs needed. Be sure to sniff the tranny dipstick & be sure the fluid's red, not brownish.

If there's ANY doubt that the tranny's headed south, offer less money. I assume the car's body & interior are "near" new.

My thoughts are if you like the car, & the owner looks like he/she did spend money on upkeep, & even if the tranny needs replacing; if your total outlay (with a "new" tranny) is less than 7K, You've got a good deal. If you're only adding 4K miles per year, you'll have a good 10 more years to show off on weekends.

Ron.

For the amount of mileage it has it sounds like you could get it for a lot less than he's asking. I got mine for about that price and it has half the mileage and everything works. A car having the original tranny at 145k is RARE but not impossible.

In mine I didn't have any standing water but the plastic pouch that has some tools and stuff in it had some nasty brown water in it so I threw it away. I would look into the trunk lid seals.

Depending on how steep the incline is, any automatic will start to creep backward at some point. Just means that the effect of gravity is greater than the force that the drivetrain is pulling the car forward. It shouldn't act like it's in Neutral though.

My "Stop Lamp" light just came on yesterday and then went away so we'll see how that turns out; could be a loose wire (I hope not...)

Glad you're looking to get into an SVX. IMO the car is a very good value.

Thanks for the quick replies.

I have been assured that the owner will see that it passes VA inspection and emmisions. I forget, the tranny fluid should smell a certain way, which way means good and which smell is bad? When the manual switch is pressed in and lit on the dash....does that mean it won't shift into first gear and that it starts out in second?

I'm thinking $3,500 max + the potential cost of a tranny rebuilt ($2,000 - $3,000 if I'm not mistaken) which equals around $6000.

I think that at 3500 you might be paying the "average" for the car, given the mileage. Yes, manual means no first gear. I can't tell the difference between "good" and "bad" smell, but the fluid should not smell burnt or be dark / brown.

prospective SVX...
 

I can't really add anything that the other guys haven't addressed....Just a couple of questions....
(1) Is it an LSi?
(2) What color is it?
(3) buying from the original owner?
(4) any wheel bearing noise?

I don't think the price is out of line at all if it apperas to have been taken care of.....I paid $3700 for my 92 LSi with 150k, and think I got a good buy. Never pay asking price if you don't have to; make em' an offer...all they can do is say no, and then you bargain up from there! I am in Colorado, don't really know what the market is like in Va.

Good Luck!

In '92 that would be an LSL. LSi were from '94 up. ;)

you are right...
 

Boone, you are right! I stand corrected!:)

Heat through vents...?
 

Is it normal, when you turn on the heat (85*) for it not to come out the vents and not blow in your face??

Heat in my car only comes out the defroster vents and the under-dash vents......and it won't come out the vents that would blow directly onto my hands or face......what's the problem?:confused:

Re: Heat through vents...?
 

In ANY car I've ever been around, heat is AlWAYS distributed from the lower levels or through the defrost vents. A/C is ALWAYS blown through the dash vents, unless you have a Bi-Level control that allows a bit of creativity.

Ron.

Oh......well I'll be moving farther south here in Florida come summertime.....so I'll probably never need the heater again!;)

Water in the trunk with the Brake light coming on probably means the tube which drains water from the sunroof is depositing the water in the wheel well area of the trunk. There is a relay for the brake lights in there that is filling up with water causing the brake warning light to come on and it also accounts for the water in the spare wheel well. Check it out!

Keith

A few more comments-

-The A/C only blows out underneath the dash. Someone already recommended a flap rod that may be stuck.

-The sunroof draining into the spare tire area makes sense.

-Appears to be an LSL, Dark Blue, not orig owner, no rear wheel bearing noises (yet).

I gather the "power" mode I have seen mentioned before is not a switch but is activated by rapid throttle movement?