Looking to buy an SVX, some mechanical probs.

[Harbinger]

The car is a 92, w/ touring package (leather interior, power sunroof, 6 speaker/cd player) also has rear spoiler. 112k on the clock.

Bad: Can hear a grinding noise from the rear of the car, I assume its the rear diff. There is a little light in the dash that says FWD, idk if this is normal or not. Sunroof sticks alittle when opening it. AC blows hot. It also needs new brake pads all around.

Good: Glossy paint (a few rock chips near the nose) interior is in good condition, not even wear marks on the seats, stereo & cd player work. The engine looks to be in good condition and the trans shifts fine.

Their asking price is $3500 US. I'm not very familiar with these cars yet so I'm not sure what this car is worth.
I usually do all my own car work, so can take care of the AC & brakes, but I haven't done much drivetrain or any transmission work, though I could probably pull it off w/ my brothers help.

So my questions are; What do you think this car is worth? And should I buy this one and fix it or should I steer clear and find a different one to buy?

[Sean486]

Although I am not nearly as knowledgable as many member here, I have priced a lot of them, and I think you should be able to get a SVX without mechanical problems for $3500. If the paint, interior and body are in great condition then that would bring up the value some. I would offer $2500-$3000 max.

[thumper_svx]

$3500 is a lot of money for that car. Offer $2000 and negotiate... but don't top $2500 or so.

Sounds like you've got a rear wheel bearing bad (frequent problem in these cars) and your AC may be dead.

For the wheel bearing, figure $250 - $300 per side... and it's sometimes best to replace both at once (unless you do it yourself... then it's cheaper).

A/C? Well, rather than restore the old R-12 AC you might want to do a conversion to R-134... cheaper fill, but could be up to $500 to replace the components properly (drier, compressor, seals).

The FWD light... well someone's obviously put a fuse in the FWD slot of the engine compartment fuse box. Remove it and try to drive it... if it binds badly then the AWD may be broken and it might be expensive to fix. If it works OK, then groovy. Someone put that fuse in for a reason... it's not usually in there by default. It's strictly for "limp home".

For $3500 you can get much better right here in "Wanted or for Sale".

[davew833]

I'm also in Utah- I've bought 3 '92s in 4 years and paid between $800 and $2000 for each of them. I got a '95 LSi with 114k on it last year for $3200. They all needed about as much work as the one you're looking at.

I think $3500 is too much for a '92 with that many issues. You should be able to get a decent driver with no major mechanical issues for that much.

[It's Just Eric]

Rear wheel bearings are a frequent svx problem.....your best bet is to actually find hubs from somone parting an svx out. Usually when the rear wheel bearings go bad, the hubs go with them. The fwd light is something worth worrying about. Find the fwd fuse (Its in the fuse box under the hood) and oull it out. Take the car for a test drive, make sure the tranny isnt binding up and make sure it shifts smoothly.
If the car DOES have a tranny issue, offer him a grand...that seems to be the fair going rate for a car with a tranny problem and some other issues.
If the car doesnt have a tranny issue...Its probly worth about 2500-3000ish. Source hubs before you buy it and negotiate from there

If it helps any,I bought my 92 lsi w/ 168k for a grand, sans transmission, exhaust, and with rear wheel bearing problems...I found a tranny for 250$, rear diff for 40$, and had hubs and an exhaust laying around. The ac doesnt blow cold, and theres a just a couple dents and dings, NO RUST...For the 1500$ or so it cost me to get it driving, it is well beyond worth it. nobody can believe it was a thousand dollar car