Hi everyone! So I found a '94 Z28 convertible on Craigslist with 105K miles. The guy wants $4500. I went there today to check it out and ended giving him a refundable $200 deposit pending it checks out by a mechanic.

I hope I didn't jump the gun but the car seemed much nicer over all than most cars I looked at. That's not to say it didn't have a few problems. The top is is probably original and it def. needs to be replaced. That's at least a thousand dollars right there. The dash pad was cracked on the passenger side pretty bad, but other than that it was a mint interior. Mechanically the car is good, but my mechanic will point out anything I missed.

Car was originally a florida car, iI ran a car fax and there was no accidents on record. Other things I noted were the rear bumper was faded real bad, almost looked pink. There was also a noticeable gap between that and the quarter panel. The finish on the salad shooters was worn off, looks liked they used the wrong cleaning products on them. Car was bone stock besides flowmasters, but it did seem to have the stock rectangular tips.

I checked the RPO's and it has the GU5 performance rear axle, 3.23 gears in an auto! 2 tone cloth interior with power seats, wish it was leather.

Here's the ad, what do you guys think? I was gonna offer him $3800 cash and go from there. Maybe he'll counter with an even $4000. Keep in mind I'm in NY where people ask $5,000 for low mileage V6 f-body's. Thanks!

 

Damn forgot the link lol

http://longisland.craigslist.org/cto/2845338391.html

 

I think if you already gave the deposit the time for negotiation is passed. If someone gave me a deposit and I was turning other buyers away and then he tried to re-negotiate I would be very pissed.

Fix price, argree on what happens IF the mechanic find something, then deposit. That is the normal order.

Make sure your mechainc checks the floor well. The black tops tent of shrink and then they leak like a t-top. Your $1000 extimate on the top might be a little light if your paying someone to do it and your using high quality materials. I would think $1500 by the time you you replace the pads and cables and get a good 10 year top.

 

We didn't talk about a price because it all depends on what the mechanic says. If he says it needs front rotors/pads than i'd deduct that from the price. I'm not looking forward to replacing the top, I know it'll be a nice chunk of change that I reallly don't have. If he thinks he's getting $4500 then that's my fault but no way I'm paying that. $4200 is my max and that leaves me broke basically.

 

I would think twice about buying a car that needs a top unless you can afford to replace it. If its a garage kept car and you start not keeping it in the garage the top will go south very quickly. It can be a huge pain owning a car that needs a top if it is a daily driver. How much has the top shrunk? Is the weather stripping on the window exposed from the top? If so it will leak.

As a general rule when having a car checked your mechanic is looking for major issues asking for $300 off because of nasty oil leak is fine but because it will need brake pads in 3 months, not so much. Not even a aftermarket bumper to bumper warranty will cover that.

 

It's a good looking car and is priced reasonably for your area. Get the mechanic over and talk him down a few hundred, especially because of that top.

 

I don't know how much it shrank but the back window was "resealed" by one of the previous owners, I guess it ripped or was leaking. They sealed it with this brown stuff that looks terrible. I've accepted the fact that if I want a convertible it's gonna hurt my wallet

 

As far as the exhaust tips, I have the same deal. Previous owner installed a Flowmaster catback and welded the rectangular tips back on.