Thank you in advance for your input...

I recently looked at a 2002 base model that has been sitting for 5+ years. This V6 was dying at idle and not always restarting so they parked it... permanently. The owner is the daughter of a coworker and she had no clue about service. She is second owner. Received the car at 50K miles and changed oil at 63K. Has 105K on it now. According to Carfax, the previous owner never missed a service appointment. 2nd owner only serviced it the one time at 63K.
I looked it over: No codes, Oil is blackest I have seen and low. Coolant really low. Trans and Brake fluid both a little past done. Tires are gone. Rear bumper cracked from collision. And then there's this air intake that has me stumped...Critter?



So I have the ability to drain/replace the fluids, replace fuel pump and even replace the intake manifold gaskets.

But here's my question: Are these engines tolerant to abuse.?
If not, I cannot justify spending $2500 on the repairs and purchase price to get this vehicle back on the road

Questions and input are welcome..

 

Don't walk...RUN!

 

The engine is very dependable but taking a car that’s already 10 yours old not well maintained then letting it sit for 5 years is not good for any car. You fuel system and coolant system alone are going to give you headaches also the brakes could be a redo, hydraulic wise and tire will have flat spots and/or dry rot. Intake gasket is the only real weak point on the 3800. If it’s not been done it should be.

The bad part about buying a car that you cannot drive is there is no way of knowing the general condition.
Let say it issue was the cat. You replace that clean up the brakes, replace the water pump and coolant hoses. Take it on a test drive, it shakes so you replace the tire and do a front end alignment. Now it’s ready, after driving it a full half hour (full temp) the trans starts slipping. Now you are screwed.

Honestly the car would need to be super cheap. Assuming the original problem was a bad Cat or fuel pump it may be worth fixing but keep in mind, nice running, inspected 3800’s V6 camaros are selling under $2,000 and they need little to nothing. Those you can test drive and take to a mechanic to have it looked over.

 

Thank you for the thorough response. I figured it was more trouble than its worth... but it's going to the junkyard if I don't fix it. Hate something fixable to be destroyed. I like projects but not lost causes.

 

Are there any parts you can salvage and use on your next build?

 

yup sold my 99 3800, with 87k miles for 2k ,but it ran well brand new tires it had too,was
a solid car ,i had bought it with 77k had it for 2 years,an it owed me nothing