The wiring being messed up under the hood and the tranny would be my concerns. Tranny work can get expensive. Check to see what a used tranny in your area is going for and add that to the price you are willing to pay then compare that to the price of other cars advertised in your area. Might be surprised what you can find for about the same price without having to be concerned with the "what if's". Just something to think about.

 

Thanks for the comments.

I plan to either replace or rebuild the tranny myself. found the rebuild kit for $150, found replacements at pull a part for around $100. Of course that does not build my time. Also lends itself to a learning experience.

Not worried about the wiring entirely, really just looks like someone coundnt afford to put a new starter switch in the car. That can be reversed. No evidence of spagetti under the dash, I looked.

Personally $1200 is really not alot of money for this car in my mind. It rolls, it runs, bodys not shot, interior not wrecked, stock rims look great. I figure that if after I replace the trans and get a thurogh look at the car, I should be able to recoup my money (less my time) if it truly looks like a lost cause.

Otherwise i can just go on as planned and treat it as a toy, not a dd

 

I hear what you saying Kwacasey. I have bought 2 with blown engines, one that would actually run so I knew the tranny was good and the other I took a bet on. Luckily, the tranny was good in it as well. To some people, I'm sure the price I paid would not have been a good price but for our purposes, they were what we were looking for. A couple car projects for the kids and I to work on and learn so they would have a daily driver with some sweat equity in, understanding that they might respect the car more than just paying for one and getting in and driving. Both cars are running and kids are happy and have a story to tell to go along with their ride. Good luck with it and hope you enjoy.

 

osduck5, you hit the nail on the head. This is what my dad did with me, so i would like to get mine started out too. Same situation, LOL, they won't get to drive this either.

thanks for the support

 

you can get the tranny rebuilt along with a rebuilt TC for $700. You just need to drop it and re-install it.

It needs the tranny. Since it's a 93, you may as well replace the u joints and since the sahft is off, and the car is up, and tranny is out. let's

replace the rear main seal
install long tubes
replace the rear wheel bearings and seals
check for any engine leaks including front seals

heck, the engine runs and it needs a tranny. if you get it for $1200 between tranny, fluid and other items and doing the work yourself you are getting near $2500 before buying new tires.

If it needs even more, like the clear coat is peeling etc etc, headliner is shot, then you are starting to go north of $3k basis and should start looking at $4k and above cars with mods and in better shape.

 

i am sure that i am not the first to utter the words, "it will be a work in progress".

Sure i could go spend 3-4k on a more put together model, but then i am just gonna drive it and have to deal with every option the previous owner took, and feel put out when i need to do some other heavy work, after paying good money like that.

This way i figure i get what i want up front, because chances are i will have to do the work myself, which in my opinion adds a certain level of pride and respect for the car.

willing & able

 

So i picked it up this morning, got it for $1200. I drove it about 15 miles after putting some tranny fluid in it and still could not get the trans to shift into 3rd or 4th. Although i will say that it sounds like a nascar at 3500rpm going 50mph.

Rather than risk doing more harm than good I had a flat bed come pick it up and deliver it for $125.

Got in the driveway and started looking into some of the wiring adventures that have taken place, found where they ran the starter switch wire to the dash for a push button start, found where the alarm was spliced in, and found a few things that need further investigation.

Only real suprise was the driver side door. I thought that i heard the guy say the window motor was out in the sense that it was broken. No it was out in the sense that it is non-existant. along with the door lock. he had a piece of pvc in there holding the window up.

As of right now i am still pleased with the buy and look forward to looking at the tranny to see what i am in for there.

Thanks to all of you for your help, and I took some pictures that i will post tommorow.

 

So, what did he have to say about the mileage discrepancy?

 

Doesn't make a lot of difference now, I guess.

Enjoy your project. It sounds like you have something that can keep you busy for a while. Hopefully you won't find too many more surprises along the line of the missing window motor.

 

Got the pics, take a look

http://pbckt.com/sS.dFAw

thanks