FCmaniac

I have a problem with searching on Autotrader once in a while and making up some excuse to buy another old car that I dont need. Today I'm going to look at an 86 GXL with 166K for $900. I talked to the owner last night... nice guy, he's owned it since 1990 and has all the maintenance receipts since then. He told me about all the new parts and that it runs excellent, etc. He told me that it uses around a 1/2 quart of oil every 3K which is fine... (wanted to see if he would lie to me about the oil consumption). I figure I will check it out and if all is well, I'll offer him $700-800. The average private party value for "average" condition is around $1200 when I combine KBB with NADA and Edmunds.



Who on hear has an NA with over 150K on the original engine and what condition are they in mechanically? I know if cared for right, they can be good for over 200K. I've never had one with more than 100K. What is the first thing on the NA 13B to go bad with just mileage... I mean if you follow a routine maintenance schedule?? I definitely want to check this 86 for front cover oil leaks and the pulsation damper leak.

Rxmfn7

An N/A could go 150+ with very little problems if taken care of correctly. Check to see if there are any signs of white smoke on start-up, as to make sure the coolant seals arent going. Check the coolant levels also. By the way, where is Whitehall PA?

1Revvin7

my n/a was good for its 150k.

j9fd3s

i have one with 210k on it (the engine is apart on the floor) the front crank seal was seaping for a long time, the metering pump o ring was too. the intake gasket was blown (at about 170k), the front 6 port actuator was stuck, the radiator died at about 200k, water pump at about 160k. most of the problems on this car are/were cooling system related, it had a leaky water pump and it was filled with rusty water for about a year, so then the t body hoses died, the radiator died, and then the water seals died. it had been run hot/ low on coolant a few times, otherwise it would be fine



mike

FCmaniac

Well, I bought it for $800. I can't believe the amount of receipts and maintenance records this guy had. It runs great and is really is in good shape for its age. This will share daily driving duties now with my 95 Hyundai (thank god, I'm sick of driving that everyday). It wasn't smoking at all, the sunroof actually works well, very little rust, tranny shifts smooth, no bad leaks that I could see with a flashlight, coolant looked good, oil pressure readings good, temp guage read low the whole time I was beating the hell out of it during test drive, etc. Within the last 30K, it had a rebuilt trans, new clutch, brake master cylinder, front calipers, 4 rotors and pads, driveshaft, logicon, A/C compressor, tires 5K old... all in all worth it. I'll have to fix the wiper switch of course, it only works in one speed, one of the 6 port actuators is stuck and the rear shocks are gone. Other than that, it was a solid deal.



:bigok:



There is no receipt for the water pump and I really couldn't see for sure if the front oil seal was leaking but I can fix those if need be.



PS: Whitehall is next to Allentown about 45 minutes north of Philly.

ECKO1980

My N/A had 217,000 on it before it finally went out and it ran great up untill it just wouldnt start one day. You could push start it and it would run but like **** and with no power. It never leaked oil and all I ever did was routine maitnence on it. It will soon be alive and happy with its new TII drivetrain