Thinking of selling....

[deputydawg]

I think I have hit a wall.

With the amount of work that needs to be done (body work, change all the gaskets on the engine, rebuild suspension/brakes, add more go faster goodies, etc) and the limited time/money I have, I am considering selling my 87 GN and finding one (maybe with T-tops) at a later date that is more road worthy and more suitable as adaily driver. I really hate to get rid of it, but the way i see it, it is going to be over a year and at least 5 grand before I can even drive it at this rate- not to mention what it will cost to have it in any kind of show worthy condition. I am seriously thinking about selling it once the body bushings and quarter panel are replaced (since they are already paid for).

The car was not what I thought it was when I got it...it revieled more issues that needed to addressed than I could anticipate or the previous owner was willing to confess.

After dropping about a grand on gettting the frame straightened, and spending another grand or so on obtaining and replacing the quarter panel and body bushings...I am begining to feel like I have bit off more than I can chew. I can honestly say it has not been a waste, I have definately learned more about these cars in the time I have owned it than I ever had before.

What do you think? Should I keep it, take my time to fix it over a longer period of time ( i initially gave myself another year to have it done thinking it only needed mild body work and a paint job, Doh!)?

OR

Should I sell it or part it out and hope to maybe come close to breaking even?

[MeanBuicks]

Don't part that GN out! Sell it to someone who'll finish it up.

[SS_Sean]

If you absolutely need a daily driver then sell it. If this is a project car then you have to take it one step at a time. If you are going to farm out most of the labor then this project is going to get very expensive, and yes you should sell it. If you are willing to learn, make mistakes, and have some fun, then it will be cheaper. If you're willing to get dirty then one little project at a time, so the whole deal doesn't look so big and overwhelming, and you will begin to see progress. I have learned the hard way, and it wasn't cheap, but it gets cheaper and easier every time. That's just my experience. GBY for serving.

[salvageV6]

You don't need a show car for a daily driver.

Fix the mechanicals assuming the body can be driven as is.

Brakes and suspension are cheap G-body stuff to be road worthy any mechanic has seen a ton of them and can fix that stuff for cheap labor if you know a trustworthy local guy, parts are cheap as well.

Not sure what gaskets you need but valve covers etc. is easy, if the rear main leaks a bit fix it when you have time and run conventional oil.

If the motor runs, tranny is okay, get the thing on the road, and then you can find all the electrical gremlins.

Performance parts aren't necessary if you want to drive the car, the cheap/free mods. and a good chip can do wonders for the drivablility.

As would a DIY alky. install and 25 pounds of boost.

[deputydawg]

The right rear quarter has to be replaced. I have a replacement and have already secured a body guy to take care of it. Maybe I will just roll around with satin black primer for a while. I already purchased the poly body bushings, so might as well put them on....besides the car is 30 years old...could definately use them.

The brakes need to be gone through. The oil leak from what I can tell is coming from the valve cover- smoke coming up from the crosspipe behind the motor. The gas tank has a dent in it-looks like where an idiot tried to lift the car with a floor jack, but I got another one out of an 86 T-type..Before putting it in, it would probably be best to have it purged and install a high flow fuel pump. The car already has a bunch of go fast goodies on it (terry houston downpipe, 2.5" hooker exhaust, hypertech chip, 36lb injectors, k&n filter, art carr transmission and stall converter). I should probably ditch the injectors and chip and go for a 50lb tweak setup. It has an open rearend in it, I know it is not necessary...but I would like to change it over to a posi unit.

I guess I am just having those "damn I wish I could drive it" blues. The weather is perfect for a cruise and I am stuck driving my 4runner.

I think at this moment I am on the fence...if someone were to come along and offer what I have in it- I would probably let it go.....but that is highly unlikely.

[salvageV6]

You've got about 2 weekends of work and maybe $500 to get it running and on the road.

Not sure about the quarter panel deal but mines been crushed 11 years now.

POR15, primer, all make for a nice paint job.

Get it running low 12's and you'll fix it up bit by bit for sure.

Valve cover gaskets, gas tanks and fuel pumps are all simple stuff, so are brakes unless totally rotted like mine were.

Forget the posi. for now.

Get to work.

[QuickBuick87]

I know how you feel. I've ask the same questions myself. Low funds, and a car that needs way more then you can give it kinda make you think is it really worth it. My luck as of late has been the worst it's been in probably my whole life so i'm taking it day to day. Don't give up. Last week I was actually thinking about selling both my TR's. I'm just taking it day by day and not thinking about how much $$$ and TIME it will take to get both my cars back on the road. Maybe next year. I would keep the car as they will just become more expensive in the very near future. Guess that's why they are both still sitting. Good luck and I hope things work out for you.

KB

[Whut]

I was in the same boat when I got my current car.

The ad was posted here (if the previous reads this, GET MY SS OUT OF MY NAME!!!). The guy had it for sale for 10K, 100% stock 87 GN with 56,000 miles on it. He said the clear coat was starting to peel a bit and the headliner was drooping. That was it, I took the bait and drove out to get it and at the same time sell him my 1996 SS Camaro.

It was dusk when I got there but the car looked good in the dark and it started but idled a little "off" but it ran so I gave him the money, he gave it back for the title to my car and I was off. It made it home some 250 miles away but that was about it. The brake pads had turned to dust so I just let it sit.

When I got a little time I was able to dig a bit deeper to find out the turbo was shot, at least one injector was leaking, the fuel pump was shot, the brakes were gone, the intercooler was full of oil, the clear coat? What clear coat, the lacquer paint was checked and cracked so bad I actually had people ask me if I used sand paper to dry the car. The tires were different brands and sizes and the exhaust was a single output NA Regal exhaust.

At that point I felt like you, I was going to just sell it and move on with the possibility of picking up one needing less work at a later date. My father actually talked me out of doing that and since I had a place to just let it sit I did.

I have owned the car for three years now and have to say, although I bought a pile of sh it I am sort of happy I did, I know everything about this car, every bolt, every stock and aftermarket part. I have been through the entire car and did it in steps.

The first step was getting it running. After I got it running with a new turbo, new injectors and chip, and a new fuel pump I was happy with it. I also bought a stock GN exhaust and put better tires on it.

The second step was getting it looking black again. I got lucky with this, there was virtually no rust on the car and the doors were solid. Along with another member on this board we prepped the car for paint. Basically, we pulled anything and everything off the car. I then took it to the paint shop to have it chemically stripped to the metal and painted.

The last step, making it faster. With the help of Tom Shea (he did some work but I basically paid him to make sure I didnt screw anything up and for the use of his shop). Having someone that knows as much about these cars as he does was a huge help. We worked for a month or so last winter cleaning up the motor and adding a bunch of stuff. You can see the stuff done in my sig, click on the MGNTA logo, the on Members Rides, then Abe to see the car.

At first it felt like a huge undertaking to make this car show well and also run well. It all paid off when I got it appraised last week for more than double what I bought it for. Its nice knowing everything about your car and the feeling you get from actually doing it yourself is great.

If you have the time and a place to store it I would suggest hanging on to it. I did and am happy I did so, I wouldnt want any other GN now, not even a GNX, I would feel to bad about modding and cutting up a GNX.

[PsYcHo GN]

I've owned plenty of cars to know that cars are money pits. Especially race cars. Race cars only bring back pennies on the dollar. Luxury cars depreciate so bad after the first couple of years, this is money you will never get back. Only cars worth investing lots of money into are first generation Camaros, Mopars, etc... you get my drift. These cars keep appreciating in value as long as they are original. Once you start modifying them and making them race cars, they start losing their value.

I started building a 1965 El Camino, which was supposed to be a simple project as a daily driver. I ended up putting in a full forged, full roller, balanced and blue printed 408 SBC stroker with all chrome and billet dress up accessories with a serpentine belt system. One thing leads to another... built TH400 trans, custom driveshaft, 12-bolt posi rearend, etc.... I have a spreadsheet with all of the money into the vehicle. Once the vehicle is done, I'll have around $40K into it. I'll never be able to sell it for $40K and I'm too deep into it to sell it and back-out without taking a substantial loss. My goal is to complete it and enjoy it.

My '87 GN I recently purchased already had everything done. I did make a few other modifications, but the three previous owners' sunk boat-loads of money into the car. After playing the waiting game, I was finally able to purchase the vehicle for the price I wanted to pay, $15.5K. I knew I couldn't build, let alone find a GN this clean for that kind of money. Time is also money. It takes a lot of time and frustation to build a nice car. Rather than lose months or even years trying to build a nice car from an old project car, I find my time more valuable as I'm getting older, and I would rather pay a little more for something that is done since you're saving money in the end as well as years of your life. As I previously mentioned, race cars only bring pennies on the dollar. If you were to modify an engine yourself, say you sink $5K into go-fast goodies, you could've bought a car with it done and it would've only cost you a quarter of the cost.

If the project is overwhelming and it is going to take much more time/money than you expected (most are usually closer to double the cost), then it would be better to sell the vehicle and buy one down the road that is completed so all you have to do is start it up and enjoy it. Time is of the essence. Don't waste years of your life trying to build something that seems like it's going nowhere, because it probably is. If funds are an issue, then the project will take more years of your life. Life is too short to waste and be frustrated and have financial worries about.

Just something to think about.

[psycho6cyl]

Ive looked at all the reciepts since I have owned the car and I got well over 7500 in it.. Not bad but that was just to keep it on the road, no mods. I took it to Dynotech and had it tuned 2 weeks later I wipe out the crank (not their fault, too many oil leaks and I raced it). After my budget rebuild the turbo I purchased (had no play) mysteriously goes.. We have all been there but just knowing that I can tackle the jobs n this car makes life more enjoyable. Try to do it yourself, defininitely worth the experience... Good Luck and dont sell it.. Remeber you are not the only one on the Titanic...

[GullsGN]

I am one of the lucky ones. I bought my car new. While I can't say I know how you feel, well I can a little come to think of it. I did have the car down for a year and a half while I completely stripped it to bare metal and berry primed and urathane primed it, then sent it to be shot. No body work needed, though. But what I wanted to stress is that I KNOW how you WILL feel driving one of these as a daily driver (except in northern winters, of course). I have some tweaks like bigger turbo, injectors, fuel pump, etc. This has been my summer driver for 20 years. I take it to shows and win trophys. I take it to the golf course every day. The comments, the waves, the finger pointing, the thumbs up that I recieve EVERY single day never fail to put a smile on my face, even when I am in pain or just feeling bad. All this, besides the obvious fact that the power is it's own rush, even if you don't use it, AND get 25 miles a gallon ( and if you don't race or accept the challenges for street fun, which I don't cuz I rather drive slow so they can see it and I can watch them drool, you can do it on 87 pump gas) doing it is a feeling you do not want to miss out on. IT WILL BE WORTH IT. It doesn't really seem like you are that far away.