How much $ am i looking at?

[87NAT]

You are on TB.com which is a good sign. The first thing you need to do, IF you get the car, is read as much info and threads that you can on this site. I am on my third turbo regal and I owned my first 2 back in the early 90's and I can tell you I was lost trying to figure out those cars back in the day. The GN is not your typical big block chevy with points and a carb...you need the knowledge to get these cars running good and a fat checkbook or 3 credit cards.

My point is most everyone on this site that has owned these cars for any period of time will put their 2 cents in to help you out. Dont spend your money unwisely, do your homework. That being said heres my 2 cents: Take all the money you would use on that GNX dash and get you a scanmaster and a Turbotweak chip, and put the rest aside for a rainy day. Those rainy days include: broken trannys, bad MAF, etc... Read what combos work and which ones dont and you will be ahead in the game with a few more $$ in your pocket than I was when I bought my first GN.

 

[Rustyrodder]

If i get her, she's going to be fixed and run daily this summer. Stock for a while, at least until i can get a 2nd car. But I'll check the T-top area, door bottoms, rockers, rear wheelwells, trunk/rear frame for rust. anywhere else?

 

[onefastcar]

That Should Be It.

 

[Rustyrodder]

Alright then, pics to come! lets see if one 3.8 will replace another

 

[Roc87]

Oh no, a Raven story has made someone come to the Darkside

My .02 for the alternator, find someone to rebuild the stocker. I went up to Pueblo Colorado one year for a Buick drag race, alternator went out. Found one in the entire city, ended up keeping my "core". 1 week after replacing it, it stopped charging. Convinced autozone to refund my money. Had the stock rebuilt and it's been fine since.

And I agree with 87NAT, to do your research before you start buying stuff. I didn't find this site until 6 months had passed after I bought my GN. Nearly all the stuff I had bought was worthless, and I should have just saved up to get "tried & tested" stuff that others on this site would have suggested.

Good luck on the purchase

 

[Rustyrodder]

where can you get a stock one rebuilt? any mechanic?

I just hope this one is good- If not, ill be selling the mustang anyway, and i can jsut wait till a good one comes around.as said on the HR forums- patience is a virtue...as well as a bitch-and-a-half.

yup, blame Raven for this convert

 

[GNandGS]

You CAN do your own but if the bushing or bearing is bad you will need to farm that out (or should). There are shops that specialize in alternators and starters in almost any area.

 

[onefastcar]

You CAN do your own but if the bushing or bearing is bad you will need to farm that out (or should). There are shops that specialize in alternators and starters in almost any area.

What he said and usually its cheaper than an autozone replacement and you can have them change the output if ya want.

 

[turbo39151]

I was thinking about this and I figured I'd throw this out for you as well.

If you are going to buy a GN for sure. Do yourself a favor and buy a Scanmaster (2.1 -newer version) right now. Yes- before you buy the GN. You can set it up to be powered off a cigarette lighter and all you'd need to do is take it with you when you go and take the prospective car for a drive and plug it in to the lighter and the ALDL. If you buy a new one it'll come with directions but you can also locate the proper parameters on this board if you buy used. That way you'll know right away how much KR you have, your TPS/IAC settings, Mal Codes, etc...

Good Luck

 

[Rustyrodder]

here it is...*lots of pics*

I got as many photos as i could when i looked at her. framerails, trunk, wheelwells, all are rust free. Heres the pics, they will describe it better then me:

VIN:

The interior isnt there from the dash-up, new other then that. It needs tires(T-type wheels on it), and the trunk is bare. He wouldnt let me take off the T-tops, partly because it was about 15*, and we didnt want to rip the weather stripping. the grill isnt attached anywhere it the bottom, just at the top. and none of the emblems are on the outside, not the hood, side, or trunk. The passenger door doesnt line up. And theres a bump in the front bumper(4th pic).

 

[GNandGS]

That just reinforces my price. <wink> I think you can do better for the money but perhaps not in your area? I dont know what NY prices are.

Look for old bodywork! I dont have carfax but if its a NE car, there might have been some prior work done (hides underlying probl?). Odd to have emblems missing without repaint.

If the interior trim was removed, I assume he has the parts. While apart, did you take a look at the underside of the t-tops?

Looks like the column has had parts replaced? Theft attempt? Theft recovery? Carfax may help with that. Chrome is gone from turn signal stalk (might still be able to source jeep ones). How did steering wheel look under cover?

How did it run? I see some boost built and the RPMs are pretty high for idle. Warm up? Perspective or flash might be fooling me.

Seems pretty complete. Any changes under the hood? The owner has some parts on it to make me think they are familiar with the cars - thats a good thing. Maybe I missed it... they read this forum?

Did you look for turbo shaft play? Too cold for compression test but maybe a cyl or two could be checked?

 

[Rustyrodder]

Look for old bodywork! I dont have carfax but if its a NE car, there might have been some prior work done (hides underlying probl?). Odd to have emblems missing without repaint.

If the interior trim was removed, I assume he has the parts. While apart, did you take a look at the underside of the t-tops?

Looks like the column has had parts replaced? Theft attempt? Theft recovery? Carfax may help with that. Chrome is gone from turn signal stalk (might still be able to source jeep ones). How did steering wheel look under cover?

How did it run? I see some boost built and the RPMs are pretty high for idle. Warm up? Perspective or flash might be fooling me.

Seems pretty complete. Any changes under the hood? The owner has some parts on it to make me think they are familiar with the cars - thats a good thing. Maybe I missed it... they read this forum?

Did you look for turbo shaft play? Too cold for compression test but maybe a cyl or two could be checked?

His reason for the no-emblems was that the old owner blacked everything out- even painted the tails, and he didnt like the emblems. odd, but believeable.

He doesnt have the interior parts- I would have to buy them. and he wouldnt take off the T-Tops, afraid the rubber would rip.

Im going to check carfax as soon as i can. The wheel is in decent shape, but very dirty. and the passenger window doesnt work. I jsut dont really like all that wiring all around there.

He connected the battery, and she started right up. the belt squeeled some, but once it ran for a few min. it stopped. it idles right about 1700-2000 the whole time i was there. when he revved it though, the boost built right up to 10-15.

oh, an underhood shot:

one of the guys that worked on the car apparently pulled something around the turbo, and said "this is here. its supposed to be here". he thought it was the wastegate- its the actuator. it has a pinched AC line, and hes not sure of the compressors status. Also, it needs a speedo gear- its calibrated for 17's(wouldnt he of just had to lower the tire profile?).

how do i check for shaft play?

 

[GNandGS]

Pul the inlet hose and "wiggle".

Seriously, for the money walk away. Even if you get it for 7K it needs a fair amount of work. All the items you need to fix on that car work on mine and several others you could buy. 2K on mine or others gets you a lot better car... I dont feel bad saying it but I AM biased. For 6k i would be tempted to drive mine to you leaving you with $1900 to play with. Ok, maybe halfway. j/k

For the 17's my guess is you wouldnt want to drive a car with such little profile if it were even possible to compensate that much.

All just my opinion but it might be worth taking another look in the other forums for a car in your area.

 

[GNRick]

You won't get boost (10-15) when revving it in idle. You must be driving it for boost. Personally, that car just doesn't look like it was taken care of. If the owner let it deteriate like that, I would be afraid that he never changed the oil. Also, t-top cars are worth a bit less to some people, as the body flexes more, causing stress cracks. They are cool for cruising, though. For the money, I would be looking for a half way decent turbo regal instead of a beat GN. Good luck, whatever you do!

 

[GNandGS]

braces fixes flexing issues... both body styles do it (paint crack)

 

[turbo39151]

7k is too much for that car. Get a better price- everything is fixable but costs $$$. You can buy a better TR for that kind of $$.

 

[onslow]

Basically, I agree. That is serious money for a car that looks this bad.

Yikes! Step back and look at this car: Sloppy work on the inside (look at that crappy wiring for the boost gauge -- the "stuck on" kick panel speakers -- that cheesy steering wheel wrap/I wonder what the wheel looks like -- the dirty/worn carpet -- the de-chromed turn signal stalk...do you really think either of the two owners did any better with the really important engine management and other maintenance issues?

The passenger door looks out of alignment with the rear quarter panel (was the car hit on the door?), the passenger filler panel has that damage, the hood front looks high in relation to the header panel, and the wheels are T-Type. Makes me think this is not a GN, but a T-Type...now, that's not bad, but I don't get a good feeling from this car and the seller. Why didn't he fix all the bad stuff and keep the car up? Obviously, he has taken no pride in this ride! Can he show you receipts for maintenance and/or parts?

I don't think he gives a dead rat's ass about this car...bad attitude for a turboB owner. Looks like he and the previous owner just punished it to the point where he wants to unload it. Plus, it has over 100K miles -- which would frighten me from a car that looks this rough.

Do not make an emotional decision about buying one of these cars. But, if you cannot help yourself, I also agree that you should get a scan tool of some sort so you can see what the engine is doing. Of course, that presumes you know what the tuning parameters should be. If you don't know, find someone who does or learn BEFORE you buy.

Here is a checklist that will get you through the basics:
The Turbo Regal Buyer's Guide

I would rather spend $2K more or $2K less for a really nicely kept car that has lower miles and was kept up by someone who knows these cars or has a mechanic who does. Take a look at some of the cars owned by guys on this site (they appear above the names in the posts)...you will immediately see the difference pride makes.

Okay...that's my $.50 worth. I think you are looking at the tip of an iceberg...don't let it sink your ship.

Whatever you do...Good Luck.

Steve

 

[salvageV6]

$5K as is.

Not running cars that you have to supply parts for and get running yourself with hacked up interiors and most likely a repainted exterior and body damage, door to rear quarter, aren't worth $7K.

If he gets it running well with a new alternator, wastegate, hoses etc. and puts the interior back in it and cleans it up a bit, maybe if the paint is real good which is questionable from the photos.

I got a running delivered to me, car in CT, yeah it was a repaint but an OK job and had the badges and yes also had a replaced quarter.

Needs bumper fillers also like that car, not too big of a deal.

Interior was mint, and numbers matched on tranny and motor and VIN.

And it was loaded including sunroof/astroroof.

You have to pass at that price and at $6K also, way too many questionable things on that car.

I wouldn't consider that as a driver unless it was running well and had oil pressure and you could check operation of all the accessories.

I wouldn't worry about the stock turbo, it will most likely leak oil the first year you get it running anyway. Not a show stopper since the center cartridge is only a $300 or so repair if you can get the stocker apart.

Check things like the powermaster/brakes, fuel and brake metal lines for rust, A/C will be money to get up and running, you need good working heat, and the motor to run well, not to mention getting into some boost before buying would be nice to see if the tranny slips much 2-3, that's about a grand for a stock rebuild done right and you want to check the shift points and smoothness and converter for proper operation and lockup.

I'd start with checking for matching VIN's should that matter for you.

Is the trunk RPO code sticker still on the underside of the trunk lid?

"I can do some bolt-on work, but I really dont need(or want) a full on project right now."

I don't think this car is for you.

And yes they aren't too easy to find up here in decent shape and most owners think they are worth too much $$$.

 

[turbo39151]

Personally, I think that even $5k is too much for this car. While a dirty/neglected ride isn't nice to see it may be a deal for a prospective buyer. However an ABUSED car could be a different story altogether.

Think about the possible expenses. (these are quoted from actual experience)

IF the trans needs work (they usually all do)- a nice rebuild run $2-3k

Tires- (cheap ones) $400

Weatherstrip (GM OEM- the good stuff) -$1k give or take. Might be a little more for t-tops.

Door alignment (means pins, bushings, and maybe striker) - My stiker plates on one of my worn TR's needed to be welded ($$$)

Scan master - $250 new

MISC "spring cleaning" - $100+

Turbo - rebuild the stocker or upgrade $300+

Misc Interior work - $$$

If you're new at this, these prices can be even more expensive. You need to know what you're looking for and what things could cost if they were to malfunction or be bad from the start. You haven't even driven the car yet right? It could have other issues as well. Yeah, I know it starts but for how long?

Unless you can get this this for $4k or less, walk away. It need to too much to make it right.

 

[GNandGS]

$5200 - come get it! If you are willing to part with $7900 for the other wouldnt you rather have this:

Put the balance into other things - done your way. No surprises or guessing.

Sorry for the hijack, hate me but Im motivated.