What to ask the seller when I test drive.

[Montana_Motor_Head]

Hey everyone. been looking at a 1996 3kGT SL DOHC that took my interest. I've been wanting to get into a 3000GT for awhile and have finally saved enough money. before i go test drive this car, i was wondering what else i need to ask them about (besides the 60k/120k tune-ups) and what to expect from it being at 139,600 miles. Any advice would be greatly appreciated

[nylander]

Ok, so in your introductory post, you said you planned to buy and rebuild a 96 SL. What is wrong with the car that you know of? Does it even run? With that said, where in MT are you?

[Montana_Motor_Head]

well from what i gathered it does run, so far the problems with it lnclude the paint damage on the hood (picture didnt turn out correctly) which is easily fixable, and brake shoes and calipers will probably get me killed on the return trip lol. as far as anything else goes, no idea until i arrive there. /: And i live in Butte.

[Struggly]

I usually don't ask too many questions when I'm test driving a car, 3/S or otherwise.

Find out when it had its last timing belt service. Ask the seller what problems he's noticed. You could ask the seller about the previous owners too, but that probably won't tell you much.

What's more important is how you drive the car. Any issues that the seller would have told you about should be apparent in the drive--and any issues that aren't are hidden enough that the seller knows he doesn't need to tell you about them anyway (unless the seller is a moron).

Make sure you beat on the car when you drive it. Run out several gears, use the full rev range, take it on the highway and hit the brakes, go find some potholes or rough road to run it through, saw at the wheel, etc.

Put the car in the air and give it a thorough check for leaks. With that age and mileage, I imgaine it'll have a little drip here and there down the pan or whatnot, but there shouldn't be major leaks at the pan or transmission case. If there are, you can use them to haggle on price.

Inspect the exhaust for leaks, wiggle the front suspension around, and take a look at the rack and CV joint boots for signs of damage.

If you do all this, you'll have a good idea of exactly what's wrong with the car and what it needs.

Clint

[Montana_Motor_Head]

well thank you guys, really appreciate the help. goin to write up a nice little checklist before i go and make sure i hit everything that you mentioned. Hopefully i can start rebuilding it by Fall. (=

[Montana_Motor_Head]

also was looking for aftermarket i could revamp this thing with, not sure what all i can put in it since its non-turbo. Any sites that have parts for it? or is there a chance i can just install a vr4's stock turbo and basically have the vr4 engine?

[andyvr4]

Originally Posted by Montana_Motor_Head

also was looking for aftermarket i could revamp this thing with, not sure what all i can put in it since its non-turbo. Any sites that have parts for it? or is there a chance i can just install a vr4's stock turbo and basically have the vr4 engine?

If you search around this site you can find all sorts-of information relating to the questions that you just asked.

For after market parts check out the 3si supporting vendors sites.

For information regarding TT'ing an N/A 3s check out this area of 3si as it's entirely devoted to questions regarding this.

[Fhsballin21]

When in doubt, read the Bible N/A UPGRADE BIBLE.

[Montana_Motor_Head]

alrighty xD, 1 more question and i'll leave you guys alone (; I see that TT conversion, and was wondering if its truly worth my time and money, or should i just stick with N/a. (Basically which is the better deal for the power per dollar)

[LittleGoose]

Buy a VR4 or RT/TT if you're looking for power. Converting to a VR4 or RTTT would require AWD drivetrain swap as well as TT conversion unless you're fine with staying FWD. I'd say enjoy the SL as you get into the platform and just experience it for a while. If you find it's what you're looking for, go for a VR4 or RT/TT later on.