Blackdog36

iTrader: (3)

I need your thoughts on this If I am sane or not. I recently bought a 92 Camaro that needs some fixing up. I also recently lost my job and moved back to NY from PA. Don't have a job yet and living at home. I do not know a lot about Trans Am specifics.

I was helping my dad with work today. The guy we were doing work for had a 85 trans am in his driveway that his uncle is storing there. I looked it over a little bit and asked the guy some questions. The car has over 60,000 miles, 305 TPI (LB9 engine code F), auto, and T-tops. The car was repainted about 5 years ago with a nice dark red with some metallic chips. Car has gold spoke rims but not sure what size tires. Also has 4 wheel disc brakes with some meat left. Exhaust looks recent and in good shape. Didn't drive the car or hear it run. Engine bay looked pretty clean. The uncle is asking $1,800 (down from $2,500) for it but some work is needed.

Cloth seats and cloth door inserts will need to be replaced along with headliner fabric. Might as well replace sunvisor and sail panels. New hood and hatch struts, some misc interior trim due to sloppy install work on aftermarket speakers and the usual tune up items (oil,filters). The tires are bad and need to be replaced. The one tire had a 12"x 6" strip of tread loose from the tire! The paint job seems decent but has chipped off in a few place like the nose and doors. Think this is just normal from road stones but driver door near front need some minor rust repair. Paint looks like it chipped/ came off from the primer. I could see the paint thickness at these areas. Don't know if this means a bad paint job or body. Can I fix paint easily with rattle cans?

I ran the numbers and figure that it will take $4,400 including car sell price to fix her up nice. I don't think I can turn around and sell that car right now for $5,400 to make some money. Is it worth it to but the car and hold onto it? Maybe I can get it for $1,300. I wouldn't pay $1,800 since it needs four new tires and I can't drive it home. Will probably be $100 to have it trucked home. I can store it at my parents along with my camaro. If I keep it or eventually sell, I would have car pretty much stock. Maybe a better cam, some porting, etc. Nothing crazy. Also, did 85's have grey ground effects? Not sure if this was painted over and if dark red is stock color. Car looked good with ground effects same color as body.

What do you think?

Pic of later firebird with similar paint color
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Po...ans-Am-GTA.jpg

Rolling Thunder

Well in terms of an investment theres probably better things you can do with your money and if you were looking at this car solely from the perspective of trying make a buck restoring and selling it i wouldn't do it. Reason being the $4,400 you figure is only an initial estimate which could be close but more than likely you will run way over this budget (idk why cars just are that way). By the time you waited for the car to appreciate to the point where you would actually cut a decent profit if you had taken that same amount of money and invested it else where you would have made a lot more over that same period of time. Now if you were looking at it from the perspective of buying the car to have if you could knock him down on the price a little bit more ide say its a great car for the money and would make a cool car and nice daily driver that you could probably still get back your initial investment if you decided to sell it later and maintained it in decent shape.

halfmoontrail

iTrader: (3)

They made so many of these cars, that you'll never be able to sell it for anywhere near $4000.

However, if you buy it and can drive it for $1800, they are excellent cars with good gas mileage.

Do your repairs with parts from here or u-pull yards, don't put much more money in it, and you'll be OK.

Steve