molasses4masses

For those of us who haven't really purchased an older car before, is there a checklist of what to look for? I feel like that would be helpful and possibly save time and money in case something is too far gone (example: looking for rust in the trunk pan, floor pan, etc.)

oldspackrat

If you know a good mechanic or shop, have them put it on a lift so you can check the top, bottom, inside, & outside of any prospective purchase. Look at all the gaps betweem the hood to fenders, fenders to doors, doors to quarters, etc... This may tell you if it's ever been wrecked or taken apart. If original parts are a concern, I'd do some research on the net about where part numbers, vins, etc.. may be on the car & components therein. That way you'll know what stuff should look like & where to look.
Find a website specific to the car you want & join, ask questions, post pix, etc...
Many on here can help with about any year Oldsmobile you could find.
Good luck.

oldstata

Check all above . I would take pics of all areas post them up many here can point out stuff that you would over look.

Trunk
Quarters
Floor if they will let you peel back some carpet or as stated look from the bottom

Window channels
Frame
Motor if it doesn't run does it turn over
Trans
Interior

4speed455

I would do a compression test on the motor. Check under the trim at the bottom of the windshield for rust also.

oldcutlass

Everyone here can tell you what to look for and check, including myself. I'm going to take a different path this time. I've seen people jump into a project with high expectations only to have it scattered around a garage in cardboard boxes when they find themselves overwhelmed and frustrated.


I would first think about my skill level. What are my strong and weak skills. How much work is required to make the car what I want? What is my budget? How much can I do myself? Do I have the tools? What are the items that I'm weak in going to cost to have someone else do the work?


I'm not trying to talk you out of your dream, I just want you to think about the requirements.

molasses4masses

Thanks. I think that's a valuable part of any undertaking. My thought process behind asking was basically so that some of us with less knowledge or skill set don't end up purchasing a project beyond what we can afford or be able do on our own.

For me, personally, I've already decided that whatever I intend to do won't be a quick process, but something that takes a while.

jdana24

All good points from the above posters. For me, below are the questions I send to the seller before I even talk to him/her. If they don't answer all of these questions, I don't follow-up. I've found that either they are trying to hide something, or misrepresent something, and it just wastes my time. If they do answer all questions, and they haven't already posted numerous photos of all parts of the car, then I ask for specific photos to supplement what they have already posted. At this point, if I am still interested, I talk with the owner to dig deeper on specific items, and schedule a time to see the car. This is just the beginning process I use, and I would never buy a car that I personally haven't seen, and had fully checked out by a mechanic. A $300 airfare ticket to see a car, can save you a lot of headaches down the road. JMO.

Is it a 4 speed? (I'm only interested in manual transmission cars)
Are the engine numbers matching to the vin of the car?
Engine size and horsepower?
What are the overall miles on the car?
Is the transmission original to the car, and numbers matching?
Is the rear end original?
Is the rear end posi?
What is the gear ratio?
What are the color combinations? (Some online photos are hard to see the true colors)
Are the colors original to the car?
What is the condition of the paint?
What is the condition of the interior?
Any rust issues?
What is the condition of the chrome and stainless?
What is the condition of the glass?
What work has been done on the car, e.g.: restoration, rebuilt engine, etc.?
Is the vehicle completely stock?
If not, what his not stock/original?
What is the history of the car, local?
What documentation comes with the car, protecto plate, window sticker, build sheet or order sheet?
What overall rating would you give this car, project, driver, show, trailer queen?
Why are you selling?

molasses4masses

That's the kind of list I was thinking of.

joe_padavano

The most important thing for you is to educate yourself on the specific model you are interested in. Each car has it's own unique trouble areas. For example, the A-body cars have a notorious problem with pinchweld rust around the windshield and back window. While you can get patch panels for the fenders and floor pans, any rust repair to the pinchweld area requires hand-forming the patches.

Body work is much more expensive and difficult to do properly than mechanical work, so find the best possible sheet metal you can. If you don't feel capable of performing an in-depth assessment of the condition of the car, bring someone who can. There are a LOT of poorly-repaired rust buckets out there that may look good now but will have significant problems in a couple of years. Be particularly wary of cars from the rust belt.

Also, "correct" cars are extremely rare. You may not care if a car is a clone, but don't pay a price premium for a desirable car only to find out it's a clone and poorly done at that. Again, either educate yourself or bring someone who is.

oldcutlass

You never said what your actually looking for, budget, or what your skill level is. Perhaps some of the members close to you can help if you post your location.

joe_padavano

One other thing that I meant to add is that a complete, finished car will nearly always be less expensive than a project, especially if the project has missing parts. Unless you are specifically looking for a project on which to learn, buy the nicest car you can afford.

(Note that I have never followed this advice, by the way... )

molasses4masses

I was thinking of something general to look for for all of us newbies that come in and want to jump right in. It'll help put things in perspective and help us see how much we need to learn.

I'm located near Norfolk, VA. I've got a while before I have any type of budget to get started (I want to start everything off debt free and continue that way throughout whatever route I decide to take). I've got a very basic skill set. I owned a 1964 Plymouth Valiant when I was 16 (in 1999), and we tooled around on that some.

oldcutlass

Hmmmm a 64 valiant, your easy to please, LOL joking. I leaned to drive on one of those with a 6cyl and 3 on a tree. In all seriousness, you can find a very nice driver quality car that someone has already probably invested too much money in for between $8 and 15k. Then all you need to do is personalize and maintain it.

jaunty75

Knowing very little about restoring cars, in 1991 I purchased, for $700, a 1964 Olds Jetstar 88 2-door hardtop with 112,000 miles on it that was sitting in a small used-car lot in rural Ohio. It ran ok, and it had a small leak in the fuel tank and a front end so worn out that the car could barely be steered. But I got it home, fixed the leaky gas tank fairly easily, and had more fun with that car over the next five years than anyone should have a right to.

Yes, you can buy a nice driver for thousands of dollars, but what fun is that if the idea is to fix it up yourself?

As Joe P. says, the general rule of thumb is to buy a car in as good a condition as possible as you'll never get back in selling a car you've fixed up what you spent in fixing it up. But this is a hobby, not an investment. I sold my '64 Jetstar in 1996 for about $1,200 even though I had put at least $3,000 into it over those five years. But I didn't care. As I said, I had fun with the car, I learned a lot, and I got back at least something when I sold it.

The other side of the buy-the-best-car-you-can-afford coin is that, well, you're spending a lot of money up front to get the car. Going the cheap route like I did allows you to get into the hobby for less money, and, as long as you're not on a timetable, who cares how long it takes to fix it up?

Most people getting an old car and who aren't planning to do an immediate, off-frame (I always thought the term "frame-off" was backwards) restoration would like to get the car at least running and driving as quickly as possible so they can enjoy it and do sort of a "rolling restoration," fixing things and restoring things as they go but still enjoying the car in the meantime. Fortunately, mechanical parts are typically easier to repair or find and replace, and cheaper, than body and trim parts, so getting your "rolling restoration" actually rolling might not be that expensive.

I would suggest looking for something that needs more in the way of mechanical repair than body and trim repair, and get something that runs or is close to being in running condition rather than getting something that is either missing its engine and/or drivetrain or has one or both that need extensive work.

The 330 on my '64 Jetstar ran pretty well when I got it, and all I ever did was tune it up and clean the carburetor, and I proceeded to put about 20,000 miles on the car over those five years. I spent most of my time and effort repairing the front end, doing the brakes all around, cleaning up the interior including replacing the carpet and having the front seat reupholstered, and acquiring body and trim parts as needed. Its primary needs were a left front fender and a rear bumper, both of which were obtained from junkyards around the country. I spent the rest of the time just driving and enjoying the car.