STEAL OR NO DEAL. 83 G Body.
May 10th, 2023, 08:51 PM
#2
Oldsdruid
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Southside Vajenya
Posts: 10,366
It's probably worth the money but two things stand out.
90,000 in-town miles are equivalent to twice that many highway miles.
The door rust is not unusual depending on where the car lived its life but its still concerning. The only sure way to get rid of it is replace the door.
You also want to be 100% sure this car will pass California emissions testing.
In other words there are probably better cars available for same money.
90,000 in-town miles are equivalent to twice that many highway miles.
The door rust is not unusual depending on where the car lived its life but its still concerning. The only sure way to get rid of it is replace the door.
You also want to be 100% sure this car will pass California emissions testing.
In other words there are probably better cars available for same money.
May 10th, 2023, 08:53 PM
#3
Youngcuttycruising
Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2023
Posts: 105
It's probably worth the money but two things stand out.
90,000 in-town miles are equivalent to twice that many highway miles.
The door rust is not unusual depending on where the car lived its life but its still concerning. The only sure way to get rid of it is replace the door.
You also want to be 100% sure this car will pass California emissions testing.
In other words there are probably better cars available for same money.
90,000 in-town miles are equivalent to twice that many highway miles.
The door rust is not unusual depending on where the car lived its life but its still concerning. The only sure way to get rid of it is replace the door.
You also want to be 100% sure this car will pass California emissions testing.
In other words there are probably better cars available for same money.
wasn’t entirely sure what it was worth. Definitely don’t know the value of these but anything Oldsmobile sounds good on paper am I right
May 11th, 2023, 04:34 AM
#5
Registered User
Join Date: Jan 2010
Posts: 2,013
Concur with the door fixing. It would appear new door shells are in your future.
Especially look at the rear frame rails and the foot wells underneath. Body seam sealing wasn't tops on the list for quality back in the 80s. These are typical rust prone areas that's not easy to see on these G-bodies. Also the passenger front fender bottom looks like it's starting to bubble as well. This car looks the part of all original. The plus is a V8, but still a 3 speed 200C transmission. Another plus is it's a hardtop without vinyl, which really helps minimize roof rust issues. It very well may be some surface rust around the quarter window, hard to tell because the pictures suck defining the problem areas. Leather wrapped sport steering wheel should fix that stocker that's brittle and broken. Interior looks pretty good otherwise. May want to refinish the bottom plastic section of the doors. Plastic looks kind of chalky there.
90K means if the timing chain hasn't been replaced, that's job #1, save for a total rebuild or engine swap. And down the rabbit hole you go.
It seems solid. What do you want your new car to do? Just drive it around until the wheels fall off? Or do you want it to be reliable and road-worthy to anywhere? It's a project, and there's no way the car isn't going to get a repaint to look good later down the road. So there's that. You'll invest 10K in this car before you know it to get it looking and running good, even on a shoestring.
$2900 cash tops if frame and footwell rot hasn't set in. JMO.
Especially look at the rear frame rails and the foot wells underneath. Body seam sealing wasn't tops on the list for quality back in the 80s. These are typical rust prone areas that's not easy to see on these G-bodies. Also the passenger front fender bottom looks like it's starting to bubble as well. This car looks the part of all original. The plus is a V8, but still a 3 speed 200C transmission. Another plus is it's a hardtop without vinyl, which really helps minimize roof rust issues. It very well may be some surface rust around the quarter window, hard to tell because the pictures suck defining the problem areas. Leather wrapped sport steering wheel should fix that stocker that's brittle and broken. Interior looks pretty good otherwise. May want to refinish the bottom plastic section of the doors. Plastic looks kind of chalky there.
90K means if the timing chain hasn't been replaced, that's job #1, save for a total rebuild or engine swap. And down the rabbit hole you go.
It seems solid. What do you want your new car to do? Just drive it around until the wheels fall off? Or do you want it to be reliable and road-worthy to anywhere? It's a project, and there's no way the car isn't going to get a repaint to look good later down the road. So there's that. You'll invest 10K in this car before you know it to get it looking and running good, even on a shoestring.
$2900 cash tops if frame and footwell rot hasn't set in. JMO.
May 11th, 2023, 04:37 AM
#6
Registered User
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: saratoga springs,n.y
Posts: 1,907
I always get a kick out of it when a seller says easy fix! If it's so easy then why didn't he do it ? as stated above the rot around the car is a concern it can be twice what your looking at. its not a bad price if the frame is in good shape. It really does come down to what you want from the car.
May 11th, 2023, 05:06 AM
#7
Registered User
Join Date: Jan 2009
Posts: 1,146
Agreed with all above and more. The probable reason for that rot in the door is there's a weep hole in the front & back bottom of the door that often gets clogged and will hold water, dirt, debris etc and if not cleared out the whole bottom of the door rots out. Also, rust under and on the side of the sail panel window - no good, this is an expensive, labor intensive repair. I had one of mine fixed 20 years ago and it was $1800 (Connecticut prices)
IMHO this is a walk away, maybe even a run-away. As 69HO43 advised, watch out for those frame rails, if rotted, deal killer. $2000 tops and that's due to the interior looking fairly nice.
IMHO this is a walk away, maybe even a run-away. As 69HO43 advised, watch out for those frame rails, if rotted, deal killer. $2000 tops and that's due to the interior looking fairly nice.
May 11th, 2023, 10:02 AM
#12
Registered User
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: St. Clair, MI
Posts: 1,667
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