MrV!

I'm looking at a 2004 black on black V with 106,000 miles on it. It has a couple of mods to it:
Eps 226/230 cam
pacesetter lt
corsa catback
tune from heintz
k&n drop in
the seller has also put new brakes, tires and a clutch in it in the past 3000 miles. I'm not scared of the high miles on it as it will be a weekend only car that I plan on rebuilding as time goes on. Ive searched and searched about the issues on this car so I know what could go wrong.
Some of the bads on the car:
Hard going into reverse
couple dings on door
driver rear door speaker grille has a small piece missing
2 small spider webs in paint on rear bumper.
He is currently asking $14000 which comes in 6000 below the price cap I was given by the warden (aka the wife). Is this a decent price? NADA is $15000 and KBB is $13500 both for excellent condition vehicles

Onefast V

iTrader: (3)

Things to check would be:
1. what gen diff is in it? is there a CS diff bushing installed?
2. How does the car shift other than reverse? does the trans mount appear to be sagging?
3. service records. ask for all the service records. I feel more comfortable about somebody who keeps good records on there car. Generally means they are more particular about the maintenance of the vehicle.
4. Listen for a clunk when driving. Most notable when reversing and putting the clutch in. Also 1-2 shifts under good acceleration. this is an indication the motor mounts need replacing.

BudRacing

iTrader: (3)

Sounds like an awesome deal to me...

What clutch was it replaced with? If it was a stock replacement... that's a buzzkill.
Does it vibrate badly at idle? That could mean it needs motor mounts.

RRsV

Run, RUN as FAST AS YOU CAN!!!!

etcts-v

I agree with everything Onefast V said, the weakness are the diff & diff bushings, motor & trans mounts, shifter & bushings. The diff is the big one, all the others are relatively cheap fixes.

I would have a hard time myself spending more than KBB especially if the KBB price is the excellent condition & there are a few dings on the doors and what not. That being said the few mods it has may justify the slightly higher price but I would still shoot for getting him down to $13,500.

MrV!

Well im going to look at it saturday, he describes that its only a pain to get into reverse at times so im thinking a bad tranny mount maybe? Theres no upgradeded bushings that he knows of so if I got the car new mounts from the motor to the rear diff block would be the first on my list of things to do.
As for the clutch he didnt specify other then it was put in at a dealer. I assume its most likely the stock clutch with the crappy dual mass flywheel. I have noticed though that in the past few months prices on these cars have gone back up somewhat

odthetruth

iTrader: (4)

On top of what OneFastV said...

Other things to check would be:
• Check dashboard tensure CEL light works, and all lights work. Check signals for hyperflash, etc. CEL light might be untuned headers, no cats... etc
• Check interior… Do all windows work? Is all interior trim in decent condition? Check driver\passenger mirrors\lights in mirrors, etc
• Check all seats, handles and make sure all cupholders, fold up things, etc work.
• Visual inspect wheels, rotors, brakes, tires, etc. Check to see treadwear on tires with a quarter and penny.
• If you can, get one of those magnet pens and get a piece of felt. Put the felt over the magnet pen and hold it there with a rubberband or something. Run it around the body. It should magnetize tevery fender, etc. If it doesn't, the car has had body work in that area. (The bumpers don't count)
• Check under hood. Look for leaks especially. Check coolant for black residue. Shows the clutch dust is getting in there. Abused.
• Check coolant. Open coolant up, check to make sure its not foggy or mixed with oil. Sign of bad things to come.
• Check differential. Any leaks? Listen for whine specifically in this car at around 55 to 65 in 5th and 6th both. Tiny whine is ok, large whine might mean its on the way out.
• Ask when was the last time all fluids were changed?
• Check oil in engine on dipstick. Black? Could be Mobil1. Smell burnt?
• Start engine and let it idle for 10 minutes. Listen for any noises. Let the car warm up.
• There are little black plastic caps that cover the front shocks. They are near the strut brace ends. Lift them up and hold the post inside and bounce the car up and down. Do you feel a popping? Could be bad or bent shocks.
• Test drive for about 30 minutes. Drive hard, see if car seems to be holding up. Sometimes, issues don’t pop up until the engine is at its operating temperature.
• Get 1 opportunity, hopefully in an empty lot, to brake hard from 40 to 0. Does it stop in a straight line? Pull to the sides?
• From a stop in an empty spot, pop the hood and put the hood open. Ask the seller to accel quickly in first tabout 8 mph then stop. Does the engine look like its jumping out? Its the motor mounts if it does. They go bad often, and normally don't look bad when you look at them. You can visually inspect them to see if fluid is leaking though.
• Ask about any types of warranty included, at least 30 day if its at a dealership.

As for the pain in reverse... try going from 4 to reverse and see if that works easier.

MrV!

Thanks for the input guys, Ill definitely be looking the car over with a fine toothed comb.

Aaron Thomas

iTrader: (1)

Not sure where you're at, but with the list of mod's find out what (if any) emissions test you will have to pass. With the pacesetter Lt's and the cam and no cats you probably wont pass. Can't believe no one mentioned the peeling nav buttons. If you are picky or have OCD about that stuff the buttons can be purchased separately something like $15 ea IIRC, but that can add up if all the buttons are peeling. Check front harmonic balancer to see if it ic coming apart (quite common).

AF_John

iTrader: (1)

Huh? I think you mean clutch fluid reservoir and they all end up with dust in them.

wcryan

iTrader: (2)

if your in the 20K range to find a car. You could probably find something better if you keep looking

Good luck though

Dmax/04V

Haven't seen this yet so check the radiator. It's probably leaking somewhere. Fun cars, just be ready to throw some time and money at it.

MrV!

Well he just re-edited his cl post and it now says it wont go into 1st unless stopped or slow speed. It also says there is a rough spot in the carpet where there wasnt a floor mat.

Im starting to think it might be more trouble than its worth. If only I didnt have to please the wife with a four door haha

Dmax/04V

Run forest Run.

greg_74

iTrader: (9)

Sounds like too many problems even for a car you are looking to mod and not DD. Mine is hard to put in reverse sometimes but usually I just put it in another gear then it goes in reverse easier. So if that was the only problem I would say you'd be fine but with it not going in first that could be a bigger tranny problem.

Where are you located? I'm thinking about selling mine and getting a newer Sierra Denali but I would be selling mine for a little north of $20K. Mine is a black/black 2004 V with just over 38k currently but I DD just over 50 miles round trip to work each day.

odthetruth

iTrader: (4)

I did mean clutch res. that was a typo on my behalf.

As for ending up with some dust... yeah
Pitch black with chunks hanging out in there... NO.

I'm sure we've all seen this, but leaving it like that is what I'm talking about. If he wouldn't clean it when trying to sell it... odds are he never cleaned it EVER. lol

ChuckD

I just had the trans in mine rebuilt. 1900.00. Wouldn't go into second unless stopped or really slow.

I'd keep looking.