gordonr1973

Hi guys,

I need some input from those of you in the know...

#900 or so of 1000 coupes with 6 speed, T tops, disc brakes, posi, loaded, and everything seems to work.

115,000 miles on it. Asking $9k. Worth it?? What should I be checking for on it?

I will be pulling a Carfax ASAP.

Thanks! Gord

Firebrian

Could be worth it. It's a lot of miles but these 1999 anniv cars are extremely popular and desirable. You don't often see them with real high miles as most seem to be garage queens with 1K to 65K miles. That said, the whole key to the car is how well maintained it's been. Those 115K miles could be "easy" miles by 1-2 middle-aged owners driving highway miles to car shows/commuting long distances to work or they could be "hard" miles put on by half a dozen younger owners. Somewhere in the 100K-150K mile range repairs start to show up. The last thing you want to have to do is to dump $5K to $10K into this car in the next 2-5 years when you could spend that same money towards a 40K-65K mile car now ($15K or under) and not have to worry so much about those issues. Most of these were probably well-cared for cars that were driven sparingly. Not many owners would have paid the premium for this anniv package only to beat the crap out of the car.

Do some google searches on how to properly and thoroughly test a manual trans/clutch, engine, and rear end for any signs of excessive wear or tear. Pay attention to any sounds you hear out of those components and track down the reason for them (knocks, clunks, bangs, rattles, whines, etc.). If you don't hear ANY sounds it would be a miracle. Be able to shift the transmission a variety of ways to test the condition of clutch slippage, excessive syncro wear, etc. Take a look at the clutch fluid reservoir to see how dark it is. Black fluid would suggest very few fluid changes and future trouble with the clutch and slave cylinders. Any transmission work on these almost always mean dropping the transmission.

These cars were pretty much optioned the same way so the only really premium is on condition. Tires, brakes, fluid changes, # owners, bubbling or blistering paint, maintenance history, AC repairs or lack of them, door panel/dash cracks, slow head light, window or antennae motors, are all things you should check on as they can cost you money. I would think most 99's with that kind of mileage show have a new AC compressor and LP line/drier by now. If not, figure you'll get to do them on your watch ($400-$800). A lot of sellers just recharge the system prior to sale and let you find out a month later the freon is gone. There are some threads posted here on how to properly assess a car purchase...or sale. I'd read them in detail as it's the same stuff. I'd ensure you get to the car start up cold (cold piston or valve train slap). If you show up and the engine is already warm, you won't be able to check that. Check for repainting. Though at 115K miles it's not a big deal either way. A quality repaint would save you from have to look at weak/blistering paint. The roofs of these cars are prone to bubbling. Check closely for any ripples or blisters. It's possible the owner could have just freshly painted it (which won't stop it from coming back). But with the roof on these being white, I think they were much less susceptible to the bubbling that the darker colored cars have seen. It's also a plus that the typically seen stone chips aren't near as obvious on a white car/with white primer.

Give us more information/details so we can better say what this car is and what it's worth.