SORRY THREAD CLOSED the car that was once for $1200 was sold for $1800. I'm not willing to pay $1800 for a "needs work" gsr; never know what to expect.

 

Bottom end issues?
Still not a bad deal though. Is it the car with the motor in it? Or just the motor? Cause this is one hell of a deal.

 

Daniel, dont let my noob status fool ya, I am not a noob when it comes to this topic, although I am new to the forum...

I literally was in your shoes a month ago when I purchased a 94 GS-R (DB8) with a blown motor. (asking $2500)

This is what sold me on the car:

OBD1 4 door white GS-R (exactly what I been looking for as a DD!)

it had a clean title
Immaculate inside and out
100% stock (so I knew it was babied before this guy got a hold of it)
Brand new tires

It depends what you want to do with it. If it is your DD then title condition is irrelevant. Just remember that the resell value is poor if a rebuilt/salvaged title and some insurance companies will not allow full coverage on a salvaged title.

Verify the following information:

No liens
Title is in seller's name
VIN matches title to vehicle
Odometer matches title or somewhat close (sometimes they replace clusters to fake the mileage to say the car has lower miles than it does)

As far as negotiating price, consider the following:

1) Walk into this project expecting to need a new motor or to rebuild the current one. This is a good advantage for you to talk the buyer down. Although it cranks you have no idea what damage is done. Check the oil for signs of overheating damage (milky oil) i.e. cracked head or blown head gasket.

2) Consider the overall condition of the car. Things of value are the GS-R tranny, wiring harness, and ECU alone. If the head is good, you got also got a VTEC head! Those are highly wanted parts you could easily part out to recoup some money if you end of having to part it out.

Also consider the interior exterior condition of parts, seats, fenders, hood, etc. How much tread left on the tires, etc. All of this stuff will help minimize your risk since you could part it out if needed.

3) know your information. See how much LS and GS-R are going for on CL, and replacement engine parts. Sometimes it is easier to buy a vehicle that runs, than try to fix one up. Time and money are the 2 biggest things on a project like this. In some cases its worth paying the difference of a few hundred bucks then to have the headache. Unless you can do all the work yourself, labor is going to kill you.

Also remember to use the fact that it doesnt run as an advantage. You have to trust that the engine, tranny, drivetrain, suspension, etc are all good (minus the "bottom end" which could have caused damage to the head, etc. all of this you may not know til you pull it apart)

Good luck on the car, it sounds like a deal, but alot of factors to consider to really determine if it is the right price for you. It just depends on the resources you have available, if you are doing the work yourself, etc.

Maybe offer $1000 and see what he says, money talks...

Hope this helps.

- Jokah

 

^well said. +1

 

bumppp


guys please reply to what you would do in my case. I am 80% thinking to go for it