Now that i've kinda figured things out, what are some key things too look at with the Monty, besides the obvious like carfax, rust, timingbelt, maintence. Any other potential big dollar repairs that are floating out there that can be spotted/neogotiated with?
Again I'm far from an expert but when I bought my 96SR earlier this year I saw in the local Craigs list for $2500. Granted gas prices were :Wow1: at the time too.
I found the following Drivetrain Flaws...
It had 211k miles and was on a
2nd engine which was a used replacement engine taken from another SR in a local parts yard. Condition of replacement engine was OK but needed the following maintenance.
PROBLEM: The
AC & Accessory belts were very worn/cracked so I suspected a Timing Belt was required.
COST: +$700 from a local mechanic.
MY FIX: Do this myself or have a buddy who's a mechanic help me out.
PROBLEM: The block leaked oil from the
front cam seals.
COST: this can be taken care of w/ timing belts for the cost of parts and at most an additional 1/2 hr of labor.
MY FIX: See above.
PROBLEM: It
needed a full tune up had to be done & the plugs replaced which meant a huge maintenance bill because the manual calls for the Intake Manifold be removed in order to replace the rear passenger side spark plug.
COST: Not sure but I knew it wouldn't be cheap to have done. I factored in another $500
MY FIX: See above.
PROBLEM: I found the
Central Axle Disconnect lights blinked when I tried to take it out of 4wd. This was after I confirmed (via listening & feeling them disengage) that it did go into 2wd. After several attempts, it finally went off. That told me the switches at the transfer case either needed to be cleaned or replaced.
COST: Unknown. The fix included dropping the xcase from the body to access the electronics above it.
MY FIX: Do it myself.
PROBLEM: It also had a
check engine light lit which meant an OBDII code was stored in the ECU.
COST: Who knows what that might turn up as!!
WHAT I told the seller: I told him I'd buy it but the sale was pending finding out the OBDII Code and cost of the fix. Ultimately I purchased it anyway.
MY FIX: Turned out to be a vacuum leak that was fixed for $200.
PROBLEM: It
produced black /grey smoked caused by valve guide seals. Can see this if you start the cold engine and rev it or let a warm engine idle for a couple of minutes then rev it.
COST: This was most likely caused by the widely know valve guide seal issue which means they would have to be replaced to fix this problem. +$500
MY FIX: Let her smoke. I have a backup Cat which I'll throw on when I have to have her smogged in 2 years (assuming she passes for the registration).
PROBLEM: Exterior-wise, it was okay but had
been in a minor accident and the front right fender showed very minor signs of damage (can't tell from 5' away) & front passenger fender flare was loose. Upon further inspection I found it was because the clip wouldnt go into the hole in the fender because of the accident.
COST: That meant body work repairs and possible painting.
MY FIX: The flare is not falling off and the damage is not substancial. This is a trail rig. I'm not worried about it.
PROBLEM: Interior-wise, the driver seat cushion was shot and the 2 tone leather cover had huge gaping holes where the foam underneath was not only showing but being destroyed by the previous owner not fixing it.
COST: $500 to repair / replace the leather.
MY FIX: I had planed to have the seats recovered w/ new leather or vinyl.
PROBLEM: No radio and the antenna was broken.
COST: $200 for a radio and $100 for a new antenna.
MY FIX: I bought a top end radio for $250 and got an antenna at the local pick and pull for $10
After negotiating this with him (factoring in the added cost I'd incur) I purchased it for $1350 (pending results from OBDII scan).
HTH.