More money now or later??

[swift13]

i am undecided and i need your help. i need another car so i can sit my vert.

 

should i try for a cheap beater like 1000 dollar lumina or should i go with like a $4k financed gp

 

the lumy is in pretty good shape with 103k and nice body but chances are i might be putting money in it later

 

and the prixs for sale around me are all very tempting but im not sure if i want that bill right now. theres a nice blue 01 pace car gp with leather , hud, and im not sure what engine but its $4500.

 

any ideas?

[AL]

I was in your place about 3 months ago and went with option 2. If your going to make a car a project then you cant afford to be dropping money into your DD. You need something reliable with minimum maintenance, so you can spend your time on the cutlass and not fixing your DD.

[swift13]

i see what your saying and that is what is going through my peanut right now only thing is im a little nervous when buying higher ticket items like a newer prix only because my last 3 dd were all lemons until i fixed them made them run good and sold them

 

like when i bought the vert it seemed fine for a couple of weeks then it started to take a dive, and with my 96 monte it needed new injectors 2 months later. this is the equivalince of buying a gen3 grand prix

[AL]

you could ask a shop to give the car an inspection to see what you might have to fix later.

[swift13]

yeah but predictions only go so far. i think i can look at it and see what it may need in the future but its all just a guessing game.

[swift13]

another thing is that the lumy has a 3.1 and i know that engine pretty well and it shouldnt be too bad to maintain. most of the problems are common and predictable

[AL]

another thing to look for is how well it was takin care of... believe it or not but check the seats and see how worn they are, check if the engine bay was kept clean, wheels kept clean, how many previous owners, how smooth does it shift... all those relate to how it was takin care of along with the body panels lining up, if they dont then they have been replaced or at least takin off before. does the owner have any maintenance records for it? how long has he owned it?

[swift13]

i take it all that was for the lumina

 

the guy that wants to sell it picked it up from an older lady, he detailed it so i dunno how it looked before i also havent seen it yet the title is clean and only 2 owners and he says it was well taken care of but who knows i will be the judge when i see it. its a guy i work with closely so i dont think he would lie to me because he has to deal with me everyday but he could be an a-hole

[Crazy K]

well... can you fix your own stuff, or do you have to pay for everything to be done?

 

 

 

[oldscsc]

I was in your place about 3 months ago and went with option 2. If your going to make a car a project then you cant afford to be dropping money into your DD.

 

I might have to disagree here. Sure, putting money into your daily isn't fun, but you've got $3500 dollars to spend. Even if you had to put in a new tranny, you would still be ahead money. Granted, if you could have put that $2000 worth of transmision into a different car, you could have had a nicer car.

 

Even paying for little stuff I'd go with the Lumina. It's way cheaper and you can be ahead money even if you have to replace a few little things.

[jeremy]

theres a nice blue 01 pace car gp with leather

 

the blue pace cars were '98s, the color was discontinued after '99

[swift13]

theres a nice blue 01 pace car gp with leather

 

the blue pace cars were '98s, the color was discontinued after '99

 

ok i could be wrong i was also looking at a bonneville so that may have been the 01

 

 

[swift13]

I was in your place about 3 months ago and went with option 2. If your going to make a car a project then you cant afford to be dropping money into your DD.

 

I might have to disagree here. Sure, putting money into your daily isn't fun, but you've got $3500 dollars to spend. Even if you had to put in a new tranny, you would still be ahead money. Granted, if you could have put that $2000 worth of transmision into a different car, you could have had a nicer car.

 

Even paying for little stuff I'd go with the Lumina. It's way cheaper and you can be ahead money even if you have to replace a few little things.

 

thats very true i didnt think about that but also if i finance its a monthly payment and not all at once where as if i need to do some repair work parts are cash up front unless credit but i dont use it

 

well... can you fix your own stuff, or do you have to pay for everything to be done?

 

yeah i fix my own stuff eventually but mostly other peoples cars. lol

[Night Fury]

I say:

 

 

Do NOT finance!

[88red4cyl]

 

and the prixs for sale around me are all very tempting but im not sure if i want that bill right now. theres a nice blue 01 pace car gp with leather , hud, and im not sure what engine but its $4500.

 

 

Maybe its just me, but 4500 sounds a little high for a 98 grand prix.. I guess it depends what part of the country your in though.. IMHO, I would go for the Lumi.. The grand prix isn't that much newer, and for the 3500 difference, thats a lot of repairs you could do to the lumi.. Beisides, Lumis are plentiful in the junk yards, so you can always get cheap parts if you need to fix something...

 

 

And FWIW, you're going to put money into any car that you buy... Whether its 1000 or 4500...

[Crazy K]

ditto!!!

 

All the cars i own were breakdowns. bought cheap and fixed up. it does take time and energy, but if you can do the job you're miles ahead compared to buying a financed car... sometimes financed is much greater than the KBB of the car too!

 

I would get the lumina, go over it with a fine tooth comb (ie new pads, rotors and all fluids changed....) and it could be a good driver for you. hell, get it real clean and be ready to flip it if you find a car for cheap you want more. there are always cheap cars out there, which for minimal work would be a good DD.

 

 

plus... offer less than he's asking!

[swift13]

ditto!!!

 

All the cars i own were breakdowns. bought cheap and fixed up. it does take time and energy, but if you can do the job you're miles ahead compared to buying a financed car... sometimes financed is much greater than the KBB of the car too!

 

I would get the lumina, go over it with a fine tooth comb (ie new pads, rotors and all fluids changed....) and it could be a good driver for you. hell, get it real clean and be ready to flip it if you find a car for cheap you want more. there are always cheap cars out there, which for minimal work would be a good DD.

 

 

plus... offer less than he's asking!

 

yeah i think im gonna go the way of the lumy and i was thinking about doin a fix and flip but hes stuck on the 1k FIRM and even though its a dd i am just not a fan of the lumys and im a sucker for the gen 3 prixs

 

 

and the prixs for sale around me are all very tempting but im not sure if i want that bill right now. theres a nice blue 01 pace car gp with leather , hud, and im not sure what engine but its $4500.

 

 

Maybe its just me, but 4500 sounds a little high for a 98 grand prix.. I guess it depends what part of the country your in though.. IMHO, I would go for the Lumi.. The grand prix isn't that much newer, and for the 3500 difference, thats a lot of repairs you could do to the lumi.. Beisides, Lumis are plentiful in the junk yards, so you can always get cheap parts if you need to fix something...

 

 

And FWIW, you're going to put money into any car that you buy... Whether its 1000 or 4500...

 

no i wouldnt get a 98 for 45 but a 00-03 around that price i thought was pretty decent

[Euro]

a 98 for $4500 isn't a bad price....you won't find more than a few 00-03 GP's for $4500 or less that aren't piles of junk, or base SE 3100s.

[swift13]

i seen a few gts and gtps 00-02 for around that price with like 1k+ miles on them

 

anyways if he still has the car and i get to see it soon the lumina is what i am probably goingto end up getting

[jeremy]

what year is the lumina that you are considering? I must have missed it

[swift13]

95 with the 3.1 clean metallic teal i think

[AL]

ooo yah, I definitely say go with the lumie... There are plenty of 3100 junkyard cars out there so you should be fine.

[swift13]

i seen it finally

 

the car is very clean, 2 rust spots, 1 on each side of the rear quarter. Interior is in great shape, 103k sounds like its running strong, exhaust leak post cat when you hit the throttle. Very responsive, smooth comfortable ride.

 

$1000 firm

 

GOOD or BAD DEAL??

[AL]

Check for rust under the car... cause it will eat these cars alive

[Crazy K]

check all fluids

 

crawl beneath the car and shake all lateral and trail arm links and fuel and brake lines to check for wear and damage. bounce test all shocks....

 

even if there is some rust, you can also grease it up to prevent it from going any further.

 

if all looks good, or you are willing to work to fix it. go for it!