GP1138 Posted January 20, 2004 Report Posted January 20, 2004 Well, today I found a 199? Pontiac Grand Prix SE on a used car lot near here. It's got a lot of work to be done, but pretty much everything is intact and worth fixing. It's got the leather buckets all around, including seat controls, it's got the 6 speakers and nice EQ radio, DIC, sunroof, and probably more I've forgotten. Cons- It looks like it's been through the wringer. All of the locks are bent out of shape like someone's attempted to get in without a key. The paint is horrid, the interior is in salvagable shape, just in need of a good cleaning, and maybe some replacement. All in all, I'm getting a decent deal. The guy that I'm buying it from paid $600 for it, so I'm buying it from him for that. It's got a 3.1 in it. The serpentine belt was in one piece, but badly mangled because the belt itself became lodged next to the flywheel, rather than on it. I managed to get it to where it would start. The hazards were left on, so it needed jumped, and when we finally got it started, I had to pump the gas for it to stay running, at least the first time. My plans are to give the car a tune-up, and find out why the exhaust sounds like it's a fart can exhaust. Get it running right, then start restoring interior parts, and cleaning up. I might pull the engine and MIGHT (that's a big one) rebuild it. I'll be getting pics soon. You're all going to laugh at me, but I think this is a sweet project. Quote
GP1138 Posted January 20, 2004 Author Report Posted January 20, 2004 I'm not sure about all the gadgets. I'm going to be going back at some point tomorrow to look and take some pics, and maybe a test drive. That should be interesting, considering I almost asphyxiated from the gas smell when the damn thing first started up. I'm considering restoring it using my own car as a parts car. If the SE's body is in better condition than the paint, and the gadgets all work, I think it'd be worth it. Quote
MaroonRegal Posted January 20, 2004 Report Posted January 20, 2004 Awesome. What a fun project. This place is home to so many weirdos. Good luck. Quote
GP1138 Posted January 20, 2004 Author Report Posted January 20, 2004 Well, I just got back from taking a closer look at it. The body has a tiny bit of rust, on visual check. The sunroof wasn't properly closed, so there has been some water leakage. The speakers all work. The dash is alright, but some genius decided that because he couldn't figure out the code to the glove box, that he'd just drill a drywall screw through the glovebox lid itself to keep it closed. There is a sheet of ice in the driver's back footwell, it's been very cold recently. Both door handles are shot, it had to be jimmied open. The A/C condenser siezed up as well, so that's why the belt was jammed around the flywheel. It started and ran alright, just needs a little work. The interior is alright. The seats may need redone, the carpeting might need replacing, and the headliner is coming down. Steering wheel, instruments, etc are fine. Bottom line.. I'm not sure. If my car can be a donor for the good parts, or vice versa, it might be worth it. It would take a lot of work, but I don't mind too much. This is going to be interesting. Quote
jeremy Posted January 20, 2004 Report Posted January 20, 2004 pics would help us judge a price, but it sounds like $300 tops...if it runs/drives.... Quote
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