Fmr12B Posted May 5, 2004 Report Share Posted May 5, 2004 Me and the GF drove 50 miles to a private dealership and looked at a 1995 3.4L Convertible. Red/Tan Top & Interior. 73K miles. Asking price $4,888 Carfax came back clean. 2-owner vehicle I called as I knew the price was low. Dealerr (Arab) said car was clean and in perfect shape. Car was a mess! Missing knob on the radio and climate control on the passenger door. No CD player - only cassette Rear view mirror was in the glovebox Seals on the rear windows were chunked apart and missing Interior needed to be shampooed Leather needed cleaned A-Pillar vinyl cover had fallen off on the DS and was 60% loose and flopping. Vinyl on door was coming undone Top was a complete disaster small dent in front DS fender Plastic piece attached to DS door was starting to come undone Drove the car: Alignment & wheel balance was was off Brakes, this car has no fuggin brakes! Panic stops at 35mph were slow realxed, there was no lock-up like a normal car. ABS never kicked in either as I never felt the cycling. And the top, no one could get it closed. The motor worked fine but no one understood the latch system. Sallesman hauls us into the owners office, nice trailer We discuss. I tell him major issues that need fixing. I mean hey, its a used car I expect some things to be needing adjustment. I proceed to tell him about my 50-mile drive and how he said car was in great shape! Says he will have the car repaired but would like to sell it to me today. He says you fix the car, Buy it today for $4,000. His first offer is $900 off. Almost 20%. I told him no way as the brakes could need Calipers rebuilt, Master Cylinder or ABS controls fixed. and I'm not willing to drivethe car 50 miles in traffic. Bay area traffic is a night mare anytime of the day and we were heading home at 3pm! I told him fix the brakes and call me. He said OK. KBB is $8,200 on the car retail in Good condition. Trans was perfect and Engine was quiet. Engine kicked down at 25mph and went to redline before shifting. Very smooth. So my question is: How do you put the top up and fasten it? Anybody elses interior falling apart? Got another '95 I plan on calling tonight. Not my favorite color in Green/Tan but I'm on the hunt! GF is screaming for a Mustang 'Vert but I just cant handle the interior, garbage seats, and no rear legroom or trunk space. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LukeZ34 Posted May 5, 2004 Report Share Posted May 5, 2004 Sounds like quite the neglected car. But I can understand the low price for the condition it was in. If it's a DOHC, check the timing belt, and make sure the car was charging good (don't want a dead alternator soon). Plus, the latch system is simple on those cars, I'm surprised they couldn't figure it out! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fmr12B Posted May 5, 2004 Author Report Share Posted May 5, 2004 Plus, the latch system is simple on those cars, I'm surprised they couldn't figure it out! Ya know, I couldn't figure it out either. I assume it was broken. Two sales guys, one on each side couldnt get it latched. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
topless94style Posted May 5, 2004 Report Share Posted May 5, 2004 Its not hard, you just pull the latches to the inside of the car, press the botton til the top touches the windshield, and push the latches towards the outside of the car....opposite the way they came. Not to hard at all, sometimes my top has a hard time going to the window all the way if its been down all day like today . Just gotta add some wieght to help the motor out and it should latch fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1stgenbird Posted May 5, 2004 Report Share Posted May 5, 2004 Just a question, have you been checking on eBay for one? There are usually a few '95 convertibles listed at any given time. Typically the bids are in the 4-5K range. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fmr12B Posted May 5, 2004 Author Report Share Posted May 5, 2004 Just a question, have you been checking on eBay for one? There are usually a few '95 convertibles listed at any given time. Typically the bids are in the 4-5K range. Not a chance in hell I'm buying one off Ebay. Most of them are Florida/East Coast Cars and the ones in good condition sell for upwards of $6500. Hell I could have used vague photos and posted on ebay and gotten more than $5000 for the car I mentioned above. Most sellers dont list sloppy transmissions, oil leaks and the like. Just emailed on another one. '95 with rebuilt engine & Trans with 130K miles. Too bad it already sold. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1stgenbird Posted May 5, 2004 Report Share Posted May 5, 2004 From your response, I take it you have personally tried to buy a car on eBay. I haven't seen many go for the price you mentioned. Here's one. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=2476546039&category=6405 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fmr12B Posted May 5, 2004 Author Report Share Posted May 5, 2004 http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=2476546039&category=6405 I dont gamble with my cash and buying a car for $5,000 then buying a plane ticket to see it and hauling it home on a car-transporter sounds like $6,000+ to me. The one you mention above is at $4,050 with RESERVE NOT MET. Looking in the closed auctions, I see a few '95's for $5000-$5500 with under 100K miles on em. Still, I'm forced to send a deposit, then buy a plane ticket and drive it back or haul it back. I'm not sinking $5000+ into something I have never seen before. Maybe I'll just have to settle for a Firebird or a Mustang. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WhiteOut Posted May 5, 2004 Report Share Posted May 5, 2004 Latching the top is easy, if it doesn't work easily, it can be adjusted with an allen wrench and five minutes. All you should have to do is push the button untill the top is closed all of the way. Then stick you hand out the window and pull down on the front corner so that the pin goes into the hole on the windshields top side. At this point simply use close the lever (on the convertible top, can be hidden by the headliner sometimes), so that the hook it actuates latches onto the windshield frame. Repeat for the other side and your set. If the car has a case for the boot the process should be explained inside of the cover on a sticker as well. As for the weather stripping a lot of the cars I've seen have this problem. My car included. GM doesn't sell the part anymore and I'm still trying to locate someplace that can get me a replacement, I'm expecting to pay through the nose to get it too. It doesn't look too hard to replace though, simple removal of a few hex screws and the fiberglass cowl piece surrounding the rear of the top. If you find someplace that sells this weatherstripping let me know, I need some too. As for the interior that sucks, not much you can do there except scour junkyards. Luckily most pieces are the same as a regular Cutlass. It can be readily cleaned with one of those Mr. Clean sponges that are brand new. They work using only water so they won't harm anything and they get out ground in dirt wonderfully. Perfect for removing dirt thats piled up after a bunch of summers with the top down. The brakes are just a normal part of owning a Cutlass from what I've seen. If you do it yourself you'll save a ton of dough, I had to do it last summer to my car and for four new calipers, pads, and rotors all around it ran me about $400 and a days labor. Granted I had no idea what I was doing at the time either. New tops start at about $400 installed. Make sure you get a reputable shop and a good quality top. Research research research. Lets say you get the car for $4000, since you'll probably end up putting a grand or so into it that puts you into the range of a car in decent shape. So either keep looking or get ready to do some work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian P Posted May 5, 2004 Report Share Posted May 5, 2004 Just look at ebay auctions with the cars local to you...check the car out, then bid accordingly. That's what I did with my last car... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pselus Posted May 5, 2004 Report Share Posted May 5, 2004 honestly I'd say not to go for it for even $4,000...just doesn't sound worth the work plus the mileage on the car is just in the range of big problems starting... as for the top, all I do is hold the button down then pull on the latch down and forward and then pull back and down to lock it in place... wait, that doesn't sound that easy as for that ebay car...all I wanna know is if the Tan leather interior gets a tan steering wheel...where's my white steering wheel? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pselus Posted May 5, 2004 Report Share Posted May 5, 2004 also, the ebay guy says this: It is equipped with all of the luxury amenities you would expect in a car of this caliber (it cost $27,800 new in 1995!). I have the origional information from the car (mine was a 1 owner and he kept the origional reciept info with the manual) and it says my car cost $32k...is white leather really that much more expensive? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DOHCRagtopguy Posted May 5, 2004 Report Share Posted May 5, 2004 No way would I even think about buying that car with the condition it is in. It has obviously been neglected and not maintained and that is the worse thing one can do with those cars. In my opinion that car is a money pit just waiting for some poor unsuspecting victim. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeremy Posted May 5, 2004 Report Share Posted May 5, 2004 Got another '95 I plan on calling tonight. Not my favorite color in Green/Tan but I'm on the hunt! GF is screaming for a Mustang 'Vert but I just cant handle the interior, garbage seats, and no rear legroom or trunk space. don't let her get a Mustang....I had an '01 Mustang GT Vert that I traded in with less that 10K on her because I hated it so much...biggest POS I have owned in a white.... and FWIW: the green/tan cutty 'vert combo is hot.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian P Posted May 5, 2004 Report Share Posted May 5, 2004 as for that ebay car...all I wanna know is if the Tan leather interior gets a tan steering wheel...where's my white steering wheel? The same place your white door panels, carpet, and white dashboard are. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pselus Posted May 5, 2004 Report Share Posted May 5, 2004 well don't that just BLOW! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian P Posted May 5, 2004 Report Share Posted May 5, 2004 I don't mind the 2 tone black/white. Would you rather be cleaning white carpet? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LukeZ34 Posted May 5, 2004 Report Share Posted May 5, 2004 Ugh god no.. Keeping the seats and everything else that was white was bad enough! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
95DropTop Posted May 5, 2004 Report Share Posted May 5, 2004 Every used car will need some work. If it was perfect, they would most likely not sell it. If they came off 20% before you started bargaining, make them come off some more. Don't expect them to fix things, just have them deduct what it would cost to have it done. Typically local dealerships (non-franchise) will get a local mech to do their repair work (unless they do it in-house) and they will only fix the minimum to get you fooled into thinking it has been completely repaired. The brakes on my 95 needed to be replaced when I was test driving it. Dealer agreed to fix and did replace the front pads. Two weeks later, I hear loud grinding sound, and, thinking it was the brakes that were just repaired, took the car to the same shop where the brakes were fixed. Turns out, it is the rear brakes and one of the linings was so thin, it cracked and it was the metal to metal that I was hearing. Charge: $80.00 for rear brakes. So just negotiate! I also got sort of a warranty, cause the car has needed a new intake gasket and then the oil leak sprung...got the same mech to do both (wish I was a little hesitant on the gasket as they had to strip the motor past that to fix the oil leak) but the dealership paid right at $500 towards both. ($350 for the intake leak, then $465 for the oil leak/timing belt replacement) I was looking for a dark color with tan interior at first, but when the red/white combo showed up locally, I was convinced to go with it. And the white will be much better with the top down than tan or graphite leather. Also, it kinda grows on you..the white interior looks sharp. As for cleaning/showing dirt, even the tan will show stains. and with the white you get dark grey carpet which will not show stains as badly as tan. You can get a factory CD player for around a C-note, either locally or online. Got mine off ebay for 106 and it was a breeze to install (less than 10 minutes) As for book value, I think 2800 is low...unless mileage is really high...mine had 77k and average trade in was around $5,000? The car was roughly $30,000 when new!! I do wish my car came with the top cover...that is going to cost to purchase!! All in all, the car is a blast to drive, which is why I bought it, so talk them down and buy the car, fix the problems, and ENJOY!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fmr12B Posted May 7, 2004 Author Report Share Posted May 7, 2004 Every used car will need some work. If it was perfect, they would most likely not sell it. So knowing the problems I listed out, assuming the maintenace to the engine has not been done and at 73K miles I know it needs a new timing belt and new top from the start plus serious brake issues. The pads were fine. I checked. What would you offer? $3000-$3,250 is what I was thinking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
95DropTop Posted May 7, 2004 Report Share Posted May 7, 2004 ooh, I was not going to try to narrow down a price. I am cheap! If you want to pay 3000, maybe offer 2500? I leave in the east and have seen numberous cars within a few hours drive here to chose from, so I don't know how to advise you. Calculate what MUST be fixed and base your offer on that. I would hesitate to even try to talk you into buying without seeing the car in person though. If cars are harder to come by there, you may be better off buying a fixer upper. Let us know what you decide! can you post any pics? In case you don't buy, let me send you a list of things I need off the car for when you go look at it again!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Afubar Posted May 9, 2005 Report Share Posted May 9, 2005 Hi, I'm new here, one thing I will say about latching the top, something no one told me when I bought my 94 Cutlass, lower all the windows prior to raising top. I can't tell you the number to times I pulled and pushed trying to latch that sucker, then I sent away for a manual. DUH! I like my car so well that I bought it twice, yep, bought it in 97, sold it in 99, bought the same car again in 2001. (and NO, I'm not blond, I just sometimes act that way. lol) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpv123 Posted May 12, 2005 Report Share Posted May 12, 2005 I'll make you a deal on mine. I really don't want to sell it but if you search older posts you'll find that my family mini broke down and I bought a new Grand Caravan. I kept putting off listing it in the local paper and now I found out the head gasket has a leak. Otherwise the car is really clean. I can email pics if you're interested Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpv123 Posted May 12, 2005 Report Share Posted May 12, 2005 I'll make you a deal on mine. I really don't want to sell it but if you search older posts you'll find that my family mini-van broke down and I bought a new Grand Caravan. I kept putting off listing it in the local paper and now I found out the head gasket has a leak. Otherwise the car is really clean. I can email pics and more info if you're interested Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GutlessSupreme Posted May 12, 2005 Report Share Posted May 12, 2005 This topic = 1 year old. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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