is it worth it?

allright so i found a really good deal on an '86 trans am, good miles, good price, the only problem is that its not fuel injected, now after talking to my dad who grew up with carbureted cars, he thinks it would to much hassle and too much repair, plus he says they have problems in the winter, one example: the car trying to move forward while on the brake..so i just want some more opinions, is it worth it or not?

whats the price? And yes carburated cars might be a hassle but atleast you can identify problems much easier... on fuel injected cars(newer cars) you have a thousand sensors, and after a while one goes bad every month. It all depends on the car the price and basically what you want.

they also suck on gas. hard to tune sometimes also.

I wouldn't say carb. cars are bad in general, but the '86 T/A had that electronic controlled carb. that the computer controls. I have had 2 and they both have had problems because of that electronic carb. setup. I would try and find a TBI or convert it to fuel injection. It actually isnt that hard if you can do it yourself but you have to locate a complete fuel injection system including computer and wiring harness to do it...junk yard or ebay perhaps. Either way, what price is he asking and what miles are on the car? If it is a really good deal, then maybe you can justify it even if the carb. isnt exactly what you want...you can always modify the carb. system later down the road a little easier than on fuel injection as well.

in the winter carbs require more "finesse" i've seen people try and start carbed vehicles for 30 mins and not get anything, i've only ever driven one fuel injected vehicle, and i didn't like it, i've always used carbs, i can start my cars in -40 weather with only one turn of the key and that's not even having them plugged in, and i like being able to make any adjustments i need with a flat headed screw driver, 5 mins and i can tune the air/fuel ratio, adjust the low idle, high idle kick down, and change the fuel filter :p

i'm not sure about an 86 carb if it is computer controlled, but actual old carbs are alot easier to troubleshoot.

a friend asked me what was wrong with his 87 efi bronco once, i said "well, did you clean your injecters?" he said "what do you use to do that?" and i said "...toothbrush...?"

as far as i'm concerned fuel injection was invented by satan to keep everyday people from working on their own cars thus increasing the demand for evil certified mechanics... either that or my theory about leprechauns...

well the car has 69,000 miles on it and the guy is asking 2600 but im sure i can get that down to like 2400 or something..i already figured that carbureted cars would be easier to repair yourself but i didnt know the '86 had an electronically controlled one...

wow, unless your really like 3rd gen better than 4th i dont understand why you would pay so much money for a car that old....realize 20 years.I mean thats good mileage and if the body is good and thats what you are looking for then its your money but personally i wouldnt buy a 20 yr old car especially for that much money.

well the 3g isnt that bad, 2.4K is really cheap for a Fbody..maybe you can just change it from elec. carb to a normal carb and you can have some fun with it./.its all what you like. i guess if i was to choose now, i would pick a carb'd car just cuz its easier to do things to...

I agree , carbs have advantages and disadvantages . I personnaly like carbs . I converted a Troubled TBI system on my Blazer to a very reliable HP carb package . I don't have a cold climate , but I lost cold engine drivability . I must warm it several minutes before I can pull off . But when I get past that . It GOES in every way . Rob

hmm, thanks for the feed back, the 20 year old thing doesnt bother me and i love the late 80's designs, i had an '87 before, so im leaning towards buying it but ill have to think about it some more...

you shure it is a carb? i think the 86's were tbi.

when i looked at the carfax report, the engine description said 4BBL not TBI or TPI, so unless the car has had the system switched out for a fuel injec. system i'm pretty sure its carbureted...

It is, they had carbs. in '87 still...I know this for a fact. I think it was '88 that carb. engines were no longer offered. By the way, $2600 for an original 69K mile Trans-Am is pretty good. Around here in S. Fla., those cars in crap hacked condition with over 100K miles start at $2500 and keep going up. Don't let the carb. part discourage you, just make sure everything is running and driving well before buying it is all. Last thing you want to do is have to chase a carb. issue once you buy it...it sucks unless youre old school enough to remember them :-p