Should i buy another caprice?

[bhw33191]

Theres some guy i recently talked to down the street. He has an 85 caprice, and i was somewhat thinking of buying it. Body is in GREAT condition, engine runs, 84,000 miles, but i mean..last thing i want is another 305. And he understandably didn't want to part out the car. I really need a new trunklid for my caprice and i was also hoping to get a new dash insert thing where the radio goes because i stupidly cut into mine, later realizing that they're hard to find if i wanted to go back to stock specs. It most likely has the newer style radio and dash but oh well.

Again, do i really need another crappy a$$ carbed 305? On the bright side, i've been pondering the idea of beefing up my 305 ( i know this disappoints some people but you can only work with what you have.) I think it'd be an interesting challenge, it'd be a learning process. And if i get this caprice i'd still have a car to drive but wouldn't be rushed to get it on the road. And another thing, it'd be another caprice saved! Don't crush em, restore em!

As most of you don't know, i'm still in high school lol and naturally have other stuff going on and little time to work to pay for stuff. If i get the car, i don't see anything wrong with keeping it until i finally do get the time and money to work on it. So maybe i should take this chance while i have it you know?

So i was just wondering what you guys think

[305caprice]

well i know youre situation but first how do you know youre gonna have the time l8tr down the road to work on it or do anything to it no offense but ive seen hundreds of cars on craigs with the excuse planned on working on it when i had the time but never had it i see the granted i do see the plusses like a spare running drive train among other parts but some times u just gotta bite the bullet and let somthing pass

[deesandvees]

I say buy a 350 and put it on an engine stand and spend some time working on it and learning at the same time. Then when it's ready, get that 305 outta there and you'll be a happy man.

[silicon212]

Or, convert that 305 over to TPI. Remember the story behind TPI - it was conceived to give the 305 equal power to a carbureted 350 and it excels in that. The torque and HP of the TPI 305 is definitely in line with an LM1 engine, and you get better fuel economy. Remember that when gas goes back up to $4/gal - not if, but when.

[MagicRat]

Originally Posted by bhw33191

Theres some guy i recently talked to down the street. He has an 85 caprice, and i was somewhat thinking of buying it. Body is in GREAT condition, engine runs, 84,000 miles, but i mean..last thing i want is another 305. And he understandably didn't want to part out the car. I really need a new trunklid for my caprice and i was also hoping to get a new dash insert thing where the radio goes because i stupidly cut into mine, later realizing that they're hard to find if i wanted to go back to stock specs. It most likely has the newer style radio and dash but oh well.

Again, do i really need another crappy a$$ carbed 305? On the bright side, i've been pondering the idea of beefing up my 305 ( i know this disappoints some people but you can only work with what you have.) I think it'd be an interesting challenge, it'd be a learning process. And if i get this caprice i'd still have a car to drive but wouldn't be rushed to get it on the road. And another thing, it'd be another caprice saved! Don't crush em, restore em!

As most of you don't know, i'm still in high school lol and naturally have other stuff going on and little time to work to pay for stuff. If i get the car, i don't see anything wrong with keeping it until i finally do get the time and money to work on it. So maybe i should take this chance while i have it you know?

So i was just wondering what you guys think

buy the car!!. The BEST car deals are ones you come across through friends, family, neighbors etc. These oppoertunities are pretty rare. How many 24-25 year old rust-free cars are you going to find?

I started collecting such cars back in high school and never regretted it. Some I kept, some I fixed and some I re-sold later.

What I regret are the deals I did not take.
Such as a fantastic 1975 Chrysler Imperial Lebaron for $500. It was cosmetically excellent, and drove very nicely. It needed nothing. Nobody wanted it because it was a 440 cid gas pig.

I DIDN'T buy it, and since then have never seen another for less than $4000.

[bhw33191]

Originally Posted by MagicRat

buy the car!!. The BEST car deals are ones you come across through friends, family, neighbors etc. These oppoertunities are pretty rare. How many 24-25 year old rust-free cars are you going to find?

I started collecting such cars back in high school and never regretted it. Some I kept, some I fixed and some I re-sold later.

What I regret are the deals I did not take.
Such as a fantastic 1975 Chrysler Imperial Lebaron for $500. It was cosmetically excellent, and drove very nicely. It needed nothing. Nobody wanted it because it was a 440 cid gas pig.

I DIDN'T buy it, and since then have never seen another for less than $4000.

Yeah i wish he told me how much he'd want it for..i'll have to find out. But speaking of deals. I saw some guy in a parking lot with the same caprice as mine..went over and talked to him. It was an 85 with 150,000 miles, however it was in MINT condition. He got it a few weeks ago in florida for 800!!

[j cAT]

Originally Posted by bhw33191

Yeah i wish he told me how much he'd want it for..i'll have to find out. But speaking of deals. I saw some guy in a parking lot with the same caprice as mine..went over and talked to him. It was an 85 with 150,000 miles, however it was in MINT condition. He got it a few weeks ago in florida for 800!!

go down to florida and get a southern car..haul it back ...why buy a 20 plus year old car driven around here with all the road issues/weather..

do you have a heated garage for this vehicle ? if not your wasting your time...

alot of old people every day stop using/ sell their old, low mileage vehicles..in florida..

[bhw33191]

Originally Posted by j cAT

go down to florida and get a southern car..haul it back ...why buy a 20 plus year old car driven around here with all the road issues/weather..

do you have a heated garage for this vehicle ? if not your wasting your time...

alot of old people every day stop using/ sell their old, low mileage vehicles..in florida..

Yup, as we all know Florida is a retirement hotspot lol. I do have a garage but my dads 65 econoline is in it...we could figure something out though. Investing in a car cover and not using it in the winter would be enough for me. But anyway i guess i'll do some looking around