Considering some purchases.

[planet_keeper]

Im looking at 2 vr4's right now and I'd like to hear what you guys think.

The first one I'm looking at is a little iffy. 1991, black w/ white interior, 112k miles and just had the transfer case, catalytic converters and ecu replaced (ecu is from a parts car and had to be replaced because the capacitor melted). The car sat for a bit under a year while he looked for a new ecu. The paint is okay but the clearcoat on the hood is peeling.

When I went to see it it was up on a rack getting brake work done. One muffler was missing but I was informed of that before hand. What I was not informed of before hand was that the t-case had locked on the freeway awhile ago and it slid into some bushes where it lost the muffler and scratched the paint a bit. Hes asking 6 for it but I think that I can bring him down to 4 because of the iffy-ness of it. Im also not sure if it will need a tune up or if he just replaced the stuff i mentioned above worked on. It also has been set up for dual exhaust but I cannot verify the quality of it. He is the 2nd owner and only drove it for 3k miles before the ecu went.

The second is a pretty straightforward '93 vr4. Red w/ beige nterior, 123k miles (she says its just driven to and from work, a trip of 10 miles), just had the tuneup done, owned by a woman (which no offence to women out there, is a plus because you generally dont drive cars as hard :P) Looks clean. They are asking 7500 for it and are firm on the price. It's my understanding that vr4's arent selling really well right now though she might come down a bit.

So thats it. Whichever I get I'm bringing it to a mechanic to check it out anyway (if anyone knows how much more it would cost to get that done at a dealership i'd appericate it). I'm not in a particular rush to buy but if I could get one before xmas to show off to my friends when they come home before college, that would be nice :P Thanks for any help and I realize thats a ton to read so thanks for reading it through!

[Twizted_3KGT]

Yeah...well the T-case lock-up is pretty common, the capacitors melting on the ECU is also pretty common. If everything else is in order w/ the first choice, i'd go with that...new T-case is a BIG plus for a VR4. But if you plan to mod the hell out of it, go with the '93.

[planet_keeper]

modding the hell out of it doesnt really fit my budget and i dont really need it to go much faster than it already does. if i get the '91 vr4 im gonna need the extra money that i saved with it to go into a rainy day fund for it and paint probly.

i have heard that both of those problems you mentioned were common but i jsut wanted to double check with that. a lemon vr4 scares my wallet, lol.

im betting that the '93 has been treated better probly though, being owned by a woman and all, plus it just looks cleaner. i have a friend that runs a body shot so he can get me huge hookups on treating the paintjob right if i need to though, plus i dig black cars :P

[Twizted_3KGT]

lol yea with a lemon VR4 you could just wire your paychecks to the shop thats fixing your car...neways make sure it's had it's 120k tune-up (water pump, timing belt), if not, that's some $$ you'll need to be spending right off the bat. I think there may be some info. in the FAQ on buying VR4's, SL's, etc. Good luck.

[planet_keeper]

Dude, I have the faq bookmarked Thanks though. I'm waiting till I get a job (which should be soon) so that I know I'll have a little more financial cushion for insurance and in case something comes up with the car.

[Igovert500]

I'd honestly put more consideration into the 2nd.

You don't seem to have ALOT of info on teh first, but it seems like it has seen better days. My theory, is that how the car looks is somewhat related to how the car has been treated. And it sounds like the 2nd one is in better shape.
The t-case, ecu, adn mufflers could all be used for all you know. And even with a different ecu, the caps can still go again, unless htey are replaced (section in FAQ).
Plus (from a detailer's perspective) black paint + white interior are a bitch to keep looking good

I don't know, just my .02 but the newer year and better condition kind of outweigh the small difference in mileage + price (in my mind).

[Igovert500]

Might want to check this out:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/93-Mi...ayphotohosting

Another AF member posted it in teh non-specific racing section. His friend is selling it and he is vouching for it, so I'd trust it.

[planet_keeper]

As nice as that car is, its in arizona Im way up here in WA and certain obligations prevent me from making a multi-day road trip. I was kind of thinking along your lines Igovert, about the black one. I'm not gonna count the black one out just yet though. The guy said he didnt really want to spend the time to go over the car with me until I know for a fact that I'm in a position to buy it so looking more at the black one is out for now... just another iffy factor the black one.

As for maintaining a black car, I'm no push over when it comes to detailing if I do say so myself but I do agree that black on white's a bitch but black is my favorite color on these cars so I'd go the extra mile (or five). White aint too shabby of an interior color either but I'm not as partial to any interior color.

Recently an ad went up in my area for a '91 vr4, red on black, with only 52k for 11k on her so I'm definitly going check it out and see how flexible they are on the price.