Reliability

[camaro1185]

I am in the market for an auto x car and i have come across a 1988 daytona with a little less than 180K. its being sold for $500. the guy said that the person he bought it from claimed to rebuild the trans, and the clutch is newer. what is your call on the reliability of this car. and is it worth it for 500 dollars. remember the car is going to be driven primarily as a track car.
also it is a 5 spd, t-tops, so i may find myself driving it around town on a nice summer day with the tops off.

where are some key places to check when i look at the car?
what are some things to look/listen for when driving it?

any info on these cars would be great because i dont know what to expect.

[camaro1185]

sry for the duplicate

[Zerø]

The 2.2 was one of the most reliable engine's that chrysler ever built....arguably as much so as the slant 6 and 318. So with 180k, it still has a lot of life left. As a track engine, the 2.2 is a beast....but you'll need to upgrade the internals if you're going for higher hp numbers. In a used one, the main thing to look for is a blown head gasket, or one nearing it...this was the biggest problem in these cars. It's not a hard one to replace, though. The rest simply depends on how well the car was taken care of.*

The tranny is rated at(if I remember corectly) 200-250 hp, so again if you want higher hp you will need to build it up.

The chassis is relatively well balanced, but you would be foolish to try and outhandle, say, a neon. It does not have independant rear suspension...which could cause some problems in the twisties, but not too bad. Th car's not particularly heavy, but at 2600lbs it's no miata either. also, if you're doing autoX you might want to stiffen it up a little...

Overall, with a little love, I think you could turn it in to quite a respectable track car. If it runs ok, I'd say it's definitely worth the $500

*if this car is the V6, there are almost no aftermarket parts available...a 2.2 swap is not excedingly difficult, but it may be easier to get one with a 2.2 already in it.
Also, you will want the turbo 2.2 model...n/a can be converted, but can be a pain.

[neon_rt]

If you are doing auto cross, you would be better off with getting the Daytona (only if it is Turbo) and also picking up a '80's L-Body Charger or Horizon (or Rampage, that is what I have, longer wheelbase 2200lbs). Transfer the engine, transmission and brakes from the Daytona, update the suspension and go racing. The L-body is stiffer than the G-body, weighs less and the rear suspension is better. A lot of Rallye races were won with L-Bodies, not so with the G-Bodies or the 4-door related P-Bodies (Shadow,Sundance).