Is $600 worth it?

[GTP Version 2.0]

Hey guys. I checked Craigslist today and I saw someone selling a 97 GT for $600. The body is straight but it needs paint, however the biggest problem is that it won't turn over for long. The engine (and car) shakes violently when it finally turns over and then dies in about 10 seconds. From what I can see, none of the recalls were fixed on the vehicle. The owner said that it was running great on Friday, then he took it up to 70mph on the freeway and then the engine starting shaking. Any thoughts on what it could be?

[tblake]

Shaking like its missfiring? Or shaking because of a suspension issue?

I wouldnt doubt that if no recalls were done, then no preventitive maintenance either. It could be a simple secondary ignition issue like spark plug wires or plugs or maybe even a coil or ignition module. Or else it could just be a bad MAF.

On the other hand, he may have warped the UIM, fulled a combustion chambor full of coolant, and bent a connecting rod.

Its a gamble. 600 is sure cheap enough. 500 is even better. If you are serious about it, see if you can get it for less.

Bottom line, whatever you get it for, make sure you can at lease recover your costs by parting it out (on ebay or craigslist).

[GTP Version 2.0]

It shaking like its misfiring, but I haven't seen a misfire rock an engine like this. I did notice a coolant leak around the UIM. The car only has 101K miles on it. For a 1997 thats pretty good. I thought about getting it and converting it to a GTP. That and its always nice having a second car in operation when you're working on the another.

[tblake]

Sometimes they shake bad when more than one cylinder is miss-firing. It could be a bad coil, but I'm sort of leaning towards a UIM issue.

If you go to have a look at it, bring a compression tester, and check compression to see if the motor is internally sound.

Problem is if everyting looks OK, you get it home, get it running good, and then find out the trans is shot.... I dont know.

[GTP Version 2.0]

That's a great idea tblake. I am probably only going to offer the guy $400 tops. Thanks for the advice.