100,000 miles

[all power]

have a chance to by a 2002 gtp for 1000,00 the body is toast but motor and trans are good. the only problem is the millage, now im not looking to rebuild but to mod it up some....HEADERS/CAI/HI-FLO CAT/U-BEND DELETE/PCM/3.25 PULLEY...and keep it just in case something happens to my motor. andi got a 99 gtp,,, just wondering if its going to be more of a pain in the but because of the miles or be a good idea.and the lady who owns it is 67 yrs old she bought it brand new. but if the body is shot im just worried how she treated the motor and trans.........any help would be great

[00GTP4ME]

How is the body shot?

Did you do a tail-pipe test?

[all power]

rust holes in doors / rocker panels are gone/ the color of the car was black but looks brown because of the rust/you have to lift the doors to shut them/ moon roof leaks/ looks like it was in the ocean for a couple of years

[all power]

whats the tail pipe test???????

[00GTP4ME]

Originally Posted by all power

rust holes in doors / rocker panels are gone/ the color of the car was black but looks brown because of the rust/you have to lift the doors to shut them/ moon roof leaks/ looks like it was in the ocean for a couple of years

Ocean eh?

Yeah, if that's how the car itself was cared for, I'd really wonder about the engine. Have you looked at the oil? Is it the consitency of peanut butter?

The tailpipe test is this: Go to the tail pipe (on the car, not the salesperson) and stick your finger up it as far as you can. Then wipe the inside wall of the tail pipe and then extract your finger. If the residue is a dark, thick, sooty black then the engine is not in prime shape (most likely burning oil). If it's gray - light gray, then that's a good sign. I use that test every time I buy a car and I've really done well with staying away from lemons.
The reason why you have to stick your finger up the pipe as far as you can (you probalby don't need to worry about it in this situation) is because sometimes stealerships will actually clean out the inside of the tailpipe in anticipation of folks who do this test.

I'd also check the tranny fluid to see if 1) it touches the dipstick, 2) is it red or is it turning blackish, 3) does it smell burnt. Does this old lady have any kind of service records? Does she know that she needs to change the oil? (She obviously doesn't know what a car wash is).

[all power]

her grandson took it to a mom and pop oil shop and said she always ran syn oil in it and chance it ever 5000 miles???? so he says.. trans flush was done about 40,000 ago??? oil looks good but doesnt meen nothing trans smells fine. i drove it and drives good..shifts good.but dont want murphys law to hit me.... let me ask this WOULD YOU BUY IT. everybody says that the 3800 seris2 motor is good and a 100,000 miles is the break in point but thats alot of miles... and no she has no clue what a car wash is.HAHAHA.i asked her how many times have you wash the car and she said"" about a 100 times""

[00GTP4ME]

Originally Posted by all power

her grandson took it to a mom and pop oil shop and said she always ran syn oil in it and chance it ever 5000 miles???? so he says.. trans flush was done about 40,000 ago??? oil looks good but doesnt meen nothing trans smells fine. i drove it and drives good..shifts good.but dont want murphys law to hit me.... let me ask this WOULD YOU BUY IT. everybody says that the 3800 seris2 motor is good and a 100,000 miles is the break in point but thats alot of miles... and no she has no clue what a car wash is.HAHAHA.i asked her how many times have you wash the car and she said"" about a 100 times""

That's a tough one. I'd really have to see how the engine did on a cold start up and then see how it shifted. These are great engines, but holy COW they leak a lot! I guess the gaskets would be more to blame than the engine though. If she always ran synthetic in it, then make sure you stick with synthetic if you buy it.

If you're handy with a wrench, you have somewhere to work on it and this is going to be a back up for you, then as long as you can afford it without killing yourself, I'd say you're probably ok. How much is she asking for it? (I guess that's probably the most important question)

[all power]

1000,00..... i want to but my gut is telling me different..and modding it is what im worried about how much is it going to shortin the life of the motor... o yeah nothin leaks whats so ever. but like i said the gut is saying different

[00GTP4ME]

Originally Posted by all power

1000,00..... i want to but my gut is telling me different..and modding it is what im worried about how much is it going to shortin the life of the motor... o yeah nothin leaks whats so ever. but like i said the gut is saying different

Oh yeah, you did say that already. Eh, for $1000? Modding any engine shortens the life if you ask me.
If it were me, I'd rather pay $1000 for a second engine that I could mess with and keep my daily driver in original condition. It's up to you though - following your gut feeling with cars isn't a bad idea. Toss a coin!

[CrazyHorst]

It's fairly amazing what a new set of piston rings can do to any "worn out" engine.

Obviously this is somewhat of a deep exploration, easier done in a truck due to easier access to underside of motor, but doesn't require a reman.

The one caveat is to assess any wear on the bore walls, being concerned about a spot where the new ring might interfere enough with a step to fracture...enter the "ridge reamer" although the 3800s I am familiar with have more of a mirror polish on the bores than any kind of ridging...but anything is possible.

If you just want something to blast around in, $1000 is not a bad price and you can do quite a lot without any mods...but keep in mind you'd best do a little maintenance, crank sensor, plugs, plug wires, and fuel pump would be high on my list.