Advice: May be buying my first Z.

[Maverick7687]

First, I know quite a bit about these cars. The z32 has been my "dream car" my whole life.

I finally have the opportunity to buy one. A friend got it for the motor and parts to do a NA-TT Conversion but now he just wants to sell it. It previously had black interior and that was taken out and used in another car but everything was replaced with red. So, every interior piece is there, but, the seats are the only part of the interior that is installed.

The car is a 1990 z32 TT Auto.There is a small engine problem: It blows the igniter module? The previous owner decided to do some kind of wiring himself and we think there is a short somewhere causing this part to blow. It is said to have a little bigger turbos but I am unsure of the accuracy of that.

It needs some body work on the outside which is fine because I plan on painting anyway (In that case, the interior being un-installed would help with more thorough painting.)

Clean title and I am unsure as to how many miles, and it's an Auto TT. Would definitely need a 5spd swap.

I can get this car for less than 4k... What are your opinions on it? Should I do it or wait for another one in better shape? I do enjoy taking "broken" things and fixing them. I do any work myself and I take great pride in knowing I did everything and it's done right.

With that being said... To buy? Or not to buy?

Thanks, I can also post pictures..

[cmeasley]

if your up for the project id say go for it. i feel kind of iffy about the price tho but im sure someone will give you a good answer on whether or not its a good price. good luck!!

[Maverick7687]

My plan right now is to leave out the interior out except for the gauges, do a 5speed swap, then fix the exterior and paint the car. Then if I have found black interior I will use that, if not I will put the red in.

[Zee]

I guess it depends if you are up to it, or not. Post some pics though I want to see, and it will give everyone a better idea of the shape it is in.

[Maverick7687]

Pictures:

[Maverick7687]

Gotta get all the blue shxt off the motor too. Also, yes, that is the dash on the roof.. ;-)

[cmeasley]

try to talk him down on the price cuz thats just going to be a PITA. also think about how much you will probably end up spending on this project and compare the price to a TT on craigslist it might be in your intrest to check that out maybe you can pick one up that needs no work for the same price or even cheaper than what you would spend on that.

[EQwhipD]

If I were you I would talk him down to around $3,000. That should be pretty easy. Second, I would get rid of that horribel maroon interior. There is a guy up in Northern VA that has an entire black interior (leather seats) for around $600 (YugoBernie of twinturbo.net). You can find interiors cheaper than that as well. The car looks to be in pretty good shape aesthetically on the exterior. It has an aftermarket exhaust as well, which is a huge plus. Don't tell the dude that this is your dream car, if he doesn't already know.Good luck and I'm sure that you will make an informed decision before you purchase!

-Evan

[Maverick7687]

This guy has been my best friend since third grade.. It's his dream car as well as mine so he knows. That being the case getting him down to around 3k won't be a problem. He actually priced it to me at 3,500..

EDIT: If I get this one then maybe while it's apart and I'm looking for the black interior would be a good time to do the Manual to Auto Climate Control swap as well??
Modified by Maverick7687 at 9:43 AM 7/1/2007

[nghtrain88]

exterior and engine bay look decently clean.. if you're up for puttin the work/money into it go for it.. i think you can get him down lower than even 3 but if he's your friend that is your choice.. also so you know, a full paint job including the engine bay, door jambs and everything can easily be a few grand.. keep the same color if you do also b/c changing colors can be a pain when you have to get into every crevice

[nghtrain88]

also, obviously make sure you know the mileage before you buy it.. a guy tried to sell me a porsche 944 once with the odometer broken at 90,XXX miles and he had no idea how many more on it.. not only is it illegal i believe but may end up proving to be a nightmare mechanically, etc

[Maverick7687]

Well here's another question. If I bought the car for 3 and ended up not having the time to do everything to it I would like. If I put all the interior back together, cleaned it up, and fixed the Igniter Module issue, what do you guys think I could get back out of the car?

[Rex]

IMHO, that's got HUGE project wirtten all over it. It's a $1800 car at best. It could be parted out for more, assuming the parts are good.