buying a classic

[john fairbanks]

I'm planning on buying a 87, 88, or 89 classic. I'm told they are a little simpler and less expensive to maintain (brakes for example). I hope to work on it myself mostly -- and learn as I go. Would a forum good wrench please make a few suggestions on what to look for in a used classic. I'm mostly looking at the ads in cars.com and autotrader.com. Thanks

[Frank84]

look for one with as little rust as possible. personally, i'd rather work on the mechanical bits than deal with rust. check the tailgate, lift glass, front floor boards (from underneath), rear wheelwells (open the back doors), frame, etc. some rust is inevitable if it is a northeast car but look at a bunch and pick the best.

coolant leaks can be a pain on these cars (head gasket, intake, slipped liner) but they are tough to pin point on a test drive so your only hope is to take a peak underneath and also in the reservoir to see if it is full/empty - maybe somebody here will have some quick way?

[galen211]

Rust, Rust, Rust.

Don't buy one sight unseen and don't be afraid to peel up the carpets and look underneath.

Sven and I looked at one last week that was very clean till we pulled up the rear carpet and we were staring at the ground.

Where are you located? If you can get a truck from the south.

[john fairbanks]

Thanks for the reply. I'm in Pennsylvania now but will be going to Florida in a few months. Maybe, unless finding a pretty clean one around here, I should try to purchase one down there and make a huge maiden drive back up in the early spring. Do you think in the name of simplicity it's a good idea to stay with a 87, 88 or 89?

[cris_rrc]

Thanks for the reply. I'm in Pennsylvania now but will be going to Florida in a few months. . Do you think in the name of simplicity it's a good idea to stay with a 87, 88 or 89?


I lived in Florida and yes you won't have the rust issues of the north but the paint could be dead thanks to the florida sun ,that's the biggest problem there ....I will go with a 91 and over since you will get the 4.2L instead of the 3.9 that you are looking at ....I have a 93' LWB , and if I change to another classic I will just get a 95' classic I like that interior a lot more than the previous year classics ...but hey that's just me.
And yes do the drive up in 20hours it will be over ...dealing with rust will take a lot longer .

[Frank84]

4.2 V8 didn't come out until '93 and was only available in the long wheel base versions

if you want simplicity then stick with the first 3 years like you mentioned - however the '89 did not have the CDL like the '87-'88 but do have the 3.9 versus the 3.5

[cris_rrc]

4.2 V8 didn't come out until '93 and was only available in the long wheel base versions



My mistake :D

[john fairbanks]

With a large truck I'm thinking of towing an 87 rover on a car dolly. Is this a bad idea? Should I and can I disconnect a drive shaft easily? The fellow who is selling the Rover mentioned one of the catalitic converters is clogged and hence the truck has no power to take the hills. 300 miles is to far to drive it he said. Everything else looks pretty good on this potential purchase.

[Danny Lee 97 Discovery]

Have you seen it? I would want to look it over good before handing over any money if 300 miles if too long to drive it in it's current condition.

DLB