80sCarsRule Posted June 24, 2018 Share Posted June 24, 2018 So I'm thinking about buying this Merc with 97,000 miles... Never bought an old car before and was wondering what to ask! Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1939_Buick Posted June 24, 2018 Share Posted June 24, 2018 Does it have a clear title Does it run & stop (brakes) A car like that is not worth much. (may be worth what good tires are worth) 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MCHinson Posted June 24, 2018 Share Posted June 24, 2018 Welcome to the AACA Discussion Forum. From the photo, I am going to guess you live somewhere up north where salt is used on the roadways in winter weather. I would seriously ask about the amount of rust on the frame and undercarriage. I would carefully examine the bottom of the car for rust issues. Other than that, I would suggest you find a local AACA Region or Chapter in your area and join the club. By joining the club, you will be able to find local antique car folks who can help you learn more about what to look for in cars in your area. They can also help you find the best car for your money in your area, and can probably save you a lot of grief by buying a car that you will regret. With that said, if it is not rusted to the point of being unsafe, and the price is right, the one you found might just be a perfect first antique car for you. Enjoy the hobby! 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vermontboy Posted June 24, 2018 Share Posted June 24, 2018 If you determine that the rust/safety issues pass the test of reason take a good look at the vinyl top and around the rear window. IF there is any sign of rust bubbles under the vinyl top anywhere best to pass. I bought a very nice low mileage 1973 Cadillac Fleetwood that appeared to have a couple of small bumps in the vinyl top - it was far more serious than I could have imagined and I ended up having the body shop do a quickie repair (obviously repaired). One of the few cars that I didn't at least break even on... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
padgett Posted June 24, 2018 Share Posted June 24, 2018 First question - do you really want it ? Second question - how much will it take to make safe/nice ? (if a rat rod, not much) Does it have a floor ? Third question - do you have the cash to cover 1 & 2 ? Fourth question - do you have a place to store it ? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
39BuickEight Posted June 24, 2018 Share Posted June 24, 2018 When buying old cars the questions depend on the amount you could lose. On this car, just make sure the seller has a clear title and that you have somewhere to park it. Worst case, if it’s a problem, you can offload it and not lose much at all. The price of a car such as this is justified in the education you get in the purchase process and in maintaining/tinkering with it. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
auburnseeker Posted June 24, 2018 Share Posted June 24, 2018 (edited) Craigslist in most areas, even the Northeast is loaded with cars like this of this vintage. I would look around and find a nice low mileage one that has been well taken care of, probably the owner is the original owner or selling it in an estate type situation for the original owner, and in many cases the car has been garaged and will probably look like a 2 year old car if they didn't try polishing the side of the garage door opening with it a few times. Probably for similar money to what the one you posted is being offered. You will get a much nicer car, which will help, when you get bored of it, or want to expand your interest in vintage cars. Edited June 24, 2018 by auburnseeker (see edit history) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1937hd45 Posted June 24, 2018 Share Posted June 24, 2018 All of the above advice is good, can it be bought for $500.00 or less and give you a year of trouble free driving? If not pass and look for something better. Could someone tell us that it is, I'm not into late model stuff. Bob 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keiser31 Posted June 24, 2018 Share Posted June 24, 2018 3 minutes ago, 1937hd45 said: All of the above advice is good, can it be bought for $500.00 or less and give you a year of trouble free driving? If not pass and look for something better. Could someone tell us that it is, I'm not into late model stuff. Bob Looks to be about a 1980 Mercury Marquis. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Harwood Posted June 24, 2018 Share Posted June 24, 2018 A good question to ask yourself is, "What am I thinking?!?" Old cars are never a smart investment and a rusty car like that will cost several orders of magnitude more than the asking price to fix and is not likely to ever land on any collectors' radars. If you need a beater to drive every day, well, I suppose that's a choice and the hardware is durable and parts are easy to find. But if you're looking for a "collector" car and that one appeals to you simply because it's cheap, well, I would keep looking. There are other more interesting cars of the period with similar hardware that aren't at all expensive. That rust scares me--if it's so pronounced in areas where we can see it, just how bad is it going to be in the areas we can't? (answer: VERY) Pay more for a good car and you'll always come out ahead. Cheap fixer-uppers are the fool's gold of the old car world. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alsancle Posted June 24, 2018 Share Posted June 24, 2018 7 hours ago, Matt Harwood said: A good question to ask yourself is, "What am I thinking?!?" On one hand you are giving him good advice. On the other hand, if too many of us come to our senses you will need to find another line of work. 3 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1937hd45 Posted June 24, 2018 Share Posted June 24, 2018 Google Irwindale Night of Destruction, there is a home for these vehicles, boats too. Bob 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
80sCarsRule Posted June 24, 2018 Author Share Posted June 24, 2018 Much appreciated! it's an 87, and is $900. Moved to the country recently and wanted a cool old car. Was thinking to take care of the rust myself with touch up paint just to get it looking alright, not really looking to do much beyond drive it for a maybe a year? Going to take a look at it tomorrow and will check the rust on undercarriage. Has a clear title and says vinyl is clean but we will see... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alsancle Posted June 24, 2018 Share Posted June 24, 2018 Where would you get a running driving car for 900 bucks? Assuming you just do light mechanical you could probably drive it for a year and get your money back at the end. But if there are major problems or the engine or tranny needs to be rebuilt I rescind my last comment. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CarNucopia Posted June 24, 2018 Share Posted June 24, 2018 Tell the owner that you want to see it start from being cold. It's not unheard of for a seller to warm a car up before you arrive to make it easier to start. When they start the car, stand behind it and watch what comes out of the tailpipe. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mercer09 Posted June 24, 2018 Share Posted June 24, 2018 I would draw the line at 500. on that one-as has been previously mentioned. If you get stuck with it, you can get most of your money back in scrap. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
60FlatTop Posted June 24, 2018 Share Posted June 24, 2018 Pictures usually lie about the condition of a car. If you can see bad spots in the picture it's going to be badder than it looks. Those cars have small doors and always felt cramped to me. On the Ford version I have seen people pushed into the back seat by a guy using his hand on top of their head. Bernie 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keiser31 Posted June 24, 2018 Share Posted June 24, 2018 Take a good sniff when you get in. If it smells at all like mold or mildew, walk away. Could have been in a flood. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
80sCarsRule Posted June 24, 2018 Author Share Posted June 24, 2018 Ah man well... Guess this one's out then! Really appreciate the advice. Any thoughts on this $500 85 Buick? Not sure of mileage yet, though owner says he drives it every day, clean title. The bad: Needs valve cover gaskets, transmission pan gasket and has an exhaust leak. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1937hd45 Posted June 24, 2018 Share Posted June 24, 2018 You haven't told us if this going to be a daily driver or weekend hobby vehicle. For $500.00 just insure it register it and add oil & gas, when it dies scrap it and buy another $500. Wonder, I did that with a Chrysler Le Barron. It was a sister car to the one in Planes Trains and Automobiles without the wood trim. lots of life in $500. Wonders. Bob 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Frazee Posted June 25, 2018 Share Posted June 25, 2018 The Buick appears to be a much nicer car than the Mercury. Valve cover and transmission pan gaskets are easy do-it-yourself repairs. The exhaust leak could be cheap or expensive, depending on where the leak is. If those are the only problems, $500 seems like a good price. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
80sCarsRule Posted June 25, 2018 Author Share Posted June 25, 2018 Looking to drive it a few times per week. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MCHinson Posted June 25, 2018 Share Posted June 25, 2018 Judging only from the limited information and photos, the Buick would be a way better choice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJFord54 Posted June 25, 2018 Share Posted June 25, 2018 See what the oil looks like - thick? Look for an STP can around it. Smell the transmission fluid - see if it is brown or pink. Last thing you want is a bad transmission. Look at the exhaust. Most of us have purchased our first car for bargain $$$ and gotten some time out of them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
auburnseeker Posted June 25, 2018 Share Posted June 25, 2018 The Buick has a tire issue from the looks of the photo, but that's not a big fix. I always wonder when people take photos like that or with a big puke of antifreeze under the car. Presentation is everything. It shouldn't look like a pile of a project in the for sale photo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
padgett Posted June 25, 2018 Share Posted June 25, 2018 (edited) I would agree with the Buick & there were many in the MPG craze with V6 engines.. It has the aero nose late 70/early 80s, said 85 so would make it a Lesabre. If so it is an early computer car with ALDL. Can have a lot of fun with those. 231 V6 is also very reliable (have two with the later incarnation, the 3800) In general a Buick will have had better care and be more optioned out than a Mercury. That said the gaskets are an afternoon on jack stands (or a big oak tree root, have used both). Change the oil and filter (I'd use 10W-40 High Mileage). While under check the tranny regulator for oil in the vacuum line - common GM fault. And the Diff for fluid. Exhaust leak could just be a gasket or a cracked manifold, though at $500 it does not really matter. Edited June 25, 2018 by padgett (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bleach Posted June 25, 2018 Share Posted June 25, 2018 An exhaust leak can hide engine noise like knocks or valve lifters. I fixed an exhaust leak only to find something that sounded like a bad lifter. Turned out to be a bad rod or wrist pin. It still ran OK. You could isolate it by pulling the spark plug which is when the noise went away. I never did fix it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1939_Buick Posted June 25, 2018 Share Posted June 25, 2018 11 hours ago, 80sCarsRule said: Much appreciated! it's an 87, and is $900. Moved to the country recently and wanted a cool old car. Was thinking to take care of the rust myself with touch up paint just to get it looking alright, not really looking to do much beyond drive it for a maybe a year? Going to take a look at it tomorrow and will check the rust on undercarriage. Has a clear title and says vinyl is clean but we will see... You only see 5% - 10% - 15% of the rust from the outside. Rust goes deep. For $500 - $1000 if it runs drives, stops, a/c works and has serviceable tires can be cheap motoring for a year or so. Easy to spend $250 - $500 on small things. If you pay for labor that add up. If you do things yourself helps a lot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1937hd45 Posted June 25, 2018 Share Posted June 25, 2018 A $500.00 car saves you a monthly car payment and should scrap for $250.00 + in 12 months, good math IMO. Bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike6024 Posted June 25, 2018 Share Posted June 25, 2018 My mother's '85 Buick V6 Regal had valve cover oil leaks. And I think she was charged $400 to have one replace, then shortly after paid $600 to have them both replaced. And no they are not easy to work on because all the air conditioning equipment is in the way. I tried to change the spark plugs on it, and a couple of those were practically impossible to get to. I thought, you can't be serious, I need to remove some air conditioning equipment to change spark plugs? So I'd say if the valve cover is leaking a little oil, maybe the best thing to do is ignore it. Get one of these to do spark plugs instead of a regular socket wrench and extension, because it can get around obstructions better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Restorer32 Posted June 25, 2018 Share Posted June 25, 2018 Did it run when parked? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJFord54 Posted June 25, 2018 Share Posted June 25, 2018 Another important point - Not sure where you are at, but the brownstones remind me of New Jersey. Regardless, it must pass the smog inspection (which is rigorous in NJ). You might want to see when it was last inspected and have an agreement that if it doesn't pass, it's a no-go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
60FlatTop Posted June 25, 2018 Share Posted June 25, 2018 The $500, or the purchase price of anything, is the entry fee. Everything else costs the market rate. What is your past automotive ownership experience? Bernie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mercer09 Posted June 25, 2018 Share Posted June 25, 2018 (edited) for 500. take the plunge and dont look back! Members 111 382 posts Location: Western New York Report post x #3 Another important point - Not sure where you are at, but the brownstones remind me of New Jersey. Regardless, it must pass the smog inspection (which is rigorous in NJ). AJ- NO INSPECTION ON PRE 95 CARS IN NJ.. NONE! DRIVE IT LIKE YOUR HAIR IS ON FIRE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! LOL Edited June 25, 2018 by mercer09 (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Dobbin Posted June 28, 2018 Share Posted June 28, 2018 (edited) The 85 Buick has a nearly indestructible 307 V8 engine with a roller bearing cam shaft. Independent Cab Companies bought a lot of the used Buicks of that model because they could drive them 500,000 miles., I have friend with one that still gets 25 MPG. Take cash ans offer $500 and see what happens. If the inside looks that good at 33 years, the engine might be better. Good Luck Edited June 28, 2018 by Paul Dobbin (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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