Yeah so I’m checking out this Buick Regal. Anyone know anything about them? Pros? Cons?
If they are anything like a Buick Century… I hear they’re great to shag in.
what year and what model of the Regal
My first car was a buick century… haha my dad used to say that they were going to be muscles cars for their era. The car I had was full of power, sounded like a monster, was reliable, but hard on gas.
1990 Buick Regal Custom Sport Coupe, White, 4 wheel disc brakes, custom sound, 165k. And the E-Brake Cable has to be fixed.
I’ll give you some things to look at before buying an older used car, and I’ll try to give you some sort of approximate value on it:
What sort of condition is the body in? I assume it has a 3.1L V6, which is a generally quite reliable motor.
Make sure you drive it, listen for unusual noises and so forth.
Does it have A/C? If so, drive around with the A/C on to make sure it works (since the A/C compressor is driven by the engine, you can usually get a more definite idea if you rev it up a bit). A/C that doesn’t work is a good haggling point (and if the guy says that it just needs to be recharged, let him know that you have no way of knowing if it leaks or works or whatever).
When were the brake pads last changed? How are the tires? Make sure it has a spare tire, and a jack and tire iron. Also check the tires that they are wearing evenly (if for example, the outside edge of one tire is wearing more than the inside edge on the same tire, it’ll need some front-end work, or at least a wheel alignment).
Park it on a dry piece of pavement for a few hours so you can check for fluid leaks.
Test the wipers and washers, the horn, and check all of the light bulbs both inside and out.
The E-brake cable isn’t too big of a deal on an automatic, but the kinds of cars that happen to not have a working parking brake are also the kinds of cars that tend to have other problems as well. Having 4-wheel disc is cool, though. Does it have anti-lock brakes?
Cracks in the windshield? Side windows and sunroof (if so equipped), whether power or manual, roll up and down all the way? Locks all work from the inside and from the outside?
Any engine work or tranny work done? Can he provide copies of any of the bills from having work done?
Instrument cluster and stereo any everything all work? Speedometer, odometer (make sure that the mileage goes up as you drive it, otherwise who knows how many kilometers it actually has on it), fuel, temperature, tachometer, and everything all work.
Anyhow, unless the car has lots of stuff that doesn’t work, don’t let any of the above points make-or-break the deal. But you can use any of that stuff as ammunition during the negotiating.
In my professional opinion, a 1990 Buick Regal should be worth about $2000. Is it a GS (Gran Sport) model? If it has the 3800 series (3.8L) V6, it could be worth a few hundred bucks more. This is all pending the condition of the vehicle, and assuming a private sale. If the guy were to trade it in at a dealership, he’d be lucky to get $1500.
i would check for rust in the unibody and in the quarter panels
It’s not your father’s Oldsmobile.
whoops
It’s not your gramma’s Buick. No wait. It IS you gramma’s Buick…
No you’re just insane.
Lemrac is the worlds best sister. She is also kind and loving.
Oh bite me!!!
What!!! I didnt say that!!! Curse you Mig for making her a mod!!! Curse you!!!
PS MiG, you’re the best DoD player on Earth. Even better than me.
Hahahahahahhahahahaha what ever!!! I’ll beat him with a shovel!!
Aww 
Two words. Moderator abuse.
Nomadic, people like you make the world a better place.
Anyways back to car. It turns out I’m not getting the Regal. Now there is talk of an 87 Camero.
What do you think??
http://hackingthemainframe.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10417/normal_100-0054_IMG~1.JPG
http://hackingthemainframe.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10417/normal_100-0053_IMG~0.JPG
http://hackingthemainframe.com/coppermine/albums/userpics/10417/normal_100-0052_IMG~0.JPG
Its what I’ll be driving for the next 8 months.
Specs?
By which I mean:
Trim level? Engine? Transmission? Any notable mods?
Its an 87 Camaro, 6 cylender, and auto trans.
No mods that I know of. The front right bumber got smashed in a bit but apart from that the outside is in pretty good nick.
The inside is another story. I was afraid to sit on the seats so i got new covers. I have blisters from cleaning and emptied half a bottle of de-stink stuff. The water pump hose needed to be replaced. The back also has that cool auto close thingy that Landons does.
Its a T-Top which means it leaks. Any ideas on how to seal it. I’ve heard they are a bitch to seal.
Actually its a 5.7 V8. Yah Gas don’t even ask… 