Looked at a rusty low miles Caprice, UPDATE: just bought it

EDIT: Just bought it for $750. More info later.
This morning, 95BRMW and I went to look at a 1994 Caprice wagon he found on CL. The cars got 52,000 2-owner miles on it, and the guys asking $1,500 for it. It's the most base-model LT1 Cappy wagon I've ever seen. It's a civilian model yet it has crank windows, manual locks, and a solid front bench (never seen in anything this new besides a 9C1 personally). It also has no hood ornament (was there a delete option for this?) Anyway, the problem is the rust. I've never seen it this bad on a Connecticut car before. I hoping some of you up north folk can help me assess the rust on it. Take a look at the link below; lots of pics of what looks like the Titanic, but no, it's a Caprice I assure you. The most serious is the driver side rear quarter. We took out the interior panel and looks like it rusted from the inside out, must have filled with water for years. The drivers side front fender well is rusted through, and the other area of immediate concern to me is the area inside the tailgate on the left over by the hinge. Other than the obvious rear brake line rust through which the seller just discovered (the car has been sitting since the early summer) the car has a little bit of peeling paint on the fender top and the hood is crinkled in the front from driving the hood under some fence rail in a parking lot. If there's not a pic of it, it didn't have rust on it (would you believe the spare tire well was in mint condition!!?!? D-pillars too?) The car has all new tires and the guy claims the car runs and drives great but the battery was dead so I'm going back tomorrow morning to check it out and drive it a little. So what do you all people with rusty B-wag knowledge think of it? I don't have any rust in NJ, so I have no clue about this stuff. http://picasaweb.google.com/112403261079321912100/Rustprice#

---

I take back what I said about low miles and a good frame. That thing is about 100x worse than what my '93 with 124k looked like when I got it. I'd pass based on the underside alone. Not to mention the shot inner fenders. Sad to see such a low mile car is such piss poor shape thou.

Holy smokes. Seeing pics like this make me VERY happy to live where I do. That wagon would be sitting in a u pic yard if it was down here. THAT is a wagon you hack into pieces, lol.

That said, the tail gate area pic looks like my wagon, my driver quarter is no where near that bad. That wagon makes my floors look mint.

I wouldn't spend more than $500 and that is being very generous.

I've seen worse... heck, I've driven worse, but it still doesn't look all that good. Looks like a good winter rat. I'd take a pretty solid 150,000 mile PA. over that pile. You need to check the front 2 body mounts on the left and right side. A lot of the front 2 mounts that are attached to the firewall are shot on the rust buckets here in NY. A good front end crash in a car with rotted body mounts will ruin your day.

Mike

Wow, I didn't even know you could get manual door locks on the wagons!

DBeaSSt wrote:

Wow, I didn't even know you could get manual door locks on the wagons!

Yup. I looked at a '94 that supposedly was a NYS Dept of Corrections car. Claimed it was a police package, had no 1A2 code... Police blue on blue cloth, LT1, manual everything.

I've seen and driven worse, too.

As mentioned, winter rat for sure.

And hey! It's got a new fuel filter!

That rusty, it doesn't matter that it's got 52k on it. You've got maybe 2 years tops before you'll have to junk it. I'm saying that based on my first '95 RMW that lasted 18 months before the frame got too soft to pass inspection. It was about that rusty. I wish i had taken more pictures of the rust.

I would pass unless you want the interior, but that base of an interior isn't of much use anyhow. Besides, who would want to drive around in a car with no power locks and no power windows? Yuck. The other option is how rusty is the LT1? That engine/trans might have some value as spares but that's about it. Really, you'd be tying up $1500 or $1k or whatever into that car which will have ZERO value in about 24 months other than spare parts. That's how to look at it. Save your money.

Honestly, my '94 RMW from Miami with 140k on it has been through 5 Syracuse winters (albeit treated with oil and kept up) and it looks 100x better than that.

Thanks for the input everyone. I will look at those body mounts as mentioned. If I was to buy this car, it would just be for the winter to give me a taste of the LT1, then I'd probably take its tires and part it or sell it in the spring. The frame has no rust through... yet. What do you think i should offer?

sherlock9c1 wrote:

Besides, who would want to drive around in a car with no power locks and no power windows? Yuck.

My sedan was like that and I drove it just fine for 3 years Was a few less pounds and 8 things to NOT quit working and need repaired in the future.

you can probably get 600-1000 for the driveline alone depending on condition and buyer so there is some return on investment. that said you don't have that color interior on the olds, so the interior pieces aren't much use for ya but lot's of other little parts you can store away for future use.

In florida that probabhly get about 600-800, and whoever bought it would pull the engine and scrap the rest.

After reading all the replies and THEN looking at the pics I was thinking it's not THAT bad. I'd say the 1A2 NYSP that I bought on ebay was only a little better underneath. and I paid 1700 for it with 140K but that was three years ago when nice ones were still 3-4K.

check the floorpan under the driver's seat. on my 1A2 the seat rail was starting to poke through the floor (noticed when I was shop vaced the rust off the bottom, lol.

I'd say Sprocket is right at about what it's worth. I'd offer $500 but pay up to $650...

are you up to date on your tetnus shots?

$500 tops. I tried for many many months to sell/trade a COMPLETE LT1 drivetrain for $500 with zero bites.

Yeah so the Caprice (or Caprust if you prefer) has been bought. I haggled with him for a while and came to $750. I'ts not a great car, but I've certainly looked at worse that was much more. I know some of you guys were saying not much more than $500 or $600 but I figure I can get use out of it, new tires, and have an LT1 and trans when I'm done with it, so I figured it was worth it. Upon a close inspection of the frame with wire brush and screwdrivers, it seems fine. Floor pans are solid as well. There's actually parts of the frame that still has paint on it. But, I'm not looking for a nice wagon to keep forever, I figure I'll keep it until spring and then save the tires, engine and trans and scrap the rest. I'm not looking to make money on it or anything, just something to help me decide if I want an LT1 sedan or not. Heck, if I save the motor, I could buy one of the many cheap as free L99 sedans and drop that in there. So pending a brake line repair and a 02 sensor replacement, the Caprust will be on the road and the OCC will be off for the winter. So I now join the ranks of those who own more than one wagon. Heres one pic, i'll put up more later.

Looks nice, I think you made a good deal. Congratulations! My first LT1 wagon was a '94 Caprice with no power anything, like yours, looked the same other than mine was all light blue. I paid twice what you paid.

Mike

Nice Score Lynol. Figure the tires are worth 200 so I say you did well. the rear quarter reminds me of the 1973 Caddy I had. My Dad went totally old skool on it.
Hit it with a wire wheel in the drill then we cut cardboard to fit and fiber glassed it into place and bondo over it. never bubbled again in the next 5 years we had it

Check Crovo's thread on the Caddy for other ideas on quick fixer uppers.


Oh btw, the LT1 will be addicting. Open 2.56 rear? lay a track for a block and half easy hee hee hee (put some old tires on first


Hey that thing looks like an OCC!!!!
<- Naya wanted these

200OZ wrote:

Looks nice, I think you made a good deal. Congratulations! My first LT1 wagon was a '94 Caprice with no power anything, like yours, looked the same other than mine was all light blue. I paid twice what you paid.

Mike

Thanks, Mike. I checked those body mounts like you said as soon as I got there on Sunday, and the ones at the firewall and the rear ones are all rust free.

Lynol wrote:

200OZ wrote:

Looks nice, I think you made a good deal. Congratulations! My first LT1 wagon was a '94 Caprice with no power anything, like yours, looked the same other than mine was all light blue. I paid twice what you paid.

Mike

Thanks, Mike. I checked those body mounts like you said as soon as I got there on Sunday, and the ones at the firewall and the rear ones are all rust free.

Never ceases to amaze me the things that are and aren't rusted on these cars...

Yup. My wagon has rust in the strangest of places, yet is spotless in others.

If you want it to last, starting grinding, painting, and oiling now. you may extend the life of the car a bit.

oh, and it's never the parts of the frame that still have paint on them that kill you; it's the other 'missing' parts.

Scary rust, but at the very least it's a really low mile LT1! Now you've got a car you can drive year-around without feeling guilty. There is a certain freedom in that!

-Mike

Lynol's "new" car is in my yard now awaiting the brake repair, and his registration. Snapped a pretty blurry pic of it this morning before work in "the line up". I am going to give him a hand in slowing the rust. A lot of wire wheel brushing and some rust inhibitor should extend its life.

I spy a Riviera too... Mmmmm. I like those.

Stingroo wrote:

I spy a Riviera too... Mmmmm. I like those.

Was thinking exactly the same thing. One of the few FWD'ers I actually want to own.

I bought the riviera earlier this year with a knocking engine (had 99,900 miles on it). 97 Supercharged. I was never a fan of 2 door cars, but something about this one made me want it. Once I got it home I knew what that was, its measures only 11 inches longer than a wagon! I guess if I am gonna own a coupe, it might as well be the biggest one I can find!

And no, the center console is not for sale!

Yep I like those Riv's too. That Series II 3800 SC is a great engine as long as the intake gaskets hold!

I know all too well about those gaskets. That's what did in the original engine. The 60k junk yard engine's didn't look to good either.

I've never had a Riv, but I've had two non-supercharged Bonneville's, a supercharged Park Avenue, and currently my wife drives a '01 Grand Prix with a non-supercharged 3800. Great engines, love the 3800's, and a great drivetrain, but the gaskets on the SC and the entire plastic plenum on the non-sc cars are the weak links.

I replace those every 50K miles just to be safe! ; )

Here's some more pics....










And we can't forget the nice big hole; from the inside this time

Hey. Minus the hole, that looks like my quarter

That body is pretty clean! Looks like it spent it's whole life parked in the grass...

Man the lower doors look really solid. I guess that rubber weatherstripping really works!

The doors are never the problem on these cars.

That rear fender looks like it got rusted from the inside out due to a water leak.

When I looked at the 88 Cutlass the lower door was one of my first spots to check. They rusted like mad. Glad GM improced the design on the newer wagons.

Looks like a typical car that was driven in the salt then parked in a garage with no air movement underneath, that's unreal but I bet it runs good!