here's the description of the car:
"Great starter car, a 1995 Oldsmobile Achieva 2 door model with rear spoiler wing. Color is white. Has minor fender & door damage. Just had extensive tune up and runs great with excellent gas millage as it has a 4 cylinder motor with 5 speed stick transmission..." now i read that 95 was the year GM added balanced shafts which made the motor less prone to failure. i havent seen or drove the car yet but the seller's looking to let it go for $700firm. i use to own a 99 cavalier with the 2.4L LD9(crashed it unfortunately in wintry weather) and saw this car up for sale. the other thing i like about this is that its a manual with the getrag tranny.
what i need to know is what to look for, mainly the tranny since i rarely drive manual(i have a 98 GTP as a DD). any input and advices is greatly appreciated
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IIRC, 1995 was the switch away from Getrag to Isuzu transmissions. The balance shafts didn't make a lick of difference for reliability, just operational smoothness. Some argue that they caused more failures due to decreased top end oil pressure. Also, I'd drill into the seller as to how exactly you perform an "extensive" tune up on a Quad 4, considering the only ignition components are spark plugs, boots and the coil housing.
1989 Z24 Convertible - Dust Covered
2006 tC - Dust Covered, but driven more
Thanks dave for the reply. i'll be sure and ask the seller what tune-ups he did and report back.
he said he did all of the above as well as cleaned the injectors, prolly just cleaned it by running fuel injector cleaner in the tank
. im gonna bring a jack so i can check the suspension such as wheelbearing, tie-rods and try to get under the car and look for gasket leaks and rust. anything else? what about the tranny-isuzu
Tranny is Isuzu, meaning it'll have similar results/issues to anything posted here. I'd grab a coolant pressure tester if you have easy access to one, just to see if there are any upcoming head gasket issues.
1989 Z24 Convertible - Dust Covered
2006 tC - Dust Covered, but driven more
In my experience, I'd stay away from this vintage of N-body, just because of that engine and other issues that the N-bodies were notorious for (mostly electrical and brake system)
I was wondering as well, what exactly is an 'extensive' tune up on a 2.3L Quad 4?
not worth it. If it was a 94.. maybe.
My Cav
I give up...
i'm buying a VW those people love trees, so they should love eachother too... "Andy"
I have this theory that most 10-15 year old cars tend to be crapboxes that won't last more than a year without some sort of major repair. They're too old to still be "good" no matter how well they've been maintained and too young to have been seriously (and expensively) restored by someone who loves them. However, if they have low mileage they can still be okay.
I just do a quick math thing where I add about 5000$ to the buying price whenever I look at an older car. If the guy wants 700$ It'll probably either a) last only a year before it goes kaput or b) it'll cost you 5700$ to fix in order to get it running well for use over a couple of years.
I know that sucks, but that's how I see things. That's also why all my daily drivers tend to be recent cars now. I won't buy anything over 7 years old or with lots of mileage ever again unless I want a beater for a few months. It'll cost you more to buy a recent car up front, but you save tons of money over time.
Basically what I'm trying to say is that if you want a beater to last you a year (maybe) go for it. But if you want a reliable daily driver for the next few years, never mind.
If you want a good daily driving car that wont give you issues... buy a mid 90's buick. Cheap as hell, and 3800 goodness. (Love my Regal GS)
My Cav
I give up...
i'm buying a VW those people love trees, so they should love eachother too... "Andy"
