Should I do it?

[TimKninja]

Okay, to start out, my name is Tim, I've been creeping around these forums for a few month, e30tech before that, I Like this one moar tho.

I got my license about a year ago, and I was looking for an E30, But then my grandpa gave me his 03 Corolla to use. on Sunday the 12th I was involved in an accident that's half my fault, half the other guys fault, The Corolla sustained Around $4000 in damage, and is now in the shop til the 8th, if not later of august.

So I've been browsing Craigslist in search of an E30 Again, and found one for a grand, an 87 ETA with a Full history, in great condition for $1000, but Was to late, and it appears he Sold it.

So i went around frantically Emailing people, and Stumbled apon this...

http://providence.craigslist.org/cto/1233808536.html

So i emailed her, and immediately got a response, her car ended up being Really close to where I Live. Most of the problems are cosmetical, hood won't close properly(Takes like 10-15 tries) Due to a Drill being left under the hood while it closed. She Claims It got a new Paint job, the paint does look good. It was in an accident , kinda, she spun out after being cut off and damaged the front bumper and rear one. She bought a new one, that was messed up, but i guess not as badly.

The Interior is Messed up, back seat is alittle torn up, the foam is fine...if that matters... The front seats have covers on them. I Don't care that much...

Here's the biggest problem.
I'm low on money, i only have $1,650 in my bank account. It's probably not a good idea to ask her if $1500 is a good price then give her that, right? I make about $200 a week, working at a retail store, So, Can i afford it?....I don't care about Cosmetic stuff for now, i just need an E30....

anyways because I know alot of you are going to TLDR Here's Pics....









BTW:Barely any rust, just on the front fender, which appears to have been replaced, because the Pin striping stops there

EDIT:Appears the Posting is gone, She said it needs a new Relay switch for the blinkers, that's available at napa/autozone, and it's only $10. The blinkers only come on periodically. And the Price is $1700 OBO. It's a 5 Speed, 1990, 4 door, Only 106,xxx on the clock.
Thanks,

[FredK]

Looks like an OK car. My opinion is, if you have $1650, don't spend $1500 on a car. The car, right off the bat, will likely need at least SOME maintenance that will exceed $150 in value. Not only that, it needs to be registered and insured.

[MikeK]

Have you had a chance to drive this car?
If so, how are the suspenion bits up front? C-arms, tie-rods, c-arm bushings... also timing belts been replaced?

[dude8383]

Looks like an OK car. My opinion is, if you have $1650, don't spend $1500 on a car. The car, right off the bat, will likely need at least SOME maintenance that will exceed $150 in value. Not only that, it needs to be registered and insured.

best advice right there.

save up some more money!

[CincinnatiKid]

If you only have 1650 and the car is 1500, then no, it's gonna be a lot more money to bring the car up to par with maintenance issues, and you can usually find E30s in better shape than that for less than 1500. I know it's hard, believe me I was in college and lustin g for an E30, but wait until you have enough money that you can maintain it properly. Plus there's bound to be much more rust on the underbody.

[TimKninja]

Car's timing belt was done about a year ago, waterpump for whatever reason wasn't done at the same time.

The lady drove me around in it, I'm fairly new at this Stick thing, Told her I didn't want to kill her car, so She took me for a ride in it.

There's a Clunk in the rear end, sounds like the Rear shocks, we(My friend that convinced me too look at the car) bounced the back end up and down, came up/went down with a clunk/squeak. She doesn't think its going to sell anytime soon, so I wonder If I can Negotiate the price any more. She just bought a Mk4 GTI, so She's all set car wise.

I forgot to mention , I have access to a Shop during the school year, in my auto tech program, we can bring in our own cars. Plus I Know alot about how cars work, I'm pretty good at turning a wrench, had a Co-op at a BMW dealership for 3 months, So i wouldn't have to pay labor unless it was something complicated.

So i Should save up alittle more? I was thinking the same thing, Really. The car is Mechanically sound. I was just going to change the oil the second I got it home if I DID buy it.

[CincinnatiKid]

Guaranteed it's going to need new control arm bushings, maybe new control arms, most likely new ball joints, check the vacuum hoses? Power steering leaking? Oil pan gasket? Rear diff seal and oil? rear sub frame bushings? These are just a few.

[TimKninja]

Guaranteed it's going to need new control arm bushings, maybe new control arms, most likely new ball joints, check the vacuum hoses? Power steering leaking? Oil pan gasket? Rear diff seal and oil? rear sub frame bushings? These are just a few.

Wasn't leaking any Fluid....(Specially from the diff and oil pan) Car drove perfectly strait down the road, No Notable clunking from the front suspension at all. Didn't hear any vacuum leaks , just a whizzing-type noise, which I bet was the waterpump.

How long do all these bushings usually last?.... and are they usually going to affect the car that much? Car only has 106,xxx on it.

[Nonspec325]

When I was your age I would buy and sell cars and you would be amazed at how many people will give you a HUGE price break when you tell them you don't have alot of money. I would shoot the owner a e-mail and say that you don't have alot of money because XXX (Im in HS, Im saving for college, I care for orphans, I run a cat hospital out of my home, w/e) but you could offer her $1,300 for the car.

I bet within a week she'll sell it to you close to that price.

Looks like a solid car man, good luck.

[Inline Sex]

is she hot?

[e30325ic]

Buy it . The clunk is probably an upper shock mount. Every E30 I have bought has had at least one bad. It a decent car for the money.

[paulkeith]

I bet you're looking at probably a good $500 in just basic maintenance in the first few weeks of ownership, if you're going to actually take care of it. even remotely considering spending 91% of your available money on a car is ridiculous.

You need to spend a few months saving up and then buy one at a price a little lower than you can afford and spend the difference in setting a maintenance baseline on that one.

My $0.02.

Paul

[nando]

I would wait and save more money. It's a decent car but it's not so nice that you'll kick yourself later for not getting it. in fact, I'm pretty sure you can find a nicer one for around the same price.

can't blame you for wanting one though, an '03 corolla does not sound like a fun car. In fact it sounds like something you drive for a few years and then throw it away so you can get a new one. ;)

[FredK]

is she hot?

Yeah, really, I don't care if the subframe bushings are in good shape or not. This is the most important question. :p

[Alkasquawlik]

No, don't.
You don't have enough money to cover the car, basic maintenance you will want to do, and the registration for the car. The registration for my car was $380 so you have to factor that in.

Either save up more money and find another car, or buy a cheaper one.