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So, I think I have my first set of buyers remorse on a 3rd gen. Picked up this 1989 Formula today. It is a midwest car, but has been in MO all of it's life. Engine was blown and replaced with another block. Body on this car is very nice, a few dings, but nothing major. No rust, doors are straight and shut well. The dash pad has a couple cracks and I'll need to replace the console, but everything is there. It runs a little rough, but it has been sitting for 2 + years once the motor was replace, so the gas is old and it needs a good cleaning. Let's just say I gave the guy over 2K, but less than 3K for it, but now I am thinking I may have made a mistake. I'll get it tuned up and hopefully that will help the rough running. You just don't see clean cars in Indiana like this too often.....and I got sucked in.
If it's pretty rust free then you did just fine. Looks like it's in overall good shape. Since it's been sitting for 2 years I would almost bet the injectors need cleaned. I would give $2500 for it all day long
If it's pretty rust free then you did just fine. Looks like it's in overall good shape. Since it's been sitting for 2 years I would almost bet the injectors need cleaned. I would give $2500 for it all day long
Thanks DD, that makes me feel a little better. It is really clean, even the underbody. The other issue is the hatch motor is stuck up, so you can see that the hatch is sticking up above the body.
You did alright. The harch will just take patience. Mine had issues and you just go through the list of what can be wrong and work through it. Top down solutions will be your first look. Good stuff there. Once you take it apart, you may need to 12 more times, lol. Not terrible. Just patience.
If it's pretty rust free then you did just fine. Looks like it's in overall good shape. Since it's been sitting for 2 years I would almost bet the injectors need cleaned. I would give $2500 for it all day long
That's exactly what I was going to say, I would give $2500 for it all day long.
My opinion is that you got a good deal, just have patience and go one step at a time and you will really enjoy with. Don't give up and don't freak out, car is not in bad shape at all.
Good deal really! Should be easy to get it all lined out. Remember, it's a classic car and will have a few issues. Good part is they are fairly cheap and easy to fix. Unlike newer stuff.
In my neck of the woods this car would be 4K-5K. I think you got a great buy and if you still feel the remorse you could probably do a quick flip with this car and maybe double what you paid for it. Nice buy!
My thought is that any of these cars that are rust free, runs and has minimal issues is worth few grand all day long. That is not much money these days. You bought a really solid car. Sure it will need few things but what thirdgen doesn't? I see many sellers of thirdgens want way too much money for cars that need a lot of work. Many delusion sellers out there.
My thought is that any of these cars that are rust free, runs and has minimal issues is worth few grand all day long. That is not much money these days. You bought a really solid car. Sure it will need few things but what thirdgen doesn't? I see many sellers of thirdgens want way too much money for cars that need a lot of work. Many delusion sellers out there.
You have any plans for it?
No big plans, just get it dialed in a little better. As long as I can get the motor running well, I'll be happy with it as it is, once cleaned up. There are a few areas where the clear has degraded that need touched up, a few small dents that I am hoping a good dent guy can get out, and one hokey thing with the motor is they forgot to install the dipstick when they put it all back together, so I need to get that rectified, just stuff like that.
I know a lot of people have already said it, but I think this is a solid deal. I'm embarrassed to admit how much I paid for mine with garbage paint and a hacked up wiring harness. It was less, but not that much less.
I like it! I may be a bit biased though since it is almost a twin to my 90 except for the steering wheel and power antenna. Looks like a solid deal from what I see in the pics. Congrats!
Down here you would have paid almost double that for your car. You did good and a lit bit of tuning up I bet she will run like a champ! Car looks great.
Thanks for all of the positive feedback everyone, makes me feel a little more at ease with the decision. Now all I need to do is tell my wife....the car is stashed in a storage unit in MI at this point....LOL. She is used to it though, I did the same thing with my Iroc, she'll get over it.
I like it! I may be a bit biased though since it is almost a twin to my 90 except for the steering wheel and power antenna. Looks like a solid deal from what I see in the pics. Congrats!
That wheel is going to be one of the first things to go... I have a nice 85 wheel I am going to swap onto it, which will look much nicer....
I spent 3k on my Trans Am that's nowhere near as nice as your Formula, but mine ran well when I got it.
I'd say you got a darn good deal. The super cheap 3rd gen is slowly becoming a thing of the past.
So, I have decided that I am going to trailer the car back down to Indiana, just to be safe. I have purchased some new Bosch injectors. The shop is going to change the injectors, install the oil dipstick tube and tune the car up. That should go a long way to getting it running properly before I move on to some of the smaller issues.
Dropped the car at the shop last Saturday for them to install the injectors and new gas tank. Parked it in the back, put on a brand new car cover. Drove by the shop today to make sure the cover was still on good, and here is what I found.......
That sucks!! What did the shop have to say about that?
Nothing yet, they aren't open, so I left them a message to call me, that the car was hit on their lot. We'll see what they say. They seem to be stand up guys, we shall see.....
You shouldn't have buyer's remorse. That's dirt cheap for a car that overall looks really good.
What are you going to replace the console with? That seems to be one of the holy grails of parts. No replacements manufactured, as far as I know, and the refurbished ones are often overpriced and not very good. I wish someone would manufacture these. I'd think that the console would have a bigger market than the wraparound spoiler, since the console was in every Firebird since at least 1985, while the base models did not have the wraparound.
You shouldn't have buyer's remorse. That's dirt cheap for a car that overall looks really good.
What are you going to replace the console with? That seems to be one of the holy grails of parts. No replacements manufactured, as far as I know, and the refurbished ones are often overpriced and not very good. I wish someone would manufacture these. I'd think that the console would have a bigger market than the wraparound spoiler, since the console was in every Firebird since at least 1985, while the base models did not have the wraparound.
yea, it sucks, but it is what it is at this point. On the console, I am going to try glue it back up first, if that doesn’t work, I’ll look for a replacement that is in good shape. Mine is just bowed on one side, I really think I can repair it pretty easily.
Lift the shifter plate/trim, Gorilla glue, C-clamps or spring clamps and a paint stirring stick and you will be in business. Just be careful with how long you let it set clamped(or tightness of clamp) or you could get small divots in the sides of the console. Mine has held up well for a couple of years with this method.
Lift the shifter plate/trim, Gorilla glue, C-clamps or spring clamps and a paint stirring stick and you will be in business. Just be careful with how long you let it set clamped(or tightness of clamp) or you could get small divots in the sides of the console. Mine has held up well for a couple of years with this method.
Thank you for the list. I will work on that this spring. Once it is done at the engine shop, it will be going to the painter for repair of a few small dings (and now the bigger ding), and repairing of the clear on the car. It isn't too bad, but I wanted to get it addressed prior to it deteriorating too far.
I spoke to the shop owner today. He is the one that accidentally hit the car. He assured me everything will be taken care of. They are a shop that has been in business a number of years, and have a good reputation in town. It still sucks, but at least they are going to cover it.
I spoke to the shop owner today. He is the one that accidentally hit the car. He assured me everything will be taken care of. They are a shop that has been in business a number of years, and have a good reputation in town. It still sucks, but at least they are going to cover it.
My only issue with that is that if I'm a stand-up business owner and I or one of my people make a mistake, I should as the owner, contact the owner of the car and let them know it happened.
Personally, even for this, I'd STILL go through insurance. If you go with a 'cash only, shop takes care of it' approach you are at the mercy of the shop owner.
If you go through insurance, your insurance will make it right, and then get the damaging party to pay for everything.
My only issue with that is that if I'm a stand-up business owner and I or one of my people make a mistake, I should as the owner, contact the owner of the car and let them know it happened.
Personally, even for this, I'd STILL go through insurance. If you go with a 'cash only, shop takes care of it' approach you are at the mercy of the shop owner.
If you go through insurance, your insurance will make it right, and then get the damaging party to pay for everything.
I do agree, had it been my business, as soon as it happened, I would have called the customer. It looks bad that the customer has to call you about it...... It is going thru insurance and isn't a cash only deal. Overall, I am just glad it is taken care of.
11-14-2020, 02:10 PM
I can imagine how you feel... Just hope they will be honest and fix it on their costs. Keep us posted. 
