Skip to main content ↑ ↓
Topic: Considering buying a Cat....Opinions Needed (Read 3964 times) previous topic - next topic

Considering buying a Cat....Opinions Needed

Reply #15 –
Quote
The reasoning for the questions is simple. I've only owned a car since...August of 2005


I rebuilt the motor on my Oldsmobile after 3 months of ownership.  Come up with another excuse. 

Where are the pictures of the damage on the other car?!!!
-- 05 Mustang GT-Whipplecharged !!
--87 5.0 Trick Flow Heads & Intake - Custom Cam - Many other goodies...3100Lbs...Low12's!

Considering buying a Cat....Opinions Needed

Reply #16 –
Quote from: V8Demon;179661
I rebuilt the motor on my Oldsmobile after 3 months of ownership.  Come up with another excuse. 

Where are the pictures of the damage on the other car?!!!

Come up with another excuse? I don't have to. That's my reasoning. I wasn't really into cars per say UNTIL I got my first car, which was the Blue 87 Thunderbird back in Aug. 05. It's been a learning experience ever since. If It seems like I don't have a clue sometimes, it's probably because I don't. And when I don't have a clue, I'll ask a question. If It seems like I have too many questions on simple subjects, I'm sorry. You're not obligated to answer them.

As for the pictures of the damage. I never took any. I never wanted to see the car again.
<---One must always remember to Remain cool, calm and collected when dealing with your fellow man, especially on the Internet....
-DMC24guy
[/SIZE]

Considering buying a Cat....Opinions Needed

Reply #17 –
Buy the car and make it run.
 
Ignore the nay-sayers. You ain't too dumb to do it. Just get your hands dirty and the mechanic in you will find a way.
 
Just turn the engine over by hand before you finalize the deal and make sure it ain't locked.

Considering buying a Cat....Opinions Needed

Reply #18 –
Quote
And when I don't have a clue, I'll ask a question. If It seems like I have too many questions on simple subjects, I'm sorry. You're not obligated to answer them.


Oh  believe me, I don't feel ANY obligation to answer any of YOUR questions.

 It just seems to me that you often bite off more than you can chew and it bites you right back more often than not. 

Is the car a good buy?  That's up to you.  It's a little rough around the edges for my taste....probably more going on underneath that the seller is unwilling to mention (body rot, etc.,)
-- 05 Mustang GT-Whipplecharged !!
--87 5.0 Trick Flow Heads & Intake - Custom Cam - Many other goodies...3100Lbs...Low12's!

Considering buying a Cat....Opinions Needed

Reply #19 –
Everyone of us started in the "asking a lot of questions" stage and the forums are good for that.

First of all the price is $300 negotiable.  Which means <$300.  I wouldn't seriously consider this car unless you had $800-1000 to put into it.  You never know what else you'll find.  Otherwise you'll just be out $300 with a car you can't get running.

Considering buying a Cat....Opinions Needed

Reply #20 –
Quote from: V8Demon;179675
probably more going on underneath that the seller is unwilling to mention (body rot, etc.,)


likely not located in UofA.  University of Arizona??

That car is prob mint underneath.

Get that car,, if its low miles then you prob hit a gold mine.  My 3.8 has a ton of miles. Just get it running and timing done. 

as for the car / wrenching smarts, just volunteer to help someone out thats doing complicated stuff like rebuilds ect.  Thats where you can pick up on some knowledge.

Ill bet the car has a bad stator down in the dizzy and thats why its out.  They arent too bad to change once you get the roll pin out of the dizzy gear,, and the dizzy gear off.  Ive often wanted to figure out a way to modify this feature as each of us will inherit this problem atleast twice in a 10 year period with aftermarket parts.

Considering buying a Cat....Opinions Needed

Reply #21 –
The guy claims it had a bad "coil" and therefore was replaced. As for the money issue. That's not a problem. I do have something of a beater car to get to work and back, so I can just park the Cougar and slowly work on it.

Yes, it is the University of Arizona, here in Tucson.
<---One must always remember to Remain cool, calm and collected when dealing with your fellow man, especially on the Internet....
-DMC24guy
[/SIZE]

Considering buying a Cat....Opinions Needed

Reply #22 –
Well, I got to inspect the car right now. It's not half bad looking. It has those ugly Road wheels in the front, but a nice set of Turbines in the back.

However, I couldn't get it to start. It would crank over and over, but never start. I checked for Spark at the Distributor, and it was present. Pulled the Air Cleaner off to make sure nothing was wrong up there and it too was fine. I pushed the little valve stem on the Throttle Body and a small trickle of gas came out, no squirt or anything like that. I also noticed that the Gas Gauge was reading at below empty the entire time. Even when I had the ignition in the run position.

The distributor was never actually pulled, just the cap and rotor. The coil was replaced.

So, what are the odds the car is just out of gas? Or Fuel pump is bad? I was figuring it should have fired up seeing as a small trickle of gas came out of the Throttle Body valve stem. Unless the pressure was great enough....
<---One must always remember to Remain cool, calm and collected when dealing with your fellow man, especially on the Internet....
-DMC24guy
[/SIZE]

Considering buying a Cat....Opinions Needed

Reply #23 –
Put some gas in it.

Considering buying a Cat....Opinions Needed

Reply #24 –
Quote from: DMC24guy;179820
I also noticed that the Gas Gauge was reading at below empty the entire time. Even when I had the ignition in the run position.


When it comes to Fox chassis Cougar/Thunderbirds, never rely on the fuel gauge for an accurate reading. I've owned three of these cars so far, and the fuel gauge has worked in exactly zero of them.

Take a gas can with you next time and dump two gallons into the tank. You may consider taking a fuel pressure gauge too. You should be able to thread it onto the schrader valve on the fuel line in the engine bay (if it has one).
How long has it been sitting? The gas may be bunk.
When he pulled the distributor cap, did he pull any of the wires off? I suppose it's possible he stuck them back on in the wrong order.
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]

Considering buying a Cat....Opinions Needed

Reply #25 –
Well, for once in my life, I've decided not to settle. I'm not getting the car. Doing so would once again be selling myself short. What I really want is V8 power, and if It means waiting several more months before someone appears, so be it. I'd rather buy something I'll be happy with, rather than just getting something because it's cheap.
<---One must always remember to Remain cool, calm and collected when dealing with your fellow man, especially on the Internet....
-DMC24guy
[/SIZE]

Considering buying a Cat....Opinions Needed

Reply #26 –
why that cougar is a 3.8? O i thought it was a 5.0.
Just buy a mark!
RIP 1988 and 1990 Lincoln Mark VII LSC
I welcomed the dark side and currently am driving a 2000 Dodge Durango SLT plus, with a 5.9, Code named project "Night Runner"
Shes black on black, fully loaded, with headers, 180 tstat, e fan, straight exhaust into a cherry bomb vortex ler, full tune up, ported intake and T/B, MSD coil, and round aircleaner.
Mods to come: Fully rebuilt and heavily modded 46RE, and a richmond rachet locker.
my $300 beater ;)
R.I.P Kayleigh Raposa 12/18/90 - 2/24/07

Considering buying a Cat....Opinions Needed

Reply #27 –
Trust me, if I had the funds to do so I would. But, you know how that goes. I think I'm going to buy myself a lock box and take out a large sum of money from each paycheck I get until I can afford a v8. It may take a while, but I don't want to make the same mistakes again and again and settle.
<---One must always remember to Remain cool, calm and collected when dealing with your fellow man, especially on the Internet....
-DMC24guy
[/SIZE]

Considering buying a Cat....Opinions Needed

Reply #28 –
Dude it will be WORTH IT. Good move. If the beater's any good on gas you'll save up $$ quicker too! :D Probably will find the 5.0 a lot easier to work on than the 2.3. I gotta hand it to the guys here willing to deal with em. They got a lot more patience than I. I don't think I'd last a day with one! You mention your lack of experience (same boat here) and I'll bet you'll have a better time with the 8.
1987 20th Anniversary Cougar, 302 "5.0" GT-40 heads (F3ZE '93 Cobra) and TMoss Ported H.O. intake, H.O. camshaft
2.5" Duals, no cats, Flowmaster 40s, Richmond 3.73s w/ Trac-Lok, maxed out Baumann shift kit, 3000 RPM Dirty Dog non-lock TC
Aside from the Mustang crinkle headers, still looks like it's only 150 HP...
1988 Black XR7 Trick Flow top end, Tremec 3550
1988 Black XR7 Procharger P600B intercooled, Edelbrock Performer non-RPM heads, GT40 intake AOD, 13 PSI @5000 RPM. 93 octane

Considering buying a Cat....Opinions Needed

Reply #29 –
I used to own one remember? That brown 87?



Probably the biggest mistake I've made to this day was selling that car. I ended up giving some guy $700 PLUS that car for the Black Turbo I used to own. Huge mistake. The only thing wrong was it needed a new Distributor. But being impatient as I am, and not willing to deal with the constant dying-out of the engine everyday on the way to work, I got rid of it. It was probably the easiest car I've worked on.
<---One must always remember to Remain cool, calm and collected when dealing with your fellow man, especially on the Internet....
-DMC24guy
[/SIZE]