How much $ would it cost me to have someone else saying bad words instead of me? :p

Call around, it's a pretty standard job that any VW specialist would be able to give an quick quote on, sight unseen. On some VWs you can remove the axle from the inner flange by just unbolting it and wiggling it out, on others you need to pop the lower ball joint to get the axle out far enough to drop out from the flange

Oh and hey... if it's had a tranny leak, you'll want to make sure that 5th is engaging properly.

If it's been low on oil, 5th gear will be the first to show problem. It'll get noisy, then pop right out of gear, and if it's ignored will cook the bearings and synchros. Again, ask me how I know

Dammit- now you are making me nervous.

Jeeze no, I wouldn't be.

I cooked my 5th by putting 30k kms on it AFTER it started leaking, and was less than vigilant about keeping it topped up. Your car looks pampered.

Just something worth checking out if it's been leaking from the flange seal.

OK- how can I make it do this?

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Be cheaper to just buy that one.

OK- so, I was going to run a carfax... and then I saw that its like $30. Then I got thinking, hell- a ppi would probably be $150 or so. How does a person arrange a remote ppi? I'd like to get it done before end of week, so any advice is greatly appreciated.

I would just talk to local shops and whichever one sounds the best see if the car owner will run the car over and drop it off. He does not need to stay and then have them seal the report in an envelope and give you a call about any issues. Then he can go get his ride back. You just dont want him to be there to influence the judgement of the mechanic.

Do you do your own a/c work? Guy sounds like he took care of all the easy jobs and has the PITA stuff left to do. To get the a/c fixed with a warranty is always $1500.

George

$1500?! Geez, that's a buzzkill... then again, that's why I asked.

If it were "just the expansion valve", that owner would have replaced it. I bet money more than that is not right. A good a/c shop will replace a bunch of stuff to make sure you are not back the next week. New expansion valve and dryer, bunch of seals, some hoses. I saw you were in Miami - hence I figured, you may want the a/c to work.

I usually sell my cheap cars when the a/c goes. I am much like that seller. I like the easy stuff and things that I can do myself. a/c isn't on the list.

George

I repaired the A/C in our Saturn myself, it needed a condenser and a dryer. I think total parts cost was $250 and another $100 to service the A/C. You never know with a car that age though.

Fact of the matter is, I don't have the facilities to work on a car, and probably won't for another few years. I'd be paying a shop for all work besides things that I could do in a couple of hours in my parking garage (apartment building, won't take kindly to my car being up on blocks for days at a time).

I guess I just got excited about what seemed like a good deal, and probably is, but not for me if its going to cost me another $2500 to keep it on the road. I mean, hell, that's getting into Porsche territory.

The downsides of VWs have been thoroughly discussed in the "other" thread. Here's an upside: You'd be really surprised how much you can do on an a1/a2 VW "in a couple hours". Seriously. Even the A/C stuff, if you get the dye and pressure tested it, could probably be traced pretty quickly. I wouldn't be be discouraged by the A/C... chances are if you find an older car with working A/C, it'll need work anyway. Might as well start from scratch, and you've got all winter to troubleshoot it.

I think it could make a fun DD... I'd be tempted to get a PPI before ruling it out.

What are your alternatives?

There's a lot of low-mileage buicks in up in Boca. Not exactly what I want, but I guess I'm not in a "get what I want" stage of life.

Let me ask this another way- all things held equal, would a scirocco be more or less reliable than a 944 or 951? I mean, hell, if I'd be dealing with the same degree of reliability, I may as well go for the gusto.

I tried googling about shops in the Manning, S.C. area for a PPI, and that seems a bit futile. Would a dealership provide a decent PPI?

Not true. Plenty of old cars out there with good original a/c. I'd buy something more modern, with 134, an air bag and ABS. Usually 95+.

The 944 is cheap enough to buy but just as pricey to maintain as a 911. I'd stay away from that.

George

If you can't/don't want to DIY, it's insane to buy any old German car. Don't buy one expecting it to be Toyota reliable, you'll regret it. Even the most over-maintained German car will need more maintenance/repair than anything from Japan, or even America.

But a Buick?! WTF? Seriously, theres a lot of semi-amusing cars that can be bought for $4k or so that will be reliable. Nissan Maxima, Nissan 240SX, Toyota MR2, Honda CRX, Honda Prelude, Acura Integra, Ford Focus, Mazda Protege. That's just a quick list.

If I didn't need a sedan, I'd look for a 240SX with a quality SR20DET swap. I've seen a few that look well-done (not rice) for under $5k. For that money you get a fast, decent looking, reliable, and RWD car. My S13 240SX was a blast stock, I can't imagine it with an extra 100 HP. I beat the hell out of it for 50k miles and it just kept going.

The problem with the Japanese options is the ricing. At my price point, they are all completely trashed. I finally thought I had found a Prelude for $8k, which is way over my budget but it looked nice. That was, until I did some digging and found the seller's website showing him replacing the engine. He never mentioned that in his ad, so I passed.

240sx would be awesome. If you can find me one that doesn't say the word "drift" in the ad I will be shocked.

I am just very frustrated- here's the kind of stuff I typically read in virtually every ad:

1. After listing 25 "JDM" parts, they will mention that it has a slight starting problem
2. "4th gear doesn't work, just shift from 3rd to 5th lolz!"
3. After showing the car and listing all the parts, "Doesn't include seats or wheels, will put stock exhaust back on, will include spare engine"
4. "Show Car". Show cars are generally painted and free of rust.

Arrrrg!!!!! If only I had money.




And it seems that engine swaps inevitably result in no air conditioning.

Buicks are junk. I would buy a Crown Vic. Low miles w/ all records from senior citizen.

Just my two cents.

George