Alright, here's the deal. A bit long, so bear with me.
Found a guy selling an '82 Coupe DeVille. Silver with red vinyl interior, sedan top. It has 97,000 miles on it, starts right up; brakes, tranny, suspension all feel good, and the fluids aren't leaking (it does need an oil change). The power options work, cruise control and climate control work, radio is an aftermarket cassette radio that sounds fine, though I would consider finding an original if possible. The exhaust system is fairly new, within the last couple of years I'd say. Good tires.
Here's the problems:
-Needs paint. The whole car is faded, but not rusty other than a couple of spots.
-Needs quarter panel extensions (the plastic filler between the tail lights and the chassis).
-Dent on the driver side just behind the door, fairly large one (about 5 inches across, maybe two inches deep)
-Needs a grill.
-Needs one reverse light.
-The vinyl seats have splits in them.
-Cieling is sagging slightly.
Now, here is where it gets more complex for me. The engine is a 4.1 liter v8, the HT-4100. I've been researching it and... well, I'm not pleased. As far as I can tell, the guy's grandfather drove this car around by himself, so it probably was never under a lot of stress. I've been reading that this engine struggles under load (six people in the car), which is a very likely situation if I buy it.
The guy is asking $800 negotiable.
Is the engine as troublesome as I've read? The wikipedia article highlighted overheating and subsequent manifold gasket problems (I encountered the latter on my '97 LeSabre). If the gasket has been replaced, is there still a potential problem? Also, if the engine is rebuilt (forgot to ask the guy), is it any better?
Found a guy selling an '82 Coupe DeVille. Silver with red vinyl interior, sedan top. It has 97,000 miles on it, starts right up; brakes, tranny, suspension all feel good, and the fluids aren't leaking (it does need an oil change). The power options work, cruise control and climate control work, radio is an aftermarket cassette radio that sounds fine, though I would consider finding an original if possible. The exhaust system is fairly new, within the last couple of years I'd say. Good tires.
Here's the problems:
-Needs paint. The whole car is faded, but not rusty other than a couple of spots.
-Needs quarter panel extensions (the plastic filler between the tail lights and the chassis).
-Dent on the driver side just behind the door, fairly large one (about 5 inches across, maybe two inches deep)
-Needs a grill.
-Needs one reverse light.
-The vinyl seats have splits in them.
-Cieling is sagging slightly.
Now, here is where it gets more complex for me. The engine is a 4.1 liter v8, the HT-4100. I've been researching it and... well, I'm not pleased. As far as I can tell, the guy's grandfather drove this car around by himself, so it probably was never under a lot of stress. I've been reading that this engine struggles under load (six people in the car), which is a very likely situation if I buy it.
The guy is asking $800 negotiable.
Is the engine as troublesome as I've read? The wikipedia article highlighted overheating and subsequent manifold gasket problems (I encountered the latter on my '97 LeSabre). If the gasket has been replaced, is there still a potential problem? Also, if the engine is rebuilt (forgot to ask the guy), is it any better?