I found a blue on blue 1992 Brougham D'Elegance 5.7 for $2700. It has a factory CD which I didn't realize was even available at the time. No rust, last gentleman who owned it passed away, bought by used dealer from widow. Seems like it's in great condition. Had 140,000 miles on her. Not sure if I'm close to needing to rebuild the engine but have friends who will help me if I buy a rebuild kit.

Wish me luck!

Anything I should check when I inspect the vehicle? I've been told there are no leaks, shifts smoothly, drives straight, shocks good, plush interior good -- no tears or stains, all guages work, windows and locks all working, seals and rubber all good, vinyl top is A-1, paint and chrome all good -- no rust, no dents, no evidence of any accident repair, underbody all good.

*crosses fingers*

Oooooooooooh...NICE. =) Things to look for: Blood under the trunk mat. You'd be surprised...

Look for signs of oil on the hood insulation. Could be a sign of past problems with the AC compressor, etc. You probably won't find any, though. Make sure the AC blows cold, check the hoses to see if they're brittle. Is it a reputable dealer? You said, "plush interior." Is it the leather package?

Seems like you have the basics covered. The wildcards are things like brakes, previous history of the car, etc. Seems like the previous owner must have cared for the car or I doubt the interior would be in as good shape and things would be scratched, etc. The price isn't out of line, I think, so if you end up having to invest a few hunderd here or there, it seems worthwhile to me.

That's just my opionion. Looks like you've done about as much as you can at this point.

That's a really good price for it if it's as nice as you said it is. Other then that stuff you said there isn't really anything else to check. Did you look at it? Mine has a CD player too.

Oooooooooooh...NICE. =) Things to look for: Blood under the trunk mat. You'd be surprised...

Look for signs of oil on the hood insulation. Could be a sign of past problems with the AC compressor, etc. You probably won't find any, though. Make sure the AC blows cold, check the hoses to see if they're brittle. Is it a reputable dealer? You said, "plush interior." Is it the leather package?

Seems like you have the basics covered. The wildcards are things like brakes, previous history of the car, etc. Seems like the previous owner must have cared for the car or I doubt the interior would be in as good shape and things would be scratched, etc. The price isn't out of line, I think, so if you end up having to invest a few hunderd here or there, it seems worthwhile to me.

That's just my opionion. Looks like you've done about as much as you can at this point.

Blood under the trunk mat? You think the mafia used to cart away the bodies in the trunk of this car? ;)

I'm not sure what you mean by blood or where exactly to look for it. You mean surface rust?

What kinds of signs would indicate oil? I'm afraid I'm a bit new to checking out cars. This will be my first time.

I'll make sure the A/C blows cold. I'll be checking every knob and window and door.

The interior is not leather. It's that kind of velvet material. I may redo in white leather some day.

The dealer is a bit small. Not selling many that many cars, but it's from a part of the country where people are very friendly and usually honest. But we'll see. That's not always the case. The guy who has been corresponding with me has been quite nice and very forthcoming with information. Sent pics (although they're crap quality) and answered all my questions.

I'm going to check the rad fluid and feel my finger underneath the cap since they may have changed the fluid. Same with the oil cap. Check to see if it's cruddy or in good shape, just to make sure the oil was changed adequately. Even if it wasn't, I'm hoping to rebuild the engine with some friends' help. But it's always nice to know how well a car has been kept. Same goes for brakes, but I'll make sure I can stop easily. Tires need to drive me 1300 miles. After that I'll be putting new rims and tires off my 87 Brougham which has been sitting for 3 years, damaged by some burglars.

Wish me luck! Thanks so much for your helpful advice!!!

The blood comment was a mafia reference, yeah. =P

As for the oil on the hood liner, it'd just look like a blotch, a dark oily kind of stain on the padding. It'd be above the compressor, which is toward the front on the passenger's side. The velour seats are very comfy and hold you firmly in place. They DO tend to collect every bit of dust, though, so a miracle brush is a handy thing to keep in that tiny trunk. Heh

Re-doing the seats in leather will be costly, if you can even find someone to do it. Kits aren't available of which I'm aware and any custom work will cost. You'd think something like that would be easy but places will charge an arm and a leg coz you have very few options at this point. I have the leather in mine, but it's not the delux D'Elegance padded-buttoned leather. I find that I slide around a bit too much for my taste. LOL Maybe I ought to slow down on corners a bit more!

All in all, it seems like a good deal. Is it the 305 or the 350 engine?

The blood comment was a mafia reference, yeah. =P

As for the oil on the hood liner, it'd just look like a blotch, a dark oily kind of stain on the padding. It'd be above the compressor, which is toward the front on the passenger's side. The velour seats are very comfy and hold you firmly in place. They DO tend to collect every bit of dust, though, so a miracle brush is a handy thing to keep in that tiny trunk. Heh

Re-doing the seats in leather will be costly, if you can even find someone to do it. Kits aren't available of which I'm aware and any custom work will cost. You'd think something like that would be easy but places will charge an arm and a leg coz you have very few options at this point. I have the leather in mine, but it's not the delux D'Elegance padded-buttoned leather. I find that I slide around a bit too much for my taste. LOL Maybe I ought to slow down on corners a bit more!

All in all, it seems like a good deal. Is it the 305 or the 350 engine?

I might keep the interior if it's in good shape. Perhaps I'll take some sewing lessons and do it myself if I ever decide to replace the interior. You're right though. I remember my dad's '79 Deville had leather interior. When we got the 87 Brougham with velvet we didn't like it in the beginning because we were used to sliding into the seat when we'd get in or out. The velvet forced us to grab and hope our butts in. For me no prob, but my dad who was beefy found sliding much easier.

As for the engine, I just found out some interesting information. My friend went to check it out and got the VIN for me. He said it looks like it's in factory condition. Awesome paint and the interior, from what he could tell, it great too. He said he'd buy it!!! Small penciltip dent in the hood but he said nobody would ever notice it, but he knows I'm a stickler for detail.

I had a near heart attack because the 8th digit in the VIN was a 7 and I thought "SHIT!" because I though 7 meant 5.0. But 7 means 5.7 engine. Phew!!! Thought the money I spent on a ticket out there was wasted when I found that out!

The place it's being sold is sort of an industrial part of town and my friend had a hard time finding it. Kind of out of the way. I might be able to talk him down a bit but I hate to bargain. If it's the shape my friend says it's in I'll pay him what he wants if it comes to that.

That's a really good price for it if it's as nice as you said it is. Other then that stuff you said there isn't really anything else to check. Did you look at it? Mine has a CD player too.

I've yet to see an ad for a 92 with a CD player. They all seem to have tape. Did the CD players come with both CD and Tape players?

I think the price is good too. I suck a negotiation but will simply ask the lowest price he's willing to sell it. He knows I'll have flown 3 hours to see the car but I won't warn him I'm coming. My friend says it's a bit dirty and needs to be cleaned. I'd rather inspect it dirty. I know it's in good shape as my friend did a thorough inspection.

I'll be looking at it on Tuesday and hopefully have pics to show by the end of next week.

*crosses fingers*

Good luck, I hope it's as good as we all hope it is! I'm looking forward to pix. =)

Good luck, I hope it's as good as we all hope it is! I'm looking forward to pix. =)

No kidding! I trust my friend's first reaction though. He couldn't stop raving about the condition. Except for some surface rust underneath, which is probably normal and if I rustcoat every yearm should be fine.

I'll be sure to post pix!

BY the way, ABS was standard in 1992 Broughams, right?

That's a really good price for it if it's as nice as you said it is.

He's asking $3900 CDN. Noticed you're in Canada. I meant $2700US (with a lower dollar since our dollar is inflated. I think $2700 is a close approximation of what their asking in US dollars.

I've yet to see an ad for a 92 with a CD player. They all seem to have tape. Did the CD players come with both CD and Tape players?

I think the price is good too. I suck a negotiation but will simply ask the lowest price he's willing to sell it. He knows I'll have flown 3 hours to see the car but I won't warn him I'm coming. My friend says it's a bit dirty and needs to be cleaned. I'd rather inspect it dirty. I know it's in good shape as my friend did a thorough inspection.

I'll be looking at it on Tuesday and hopefully have pics to show by the end of next week.

*crosses fingers*

Yeah it has a tape player and the CD player. There doesn't seem to be too many that have both on ebay and in normal ads I don't think you can really tell because a lot of people don't say anything about the radio at all.