Fixin' to go look at a '90 Brougham 5.7, anything to look out for?

[My_favorite_Brougham]

I'm heading out to look at a nice white 1990 Brougham d'Elegance with the 350 in it. Should I be on the lookout for anything in particular? This car might have high miles, so it there anything that would pose a problem b/c of miles? Or at what mileage should I simply say "no thank you"?

I intend to take an OBD1 scanner with me to pull any codes if necessary. (any to look out for?) I can usually tell if a car is decent just by driving it and getting a feel for power, acceleration, shifting, and general tightness. I know what to look out for in Olds motors, but I've never had in-depth experience with a Chevy RWD motor like this. Should I look in specific places for indication of leaks, etc.?

Thanks in Advance,
Greg

Here it is:

(p.s. I'd tear those donuts off in a heart beat!)

[caddeville89]

I'm no pro, but I'd say watch out for the transmission. Most mechanics I've talked to say that the 700-R-4 is the worst transmission ever. I had to replace mine shortly after getting my 90 with 150K on it. It's not cheap to replace either. I ended up going with a Turbo 300. I see you are in Texas, so rust probably isn't a problem, unless it was imported. Anyway, you probably know more about this stuff than I do, but thought I'd put in my input. Good luck!

[My_favorite_Brougham]

Okay, I'll keep a close watch on how the tranny does.

[1990CaddyBrougham]

with those ass golf cart radials on it id be on the look out for other ass add ons.

And hopefully it has a full tank of gas

[My_favorite_Brougham]

Eh, well I didn't get it. It ran fine and you could eat off the engine bay, but it had absolutely no coolant in the reservoir. And the dealer started it up BEFORE we had a chance to look down in the radiator. So I bet it needed a new radiator or water pump or something like that. Also the tranny shifted rough at lower speeds, which scared me. Also the white paint was completely oxidized and the gold was faded and crappy. Also the headliner was MISSING, and there were small strange rusty dents in a couple places like the b-pillar and stuff. Radio worked nice, but the antenna was a joke. And there was a crack in the dash.

Another thing. It was a d'Elegance, and yet it felt smaller inside than my previous (non-d'E) '90 had been. Maybe it's just been a while... or that cheap tint job. Oh yeah, and the brakes pulled to the left, and the light came on, so it would definitely need whole new brakes all the way around.

So I passed. Thanks for the input, guys!

Greg

[My_favorite_Brougham]

And ya know, that 350 didn't feel too different than the 305s I have test drove. They're both wonders above the Olds 307, so maybe I'll be open to more 5.0 cars. Thoughts?

[96Fleetwood]

Drive both the 305 and 350 back to back and you will see the difference.

My brother has his '92 d'Elegance back on eBay, but it is all the way in Virginia or I would tell you to buy it.