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Possibly Buying a 2007 Grand Prix GT

M

MCH86GN

New member
Hi, I'm going to look at and test drive a 2007 Grand Prix GT. My the make and model it is implied that the engine is S3 and is supercharged.

I will be looking at the body and underneath the car, but I want to know if there is anything specific I should be looking for on the car? The car has 87k miles on it and it was used as a daily driver. My intention is to at first use it as a daily driver and then modifying it on the down of the line.

Is there anything listen out for while driving? What all should I inspect? I have never bought a supercharged car before, is there anything to look at on the supercharger itself

From the pictures the car looks to be in good condition, what would be a reasonable price range? Below are some pictures. I still need to check the carfax.

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Look around for leaks or grimy areas before starting. If it works out, it would be nice to have the engine not already warmed up.

Check the all the fluids for proper fill level and cleanliness - oil, coolant, trans fluid (once the everything is warmed up and the test drive is over).

Car should run, shift, and generally drive really solid with 87k. Personally, I'd make sure the test drive is long enough that the trans gets up to around 160-180 and do some hard and normal driving at that temp. That is where they tend to act up.

I think the S3 engine has fewer of the significant "common issues" found on older models.
 
stocker said:
Look around for leaks or grimy areas before starting. If it works out, it would be nice to have the engine not already warmed up.

Check the all the fluids for proper fill level and cleanliness - oil, coolant, trans fluid (once the everything is warmed up and the test drive is over).

Car should run, shift, and generally drive really solid with 87k. Personally, I'd make sure the test drive is long enough that the trans gets up to around 160-180 and do some hard and normal driving at that temp. That is where they tend to act up.

I think the S3 engine has fewer of the significant "common issues" found on older models.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the reply. People in the turbo Buick world have said that the S2/S3 are comparable to Buick's stage 2 3.8L blocks made in the late 70's and 80's. Word is the S2/S3 block is a stage 2 block with a short deck. I have seen Buick's stage 2 3.8L blocks push a full weight Grand National down the 1320 in 7.97s at 176MPH. So that is quite a compliment on the Series II/III blocks.
 
The S2/S3 are pretty much indestructible when tuned right. The trans is where the majority of the issues with this platform lie.
 
nos4blood70 said:
The S2/S3 are pretty much indestructible when tuned right. The trans is where the majority of the issues with this platform lie.
Click to expand...

Tuning is a big part of it. I have an 1986 Grand National, tuning is the key to keeping your engine going. Even running 26lbs of boost doesn't hurt it, if it tuned right.
 


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