Just trying to make the notice at the top of my screen go away....
Picked up my first W-Body the other day, a 1998 Regal GS fully decked out in grandpa blue interior and exterior. Indeed I did get it for $400 and there is literally nothing wrong with it. It has 86,702 miles on it and runs like a dream. It has the slightest seep from the front side VC gasket but the guy said it was covered under recall, he just never had the time to bring it to a dealer. The interior is close to cherry and the exterior is in pretty decent shape. The only major blemish is right up front, someone backed into him in a parking lot and took off. Dented the hood and cracked the bumper as seen in the picture, also there's a dent in the drivers side fender that's not even creased, I could probably pop it out by breathing heavy on it.
How did I get it for such a cheap price? Well I started my new job as a garbage man in August and on my third day at the last stop of the day I saw a blue GS sitting in someones driveway with no plates on it. I asked the guy I was riding with how long it had been there with no plates, he said about a month. It stuck in my head and I thought about it every week driving by there on Mondays so finally about the middle of September I left a note on the front door of their house saying I was interested in buying the car, not really expecting to get it, just testing the waters I guess.
After a month and a half of no response I finally stopped by on a Monday when I knew someone was home and knocked on the door. He explained to me that it was his kids car and he couldn't put a price on it or if it was for sale. I left my cell number just in case....
Finally last Friday I got a call from a number I didn't know and it was the guy I spoke to's son calling me about the Regal. He said his dad was kinda getting on his ass for it sitting in the driveway for so long, I asked him what was wrong with it and he told me he has no idea and I'd have to talk to his dad. So I tell him I'm coming by Monday to check it out, still not even expecting it to be under $2000 even with a blown tranny.
I get there Monday afternoon and it's got a dead battery (to be expected) and other than that, clean inside and under the hood. He starts it up and it's quiet as all hell, no engine noise, belt squeal or anything. In my mind, the price (which I don't know at the time) is going up with everything that's NOT wrong with it. I was trying to dog it a little but couldn't find anything wrong. I asked him how many miles and when he said 86,000 the price went through the roof and I kinda stopped inspecting the car in full detail and was just getting info out of him. Routine oil changes, it has BRAND new, less than 1 mile tires on it and all sorts of things to drive the price crazy in my head.
Turns out the dad gave the car to his kid, who had enough money to put tires on it but not register it....And never got around to doing it.
So I peeked my head inside, didn't even SIT in it and finally popped the question. The conversation went something like this:
Me - "So...Who do I talk to about price?"
The Dad - "Well, it's still in my name but I gave it to him....We've talked it over and decided well you know with the new tires we're looking for about 4..."
(I was about ready to walk away at this point)
The Dad - "Four Hundred. Just to recoup the money for the new tires and cut our losses."
(Inside I shat myself with surprise...Outside I was stone cold!)
Me - "Sounds fair....I can get the money to you tomorrow night."
After we set up a time for me to get there I got back in my Blazer, started it up and just put my head down and had a HUGE grin on my face after holding it in for 5 minutes. As I pulled out of the driveway and down the road I began laughing my balls off and calling all my friends who would answer and told them I just rolled this dude hard and got the steal of the decade.
Went back the next night, got my documents, handed his kid $400 faster than I've ever given someone money before, slapped on a license plate and drove it 12 miles home.
Verdict? It runs and drives perfect. Can't feel the shifts at all in normal acceleration and it performed flawless when I went WOT. Braked fine, handled fine, all lights work, auto climate control works, sunroof works... EVERYTHING WORKS. There is not a single thing wrong with the car besides the body damage, seeping VC gasket and the need for a battery.
Hands down best $400 I've ever spent and I can't wait to pay the devil...Er, DMV the money I owe them for when AIG boned me and get this beast up and running legally!
Anyways, helluva first post, I tend to get long winded at times.
I only have two pics I took real quick today when I was picking up my neighhbors trash and here they are. I am seriously debating whether or not to even fix the damage or leave it as part of the sleeper status of the car.
Originally Posted by SuperSport
Good steal!
