2000geezer

HI,

i'm seeing a 2000 GSR with 180K miles on it...should i buy it for 4.5K?

supposedly, it's mostly freeway miles but i wouldn't know....

what are some of the critical things i should be looking for?

Thanks for your help guys!

ReaperOne

If you are gonna pay 4.5k for it, you should be looking into everything. . .

Start off with the title. Is it a clean title or is it salvaged. . .

As far as the mileage, 180 is not that bad, the average person drives 15k a year and a heavy driver does about 20k, so it is in the middle as it should have between 150 and 200k on it, so 180 is about right( I have a 96 sedan and it had 157k before I swapped engines). . .

Check maintenance on it, service records to ensure that it was taken care of and if they don't have them see if you can take it to a mechanic to have it checked out to make sure you wont have issues after you buy it. . .

Is it clean inside and is the body in good shape or is it all dinged and dented in spots. . .

does everything on it work, windows roll up and down, sun/moonroof opens and closes, cruise control works(if it has it), no Check Engine Light or SRS or ABS stay on after car is running. . .

You basically want to look at everything you can think of, because you are about to spend your hard earned cash on it, so you dont want to inherit someones problem car. . . Why is it being sold? ect. . .

That's what I would look into and if all of that checks out and you like the car, then get it and enjoy it. . .

Lynxs1981

Reaper is spot on. Take it to a good mechanic and have them give it a go over. They usually charge a few $ for it, but it's well worth it to be sure. Definitely have them to a compression, leak down test on it. That will tell you what shape the motor is in. You can take a look at the tranny fluid yourself, just to get an idea of it's conditon, black or visible metal flakes is always a concern.

Line7

Make sure you know whether its been in an accident. You can run your fingers on edges of the fenders/hood and feel any overspray. Factory painted parts would feel smooth.

2000geezer

Thank you for all your help.

I did decide to pick it up...4K cash.

The vehicle has a clean title, and the first owner who drove it for 170K has done an outstanding job recording every maintenance record.

The exterior is very decent (repainted but matching vin to all parts) and the interior was flawless.

I did confront about the radio and clock being resetted (guessing for CEL light) but in the end, i did understand why she did turn it off... i think this motor burns oil (planned to get new motor anyways, but hopefully not too soon)
IT also has the abs lights on, but the brakes feel pretty new... the car drives very well, shifts well, no grinds... very clean and 100% stock! just lowered...

Is abs light important? and is my CEL problem worth fixing it?

Thanks again guys!

Lynxs1981

You should have had the codes checked before you bought it. ABS can be an expensive fix, and cars don't throw CEL's for burning oil, you have another issue going on.

ReaperOne

ABS could be an issue, but it also could be do the car being lowered. My ABS light comes on when it wants too, but does not effect the way the brakes work. It is also something that just started with my 96 sedan, so will be looking into it soon, but I wouldn't worry too much about it right off.

As far as the CEL, I have to agree with Lynxs1981. . . you should have had that checked before you bought the car. . . It comes on for various reasons and some not too serious(mine comes on every other day, because I'm running too rich, but I turn it off with my scanner), but if you don't know why then it could be a serious problem, should really get it checked out. . .

2000geezer

Well i stupidly resetted the engine light and wont' come on for me to check, but saw some sign of leakage from the head. I was told it's probably the head gasket, and that i need to take everything apart...

If i supplied the parts, how much would a fair person charge for labor only at a shop?

I'm thinking while i'm at it, i put some upgrades, or type R stuff in it... any suggestions? or would the cheapest way be to just swap it with a good gsr head?

Thank you!

ReaperOne

Well if the light doesn't come back on, then it is not a serious problem. . . If its serious, the CEL will come right back on no matter how many times you reset to turn it off, so If it is a big problem , you will have a chance to check it out as the CEL will be back. . .

As far as the leakage, what was it and where was it coming from? ? ? Replacing a head gasket is a decent amount of work, so be sure that is what the problem is before you do it. . . Just make sure everything is tight. . .

As for the cost, you would have to ask a shop. . . I'm a craigslister myself, found a good mechanic that adjusted my timing and did a valve adjustment for $50, then realized I forgot to put the camshaft seals in and oil got on my timing belt. . . He came back and took everything apart to change my timing belt and pretty much re-did all the work from the previous day as well as put in the seals for another $50. . . I ended up giving him $140 total just because I saw it was a lot of work for what he was charging, but I have not had a problem with his work at all. . .

Just to change the head gasket, you have to remove the head, which is a bitch and once you have it off, you should take it to get a valve job done.

Upgrades for the head are Camshafts, Cam gears, Stems and retainer springs(some say stems are optional as the stock ones work fine), but if you plan to change any of those, buy them and have the shop put them in along with the valve job, because the head has to be off to change the springs.

not sure the difference from GSR to Type-R in the head, but aftermarket like crower camshafts and AEM gears are not hard to find as Type-R stuff is kinda hard to get and will run you about the same, but will be used. . . aftermarket will be new and if you are in California they will come with the C.A.R.B. sticker. . .

Lynxs1981

The only real difference, other than cams, is the ITR head has a mild hand port done to it.