So what do YOU think.

Topic: So what do YOU think. (Read 2570 times) previous topic - next topic

So what do YOU think.

October 05, 2008, 09:36:02 AM

So I finally got my drivers license last week. Since then I've been driving my dads(ric/blknredcougar) 1985 cougar xr7 to work and such.
He has been looking for a car for me and he found a 1988 cougar xr7 right down the street from us that is for sale.
The guys asking price is 2495 but he will go down to 2000.
My dad drove it to firehawk to get it checked out and the only problem is a few small rust spots on the passenger side and the radiator hoses are still the original and are starting to leak.
The car has had some body work done to it on the back end and i'm not exactlly sure why.
The owner lives in arizona and is 88 yrs old.
The interior of the car is like almost brand new.
I offered the guy 1800 cash out the door and he put the car in the back for me so no one else can buy it.
The car only has 77k miles on it because the owner has stored it on and off for 18 years.
The owner has spent 2000 on the car repairing the exhaust, etc. as it broke throughout the years which is why he won't go below 2000.
I think thats about it. What do you think about the $200 difference should I go for it or no?
Here are some pictures of the car and rust spots.

So what do YOU think.

Reply #1 – October 05, 2008, 09:41:25 AM

I accidentally posted to of almost the same things except I changed some things sorry!

So what do YOU think.

Reply #2 – October 05, 2008, 09:46:35 AM

that lower seam scares me. its full of filler, and who knows how much rust behind/underneath that.

So what do YOU think.

Reply #3 – October 05, 2008, 10:05:08 AM

Quote from: gumby;238475

that lower seam scares me. its full of filler, and who knows how much rust behind/underneath that.

X 10

So what do YOU think.

Reply #4 – October 05, 2008, 10:07:01 AM

that is not body filler,,
its an option that appeared on many if not all of our cars.

its called scratch guard. When you sand it down for paint work, it appears along the bottom rear as pictured as well as below the doors.

if you feel along the bottom of each side, you will feel a texture such is that of an orange peel. Its normal and nothing to be concerned about.

A lot of people including myself have a hard time getting the lower part of the car to shine due to the not so smooth surface.

nice find,, got interior shots?

that seam looks a little over filled with the bondo type substance called scratch guard,, i honestly dont know if the car was painted or had a minor ding there that was worked out or not. All i can say is what i know about scratch guard and thats what it looks like to me.

So what do YOU think.

Reply #5 – October 05, 2008, 10:23:22 AM

the bottom part has been painted because the innerfenderwell on the front and some over spray on the underside of the car has been painted red.

So what do YOU think.

Reply #6 – October 05, 2008, 10:34:47 AM

I think you should jump all ovar that... 77k....... its still got a long way to go before you have any problems....i have the same car but with a couple extras,,, and she starts right up every day first shot with 140k on it... i think its beautiful....

So what do YOU think.

Reply #7 – October 05, 2008, 12:02:55 PM

wow sam we all wonderd if ud get a cat....and that one looks nice i say go for it just inspect the underside behind the rear window .thats where the rust loves to hide

So what do YOU think.

Reply #8 – October 05, 2008, 12:52:40 PM

yeah.. GET IT! :)

So what do YOU think.

Reply #9 – October 05, 2008, 12:58:36 PM

I dunno... if you look where the seam usually is where the rocker meets the quarter... it's really rather lumpy. And the seam is usually clearly defined and on that car it's quite hard to see. I'm not an expert but I can see there's been some body filler in that car.

So what do YOU think.

Reply #10 – October 05, 2008, 01:05:34 PM

Yea, the seam looks rusted and probably filled and there's only 1 way to really fix that. separate the panels and get rid of the rust.
I've seen that exact same look somewhere.....Hmmm.... I can't remember where, it'll come to me. LOL
The chip guard tends to hide a lot of it.

So what do YOU think.

Reply #11 – October 05, 2008, 08:48:36 PM

Sam, what does your dad say about it?
I mean, seriously, he knows his stuff... you should listen to him on it.

good luck!

And please be careful driving.... I know it's new and exciting but it's a huge responsibility. A very close friend of ours was recently in a head on collision and he lost his life.... he was only 19. Not trying to scare you, but just wanting you to be sure you pay attention and are careful.

So what do YOU think.

Reply #12 – October 05, 2008, 08:57:16 PM

that thing is beautiful!!

So what do YOU think.

Reply #13 – October 05, 2008, 09:29:46 PM

My festiva has a lot of that scratchguard stuff below the beltline. I would however take a much closer look to make sure its not all rusted out in there. Its very possible even with the low miles. My gf's shadow only had 80k on it when we got it, and it looked decent from distance, and is even pretty mint in many spots, but there are certain spots on the car that look like half a million miles. Its a detroit car though...

So what do YOU think.

Reply #14 – October 05, 2008, 11:35:56 PM

Open the door and have your dad try to squeeze the rockers from inside the door jamb to underneath the rocker. if you can flex the metal at all anywhere underneath along the rocker, don't buy it.
Same with the door bottoms, and the bottom of the trunk area.

paint usually bubbles that bad on a wheelwell when rust has been filled and painted over.

Check it out good before you agree to anything.