Buying a car but...

Mike · Post by **Mike** » Thu Apr 17, 2008 6:15 pm

Well It's a Pontiac Firebird '88. Kind of old but its the car I wanted for a while now and I found one that this lady around my way is selling for 400. Here is the catch, It has NOS inside of it. I was wondering do you guys think it will pass inspection? i don't want to buy a car and can't use it.

casualsax3 · Post by **casualsax3** » Thu Apr 17, 2008 7:01 pm

Run away from the car. Buying an 88 car with nitrous is a *pretty* good indication that the previous owner may have beat the shit out of it.

Post by **grinvader** » Thu Apr 17, 2008 7:30 pm

lol nos

alexz721 · Post by **alexz721** » Thu Apr 17, 2008 8:18 pm

I suddenly have the urge to play Super Off Road.

Mike · Post by **Mike** » Fri Apr 18, 2008 3:32 am

So don't buy it?

Gil_Hamilton · Post by **Gil_Hamilton** » Fri Apr 18, 2008 3:57 am

Mike wrote:So don't buy it?

No, I think that was actually a resounding endorsement of it.

It's black, right?

Mike · Post by **Mike** » Fri Apr 18, 2008 5:08 am

It's red. Tell me if you guys think it will pass inspection. I mean that was the original question.

casualsax3 · Post by **casualsax3** » Fri Apr 18, 2008 5:18 am

Is nitrous illegal in your state? Where do you live?

Mike · Post by **Mike** » Fri Apr 18, 2008 5:23 am

I think it is actually but I'm not sure. I live in NY BTW.

Gil_Hamilton · Post by **Gil_Hamilton** » Fri Apr 18, 2008 5:28 am

Mike wrote:It's red.

Pass.
If you can't drive down the freeway pretending you're in Knight Rider, what good is it?

Mike · Post by **Mike** » Fri Apr 18, 2008 5:32 am

Gil, I'm being serious dude. I was planning on getting it a paint job anyway. I do want it to be black.

Rashidi · Post by **Rashidi** » Fri Apr 18, 2008 5:40 am

any pics of it (exterior, interior, etc...) ?
i also curious if the car can pass as "kngiht rider" stuff

Mike · Post by **Mike** » Fri Apr 18, 2008 5:47 am

Na no picture, I will get some soon. I worried about the Nos mostly though.

Gil_Hamilton · Post by **Gil_Hamilton** » Fri Apr 18, 2008 7:05 am

Mike wrote:Gil, I'm being serious dude.

Then casualsax has already said everything that needs saying. It's an old car that's been abused.

Mike · Post by **Mike** » Fri Apr 18, 2008 7:08 am

Mileage is pretty good though. I don't know I guess I will think about it.

kevman · Post by **kevman** » Fri Apr 18, 2008 8:34 pm

Why wouldn't it pass inspection with NOS?

Oh, no reason. That's right. NOS without the button pushed is like no NOS at all.

You can even take it out if you want; just put plugs in the nozzle inputs on the intake manifold.

If you're worried about emissions, they don't run the NOS when doing an emissions inspection. If they did other things to the car, though (like rip out the catalytic converter), then it might not.

The engine might indeed be beat. But it could have been beaten without NOS.

Taking it to the track once or twice a year is not that hard on a large, underpowered engine like a Trans Am's. Driving like a moron all the time, launching out of red lights, is. And NOS isn't a good indicator of that.

adventure_of_link · Post by **adventure_of_link** » Fri Apr 18, 2008 10:19 pm

Obtain the VIN (usually found on the dashboard on the driver's side near the windshield, or on the car's registration ticket/title) of the car and go here:
http://www.carfax.com

GO THERE (assuming you have a debit or credit card with ~$25 on it) AND LOOK UP THE HISTORY REPORT OF YOUR CAR. it's better to waste $25 on the history report and know what the vehicle has been through rather than spend $400 on a (possible) lemon with A LOT of faults.

that said, I recommend getting Progressive Auto insurance as well. Good rates and coverage, even though I'm 22 and only had one wreck. (I checked there before and after my wreck, my insurance quote only went up by $10. pfft.) Speaking of insurance, a paint job may do it good, as a red colored car is higher to insure.

also, get one of those velocity air filters (the ones shaped like a cone) and have someone install it. you'll get better gas mileage, and even a few more horsepower.

And Mike, how many miles does the car have? it's usually good for the car to have on average about 12,000 to 15,000 miles a year.

One last thing, go to a reputable and reliable garage or mechanic and ask him to do a 30 point inspection on the vehicle as well to see just how much needs to be repaired/replaced/maintained.

casualsax3 · Post by **casualsax3** » Fri Apr 18, 2008 10:33 pm

Where in NY? Laws vary by county here. Rensselaer and Albany don't even have emissions, for example.

Gil_Hamilton · Post by **Gil_Hamilton** » Sat Apr 19, 2008 5:42 am

adventure_of_link wrote:Speaking of insurance, a paint job may do it good, as a red colored car is higher to insure.

It'll also save you money. Red cars are more likely to get pulled over for speeding.

Tallgeese · Post by **Tallgeese** » Sat Apr 19, 2008 7:27 am

...Why is that?

Has warhammer infected the brains of traffic agents?

Gil_Hamilton · Post by **Gil_Hamilton** » Sat Apr 19, 2008 7:47 am

Metatron wrote:...Why is that?

Has warhammer infected the brains of traffic agents?

A. Red is really visible.
B. Throttle-happy retards tend to buy red more than other people, so the cops just assume you're a throttle-happy retard if you drive red.

darkbenny · Post by **darkbenny** » Sat Apr 19, 2008 12:09 pm

Don't buy the car unless you have a friend check out the mechanics. In my experience, 400 dollar cars can end up costing many times over what you initially paid (in terms of parts and labor) to pass a safety or to just keep the damn thing running.

adventure_of_link · Post by **adventure_of_link** » Sat Apr 19, 2008 12:53 pm

Gil_Hamilton wrote:B. Throttle-happy retards tend to buy red more than other people, so the cops just assume you're a throttle-happy retard if you drive red.

I always thought it was because red cars were more likely to get stolen

whicker · Post by **whicker** » Sat Apr 19, 2008 7:19 pm

darkbenny wrote:Don't buy the car unless you have a friend check out the mechanics. In my experience, 400 dollar cars can end up costing many times over what you initially paid (in terms of parts and labor) to pass a safety or to just keep the damn thing running.

Upon trying to sell my car a few years back, I loved this sentiment and how openly hostile people were.

Yay, let's say you buy a $400 car. You "unfortunately" end up paying 4 times over the price of the car in repairs. You still only paid $2000.

Now go to a used car lot. You're not going to find anything drivable and "recommended" until up at about $5500, unless you've got connections. And even if everything on the inspection list is OK, who knows WTF is going to happen 5 miles down the road when you drive it off the lot.

darkbenny · Post by **darkbenny** » Sun Apr 20, 2008 3:11 pm

whicker wrote:
darkbenny wrote:Don't buy the car unless you have a friend check out the mechanics. In my experience, 400 dollar cars can end up costing many times over what you initially paid (in terms of parts and labor) to pass a safety or to just keep the damn thing running.
Upon trying to sell my car a few years back, I loved this sentiment and how openly hostile people were.

Yay, let's say you buy a $400 car. You "unfortunately" end up paying 4 times over the price of the car in repairs. You still only paid $2000.

Now go to a used car lot. You're not going to find anything drivable and "recommended" until up at about $5500, unless you've got connections. And even if everything on the inspection list is OK, who knows WTF is going to happen 5 miles down the road when you drive it off the lot.

You must have some pretty shady used car dealers in your area.

The point I was trying to make for Mike, is that a 400 dollar car is seldom really a 400 dollar car, and that it is foolhardy to buy an automobile at any cost if you don't know jack shit about the mechanics.

I researched for 6 months before buying my 1994 Golf III a few years back and found out all I could about the model before I was willing to lay down any cash. I looked at a few, had them checked mechanically, before settling of one via a private sale (no dealer). So far so good.