Questionim looking for an old car to fix up. im a motorhead when it comes to new cars....there not my style. anyways i see all over Iowa(living) that 1965 2 door buicks are in the 6000$ to 3000$ range, ranging from body to interior and engine. my friends nieghbor offered me his 1965 buick 2 door for 1500$....
he doesn't want it because of non use....waste of fuel. i check everything i knew to check. checked brakes, needs new tires, no leaks in fuel system check fuel pump pressure and even changed the fuel filter for the owner. i had a lot of problems with past cars and fuel systems. regular oil changed every 2000 miles.
1965 buick lasbre
2 door or coupe
430 cubic inch motor
34,000 original miles
automatic 3 speed superglide
minor to medium rust on both quarter panels
interior is awesome
trunk is rusting a tad but will need to replaced in 2 winters
i wanted to know if you have a list i could print out and look over the car before i make an offer on the car?
AnswerGiven the age of the car I would definitely take the differential cover off and check out the insides... although even if its looking rough a new LSD is only about 400 for a good one... might as well take the valve covers off, carb, intake manifold, etc... check to see the condition of the heads, carb, and inspect the engine for cracks in the block. Has it been stored? properly? a 65 with that low of mileage has a high chance of it sitting there for too long without being properly prepped... (you probably knew that) but just keep in mind that means flushing all the fluids (in the engine, and transmission/differential) and replacing all the gaskets (and probably piston rings...) before driving it very far.. as they are likely to be dried up/cracked and no longer working... other than that, and the things you already checked.. inspect more for rust... if it has it in those places... well just make sure there isn't any on the frame... I'd also play around with the tranny (if the car runs), shifting in and out, stop and go... see if you need to rebuild it as well (probably will...)... keep in mind this isn't a car to buy and go driving around in.. if you do you will probably blow something, sitting around is really bad for engines... and driving after it sat around is worse.. the price seems really fair to me on an original mileage motor/block car, remember though you get what you pay for... and a 1500 dollar car from 1965 will be a handful even for a gear head... rebuild that 430, the tranny, and (if needed) replace the diff. and drive it like you stole it. Sounds like a fun car, check to see the condition of the things i mentioned.. (will give you more leverage if they are in bad shape...) You will probably need to replace the carb or atleast rebuild it.. if the heads look bad they can set you back 500-2000 dollars depending on the brand.. and once the lower intake manifold is off make sure you look for cracks... even a used block of that size can cost 500+.... thats about everything I can think of, if you are a gearhead you should be able to get a good feel for the car after checking out all that. Also remember if you really want to drive the car you will want to replace most of the suspension, after that many years all the bearings and bushings need to be thrown out for new... radiator... ignition set up... the list goes on, but its your restore so you know all that, anyways good luck with the car, offer him 1000 see if he bites... you never know!
