Looking for advice

[78F350]

Originally Posted by DFromC

I searched a ton. A lot of good info. No need to get testy.

If I understand Canadian customs correctly, Mark_T has offended you and is now obligated to take you out to Timmy's and make reparations. Have him let you drive his car.

Other than the IMS, are there other things I should be looking for over and above basic cosmetic appearance?

Like any 10+ year old used car, some are good, some are bad. If you are not familiar with them, hire a professional to do a pre-purchase inspection.

I generally buy them wrecked or highly depreciated at my own risk. I enjoy doing most of my own work, short of machine shop stuff. Competent shops that work on these cars charge a bit over $100/hour for labor and will not discount your parts. That makes a big difference in whether a problem is cheap or expensive to fix.

Very common problems:
-Missing/broken plastic panels on the undercarriage.
-Malfunctioning windows.
-Airbag system failure (most commonly seat belt wiring).
-Horn contact failure.
-Water pump failure.
-Coolant expansion tank (or cap) leak.
-Brake wear.
-Uneven tire wear.
-Worn suspension parts - rear trailing arms especially.
-Broken parts in the top mechanism - gears, cables, and linkage.
-Blocked drains. Leads to: Wet padding under carpet, failed immobilizer box, corrosion inside brake booster, and more.
-S models commonly have a problem with 2nd gear pop-out
-Spark plug tubes leak. (1997-2002)
-Alternator bearings/idler pulleys seize.
-The Air Oil Separators fail internally and dump oil directly into the intake.

Those are just some of the most common, easy to fix things that I have found on my cars. There's plenty more scary stuff that is less common:
-Failed hydraulic lifters.
-Bad chain tensioners.
-Sheared crankshaft.
-Oil pump failures.
-VarioCam actuator failure.
-Connecting rod bolt failure.
-Rear main seal failure.
Most of these can lead to a repair cost of thousands of dollars (or Very Many thousands of Canadian dollars).

My advice: Buy one that looks pretty and drive it hard. Consider your money gone. For me, it somehow worked out better than my investment in the Oil and Gas industry.