Hello forum!

I was hoping that you folks could tell me how the 850 GLT's hold up as time marches on! In particular, the 97 MY GLT with the 190 horse light pressure turbo motor.

Why I ask? I am about to get a 97 850 GLY, 64K miles, and in terrific condition as commuter car. It has been very well maintained by the current owner. My only concern is regarding getting nickled and dimed to death by little issues, and I really have no idea how reliable these cars really are. Price would probably be between $5000 and $6000. There is no hints of rust anywhere, on the body, on the chassis (other than some surface rust on bare metal surfaces underneath, frame is rust free). Currently, all the electricat stuff works, it drives fine, has good pickup, very little body roll in turns, etc.

Am I asking for lots of repair bills with this? Or is it something I should jump at! Just the lack of rust alone makes it appealing, since it is so hard to find a rust free car in Buffalo!

Thanks!!

 

That's too much IMO. I'd say a fair price for that car would be max of $4k.

Little things go wrong, if you can fix them yourself (with this site or others) you will do fine otherwise yes it will feel like you are getting nickled and dimed. In general though the engines and drivetrain such as the transmission hold up very well if treated right. 300k miles isn't unheard of with these cars. They are very easy to fix, I have never ever done brakes on a car and I did front and rears on my 850 without "braking" (haha) anything.

To put it in perspective, mine has 144k on it, engine is great, transmission was abused and not flushed and I'm still on the edge about putting a $2500 transmission in it because I love the car and think it will last another 5-10 years personally.

 

Price is a bit on the high side, but then again, the miles are pretty low. It is overdue for a timing belt change though. They are good for roughly 7 years or about 70K. Timewise alone, if the belt hasn't been changed it is overdue.

300K is achievable with these cars and many have made it. IT all depends on how well it was taken of.

 

Thanks for the thoughts!

The price is a bit high, but the car really is in terrific shape, physically and mechanically. In that regard, I wouldn't mind paying a little more for it since I think it will pay off in the long run with the car holding up better, longer. It also helps that the car is being sold by someone who isn't a complete stranger, and I have a good idea of it's history and feel I can trust the seller (seller is a client of my father's, and also a neighbor of a friend of mine).

I will ask whether the timing belt has been replaced or not. It appears that they have been very meticulous with the maintenance on this car, so they may have had it replaced already. If not, still not a really big deal.

I more or less do all my own maintenance and repair work, so other than the cost for parts it's not a huge expense. My current "summer car" is an 88 Pontiac Fiero with 146K miles on it... and that has given me plenty of practice in turning a few wrenches. My cousin also has a lift in his garage, full tools, and is a heavy truck mechanic, and can help out with anything major.

 

Just for reference, I have a 1993glt which now has a shade over 252,000 miles. I bought it about 2.5 years ago for 1,800 when it had about 190k and have replaced the following:

Strut towers and shocks
Steering rack
Starter
Fuel pump & filter
Upper and Lower ball joints
A/C Compressor & condenser
Front brake calipers
Most all wear parts

I have put a lot of work into her, but since it's my daily driver and I do a LOT of miles, I replaced a few things that didn't NEED to be replaced but were showing wear. I would trust driving this anywhere east of the Rockies. With a little more work, I'd drive it to the west coast.

 

i have a 1993 850, with 319000 miles, it has no rust, and very few problems, i would say that they hold up very well

 

They do hold up. You just need to stay on top of the little things before they become Big Things.

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