Hey guys, this is a follow up from a previous post of mine that I tried unsuccessfully to restart. My friends son is still looking for a car, and he found a 1996 Corsica 3.1L for $1400, 163K, clean title. Is this a good deal? No rust either, very surprising. Thanks
Follow up first car question
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In that price range anything that runs well, shifts well, drives straight, and stops ok is going to be fine. When I bought my Saturn I drove so many $3k cars that were going to need work to keep running. When I drove the Saturn it was so obvious compared to the others that it was in great shape.
I would look really hard at the belts and hoses, all fluids, and look under the oil cap. That should at least tell you if the previous owner took care of it.
I would look really hard at the belts and hoses, all fluids, and look under the oil cap. That should at least tell you if the previous owner took care of it.
they are good cars
JHZR2
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Probably that price because it's a 90's GM. Doesnt mean anything bad.
I knew a girl that had the olds version of that car with crazy high mileage.
The 3.1 could have leaky gaskets, but with that mileage, probably no big deal/replaced.
IMO any used car should have a budget of $1-2k for repairs and upkeep. You can almost guarantee a need for tires, some pm, brakes, radiator, etc. will be needed at some point before too long...
I knew a girl that had the olds version of that car with crazy high mileage.
The 3.1 could have leaky gaskets, but with that mileage, probably no big deal/replaced.
IMO any used car should have a budget of $1-2k for repairs and upkeep. You can almost guarantee a need for tires, some pm, brakes, radiator, etc. will be needed at some point before too long...
one of those was my first car ('94 model w/ 4cyl i think..) the one thing i remember is it was one of the best snow handling vehicles(all FWD sedans) i've had. thing was like a tank in the deep snow. never got stuck.
Originally Posted By: renegade_987
he found a 1996 Corsica 3.1L for $1400, 163K, clean title. Is this a good deal? No rust either, very surprising. Thanks
The 3.1L is good engine and will run a long time if maintained.
The weak spot is the lower intake manifold gaskets and the resulting Dex-cool sludge mess that can result when they fail, and they will.
Carefully check the condition of the cooling system, a low or empty overflow tank and/or sludged coolant probably means a leaking LIM. Also, look inside the valve cover area and under the oil fill cap area for signs of coolant contamination. Ask if the LIM gaskets have ever been replaced, if not budget $700-800 for the repair.
Also, the transmissions can fail, check the condition of the transmission fluid and how it behaves, especially when cold. A rebuilt trans could run $1500-1700. A/C could be be on its last legs as well if so equipped.
It could be a good deal, but it may need some work put into, not necessarily a deal breaker it he can run it a few years, but you don't want to get stuck with money pit either.
he found a 1996 Corsica 3.1L for $1400, 163K, clean title. Is this a good deal? No rust either, very surprising. Thanks
The 3.1L is good engine and will run a long time if maintained.
The weak spot is the lower intake manifold gaskets and the resulting Dex-cool sludge mess that can result when they fail, and they will.
Carefully check the condition of the cooling system, a low or empty overflow tank and/or sludged coolant probably means a leaking LIM. Also, look inside the valve cover area and under the oil fill cap area for signs of coolant contamination. Ask if the LIM gaskets have ever been replaced, if not budget $700-800 for the repair.
Also, the transmissions can fail, check the condition of the transmission fluid and how it behaves, especially when cold. A rebuilt trans could run $1500-1700. A/C could be be on its last legs as well if so equipped.
It could be a good deal, but it may need some work put into, not necessarily a deal breaker it he can run it a few years, but you don't want to get stuck with money pit either.
Originally Posted By: earlyre
one of those was my first car ('94 model w/ 4cyl i think..) the one thing i remember is it was one of the best snow handling vehicles(all FWD sedans) i've had. thing was like a tank in the deep snow. never got stuck.
I had a 94 Olds Achieva with the 3.1 for my first car. It was indeed great in snow. As a 16 year old, I made some really dumb calla nut never got it stuck.
one of those was my first car ('94 model w/ 4cyl i think..) the one thing i remember is it was one of the best snow handling vehicles(all FWD sedans) i've had. thing was like a tank in the deep snow. never got stuck.
I had a 94 Olds Achieva with the 3.1 for my first car. It was indeed great in snow. As a 16 year old, I made some really dumb calla nut never got it stuck.
I'd be all over that if it's in good shape. A 3100/4T60 drivetrain will live a long time with a little preventative maintenance.
Forgot to mention, the 3.1L gets very good gas mileage as well.
crown vic or mercury grand marquis are great cars that can run forever...But the 3.1 can run forever also i have seen them with 300+ some had bad fuel injectors
If the car is in good shape,starts first turn,and no puff of smoke at start up I say go for it.
Originally Posted By: JHZR2
IMO any used car should have a budget of $1-2k for repairs and upkeep. You can almost guarantee a need for tires, some pm, brakes, radiator, etc. will be needed at some point before too long...
That's a very important point. Nobody should buy a used car in this price range expecting it not to need work. If they don't have money budgeted for repairs, they're going to get themselves into trouble and the car will go downhill.
He better not blow the repair budget on a stereo or a paint job.. or A/C. That money should be set aside for things that matter, especially early on. When he finds out the radiator leaks or whatever, he needs to be able to fix it ASAP, not wait for his next paycheck.
He'll save a lot of money if he takes the time and interest to learn how to work on it himself. He'll save even more if he learns to diagnose it carefully and thoroughly, rather than guessing as some people are apt to do.
As long as the car is properly fixed up, it can be reliable for a very long time. He may go through an extended period of replacing questionable parts but in the long run it will be in better condition than it's been in years.
I'm a bit of a nut about attention to the cooling system. I believe that's the primary killer of old cars, especially old cars with aluminum heads.
The new driver needs to understand how the coolant temperature should behave. It should always stay between the thermostat temp and the fan threshold, if it goes above that something is wrong and it needs to be treated as serious. If the fan can't limit the temperature it's not far from degrading to the point that it boils and goes over the thermal cliff.
That era of 3.1s are known for bad intake manifold gaskets. If they're still original then I'd worry about them, but they might have been replaced at this point. If it has to be done, the parts are cheap but if paid labor is needed that would make it expensive. Once replaced with quality parts it shouldn't fail again. I'd ditch the dexcool but that's a controversial topic, many disagree.
I wouldn't worry much about a short puff of smoke at startup. At least with the older 60V6s that's pretty typical if they have more than token mileage on them. Not sure about the later ones.
IMO any used car should have a budget of $1-2k for repairs and upkeep. You can almost guarantee a need for tires, some pm, brakes, radiator, etc. will be needed at some point before too long...
That's a very important point. Nobody should buy a used car in this price range expecting it not to need work. If they don't have money budgeted for repairs, they're going to get themselves into trouble and the car will go downhill.
He better not blow the repair budget on a stereo or a paint job.. or A/C. That money should be set aside for things that matter, especially early on. When he finds out the radiator leaks or whatever, he needs to be able to fix it ASAP, not wait for his next paycheck.
He'll save a lot of money if he takes the time and interest to learn how to work on it himself. He'll save even more if he learns to diagnose it carefully and thoroughly, rather than guessing as some people are apt to do.
As long as the car is properly fixed up, it can be reliable for a very long time. He may go through an extended period of replacing questionable parts but in the long run it will be in better condition than it's been in years.
I'm a bit of a nut about attention to the cooling system. I believe that's the primary killer of old cars, especially old cars with aluminum heads.
The new driver needs to understand how the coolant temperature should behave. It should always stay between the thermostat temp and the fan threshold, if it goes above that something is wrong and it needs to be treated as serious. If the fan can't limit the temperature it's not far from degrading to the point that it boils and goes over the thermal cliff.
That era of 3.1s are known for bad intake manifold gaskets. If they're still original then I'd worry about them, but they might have been replaced at this point. If it has to be done, the parts are cheap but if paid labor is needed that would make it expensive. Once replaced with quality parts it shouldn't fail again. I'd ditch the dexcool but that's a controversial topic, many disagree.
I wouldn't worry much about a short puff of smoke at startup. At least with the older 60V6s that's pretty typical if they have more than token mileage on them. Not sure about the later ones.
When I got my last used car, Kitacamry, the oil was fresh, but could not say that for any other fluid in there...so at the 1st OC I changed the coolant, power steering fluid, as well as the PCV valve and hose, and flushed the brakes lines....and since I wasn't losing/burning the conventional oil, I switched to synthetic.
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The 3.1 has one of the coolest exhaust notes of a gas V6 ever.
Originally Posted By: Miller88
The 3.1 has one of the coolest exhaust notes of a gas V6 ever.
Coincidentally, last night I was going through some old home movies from the 90s. In one of them the camera was recording outside of our old house, next to a stop sign.
In the background I heard a car taking off. The car never appeared on video, I have no idea what it was, but just from the sound alone I knew it was a GM powered by a 2.8 or 3.1L with a leaking Illinois exhaust. That sound is distinctive.
The 3.1 has one of the coolest exhaust notes of a gas V6 ever.
Coincidentally, last night I was going through some old home movies from the 90s. In one of them the camera was recording outside of our old house, next to a stop sign.
In the background I heard a car taking off. The car never appeared on video, I have no idea what it was, but just from the sound alone I knew it was a GM powered by a 2.8 or 3.1L with a leaking Illinois exhaust. That sound is distinctive.
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