How much is a 90 sc with blown headgaskets worth?

gsxrrider

Registered User
Hey everyone. I am thinking of buying an 90 sc auto with 115000 miles. According to the owner, the headgaskets need to be replaced. As of right now it's all i know. He said the interior is in near perfect condition. In the past i have owned 4 thunderbirds, this was over 10 years ago, and only issue i had with one was a 94 sc that blew the headgaskets. at the time i payed about $900 to get fixed but car would overheat once in a while. Anyway,the owner of this current sc said for me to make him an offer. How much would a HG job cost?and what else could go wrong along with a HG problem.also, would any typical repair shop be able to do a good job on an sc? Any suggestions,advice would be helpful.thanks .
 
I wouldn't pay more than $500-800 depending on condition... since most 90 SCs are going to be somewhat beat unless it was a garage queen. You can get them in running condition all day long for $1500-2000 or so.
 
Well on the add the exterior looks good,but i dont know if the picture is recent I only asked about the interior. I am planning to go take a look at it tomorrow, then determine how much i am willing to offer.I was going to base my offer off a quote from a shop to do the headgaskets and go from there.thanks for the input.
 
go low and if he says its worth more than what you offer him explain, yes if you part it out perhaps, but its a non running 90 auto...so its not going to be worth much as a complete car.
 
as for suggestions, you are buying a pretty old car... your best bet is to learn to work on it yourself!!! i dont trust shops to do work on mine. you have a great resource here to help you learn how to repair them. because a 25 year old car has 25 year old parts on them and it will need work from time to time. otherwise jobs like HGs are going to cost you a lot of money.
 
How long has the car been sitting with a blown head gasket ? Unless you are already planning to do a full rebuild it's not a good idea to buy a car with a motor that doesn't run.

David
 
Well I don't know how long the car has been sitting there with a HG problem, but I will ask plenty of questions when I go look at it today . How long is too long for a car to just be sitting there? If the car turns on is that a good sign? I'm not too good when it comes to repairing cars besides the basic maintenance and some repair. Anything too complicated I would have to take to a mechanic
 
probably look for another one then...the hg job is going to get expensive fast...and you never know when you might spin a bearing because he let the coolant sit in the oil and screw everything up.
 
If you arnt fairly mechanically inclined I wouldn't buy one with problems. Most mechanics who know there stuff don't want to work on a supercoupe. That's why the cars with problems go so cheap.
 
Ok, so I went to look at the sc yesterday and as far as the interior and exterior of the car , well its in real good shape for it being a 25 year old car. There is a slight ding on drivers door but nothing major. The paint is the original red and will definately need a paint job as the clear coat is peeling.the interior looks good as well. No tears or rips anywhwere. The engine compartment looks kinda dirty and there is signs of the engine overheating and spraying water.I pulled the oil dipstick and noticed the iol looked like choclate milk. The owner did try and turn it on but the engine would turn but it would not stay on. The owner said it was running fine up until few weeks ago when it started overheating and took it to a shop,where they told him at the minimum it would need the HG job.I did not make him an offer as i'm thinking about it, but he says he doesnt expect to get much for the car, but that he also just doesnt want to give it away either. anyway, thanks for the input and suggestions.
 
Thats a parts car. Bad paint and needs a new engine.. you can pick these things up running in descent shape 1500/2000 all day long why mess with a ~~~ that needs a new motor? Blown HG motors always end up spinning a rod bearing in the near future. I'd not even think about it! The only bad HG cars that seem to be ok after repair are when people catch them very early this one has been flogged past the point of no return sounds like.
 
I've bought several assembled basket cases, which is what u r describing for $500. I wouldn't go much if any more than that, and only then if YOU can do the work. If not, go buy a mint garage queen for $6-8k (or more), with low mileage. That will be cheeper in the end. Believe me, you DO NOT want to pay a shop for the work that unit will need to be a fun AND reliable car

Adam
 
yeah I think I will Wait and see if i can find another one. I am not in a hurry to buy one ,but if i can get a decent deal in one then i will buy it. Overall it would be too much work for me to have it towed to a shop,and wait and see if there are other problems with the engine.just in case anyone in the Los Angeles or SB area is looking for one to fix themselves, here is a pic of the car.Other than the paint and HG, it's not a bad looking car. It's actually listwd on craigslist in the los angeles or inland empire section
 

Attachments

  • tbird.jpg
    tbird.jpg
    36.4 KB · Views: 79
Last edited:
This is the type of dichotomy that leads to some of these cars getting parted out, even in fairly decent shape--they just become a financial liability if they need some work. It is surely one of the reasons why these amazing but complicated cars get somewhat of a "do not touch" reputation. I can see the seller's point......$500-700 just isn't going to cut it on his end, but if someone needs to put $2000-$4000 into it after engine and paint upgrades, a buyer just can't justify even buying the car for something like $1500.
 
Back
Top