Looking for VP sedan, am I asking for trouble?

[lepht93]

This title isn't a stab at Commodores :P the asking for trouble part comes soon.
I plan on buying a VP commodore sedan (regardless of the badge) and doing it up as a project car so by the time I turn 18 next year I can actually drive a sound, nice looking car. I plan on getting all the dents out and having it resprayed ($0, have a good panel beater friend) and then redoing the entire interior. I'm currently hovering around the $1500 mark for one, and I have found a few so far, but there is one im interested in because It already has some of the parts I was planning on addding in it, however, its done 300,500 kms. He claims the engine is immaculate, but my questions is, how much longer can I expect?
My dads VN wagon has just hit 405,000 but he told me he got the engine replaced at 330,000.

Thanks guys

[75hjprem]

thing with the vp Buick engines is they don't tend to break and a lot of them don't deteriorate as much as other engines. Both my parents drive VN commodores with over 300,000 kms and they run perfectly fine.
My dads is actually a freak engine and performs better than a standard would (according to specs)

[ILLUMINOUS]

Cant go wrong with a buick engine...mines done 300,000 and i thrash the shit out of it and it still doesnt miss a beat

[lepht93]

So that's a go or it ? I'll try my set not to thrash it, see how that goes

[CANYONERO]

keep it serviced, maintained and generally look after it, you shouldnt have too many dramas. there a strong engine but like any engine. forget the maintenance and thrash it, you cant expect too much from it.

[Warranty Void]

I'd be looking more at body mounts and suspension bushes etc after 300,000k's, you can put an engine/tranny in anytime and it's not like there's a shortage of them. Apart from that you'd be looking at general wear and tear and if you're doing up the interior that's no longer a problem. These are very well understood cars, it's not like you're suddenly going to have a problem that has never been seen before. Have a good think about whether you want a VP (I have a VP, I'm not anti or anything) or a later model for similar money and get an ecotec fitted from factory.
Personally I reckon a VP Berlina sedan with SS grille and good paint, nice interior, 16 or 17 inch factory rims, SS suspension, electrics, climate control, L3 dash and an ecotec would be killer.
Maybe a VS Calais with a freshen up and SS suspension, already has ecotec.
Good on you for the effort if you do it mate, I built all my cars from mix'n match wrecks until I was about 25 and got a company car and lazy at the same time. It kicks ass knowing every bit of your car is how you want it. The panel/paint connection is a huge deal, my cars were always in primer for ages.
Get busy and then post some pics!

[lepht93]

Alright well ill cross my fingers and hope that aslong as i care for the engine it doesn't kick the bucket. The bit that worries me most is installing a new head unit (and I also wanna put in some aftermarket power windows) but im so scared ill screw the trim when trying. Putting in the new trimming of the seats is also gonna be a bitch coz it'll be such a tight fit. But I have pretty much a year to do everything so hopefully I don't get too frustrated.
Thanks for your help

[lepht93]

Alright well ill cross my fingers and hope that aslong as i care for the engine it doesn't kick the bucket. The bit that worries me most is installing a new head unit (and I also wanna put in some aftermarket power windows) but im so scared ill screw the trim when trying. Putting in the new trimming of the seats is also gonna be a bitch coz it'll be such a tight fit. But I have pretty much a year to do everything so hopefully I don't get too frustrated.
Thanks for your help

[thephilth]

Theres really only one way to learn and thats get in there and do it. Sure you might make a cupla mistakes along the way( I certainly Have - getting married was prob the biggest one) but seriously, with forums like these, their is lots of people that want to help and parts for VP etc are cheap as chips so if you do stuff your trims etc its not gunna break the bank. Get into it!!

[kitted vp]

yeah hook in bud! head units are easy just take your time with your first one make sure you watch what your doing and any questions dont hesitate to ask as the last thing you want is a fire! power windows are a bit more tricky if youve never done stuff like them before most people get confused by wiring! maybe your pb mate might be able to give you a hand with them (two heads are better than one most times) not a tasmanian joke! and engines you can get for next to nothing! and youve got time on your side so just slow and steady and you should be right! good luck bud

[lepht93]

Well only one more week, maybe 2, til I've reached my goal (being 16 the cash flow isn't too consistent or predictable) but I'll start seriously looking as soon as I get to that point. Hopefully the seller won't be too dishonest about the car, and of I'm lucky I can negotiate the price.

[lepht93]

haha posted at the same minute thanks
I also want to redo the material in the doors (that spotted material if you look at a VN executive) with the same colour as the new seat covers, shouldn't bee too hard should it?

[kitted vp]

you can usually always negociate! never hurts to try people do strange things when they have cash waved under thier noses and look out for rust!!! dont forget to lift the carpet or whatever they have in the boot and check in there!!! and anything you can see wrong with the car might not be a really big deal to you but could be a usefull bargaining chip to get a good price and if you have say 1500 dont not look at cars that are a bit better at say 2000 because they may just like the smell of your 1500 on the day! good luck again

[kitted vp]

i havent done my door skins yet but i just dropped a set of vr calais cloth front seats in my vp and they bolted straight in no mods! and for 50 bucks they shit on the stock seats in looks and comfort! so theres something for you to consider

[lepht93]

I'd like to pt in Calais seats but I've been looking at those leather (pleather) fitted covers on eBay, apparently they're pretty good from what I've read, just take forever to put on. I want the door cloth to match, and is it possible to repaint the material like the console? I'm thinking beige/cream interior for door cloth and seats (haha maybe a woodgrain dash) and I'm gonna get the whole body resprayed a glossy black. and yeah there's a VP S I was looking at for 1750 with 300,000ks but apparently brakes are on the way out. There is a White executive for 1,100 with 240,000ks and they said 'no engine or transmission problems we know of' but says it needs 2 new tyres, 2 new brakes and a new windscreen. The wheels are disgusting, but how much should the tyres brakes and windscreen cost?

[kitted vp]

see what about the dodgy plastic headrests on the stock seats will you covers suit them? yes you can paint the console and other plastic parts just use the right paint! ask your pb mate he should know! its hard for me to comment on these cars without actually seeing them but windscreens are almost gauranteed to be picked in a roadworthy check i just got one for 190 fitted when you get a new windscreen ring a couple of different places and play them against each other say well this bloke said he would do it for this and they will usually fight for the work steer clear of obriens they wanted 360 and wouldnt budge (####s)! tyres shop around they are pretty cheap sometimes you can find specials or deals but i seem to have a knack for picking up near brand new second hand tyres for bugger all! and brakes are bugger all if you do them yourself! i only have one person i ever let touch my car and hes an old mate whos a retired race car mechanic but most things i do myself and taught myself just by giving it a go and not letting it beat me (like car audio) ive got a big system in my car, in dash dvd, 2 sets of 6 1/2 inch splits, 420 watt 6x9s, 1x 1000 watt sub, 1x 250 watt 2 way amp, 1x 600 watt 4 way amp, 1x 1000 watt 4 way amp and i did it all myself just gave it a go, took my time and stretched my patience project vp is coming along nicely though i think for the cash and time ive spent on it (not much) youll do alright im sure just dont let it beat you and dont do too many jobs at once so you dont get lost all the best with it

[lepht93]

thata one of my problems ha, doing too much at once. so 1,100 by having to worry about brakes, windscreen and tyres, guess it's not worth getting one for 1500 without these problems. I hate being so damn impatient, I want a car now

[kitted vp]

dont go and buy a car just cause you want one now you just might regret your rushed decision later! my car in the pic i just paid 750 for! and the girl i bought it offs dad spent 10g in the last 12 months! it has a few decent dints nothing that isnt easily fixed over time and every window was smashed in it! i would never have touched it normally but my mate had every window except the windscreen which he gave me for 100 bucks its a vp exec wagon that came for 750 with, vx clubby body kit, near new 17s with near new tyres, it had just had a new reco donk and 5 speed manual conversion, sports exhaust, sports steering wheel, new fully adjustable suspension, new chrysler 300c black paint job! so just dont go buying a car looking all desperate and if it is the car you want never offer them what they want straight away always say "ill give you this much right now" and you might just be surprized! that car for 1100 if its all good say how about 800 cash right now and if he says 1000 say 900 until yous agree on a price and if they dont budge walk away and call them in a few days and say can we bargain now? and dont be down if it gos because commodores are every where!!! only if its a complete bargain like mine snap it up! and check the whole boot for rust they are bad for it and that includes taking out the spare and checking in there!!! good luck buddy and dont let them sucker you!!!

[lepht93]

Thanks
So in the case of rust, should I use that as a reason when bargaining, or should I not even bother with that car? I know the read windows of my dads vn wagon have rust around the bottom of them and he said it was a common problem with the drainage tracts on the roof, does that apply to sedans?

[Warranty Void]

Once you get stuck into it there's a couple of ways to go:
"Shit, I just started a small job and after some kind of frenzy the car is down to it's component nuts and bolts" avoid this at all costs as it leads to the "unfinished project for sale" syndrome.
Pulling whole car apart on purpose is for experienced peeples, probly done 2 or 3 cars before and have a plan and budget for the whole lot.
There's "I'll just start this job, and this one and this one......oh shit." and your car is covered in bog, primer and doesn't have an interior and the wiring keeps getting tangled around your feet and you go to bed hugging a piston and crying.
DON'T START A JOB ON IMPULSE! DON'T START A JOB ON IMPULSE! DON'T START A JOB ON IMPULSE! DON'T START A JOB ON IMPULSE!
Probly the best way to go would be to do small jobs from start to finish with a clear goal in mind and the right tools and parts/materials to do it. You may do some work of dismantling and reassembling more than once but it's worth it to keep the car in a "Finished" drivable, presentable state as much as possible.
A CLEAR GOAL......write shit down, think your way through what you're going to do before you lift a single tool, plan, talk to peeple on the forum and plan some more. This will help prevent crying and hugging pistons while despairing of ever getting the collection of unidentified parts back together.
GET A WORKSHOP MANUAL GET A WORKSHOP MANUAL GET A WORKSHOP MANUAL GET A WORKSHOP MANUAL GET A WORKSHOP MANUAL
The manual is your friend, read it and ask questions until you know what you're talking about, then nobody can bullshit you or rip you off.
Get to know your local commodore wreckers, they know so much about what will fit between models and can be upgraded on the cheap.
Use factory bits over aftermarket any day, eg electric windows, I would even go so far as to say you should buy a model that has all the options on it you want in the first place, electric windows, central locking, air conditioning, etc.....it's possible to put in after but not really worth the huge effort involved when these cars are so cheap.
I wish I had the sense to follow my own advice!

[lepht93]

ive gotten a few things written down so far that i want to do but i should probably print it then put them in order of priority so i dont start on 30 things at once.
got in contact with a guy who is selling his 92 executive, its got a big dent in the right back passenger door but friend should be able to fix that, its dont 247,000, 16 inch mags, cd player (hopefully not shit) and some new exhaust?
hes asking significantly lower than originally and only lives around the corner so ill go check it out asap.
what should i look for? any tell tale signs or anything in the engine i should look/listen for?
hes offering a test drive (im only on my Ls, should take dad) so hopefully nothing too shifty.
we'll see how it does

[kitted vp]

yeah mate listen to warranty void!!! that is some pretty good advice he just gave you! ahhhh the unfinished project syndrome believe it or not i had that syndrome once when i was 16 xd falcon if i recall correctly ripped it to bits in my garage and when i moved 6 months later it was just too much chaos to take it with me so around came the scrappys 100 bucks in my kick and 400 bucks down on what i paid for it and i was done with her tragic really it was a fifteen year old car that lived by the sea all its life and not a spec of rust in it 4 speed manny and went great until i got to it! but you learn from your mistakes and some of us like to try and help out as much as we can to try and help others avoid making the same mistakes

[lepht93]

Ahh damn, well if this car is as described and I end up getting it, the first thing I'll tart saving for and aim for is the retrim of the seats, then I'll do the door cloth, then the dash, then install some better speakers (if the headunit isn't too bad).
Whenever my friends ready I'll start sanding the paint off and then give it to him and he can bring back a shiny black car

[lepht93]

just an update, looking at a 92 sedan tonight, anything I should look for

[Warranty Void]

Mate, call your local commodore wreckers, depending on where you are (there's a list of wreckers on top of the VN/VP page) they should be able to help you source a car that fits all your requirements and isn't far off roadworthy. I'm not saying they'll 100% be better than the classifieds but I'd have a ring around for the purposes of comparison. I use the Commodore Frenzy wreckers/workshop quite a lot, the good thing about buying off these kind of guys is they can throw in all the parts you need to finish the car and are usually happy to mix and match with whatever stock they have that you want.
eg "I'll take the VP calais with the dead motor if you can swap it out for a good one and put on the wheels off the SS over there, and if I buy the seats from the VT Calais as part of the deal will you install them for me, and when I get the roadworthy done will you supply whatever bits at a good rate etc...."
Anyway since your location says Eastern Melbourne I'll name Commodore Frenzy and East Comm Wreckers, I used to go to both but I just use Comm Frenzy now, they're both good but the guys at Frenzy seem happier to have a chat about what you want to achieve and give you some advice as long as you don't stand around all day asking the same questions. I've seen some cars they've done for other L and P platers, usually in the 5 to 6 thousand range and usually installing a V6 and putting the V8 into hibenation until the P's are done with....I'm sure they'd be worth talking to in order to source a decent cheapie that you can bring up to scratch. (97298126 Aaron or Shane)