Need some advice....

[zeezo3]

Hello everyone,

what a great site, amazing members...

Long story short, I'm planning to buy my first commodore, and i chose to buy a vt... i found a good car, mileage is 149,000, car exterior and interior looks good... but the only things with this car is that it has been garaged for two years and turned on once every two weeks... I'm sure there are lots of problems associated with cars parked for a long time, but i just need some advice from you guys on how to carry a quick checkout before deciding to take to a mechanic or not...

I'm looking forward to be an active member here, its such an amazing site full of enthusiasts like me :P

[VYMAD]

Yeah, that's a bit of a tough one! I would be taking it for a really good drive, listening intently to what type of noises are coming from it (if any)
After this, if the vehicle drives well and you are happy with it, then definately take to mechanic for thorough check out. 149,000 k's is quite low and if you're getting it for a good price, then it sounds like a good car.
If it turns over and runs well, then I don't see there would be a problem if it has sat for a while, although periodic starting, without actually driving it isn't good for any car.
Why has it been garaged for so long? Has it been serviced and maintained properly/regularly?
Like I said, sounds good, but approach with caution, take your time checking/getting it checked out. Far too many people set thier hearts on a particular car (usually the first one they look at) and end up getting burnt.

[pablo]

Last year I bought back to life an old VN that had been sitting in a womans back yard so long that the tires were all flat and it was sitting on the rims. It had been there for a lot more than two years but still with some petrol in the tank. I changed the oil, fitted a new battery, hit the starter and it wound over once then fired and settled down to an idle after about 15 seconds of wooly running temporarily using the throttle pedal to keep it going. It is now an every day driver again with no problems. This starting every week business is all Bullshit, nothing is going to wear out by being stationary and not in use. Starting and running for short periods only introduces corrosive combustion by products into the oil, cylinder and exhaust.

[zeezo3]

Thanks guys for the advice...

I ended up not buying it, i just felt sorry for that 19 years old p-plater who came to check the car the same time i did... man he didnt have a look at the engine at all, he was just amazed and excited coz the car had a cool bodykit and he convinced his parents he should buy it...

The car engine was all rusted, the car had no brake pads, all brake rotors need honing, tyres need changing, engine oil was sooooo black, transmition oil was close to blue and the list goes on... the car has a strong smell in the inside and there was smoke coming out of the exhausts although the weather was hot...

I was convinced when i first saw it that there would never be a logical justification for me to pay 5k for such a car...

Thanks guys for the help anyway, you will see me here more often