question on purchasing a GTU

[knucklepanshovel]

hello everyone first pust I am new here I found a Beretta & unsure about buying it so I am asking questions first. I drove it aprox 10 miles sunday night

it runs & drives fairly decent it is a 1989 GTU but it has been rode hard & put up wet.

a few major issues bother me

1: the belt from airconditioner that turns the water pump was switched to a shorter belt when compressor locked up & it turns water pump just not great I could stop waterpump with my leather coat in my hand wondering if may have slipped & not been cooling adequately?

2: the speedometer. it registers aprox 1mph for every 8mph of speed so at 55 or so? it is 9mph just guessing on actual speed. the car had a trans put in last year from a 1989 gm car he said it wasnt a Beretta but didnt know what it came from he had a garage install & said speedometer been messed up since, & all lights on dash do not work only speedo if you call that working & the tach.  so is the speedometer bad? speed sensor? computer? any ideas?

3: car has been driven last 8 years with check engine light on but he said it doesnt get good mileage low 20's?

rest are minor problems dash has been removed & reinstalled several times from looks & it is warped pretty bad, door panels are busted up, sunroof leaks, headliner sags, body is relatively straight minor dents & typical gm paint failure. decent tread on the factory 16 inchers & passed inspection in Feb? he had to know someone 3rd brake light is duck taped over. but has 2 year old exhaust, new shocks, fuel pump & filter, plugs, wires, & a few other receipts for other work done lately I cant remember all but several hundred in receipts.

price is $500 but he is willing to negotiate probably $400 would get it. I am barely scraping by but need a spare car just trying to decide if it is worth the effort to get & fix & what all could be wrong electrically?

Thank you,
Randy

[Asylum]

Well if it's a GTU you could actually make some money in just parts alone, if it's all there.

However if you are looking for something reliable to get you back and forth to work or school or whatever, I would suggest you keep looking.

My .02

[1988GTU]

That is a fixer upper car & if you don't have some $$$$ to put into it to bring it back to spec, then pass on it.  Only buy it if you want a piece of history that is becoming rarer for every year that passes by or feel you have a solid chance at making money off of it by parting it out.

[Cliff8928]

(knucklepanshovel @ Mar. 11 2008,17:01)QUOTE2: the speedometer. it registers aprox 1mph for every 8mph of speed so at 55 or so? it is 9mph just guessing on actual speed. the car had a trans put in last year from a 1989 gm car he said it wasnt a Beretta but didnt know what it came from he had a garage install & said speedometer been messed up since, & all lights on dash do not work only speedo if you call that working & the tach.  so is the speedometer bad? speed sensor? computer? any ideas?
I have a chip that will allow you to run that earlier J-Body trans with the gear driven VSS in your car and have the correct speedometer reading.  I used one in my car a while back.  The chip had to be custom burned to keep my digital gauges working right.  I don't need it anymore, if you wanna buy it, shoot me a PM.

[Mike Morris]

For a second car to restore nice choice. Its something rare and worth the time and effort.  As an only car skip it.

I bet the 02 sensor is the reason for poor MPG and the check engine light
Dash lights-might be the dimmer switch.  Cheap to find used.

[95Z26beretta]

check engine light and bad gas mileage is most likely the O2 sensor which is around $20 at the parts store. I love the GTU's but this one sounds really beat.  Like the others mentioned if your looking for a daily driver I would pass on it, if its a 2nd car as a fixer upper and backup then I would talk him down and buy it.

[SuzukiGhostRider]

As everyone else has stated. DD= Big Pass  Restoration Project=Do it to it! GL in your decision.