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[ricklovin93]

Hows it goin? I currently do not have a beretta, I am a active member on the w-body forum, I'm looking for a new car and have narrowed it down to two cars. A lumina z34, or a beretta gtz. I love my w-bodys but the gtz is very high on the list of wanted cars, So I'm asking you guys to help me decide, I know the ups and downs with the w's, but i have no knowledge on berettas. What problem areas are there, for example with the w's the trailing arm mounts tend to rot out, how much should i be looking to spend, ( i prefer a car that is very clean (rust wise) but needs mechanical work, Than having a rust bucket in good mechanical shape.
Thanks, Rick

[GTU89]

I'm not exactly an expert on these cars, only have had my GTU since September 2011.
But, from what I gather on here, check the door jamb area for rust and under the car for rust (But this is mostly a normal thing to check on all cars), GTZ's if its quad 4 powered you should be aware that they have headgasket problems (again, from what I gather on here, never had a quad 4 and luckly my GTU is rust free)

And if you want a nicer interior go 91+, the 90 (and below for other models) have more problems with cracking dashes and whatnot than 91+. I think that someone on here said that the 90 GTZ's are a bit faster than later model GTZ's but I'm not sure on that at all.

Anyone correct me if I'm wrong on any of this. Maybe someone with more Beretta knowledge will tune in.

[ricklovin93]

thanks for the info

[ricklovin93]

anybody else wanna chime in?

[berettaboi]

pretty much many if not all of the gm vehicles from the same era carry the same issues... look for 'lack of rock' panels, a hole or large rust bubble in the front door sills, really ugly rust on rear subframes, rear shock towers, look inside the trunk. if you are thinking GTZ quad, but not concerned about mechanical, then you will find some good deals! (well 5 years ago you would have found many more, pickings are starting to slim now). lower control arms, not that they are that expensive or hard to replace...

[DTMAce]

Personally I have my own tastes. Z26's are nice, if you can find them. Stick with the 96 year V6's or if into a quad do a 94, however for the quad you would do better with the earlier years, 1990-91 probably having the best of the pack in the GTZ packages. (GTZ and Z26 use the same body parts - Z26 replaced the GTZ in 94)

Outside of that, GTU/Indy's are nice. Or if you want a cleaner look, go for a base model. Many of them had the same power plant as the fuller package. My 1995 base has a LOT of zip for stock Beretta. GT's in the 3.1/manual transmission are fun to have too.

[ricklovin93]

Whats the difference between a gtu and a gtz, i want a car with the 5spd and a q4 HO, but i wouldnt mind a 5spd with the 3.1

[3X00-Modified]

Well GTU is more of a base kit with added GFX to it, the GTZ Z26 are different front and rear bumpers completely and side skirts added... Also a GTU was never a Quad4, only a V6 and there was only one year a GTZ was a V6, but I can't remember if they ever sold that as a 5speed too.

Of course I'm referring to asthetic's of the vehicle and the motor packages, they all had different types of suspensions than each other as well.

[ricklovin93]

what kind of price is reasonable for say a 91 gtz?

[heavywoody]

V6 GTZ's were available from 91-93, but came with the 3spd auto only. If you want a 5spd HO Quad car, look for a 90-93 GTZ or a 94 Z26.

[spacecadetz26]

on cars in the rust belt it was common for the rear shock towers to rust on berettas, usually the drivers side. you would have to take out the trunk carpet and poke around the seam that goes from teh shock tower to the floor. my 96 was starting to rust pretty bad there.

I would look for a clean white 89 GTU with blue interior/sunroof and a 5spd. and then put in a 3400.