Considering selling the old girl. Crazy? Maybe...

[DTMAce]

Woa, there's a shocker.


Yep, I am seriously debating on selling the girl. Most of you that have followed the repair thread on here and bnet know a lot of the history already.


1994 Bright Aqua Z26 3100 Auto.

Original owner. I bought this car brand new with 16 miles on the clock. Out of those 16, I put on 8 test driving it. Never smoked in.
Buyer gets:
The original window sticker.
Original bill of sale. Original State of Ohio title along with the current Michigan title AND all the license plates this car has had.
Various other dealer receipts and papers. Thank you postcard from the dealership with a picture of a red Z26 on it.
Manual.
Cassette tape.
Courtesy key.
Original knock out key numbers.
Wheel lock remover, all 4 original locks are intact and in place.
Comes with the original cassette head unit. If you want the currently installed stereo and sub installation, that is a cost of 300 outside of whatever is settled for price. The wiring support for the sub will stay regardless. I know I can always use this in another beretta later.

The Good:

New exterior paint as of Dec 08/Jan 09.
Tires with 13 thousand miles. And in good shape, Eagle RSA's.
New front and rear brakes.
New front bearings.
New front ball joints.
New gas tank.
New muffler.
Custom LED markers and 3rd brake. Full LED exterior lighting.
Newly rebuilt fog lamps in full working condition.
New radiator.
New transmission cooling lines.
Refurbished interior with new carpet. Original seats, but thoroughly cleaned.
T style shifter handle. You get the original too.
LIMG replaced just over a year ago.
Has had synthetic Mobil 1 all its life, and good maintenance.
Alternator is 2 years old.
No visible fluid leaks.
Smooth riding, great on gas, plenty of get up and go in it yet.

Ok, the bad:

Over 223 thousand miles.
Transmission will need service eventually, hasn't failed, but its bound to before long. It is the original with nothing but oil and filter changes over the years. It does act up occasionally, but nothing major. I had less trouble with it lately than I did before I repainted the car. Trip to Bfest in Chicago this year actually didn't have any tranny issues.

Engine seems to be strong. Nothing wrong with it as far as I know, but again, lots of miles. LIMG was done at 212,500 for the first time. Head gaskets are original, along with everything else. The LIMG is the most work this engine has had. Original timing chain, and nearly all other parts. Things that have been replaced over the years include plugs, wires, belt, idler, tensioner, couple of alternators, PS pump, A/C pump bearing. Still on original water pump too and all engine sensors are original. I have not had to replace any of that stuff. Engine makes typical noises when cold, warm, etc. No engine codes have been thrown in a long while, since I did the LIMG. (EGR caused most of it, cleaned it, that fixed that).

Rust. While not overly bad, she has her share. Rear crossmember is not bad, probably looks worse than it is. Mostly surface, beam is solid, I checked it thoroughly when I changed out the gas tank.. Rear shocktowers look very good. Lower rocker panels are still solid, however the lower door pillars in the corners on both sides are holy. :p I did do a lot to seal up the floor pan, but I have not eliminated all the leak on the driver's side. I would have to pull the tranny out of the way, there is a bit of rust where the pan meets the firewall. Will need some work to properly fix this, and I just don't have the time to do it. I have been keeping the car out of any wet weather, and haven't been driving it in the winter anymore either. There is no firewall rust around the power steering rack that I can find. And its solid and there are no problems with it. So what rust it has is not terminal yet, but it would need addressed if the car is going to be kept a while, especially if going to be used in uglier climates or as a DD.

She has her share of normal wear and tear, though to be honest inside and out it looks like a way younger car. I still need to replace the visors, and redo the console lid. I have replacements, so nothing major. I have an A/C pump to put in and recharge the system, but that's all it needs. Pump is here for it. I would trust it to drive anywhere right now, even with what I said above. I have been using it during the week when the weather is good to run around and take care of my customers.

The body on this car is near immaculate. No dents, scrapes, or other damage on the body. Most of the panels are original, I did have to replace the hood and fender in 08 when I hit a deer. There are a couple of stone chips up front already from the 2 road trips it as been on since the repaint, but that's it. Exhaust is original and complete. New muffler, but still have the original tips on it. No exhaust leaks. Original O2 sensor too.

All body work done to this car has always been done by a professional. Most of the rest of the work was done by me personally. If you like you can review my project thread below, both on here and on bnet for a lot more detail and info.

Price.

While I want to get as much as I can, I also know I have to be realistic considering its age. I would like to see as it sits 2200, if at all possible. Will consider trades, if someone has a decent yellow Indy laying around. Obviously, you can shoot me an offer, but be serious about it. Most of you know how much work has gone into this thing regardless how that matters.

My other idea is to keep it and use it as a part car for an Indy fixer, but again, that involves money and time, both of which I am short on right now.

[DTMAce]

I wrote this up last night late, but I have been thinking about it for awhile. Actually since before Chicago even.

Me and the Z have a ton of history. I have had lots of fun times and it has always been there when I needed it. I have done my best to keep it in good shape, it has always had regular maintainance, and has always been kept fairly clean over the years.

Few things to add to the list above:

All of the glass in this car is original. From the mirrors to the windows.
All of the interior panels and parts are original with the exception of the carpet, the shifter knob, the arm rest, (I have a nice stock replacement too), and the visors.
Hell I think even all the interior lights are original, I know I have never replaced any.
All of the spare and spare kit is fully intact, even the foam brick used to hold everything is there. Has the original spare with about 100 miles on the tire. Hey, even I have had a flat tire or two.
Driver's side lock and trunk lock need to be worked on, the driver's side sticks, and the trunk lock is stuck fast. Mostly from non-use, as I normally just pop it and up here I hardly ever lock it.

The as-it sits price includes the installed sound system. So 300 can be dropped from the price if I remove it and put the stock back in. Again, the sub support wiring would stay.
Dome light will not come on unless you flip the switch on the dash. Been that way since the day I drove it off the lot. Long story, but the short of it was the alarm system company would not fix it, and the dealer would not fix it with the alarm in it. I told them to both go to hell, as the alarm company would not remove it without charging me more money. I finally removed the alarm completely this year, as it was a POS anyway. I suspect it just needs the courteousy module replaced.
All of the electrics of the vehicle work perfectly, windows roll both ways fast on both doors, electric locks work perfectly.
Sunroof does not leak. I have extra parts for the sunroof as well, (spare glass, frame, gasket) Can't buy handles for it anymore either. Still need to find a front window trim for the top where the glass meets the roof. And the rear short side pieces. I have the originals, but they have shrunk and don't fit properly anymore. All other trims are fully intact. I do have a replacement driver's side dew strip, but it needs cleaned and installed. The existing one is whole, but has cracks in the outer wipe section.

Dash is still fully intact, no tears, cuts, or any other damage. Looks really really good, but has shrunk some over the years as expected, and there is a start of a bubble in the left corner of the dash "pocket". But not noticeable unless you really look for it.
Steering wheel is newer as well, and in excellent condition. Has good airbag, but not connected at the moment. Not a problem, just need to install the replacement modules I have in a box for it, and hook it up. I wasn't too worried about it, since the airbag was useless to me when the deer I hit set it off.

And while I am on the subject, yes it hit a deer. Damage included hood, fender, front bumper and various front end parts. All work done to the frame and body were done by a repair professional with over 35 years of experience. The paint was done by the same person. Car was fixed back to better condition than before the impact. There was NO salvage title due to car's age and mileage. I still have a clean title for the car. Alignment is perfect, car has never had any issues with the alignment. Before living up here, it would get aligned at a shop every year regularly just as a precaution. Usually they never had to do much. As it sits the alignment is good, tire wear is even and true, and it goes down the road effortlessly. No pulling or wandering.

All in all, its a great car. Would make a younger person a really nice first car even... But that's my thought on it.

If anyone wants to know anything about it, just ask. This is one car where you can definitely get the full history.

Ok, some pics for this, took these just last Wed night, or 5 days ago... lol







Yeah the last is Wanako style. LOL

Anyways, here are a few of the interior shots when I was working on it before bfest:





Again, questions ask. Thanks.

[Money pit Beretta]

You have to be joking.

[DTMAce]

Nope. Why the hell does everyone think I'm joking?

I would not go through the posting of this if I was.

[marc.grant]

I would honestly buy this if it was a 5 speed car.

Does any know if it's hard to swap out the 3100 and put in a 5 speed quad 4?

[Travelor]

Just buy one with that in, unless your looking for a project or a headache...

If I wasn't laid off. I miss my old Z26.

[rettagurl]

I think the heat in MI lately has got to Chris's head...LOL

[Money pit Beretta]

A bad joke man. I just find it hard to think that you would ever give that car up. I sure hate to see this. I've been a fan for a long time. What do plan to get next?
Let me put it this way: you almost lost this car and fought hard to get it back. That kind of drive helps me to keep pushing on my own car. It's your life and your car. Don't let me change your mind. I'm just telling you what it means to me. As I said before it was a great come back story.

[DTMAce]

Now now,

Don't let me selling my car change your thoughts about the whole fix it up and keep it going thing. Think of it this way. The car WAS saved. It doesn't mean I personally have to keep it though, why not let someone else enjoy it and have the feeling I did when I first got it?

Maybe someone would take even better care of it then I did. Maybe someone will buy it and wreck it a year later. Anything is possible. Will I miss the car? Sure. Will I regret it? Probably. Will I buy another beretta? Are you kidding? LOL

I have future plans. BUT. I have some serious other responsibilities to deal with first. I have 2 sons, 1 and 3 years old. I have a woman I really need to tie the knot with someday soon. No I don't have to sell the car to do these things. But, maybe it will let me focus a bit more on other things instead of this car.

I will be keeping my eyes out for what I want to eventually work on. I will say this much. NO one has done what I plan to do. That is certain. Whether I can do what I want to do or not though is another matter. Yeah, I know that means very little.

Lets just say that it is going to take 3 different year beretta's and parts from various other chevy vehicles to put together the beretta I want.

[Money pit Beretta]

Don't worry Ace I'll keep going. It was an inspiration to me. Just don't sell it to some young kid that's all I ask.
Man it sounds like your dream project will take more time than this car did. Just seems kind of funny. Hey, stick around man.

[DTMAce]

I actually had an e-mail from someone today asking if this was still for sale. I had to dig for the post!

Anyway. Still on the fence with this right now. I don't want to, but maybe I should kind of thing. Guess we will see what happens. Hell I just bought my 3rd beretta this year. HA.

What I would really like to find, is a V6 1996 platform (base or Z) with 0 rust. Don't care if it runs, in fact it can have a blown engine as far as I'm concerned.. I do care if its beat to crap on the inside/outside though. I just need to find a 96 that looks decent for a foundation. Has to be a V6 equipped. Does not have to be a Z, but it would make it easier if it was. This and a donor YELLOW Indy, preferably a manual. One reason that waterlogged mess in Ohio interests me... Other stuff I can add in later. So trades are possible...

[Styluss]

He needs to fund his black Beretta project!

[DTMAce]

Actually no. I don't. That doesn't need that much at the moment... lol