Okay, Got something for ya...

Yesterday a friend pointed out a 1987 Buick LeSabre for sale... It is black... Its got a blue interior... And... Its a hearse. It is for sale for $2500 and since the windshield is cracked they will take $2300. It is in dire need of a bath but over all is in great condition. Only one small spot of rust that will need immediate attention. The vinyl is in near perfect condition. It starts better then my car does and gets the same gas mileage. A little over 80,000 miles on it. It is originally from Florida. One smooth ride. Here is the CL ad:

http://joplin.craigslist.org/cto/2816657117.html

I will ad a few of my own pics for you to see. The engine compartment is pretty darn clean... just as dirty as the rest of the car but clean none the less. I think, IIRC, that the engine is an Olds 307(?). Soooo, what do you think. Should we get it? We are leaning towards getting it. We don't have the KIA sold yet and the seller understands that and is fine with it. Even my wife is excited about it. Anyways here's some pics. I will, of course need to remove the decals some how.

 

More pics...

 

All along the vinyl top is rust and the bondo is bubbling up. Its gonna require the top being peeled back and the rust taken care of or it will rust through. Its not a simple cheap thing to fix, not when dealing with a vinyl top and one of that size. Yes its a 307 5.0 underpowered motor, good motors but very gutless. Good for 13-16mpg around town and 18ish on the highway.

IMO, he wants too much for what it is and what it needs. Its not like he has a desirable car, 99% of the population would not even want to ride in one until their final ride, he is not going to have people beating his door down to buy it.

You asked for opinions, sure buy it if you like, I wouldn't offer him more then $1200 for it, not needing serious body work and a windshield.

 

X, I totally agree with Blackfoot on this one.....not to be a party pooper but my first concern was the issues with the body where the steel meets vinyl along rear quarters.

 

Sorry me too We want you to find that perfect wagon but I'm nervous that this one may be alot more work then you thing. Not that I have any room to talk...poor Fannie.

Does it run?

 

We are all just looking out for you brother X. While she might look good and be what you like, she has taken on the cancer and its lodged deep into her under that vinyl top. Thats all a vinyl top is good for, causing rot. Especially one put on aftermarket. The factory usually used studs that were welded onto the metal and then painted, but aftermarket always drills holes for pop rivets and never think of the long term effect of the bare metal of the holes once the moisture gets to them, and it always will because they are at the very bottom edge of the roof where the water alawys collects when it flows down the roof. I avoid a vinyl top like the plague, and wont even consider one unless its a factory installed one.

 

Yeah "X", it's like Black and the rest said,, this mite be one to pass on. That rust creaping out from the vynal top..... it could be a whole can of new worms under the moulding and the top. I've seen many a vynal top car over the years have similar rust and when it's come time to repair it can be that just the vynal is holding it together.

 

Thumbs down!

 

Yes I would agree with everyone else also...lot of work to repair and as blackfoot said just trying to help so you don't get too overwhelmed with what would have to be done to repair it.

 

Well it runs great. Starts better than my car actually. There really isn't much rust. Just one spot where there will need to be some repairs. It is actually pretty dirty. It was used primarily as a prop for a local haunted house and it was only driven a couple of times a month. The guy in charge of selling it for the Haunted House drove it all the from Seneca [little over 30 minutes drive] and I even got to drive it. It handles great. And what is Bondo anyways? It could use a cleaning and some wax as far as I could tell. I ran my finger over some of the dirt and it wiped right off... But then again you all know more about what to look for than I...


I don't know...

 

On your pics, look at the bubbles along the trim at the very back of the car, aove the tail lights and below the back window on the tailgate. You can see exactly where each pop rivet is. Thats where the rot has formed between the metal and the bondo(body filler) and its blistering up.

What will need to be done to fix this.

drill out the rivets that hold the trim down the entire length of the car.

peel the vinyl roof up and hope it does not rip, if it does, you are screwed and will need to replace it or tear it all off, but trust me, the bodywork under there will not be nice, because I promise you, the conversion company is not gonna go wild with finish work up there when they can just hide it with a vinyl roof and get away with it.

grind out all the bondo(body filler) to get to the rust, down the entire length of the vinly roof. Each pop rivet hole will be rusty, that is a promise!

Sand blast the rust completely out of the metal.

smooth out each rust spot with filler and blend it in with the surrounding metal

prime

wetsand the primer

spray sealer

paint

re-glue the vinyl roof back down, as long as you didnt rip it up

poprivet down the trim

done


A body shop is gonna charge you about $1000-2000 to do this. you can do it yourself and save the money, but its a hell of a job to tackle for a first timer.







Second option, the cheaper and better of the two.......

Walk away bro, just walk away!

 

It's always difficult to tell the truth to someone that has fallen in love with a not so nice car, Xav. But I have to tell you.....I think Blackie was being kind to the seller at $1200. The car is rough for a hearse. There are more negatives than just the rust. And the rust is NO small issue. You can get a helluva lot better wagon than that for $2500.

 

That car is definitely you Xav! You are smart guy brother, just don't get suckered and check her out carefully, especially around the top areas where it meets the body and under the chrome moldings. If the rust is winning low ball the guy in fact low ball the guy anyway if you decide you want it, my reasoning being it's going to be a real pain to sell this car with advertising all over it and it being a hearse makes it that much harder. You're holding the cards man. Mechanically solid means a lot, the rest comes down to time and cosmetics.

 

"X", we're just looking out for you I see alot of rust, bad rust. I'll bet that padded vynal top is hiding alot of bad, seen it before. That padded vynal needs to be water sealed atleast once a year or it acts like a sponge holding water in

This isn't a eazy fix, thats some magor rust coming out from under that vynal


Bubbles on padded vynal, just over the rear passenger door tells me water is being held behind. The rest of the areas speak for themselves.

It's way to eazy to be cout up in the "I found my dream car" moment to later wander, what have I got myself into. IMO if it was a $1000 car, hell yeah, buy and drive but this one is asking way to much for the problems seen.

We are all just looking out for ya "X"

 

Pic of the deep down rust deep below the bondo