Feuerstoss

Hey, all. I've been considering replacing my project Celica with something a little larger and more comfortable for a while. One of my friends used to have an '86 5KCSQ he(and I) really liked, so I've turned towards getting(preferably) a 200Q. I think I've found one close-by, but considering the fact these have proven hard to find, I may need some advice and opinion to steer my decision.

I stopped by an auto dealer today whose owner liked Type-44s(and I did a couple test-drives for my friend during his search years ago; more on that later). Lo and behold, at the back of his lot there was an '88 5KCSQ, an '86-87 5KCSQ, and a '90 200Q.

All the cars looked a little rough(cracked dashes, worn interior, paintchips all over, but no rust). I spent most of my time looking at the 200, and came away with this.

The car is one of the ones I test-drove about three years ago. It had almost 150K on it when I looked at it previously, and papers in the glovebox seemed to indicate it'd been in their possession at least 2-3 years beforehand. The car has 168K on it as it sits, and it's obvious from a lot of brake rotor rust that it's been sitting a decent while.

The car ran, boosted and drove fine when I test-drove it, besides a rather stiff clutch pedal(the transmission shifted just fine, however). Yet, I've noticed that the glovebox and portions of the dash had been ripped apart, and a printed ECU removal guide was on the passenger's seat. I'm not sure if the car's being chipped or not. Interior's in pretty good shape, no dash cracks or noticable leather wear. Exterior's in pretty good shape other than rock chips. Another thing I noticed is that while the car had been sitting a while, there was no evidence of leakage whatsoever underneath(at least oil; does Pentosin leave stains on driveways?).

In any case, I was wondering if this car is worth at least my consideration and time looking at. I understand that it might need a little bit of work, and I'm not too afraid to get my hands dirty unless it's a potential total lemon. Also, what would be a fair negotiating price for said car, given the fact it will more than likely need some minor work? All the blue book sites I've looked at have given me really conflicting numbers, from as little as $900 to as high as nearly $4000. Any advice as far as what I'd be expecting out of one of these cars, especially in somewhat unknown shape?

I'm No Pro

What is their asking price for the 200?

Feuerstoss

That I'm not totally sure. They were asking $4500 when I first looked at it. It obviously isn't worth that in its current state plus three years of depreciation.

Edit: I mistakenly forgot to mention that in my area, car dealers are legally required to be closed on Sundays. In any case, it is a small dealership which also rents cars; it's possible that the 200 racked up some mileage as a rental, but I'm not sure. I will be going there on Tuesday to ask some questions and get a good look at all of 'em.

SteveJ_in_TX

Now if it were a 91 200q20v, it'd be another story.

The bad news is that you are buying a quattro when entering snow season and the guy knows it.

I realize quattros get a premium in Colorado, but you have to look at other things as well. Go to Autotrader.com, Cars.com, the Audifans Marketplace, etc. and compare prices. Then look at cars in other states, look up whether somebody on Audifans or this list can go and eyeball it for you, then check the price of airfare and gas to get the car back home. Odds are, you will save the $1000+ 'Colorado car' premium by buying out of state.

Good luck and let us know how it goes...

Feuerstoss

Alrighty. I stopped by the dealer today. Turns out that the cars are personally owned by one of the dealers, and that it'd be more of a private sale. He's offering the '87 CSQ and the '90 200Q for $1500. The '87 reportedly runs and drives just fine other than a whine in the PS system(he says he replaced a line with a slightly smaller one), and has a little bit of rear end damage. That car has 207K on the clock, but he's pointed out a lot of recent maintenence(T-belt/water pump 5000 miles ago, new tires, et cetera). The 200Q is offered as a mostly intact non-running parts car, although it may have issues(for some reason, he told me the mechanic he had looking at it couldn't tell if the problems were ECU related or if compression in #5 was bad). However for $1500, seems like an alright deal, especially with an attached parts car.