This car is loaded leather cd player everything in great condition my cousin just wants to get rid of it.

The thing is it needs a new water pump...

is this max worth buying?
is this something i can fix by myself?
how hard would it be?

i was going to just drop the 600$ instantly but figured i would figure out how bad it is
i am getting mixed answers from people so i thought i would come to the experts for advice

 

I say get it thoroughly checked, but other then a waterpump, that sounds like a good deal....I'm sure some others will chime in here in a second

 

sounds like a pretty good price, I'd buy it assuming the body isnt real sh*tty

 

what year and is it an SE or GXE it doesnt sound bad...water pump isnt too hard..i guess since the water pump is leaking, id say when he changed the timing belt he did not replace it..or if it is a VE then he just hasnt changed the water pump yet

 

i am 1993 or 1994 gxe i am pretty sure

thanks for all your help keep telling me what you guys think i am still deciding

 

I'm doing the same thing (deciding) with one in worse shape for around $300 (see end of 'beater' thread). I'm hoping it's good other than the grill/light/hood/exhaust - really want a 5sp 3rd gen SE but I need to make sure I'm being rational and not buying a money pit just because it's cheap. Good advice having it checked (but in my case that might cost almost as much as the car!).

What should I look for w/the CV joints?

 

Get the motor checked!! $.02

 

if he really wanted to get rid of it he'd be selling it for closer to $200

that's been my experience on the 2 maxs I've bought, both VEs by the way

 

I paid $400 for my 89 GXE with 252,000 miles on it..only things I have replaced so far is suspension parts..all of them other than that it has been a sweet beater....go for it dude..the water pump is not real easy but you can do it if you tinker with cars any at all.

 

As long as there are no other major issues with the car I'd snap it up in a heartbeat. The waterpump isn't a complicated repair. If you're reasonably competent with tools expect to spend about 2 and a half hours (since you haven't changed one before). If you don't feel like cussing at it a shop will charge around $180.

 

thanks guys i am gonna go talk my cousin down maybe youll see me up here with some pics in a week

 

oh and if its got the VG30E engine (89-91 SE's and all GXE's) you might wanna go ahead and replace the timing belt while you are in there, assuming it hasnt been changed lately

 

hey, I don't feel bad. I just bought an '89 with 171K +change for $500. All it needed was valve cover gaskets (which prev owner already had), new bushing on lower front control arm ($10 and UPS man), and brake master cylinder ($54 & done). Only other problems are ticky things....new rear window retainer clips for doors, find out why aftermarket stero has no power, and why my gas gague is not working (think it's the needle). So, I guess it was a good buy.

 

Get a compression checker and check it. I would just fix it and resell it due to it being automatic, but it is a good deal.

 

test durability by driving it in a demolition derby.

 

dont tempt me to do the same

 

You could part it out for 3x that (600). Buy it, if it dosent workout, enjoy learning the internals of the car by tearing it down to nuts+bolts.

 

not really that takes a while. With so many people parting out 3rd gens its hard to sell stuff

~Alex

 

man for under a grand, you cant go wrong with any car that runs decently

and because its a Max it will make you happy and make driving fun, in addition to getting you from A to B

 

I agree with Chapman....I bought my 1990 max se with 150,000 for $400 and I am so happy with the car. Engine runs great. Only thing I need to change was the right CV joint and thats it. I say go for it!