What to look out for when buying a Sunbird

[Nostalgic_1]

Hello everyone, new here just wanting to get some info from actual owners. Long story short, I'm looking into buying a 1994 coupe that's listed at a price that I can't let pass up, but wanted to know if these model years had any inherent issues. The car runs, drives, is registered and doesn't overheat which is a plus.

Past experience with Sunbirds was back when I was a kid and my father had a red 1992 SE sedan, was a good car to us but never got to drive that one. Any info or tips would be greatly appreciated, I've been away from this platform for a good 15 years so I'm unsure where to begin when I go see it.

 

[melsg5]

Hello everyone, new here just wanting to get some info from actual owners. Long story short, I'm looking into buying a 1994 coupe that's listed at a price that I can't let pass up, but wanted to know if these model years had any inherent issues. The car runs, drives, is registered and doesn't overheat which is a plus.

Past experience with Sunbirds was back when I was a kid and my father had a red 1992 SE sedan, was a good car to us but never got to drive that one. Any info or tips would be greatly appreciated, I've been away from this platform for a good 15 years so I'm unsure where to begin when I go see it.

It's a 30 year old car at this point. You make no mention of mileage.
If possible have a shop do a used car inspection before buying it.
When you go to look at it look at all body panels, underbody and suspension components for rust and wear. Look inside the oil fill cap for any unusual deposits. Check the oil level before the car is started. Check the color and smell of the transmission fluid assuming it's an automatic. Look at the condition of the engine coolant. Check that everything works, lights, radio, HVAC, etc. Good luck.
.

 

[92 Sunbird LE]

I had one for about 12 years now... here's my input...

Body is tin , rusts real easy (doors, roof, trunk)
Front Struts are hard to get nowadays, some say Beretta struts fit.
Engine is bulletproof 2.0, just use synthetic blend oil
Automatic trans is great as long as the fluid is changed regularly, reverse is the first to go, the TCC solenoid does go bad , ( convertor lockup) easy fix.
Standard transmission, cables go bad, hard to change, have to be taken out and measured / compared ( 4 different lengths)
Window glass glides are nylon and wear out, window felts are no longer available, crank rollers are a drill out .
Interior plastic is real brittle, instrument cluster copper fingers corrode and lose function
Thermostat housing rusts out and there is no longer any available, (junkyard only)

Keep dibs on the 2.0 timing belt ,change at every 60k miles with the water pump because the pump is the timing belt tensioner..


That's all I can think of....

Doug in P.R.