Used 1998 Sunfire Vehicle

[kdeinv]

Hello,

I have a friend at work whose elderly parents have a 1998 Pontiac Sunbird with only 20K or so miles on it. He says it is good shape and that his mother mainly drove it around town. I have yet to look at it but he wants between $3,000 and $4,000 for it.

I think this would be a perfect car for my daughter's 17th birthday (1st car).

I have reviewed many sites and it appears for the most part that these vehicles - engine and mechanics are very reliable. I believe the vehicle is the 2.2 and not the 2.4 liter. I like that it has a timing chain and not a replaceable timing belt.

Are there any specific problems that I should be looking for when I look at this vehicle and test drive it? I will pull a carfax report but I believe his parents bought the car new in 1998 and I believe he kept up the maintenace:

I am somewhat handy around cars and if I get it I plan to do a lot of preventive maintenance on it:

Oil and filter change,
Air filter replacement,
Flush and refill rediator (Probably replace thermostat)- Dexcool
Check rediator hoses and serpentine belt for wear
Spark plugs and wires (Should be OK with this low mileage)
replace Fuel filter (Not sure how long it has been sitting) - May need to put fresh fuel in and run some injector cleaner thru it.
Transmission fluid and filter change;
Replace PCV Valve;
Check brakes and replace if necessary, (May need to have brake fluid replaced as well)
Check tires (Cracking) - May get new if dry rotted
Battery - May need replacement if not been charged regularly

Anything else I have overlooked???

Thanks in advance

 

[melsg5]

Check for a external head gasket leak but at such low mileage probably not an issue.

 

[Guest]

I bought my daughter a 98 4 dr Cavalier with a 2.2, automatic automatic as her first car. I caught a lot of grief over that from the wife. Seems at the time the Cavalier wasn't very well thought of by the "experts" that rate cars. (consumer reports for one)

Anyway,the car turned out to be one of the best cars I ever owned. Not only did the car take her through high school,it took her through college as well. And the kid drove the car all over the western states. It was IMO,a perfect car for a kid. Easy on fuel (about 35 mpg) it never needed oil between changes,which was a real plus because the kid wasn't very good at remembering to check the oil. If you happen to live in snow country,put studded tires on all 4 wheels,and the car will get around with no problems. They don't do very well in the snow with all season tires. We lived in the high country of Colorado,so we know what snow is all about. I almost didn't buy the car because it didn't have all,or 4 wheel drive,but with the traction control system and the ABS the car did just fine.

I put one set of tires, a front wheel bearing and replaced the brakes. That was the extent of the repairs done in the 6 or 7 years we owned the car. And,we sold it for a 100 more than we paid for it.

The only down side for me was the road noise. These cars seem to have more road noise than the avarage FWD car.
I doubt that a car with the low mileage the one you're looking has any problems,but check the hoses and belts. Keep a good wax on the car or the paint will fail,depending on the color. Solid colors seem to hold up better than the metallic colors.

 

[kdeinv]

Thanks for your comments. I have yet to see the vehicle yet but hopefully it is in very good shape. I have found a detailed used car checklist to go thru once I see the vehicle.

Also want to see the maintenance records and check the status of the oil/trans fluid, brake fluid, power steering fluid as well as brakes hoses and belts. If I do get it I want it to be a birthday present for my daughter.

Thanks Again

______________________________

 

[Zimgxp]

Just a heads up, the 2.4 has a timing chain also.