Thread: Need Advice on 97 GTP

Alright - so my search for a GTP has been going on for awhile now, and I finally found one in my area, but its kind of risky.

Its a 1997 GTP black with black leather interior. Coupe. 142,000 miles. All maintenance has been done. New brakes, struts, power steering lines.

No Sunroof or Heads up Display (why is that if its a GTP?)

The driver window motor doesnt work, but he said he'd fix it at the cost of the part (anyone know the cost of the part).

The looks to be in good condition besides some bubbling of the front driver wheel well... RUST! yikes.

What is the worth of this vehicle in your opinion? also anything specific to look for before I buy it? Any common problems with such high mileage? Thanks.

alright - well $5k even with that many miles? This guy is asking for $3500... but I was gonna shoot $3000 his way and see what he says.

Any other advice greatly appreciated.

Good deal buy it and be happy

Alright well I just checked it out and test drove it. Everything seemed to be working well and looks like a nice car.

Only Issues:
-Rust on driverside rear wheel well
-Driver side window motor doesn't work
-Paint chipping off of front bumper
-Taillight has some moisture in it

So with that said - he said he would take $3000 cash. I did a carfax report and it looks clean, but doesn't have any maintenance records on it.

Does anyone here know how I can tell if the supercharger is bad, at what mileage they usually go bad, or how much it would be to replace one if it went bad?

Thanks again! Need advice tonight before I buy it tomorrow morning!!! THANKS!

Supercharger will have a sound like rocks tumbling around in it if the coupler is bad and will have a sort of low pitched grinding sound if the case bearings are bad.

For the most part, the major issue with the supercharger is the coupler. If you are comfortable turning a wrench, you can fix it, its a time consuming but easy job. I dont know what to tell you with regards to mileage they can go bad, they really dont for the most part. The coupler, the case needle bearings and the coating on the rotors are the only issues. Even if the coating on the roators comes completely off the worse you will see is reduced efficiency that will translate into slightly less boost.

I have a complete spare supercharger in my garage, case, rotor pack and nose drive and Im certain I paid no more than $150 for it all if that. Prices will vary but you should have no problems finding a replacement if it were ever needed.

Tail light is easily enough replaced, you can generally find those in classifieds or on ebay pretty frequently. Someone already posted a link to an ebay auction for the window motor, paint chipping I would expect some of on an 11 year old vehicle. The rust is the major thing for me. That I would have taken care of as it is only going to spread. Thing of the moisture you splash up in there during a rain storm, washing the car or even during winter when you may encounter road salt getting up in there.

Knowing that the replacement parts are only $150 (or a little more) is very reassuring to me! That was my main concern about this car was the supercharger going out on me and having to spend like a grand to replace it.

If my memory serves me right, there were no unusual tumbling noises or low pitched sounds coming from the car. I did let it idle a few minutes while I paid close attention to unfamiliar sounds. Walked around the car and the only noise I heard was the fuel pump! haha.

I'm very positive I'm going to pick this car up tomorrow. Hopefully I'll get it cleaned up and get some pictures of it up on here by this weekend! I suppose for $3000 I can't go wrong....

Does anyone know if you can get an aftermarket heads up display? That is the only thing I'm truly going to miss out on

Keep in mind, the money I spent on my blower was used pricing, so they can fluctuate around some. You could spend $250 depending on how motivated the seller is. Really, the main thing I would focus on getting if you wanted a spare would be a nose drive as that is the more likely place you could have any trouble. The bearings in the Case are replaceable but youd have to pull the blower off the car. The rotor packs you can replace on the car, as well as the nose drive. But there are seals and bearings in the nose drive that are more likely to go bad over time.

You would probably have to pop the hood to hear the noises, though admittedly, I could hear mine inside the car, but if you pop the hood and dont hear anything unusual you are probably clear on the blower.

Here IS what I would do.

1. Pull the dipstick. If he oil is all syrupy and deep black and thick, it probably has not been changed in a long while and would key me to poor maintenance.

2. Pull the tranny fluid dipstick. If it is burn or not a bright red, probably not been taken care of there.

3. Before the engine is hot or started, pull the radiator cap off. Check for any sludge or gel like material there. Its not necessarily bad if it is there, just means you need to get the system flushed soon and/or change to a non-Dex Cool coolant.

4. Inspect for rust around/on the lower cradle/sub-frame

Do as thorough of an inspection as you can before you turn your money over. You get any gut feelings or suspicions you need to back out, do so. Better to walk away than to have to dump even more money into the vehicle.

Alright - I'll be sure to check over those things - but I'm pretty sure I already got a pretty good look and they seem to be in good condition. Only thing I am reluctant about is that the car has sat for about 4 months in the garage because the window was stuck down.

Therefore, all the fluids probably need to be changed. The Driver information said it still has like 25% oil life, but thats based off miles I think? Is it safe for me to drive the car on a 50 mile trip if it has been sitting for that long?

This is what I intend to do when I get back into town:
-Oil Change
-Supercharger Oil Change

AND POSSIBLY
-Tranny Fluid and Filter Change (NOT Flush cause too many miles)
-Radiator Fluid Change (Not Flush)

Anything else maintenance-wise I should be aware of?

Sorry for all these questions - I just don't want to screw this up! lol.