Quote Originally Posted by stocker View Post
Look around for leaks or grimy areas before starting. If it works out, it would be nice to have the engine not already warmed up.

Check the all the fluids for proper fill level and cleanliness - oil, coolant, trans fluid (once the everything is warmed up and the test drive is over).

Car should run, shift, and generally drive really solid with 87k. Personally, I'd make sure the test drive is long enough that the trans gets up to around 160-180 and do some hard and normal driving at that temp. That is where they tend to act up.

I think the S3 engine has fewer of the significant "common issues" found on older models.
Thanks for the reply. People in the turbo Buick world have said that the S2/S3 are comparable to Buick's stage 2 3.8L blocks made in the late 70's and 80's. Word is the S2/S3 block is a stage 2 block with a short deck. I have seen Buick's stage 2 3.8L blocks push a full weight Grand National down the 1320 in 7.97s at 176MPH. So that is quite a compliment on the Series II/III blocks.