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I have that exact setup. Posted by Ari [Email]  (#2847) [Profile/Gallery]
(more from Ari) on Mon, 10 Sep 2001 09:46:05
In Reply to: 88 and 92 9000, eric p, Sat, 8 Sep 2001 16:53:18 Members do not see ads below this line. - Help Keep This Site Online - Signup |
I have an 88 turbo and a 92 non-turbo, both automatics. Both cars are in great running shape, and I've kept after them. I've had the non-turbo 92 since new, and it's a creampuff.
Let's get the performance part out of the way first. Yes, there may be a 10 hp difference in the specs, but there is a massive difference in the real world. The turbo is quick and a lot of fun to drive. The non-turbo is just plain slow. Going up a steep hill is a pain. On the highway, the engine only starts getting into its own at about 65 mph. Around town, it's not much fun, and as my wife says, 'it's hard to drive'. So from a performance standpoint, the turbo is the only way to go with an automatic.
Also, my '88T being a turbo has a lot more bells and whistles than the base 92. The turbo has leather, moonroof, alloys, and defrosting fans in the rear side doors. The '92 is cloth, steel sunroof, no side defrosters. The turbo has ACC and the non-turbo has manual climate control - that's a choise issue. Interestingly, the seats in the '88 are more comfortable - I think that's just the leather being nicely broken in.
IF the two cars are in comprable condition, the '88 is a damn fine car. The difference is the '88 is four years older. But so much depends on how the cars have been treated. My '92 is a creampuff, with not a scratch or dent, and it looks and runs like it just like when I drove off the dealer's lot. My '88 has 140K, and it was a little visually ragged when I bought it used 8 years ago with 50K miles. So my '92 is quiet and comfortable, just SLOW. But if the '92 had had a hard life, it wouldn't be so attractive.
As to the trannies - there will be some discussion on this, but if you're buying used, it safe to assume that the transmission is good for about 100-120K miles. Yes, frequent fluid changes will extend the life of the transmission. But there are folks (myself included) who have babied the tranny and still had failures in the 100-120K range. Some folks have had trannies last to 200K, and more power to them. But if you're buying used, it's best to assume that if the transmission is original, expect to replace it at 120K. Factor that into the cost of the car. If the tranny lasts longer, great. If not, it's no surprise.
Of course, check the maintenance records. I picked up an '88T at 80K miles that was fresh from a new transmission. I drove it quite happily to 140K, knowing I had a fresh tranny, and sold it, tranny still going strong. So don't assume the transmission is original - but get those records!
And as to cost - assume a rebuilt tranny is about $2500 installed. You can probably do better, but that's a good bet. Also - how is the transmission now? They usually give plenty of warning. Are the shift smooth, or does it clunk from gear to gear, or pause in the middle of a shift? When you first shift the car from neutral to drive, does it shift imperceptably, or is there a pause and thunk? (guess which one is bad). Do the shift points seem right?
If the tranny shifts smoothly now, chances are it'll be good for a while longer. If it's shifting poorly now, it may be a simple matter of needing new valve body springs (about $200) or govenor seals (about $300) - both can be done with the tranny in the car, and those are the approximate prices for a shop to do the work. But if the tranny is feeling weak now, use that as a bargaining point - get the price down by $2500, and then hope the problem is just a broken valve body spring. But if it isn't, drop in a rebuilt Eriksson transmission, and now know you've got another 100K+ miles.
Good luck!
posted by 140.157....
, Mon, 10 Sep 2001 09:46:05 <-- Viewing This Message
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