The First Gen Legend Buyer's Guide

[MD_LegendLS_90]

Originally Posted by korrupt1

is a she...I usually try buying cars from women...generally they arent as hammered on...usually.

But yes, the ad says vacuum hose leaking and she thinks thats what causing it to not run.....and ad says its the 4th hose its blown. She has replaced some, rad and some other things....but currently not running car.

I am getting a sedan that is running just fine though for $800...just gotta charge up the ac which she has (again, woman owned..imagine that) has had converted to r134a....and I have 12 cans of that stuff so should be good...tune up time coming!!!

and I been THINKING I might go get the coupe regardless for like $4-500 maybe as my side toy

I'd go for both, mainly because I bought my coupe for $500 in non-running condition also, and I was able to do all the repairs myself with no trouble. I found that these cars are fairly owner-friendly and even a Haynes manual covers most of the repairs. I did my fuel pump, ECU, main relay and fuel filter myself with little trouble. I have a 5-spd LS and I don't regret the purchase at all. Since both of your prospective cars are less than $2000 total, I'd snap up both of them. These cars are worth it.

[korrupt1]

Originally Posted by MD_LegendLS_90

I'd go for both, mainly because I bought my coupe for $500 in non-running condition also, and I was able to do all the repairs myself with no trouble. I found that these cars are fairly owner-friendly and even a Haynes manual covers most of the repairs. I did my fuel pump, ECU, main relay and fuel filter myself with little trouble. I have a 5-spd LS and I don't regret the purchase at all. Since both of your prospective cars are less than $2000 total, I'd snap up both of them. These cars are worth it.

found another coupe that I am slowly falling in love with...near mint even...but we are haggling price...I am the only one offering decent monies...most others have come in offerin like sub $1200....and its a pretty low mileage coupe...extremely well taken care of....I might still look into this girls car as a back up and worry about fixing that one later as my sedan is getting all the love right now

[MD_LegendLS_90]

So you're up to three cars now? How big is your garage?

[korrupt1]

no just 2 cars FTM....my sedan and the 07 Civic....but we are looking into these other 2...my GF is a lil put off by the damaged one with problems blowing hoses...she likes the other coupe (pretty as she says) but its a 5spd and she cant drive that at all and has no desire to learn...its a toss....I may get the 5spdr and call it good as it it seems a solid runner and a decent price...but dealer...I hate dealers. when we move I might add a extra to have/play with......more just into getting ready to move...possibly heading for Texas as a perm resident

[MD_LegendLS_90]

Get the 5-spd, dude, you'll get more pleasure out of it fer sure. Also, less maintenance in the long run (ie: if the ECU goes out in it, you can use either a manual or auto type to replace it), and you won't have to worry about the sport-shift feature possibly causing any trouble (not saying it would, but my life exp with automatics is lousy, lol!).

Btw, if things don't work out with your gf, that fixer-upper would keep you occupied (no offense).

[MD_LegendLS_90]

Thought of a buying tip for the fixer-upper crowd. If the owner will let you, check the ECU code lights. If there's no flashing going on, 10-1 the car will need either a relay or the connections are loose on the ECU (like what happened with me :P). Worst case scenario is a bad ECU, which runs close to $900 new, and used ones are a gamble sometimes.

The ECU on sedans is right under the passenger seat. If it's a coupe, you'll have to (carefully!) pull the carpet back a little in the passenger footwell to check the inspection window on the panel. If the red LED is flashing count the number of flashes and write it down. That's the code number (mine is flashing a 6, cooling system).

[korrupt1]

Originally Posted by MD_LegendLS_90

Thought of a buying tip for the fixer-upper crowd. If the owner will let you, check the ECU code lights. If there's no flashing going on, 10-1 the car will need either a relay or the connections are loose on the ECU (like what happened with me :P). Worst case scenario is a bad ECU, which runs close to $900 new, and used ones are a gamble sometimes.

The ECU on sedans is right under the passenger seat. If it's a coupe, you'll have to (carefully!) pull the carpet back a little in the passenger footwell to check the inspection window on the panel. If the red LED is flashing count the number of flashes and write it down. That's the code number (mine is flashing a 6, cooling system).

My 87 had no flashes (she let me check and was willing to allow me to go thru the car entirely prior to purchase....might help she was a doctor and cared for the car impeccably as can be seen in my pics....she had not one thing to hide on the car and I felt reasonably assured it was in quality shape...the low mileage coupe...on other hand...dealer car which means he knows precisely SQUAT about the car....it may run beautifully for a month and then rear a ugly hand...its more a gamble to me on that one...the other coupe i am looking at...well...known issues with the car and seem to be being disclosed.....I am just nervous about it since I cant actually START the car to hear anything....be real pissed if I drag it home and hear valves banging away from a blown belt or god knows what else she did to it


But good heads up for future purchasers!

[cerberus8317]

Wow...wish I had seen this 6.5 months ago when I bought my 88 sedan. I paid $1000 for it with the following:

rebuilt tranny
rebuilt alternator
4 brand spankin new tires
engine and clutch in great condition
red with black leather interior
5-spd manual

ecu showing code 12 with cel on (needs egr)
right cv joint clicking
cosmetic damage to left tail light
rusted left front corner (right next to the hood)
missing alarm fob
needs 4 struts/shocks
hole in exhaust pipes somewhere between header and muffler
hood struts failed
power antenna (motor works, hear it all the time...but no antenna)

found later:
right tie rod end loose
timing belt/camshaft seals/crankshaft seal/water pump all need to be replaced
radiator/heater hoses
valve cover gaskets
radiator cap
shift shaft seal
sway bar
console clock intermittent
sunroof leaks

It's a work in progress, and I'm learning as I go. I get my oil changed at a shop cause they do a free inspection of my car and tell me whats wrong with it so I can go fix it elsewhere.

Things I've done myself (with help):
cap/rotor/plugs/wires/air filter
replaced the clock
stereo swap
hood struts
got lucky, cartoys had the alarm fob that i needed in stock and they got 1 in that day
new radiator cap(that was the hardest thing so far ;-))
pulled 2 tail lights and 2 side marker lights want to make them clear
working on the egr system right now
intend to replace the radiator/heater hoses
fuel filter is on the list
as is valve cover gaskets
and cleaning out sunroof drains
replace power antenna

Anyway, what do you all think? Did I get ripped off? In any case, I love the car, and it's a blast learning how to work on it.

[l4zy415]

For $1,000, that's perfect espesially if they done most of the work.

[90legend]

Thanks for all this info. My 90 Legend Sedan Goldie has just started showing a few small spots of rust showing through the paint, on the rear wheel well. I just noticed it yesterday for the first time. Is there a solution for slowing or stopping the rust? Otherwise, the car is as close to mint as you can get, with just 36K miles and everything running perfect, and perfect interior.