does this sound like a good deal? (Quantum Syncro in Maine)

[Kneale Brownson]

Sounds like a way-too-high price for a far-from-pristine example, Ben, even 
though the oil leak described can be so minimal as to show no significant 
drop in oil level between changes.  The diffy unlock can be slow, at least 
from my experience with 4kq's, and the light is an electric indicator, not 
a reliable guarantee of the vacuum function.  In both my 4k and 5k quats 
with lockable diffy arrangements,  unlock-on-the-fly can require some 
realignment of the driveline (like a curve) before it's 
completed.  Sometimes it's even more difficult to get them loose if you 
unlock while sitting still.  In that setting, I have one that absolutely 
will not unlock rolling forward.  It has to roll backward to unlock when 
switched while still.   Lights will indicate disengagement, but they lie.

The fact it pulls strongly and feels solid are good points.

I'd guess you have the right approach in mind:  Offer the $800 and see if 
he comes down in a week or so.  The V8 I bought a year ago was priced on 
the lot at $7500, and I got it for less than $4500 after  offering $4000 
and stopping back a couple times over the next three or so weeks.




At 05:02 PM 10/16/2001 -0400, BenediktRochow at oaktech.com wrote:


>[Quantum Syncro for sale by owner at $1850]
>
>Thanks for all the responses.
>I drove it today; it feels like a new car engine-
>and suspension-wise (i.e. sounds good,
>pulls strongly, rides securely,
>no rattles), though it did have the 1/2"-low-oil
>clatter same as my '84 5000 - but
>doesn't this engine have hydraulic lifters, which
>aren't supposed to make this noise?
>
>There's an oil leak from the valve cover (or is
>that the head gasket?), that goes down to the exhaust
>manifold and smokes away; I noticed the front
>bumper is pushed in 1/4"-1/2" back to match
>the broken-loose-mount headlight and 1/4" recessed
>turn signal, "was like that when we bought it",
>I'd say it slightly rear-ended another car.
>I suspect the A/C really does nothing at all.
>After locking and unlocking the diffs, I got the
>impression that it wasn't all unlocked in the next
>curve (bumpy, tire-scrubbing-pavement feeling) -
>are the lock lights real indicators of the
>locked condition (they do come on with a delay), or
>just indicators of the button position
>independent of actual function? The seller says that
>he thinks it takes one curve (or slippery
>patch) to really unlock a diff (i.e. that's normal). How's
>that really? How does the speed-unlock work?
>Rather a small car inside - it does make me
>appreciate it being a wagon. I have to say
>that I really liked the way it felt driving it, but I'm
>afraid that I'd be buying more future headaches
>than it's worth--
>I have to balance the snow advantages (for all
>the tales of plowing through snow with a quattro -
>the only real snow problems I've ever had with my
>4000+ lbs. RWD Caprices with Blizzaks were
>in my slanted badly-shoveled frozen-over gravel... - no
>longer a problem due to purchase of a house
>with a paved, slanted-gently-towards-the-road driveway,
>and purchase of a snowthrower) with the
>cost of maintaining yet another
>car - does it even use Pento$in? It has a not-so-tall
>fluid reservoir hooked with a thick
>hose to a ZF pump that's about half the size of the
>5k's pump. Or is that a regular
>power-steering-fluid-based power steering system?
>Anyway, it's got the oil leaking on the exhaust - a sign
>of doom or something to drive the price
>down with that's really easy to fix or ignore? the potentially
>funny diff; slight body damage;
>non-perfect interior (peeling door panels), probably no
>AC at all (it does matter to me, despite
>being in Maine).
>I think that maybe this would be a good buy (leaving
>some room for repairs) at perhaps $1200
>rather than $1850 (I don't know how low one can push this seller);
>On the other hand, between "uses no oil between changes"
>(upon seeing the smoking leak)
>and the explaining away of the locked-diff feel, the seller
>may just be a used-car dealer
>at heart (you can tell he's lying by watching for his lips
>moving...:), and this is a nickel-and-
>dime (to death) car that just had a financially-totalling
>repair need diagnosed and hidden.
>So I'm afraid I'm letting a great opportunity at a nifty car
>pass by, and I'm more afraid
>that it'd be a big money sink with few redeeming qualities
>over the cars I've got (neat engine sound,
>and a few minutes per year of otherwise impossible snow
>driving? Would it be worth it just for accessing snowy
>western/northern parts of Maine in the winter?)
>Of course the risk of more repars needed than it's worth
>diminishes with the purchase price -
>how low can I reasonably expect
>to pay given the description?
>When asked if anybody was about to buy it, the seller
>said that a few people had looked at it, but nobody
>expressed any intention to buy yet. One would guess
>they were scared away by the smoke signals. Maybe I should
>offer $800 if it's still for sale by next week?
>
>thanks for any advice in advance.
>-gbr