Also, in my experience white paint hides imperfections in photos and even in person from a slight distance. That's actually why it is my favorite color for an offroad rig. In your case, sounds like it may be masking some hard living. 
Questions about a 94 80 series I’m looking at
- Thread starter davidlytle
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I’ll be interested in what they say. Where are you taking it?
- Thread starter
- #63
Scott at Avid Cruisers. He wants to see the ad to see if he knows the truck.
Well, here’s to hoping I was all wrong about it and you found yourself a gem hiding in plain sight 
- Thread starter
- #65
I'll def report back. I really appreciate your reply and giving me more info. I told Scott at Avid Cruisers what you messaged and he was like oh wow ill make sure we check it out.Well, here’s to hoping I was all wrong about it and you found yourself a gem hiding in plain sight
Looks pretty good for a 94'. In the current market I'd offer $10k and see what they come back with.
- Don't sweat the lockers, you can add them later if needed
- 250k miles is normal and not high for these. Mine has 334k and I bought it at 270k.
- Interior looks good which is a big plus
- Rust free and stock are both a big plus
- Hard to tell where the oil is leaking other than the valve cover, this is normal for these and not hard to fix
- White is a desirable and timeless color, especially in AZ where its hot
- The CDL switch can be added, the wiring is behind the dash
- The whine could be from the transfer case. Mine has always has a slight wine to it.
I'd reach out to @inkpot since he's also in AZ to see what he says.
- Don't sweat the lockers, you can add them later if needed
- 250k miles is normal and not high for these. Mine has 334k and I bought it at 270k.
- Interior looks good which is a big plus
- Rust free and stock are both a big plus
- Hard to tell where the oil is leaking other than the valve cover, this is normal for these and not hard to fix
- White is a desirable and timeless color, especially in AZ where its hot
- The CDL switch can be added, the wiring is behind the dash
- The whine could be from the transfer case. Mine has always has a slight wine to it.
I'd reach out to @inkpot since he's also in AZ to see what he says.
"He said his wife won’t let it go for less than 13".
That whine you hear may be related to that but definitely easy to address with change of ownership.
That whine you hear may be related to that but definitely easy to address with change of ownership.
- Thread starter
- #68
"He said his wife won’t let it go for less than 13".
That whine you hear may be related to that but definitely easy to address with change of ownership.
that’s one way to fix it!
Cloth seats. Superior to leather... pay the man and start cleaning that thing up.
I don't know how to make it more clear... cloth seats man!
I don't know how to make it more clear... cloth seats man!
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- #70
100% agree! I’m looking at the 94 in Bakersfield that’s white and thinking how can I swap the seats to cloth
Have you looked at the ‘96 LX in Carefree? Looks like a decent deal from the pics and description. You could probably snag it for less than 60% of the price of the ‘94.
- Thread starter
- #72
No, I havent seen it. where is it listed?
FB Marketplace
End game 80’s are built not bought.
I believe buying something cheap that has good bones but needs a lot of work to have a descent looking, very reliable rig for a start. Once this has been accomplished, vehicle knowledge will be there. Then the fun “build” part can procede.
Anyone can lay down a basket of cash for a well sorted 80 and then bolt a few doo-dads to it but then they don’t know what’s at the heart of the vehicle they will be depending on in out of the way places where AAA won’t show up.
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Looks pretty good. I haven't read through all the replies but in my experience, rust free chassis and clean interior are some of the most important aspects when shopping, right after all the maintenance being kept up on.
Oil could be a simple valve cover gasket job, worked for me. Matching numbers - I wouldn't worry about it. This site has the most die hard group of enthusiasts and I don't think anyone here cares about that. They just look for solid maintained rust free trucks. The hood and doors could be from completely different rigs and no one would care as long as the paint looked good and the panels are straight. CDL button is an easy job to add one.
Sounds like you know what you're getting into with your experience with Saabs. I was into vintage BMWs and newer Toyotas before I got into old Toyotas.
Same lessons:
Don't buy a project if it's your only car to get you to work.
A lot of consumable stuff needs to be replaced (hoses, belts, etc.) because of age even if the miles are low.
Find one with a record of maintenance.
If you do your own work you'll be spending a good amount of money.
If you have someone else do it you're going to be spending a LOT of money. haha
Buy OEM once, cry once.
I think you'll find that 80 series are amazing vehicles. Very well-engineered in my opinion. It's satisfying to do your own work and figure out how every system and component works together. And you'll know how to fix it if it breaks on the trail.
The rust on the hatch is annoying to deal with. I had the same thing happen to me - you can see how I dealt with it here in my build thread:
But that's only a band-aid. There's no way to completely remove the rust without completely cutting and welding patches, or finding a new rust free hatch. I ended up finding a clean hatch out of Reno that I'll be repainting.
Oil could be a simple valve cover gasket job, worked for me. Matching numbers - I wouldn't worry about it. This site has the most die hard group of enthusiasts and I don't think anyone here cares about that. They just look for solid maintained rust free trucks. The hood and doors could be from completely different rigs and no one would care as long as the paint looked good and the panels are straight. CDL button is an easy job to add one.
Sounds like you know what you're getting into with your experience with Saabs. I was into vintage BMWs and newer Toyotas before I got into old Toyotas.
Same lessons:
Don't buy a project if it's your only car to get you to work.
A lot of consumable stuff needs to be replaced (hoses, belts, etc.) because of age even if the miles are low.
Find one with a record of maintenance.
If you do your own work you'll be spending a good amount of money.
If you have someone else do it you're going to be spending a LOT of money. haha
Buy OEM once, cry once.
I think you'll find that 80 series are amazing vehicles. Very well-engineered in my opinion. It's satisfying to do your own work and figure out how every system and component works together. And you'll know how to fix it if it breaks on the trail.
The rust on the hatch is annoying to deal with. I had the same thing happen to me - you can see how I dealt with it here in my build thread:
But that's only a band-aid. There's no way to completely remove the rust without completely cutting and welding patches, or finding a new rust free hatch. I ended up finding a clean hatch out of Reno that I'll be repainting.
This sounds Netflix content heroic, but let's keep it simple. OP's example went from being "super nice" to being a "hard pass" at $13K corroborated by a forum member who's also seen it in person. Not shocking given how much time OP spent using ih8's awesome search function.
And if someone has a basket full of cash to score a well sorted 80, good for them. Get your BaT 80 and enjoy your extra time. Doesn't make their ownership experience any less meaningful (perhaps less Netflix) than the dude who spent years in the backyard garage turning a pile of sht into a diamond.
Ain't nobody lifting trophies here. Go make memories meaningful to you, but heck, I'm all for giving others a head start so they avoid making mistakes that I wish I would've known not to make from go.
But if OP ends up buying the sucker, I’m here to say welcome and enjoy the journey.
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- Thread starter
- #77
We'll see tomorrow
- Thread starter
- #78
your build looks amazing. That rear hatch fix looks great and hopefully keeps it dry and rust free. regarding the saabs I bought 2 beat up saabs and recently got rid of the one I had for 23 years and kept the "triple locked 40th anniversary special edition" one which has been sitting in a shop for 6 months LOL. I dont have F U money, I just dont want to rebuild everytthing before I can even enjoy it. I'll let you guys know what Avid Cruisers says tomorrow. I really really appreciate all the feedback and input. I can see it from both perspectives.
Sorry, kinda long. But I think it's some of the better things I've learned walking the road you're looking down.
Trans rebuild and lift were parts and labor. Those were $4400 and $2300 OTD. I couldn't in a million years imagine myself DIY the trans and wasn't willing to DIY the lift.
Most of the baseline work is just OEM parts and a few tools (~ $5k), plus time in researching and performing the work myself, over 3 spring/summer/fall seasons (CO, can only work in a parking lot 8 mos out of the year). I did carry the panhards and f&r control arms into a shop with OEM bushing to get pressed in. ($65) Just faster and cheaper than buying a press and press bushings if you don't already have those (which I do not) AND if you never intend to do the job again. Also took to a shop after refreshing the brakes (calps/rotors/pads/bearings) and adding extended s/s brake lines for a flush and bleed (~$65) Again, faster and cheaper. Also to an alignment shop after rebuilding knuckles (diy) ($90). Oh, and had a driveline shop replace the U/Js ($50/shaft). Carried in the parts (Matsuba).
Wheels and tires another $1k (mount&bal ~$50 for 5 wheels/tires). The truck came with smallish but serviceable 31" tires on OEM wheels and I ran those off road for about 2 years, getting a feel for the rig and it's capabilities. I'd never purposely 'dispose of' perfectly good wheels like the factory ones, but decided to just add to the collection a second set and 33" tires. Easier to swap between to say the least.
Full disclosure, the lift was the very first thing done after purchase. It had a tired, vintage suspension in desperate need of attention with a bumper and winch hanging off the front ($2500 savings with purchase). Like yourself, I was unfamiliar with 80s but knew it was getting built out, so the lift shop was very helpful in selecting the proper spring rate and shock to carry the expected load. This was one of many things I wasn't aware that needed to be figured in from the start. Diy, I'd a been messing with ordering parts/returning parts till it was done correctly over who knows how long. The shop sorted all that for me in the time they had the truck ~ a week IIRC. They were also able to replace a few other drive line things I wasn't aware of with no additional time futzing with it.
I've since learned that a lift is DIY-able, however the convenience and speed of having a reputable shop do the work is well worth it imo. Now, to just refresh a factory suspension I wouldn't hesitate to DIY. But a lift is much better served by an experienced tech imo IF 1) it's something you've never done before, 2) you really want to use it and rely on it to get you out and back, and 3) you don't intended to do the job again.
Again, that $16k does not include the build out, which was 100% diy and certainly varies between owners.
Purchase price was roughly the remaining amount, but not willing to disclose as it was a 'pre-explosion' purchase and distracts from the meat and potatoes of what really adds to the cost of owning and enjoying a 'top-5' rig following the requisite time, money, and effort to bring it up to speed.
Plus the knowledge gained when doing much of the work pays dividends on the trail should something - though unlikely - go awry.
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A whole lot of fluff there. Learning is what life is about and the more skin we have in the game, any game, the more we learn and the more we appreciate. If image projection and posing is the end game then short cuts get us there fast for sure but from that come a Cruiser load of nothing.
Having said that, I despise rust and will avoid it completely.