New Guy going to look at a 2a in Maine..

[Revtor]

Hey guys, new member here. I owned a D-90 for 14 years and had to sell it. Now I'm back in position to own again and am looking for my dream series.


So I'm going up to Maine to look at a rover, and perhaps some of you might know the one I'm talking about and could share your thoughts , tips etc..

It's the second one down on this page: (the red one)
http://www.dap-inc.com/used/index.shtml

Has anyone gone and looked at it? Apparently it spent "most" of it's life in Texas.. The color, age, options, it's really what I've been looking for for a while, and I finally have time to go check it out. This will be a weekend vehicle, will be in a garage, and i'm not afraid of taking rovers apart. (NJ D-90 owner for 14 yrs...)

I know the common areas to scrutinize, frame/bulkhead rust, I'm going to drive it a bit too of course. Any tips here when looking to buy a series rover? Price haggling points?
What would you have done if you could do it again?

Thanks for the help, have a great weekend!

~Steve

[stomper]

I don't know the vehicle, but it is a bugeye. not necessarily worth more, but they are a little more rare.

[Revtor]

Thanks Stomper, the "bugeye" rarity is cool in my book, but not necessarily a deal maker..

Perhaps phrasing it like this..
What are warning signs that would make you say "no" to a series you were thinking of buying? At around $5k price point.

Thanks again, just looking for more knowledge so when I go up there I can make my decision based more on logic, rather than emotion.

~Steve

[SalemRover]

Bring a hammer. Take it for a test drive and inspect the frame after. While you are searching for rust the leaks will find you.

[Alaskan Rover]

If it's truly a texas truck...you might be in luck...as then it hopefully won't have the common 'northeast' frame rot so prevalent on many series...rot that also affects the firewall. Hopefully both frame and firewall are fairly clean, then.

Stuff to check:
Frame...firewall....clutch...clutch fluid...leaking wheel cylinders....master cylinder...shape of swivel balls - rusted?...check tie rod and other suspsion linkages for looseness...check if bad leaf springs....check underneath vehicle to see which drips are coming from where....check condition of hub seals...drive-shaft U-joints....

Listen to engine for timing chain skip and valve lash....decent carburetor?...clunking from tranny while shifting (besides the normal non-synchromesh 'clunk')...tightness of steering box/steering linkages while turning underway.

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