hi i have a mk1 pearl white 3000gt as well as z tt
1st of all the 3000GT & GTO are slightly different in the way that they have different spec. 3000GT's have slightly bigger turbo's & more luxuries on them but because they are UK from factory they tend to be notorious for rust underneath especially as some are 20 years old. GTO's are imported from Japan & usually have spent much less time in the UK climate on salted roads. A GTO has slightly smaller turbo's & oddly will cost slightly more to insure.
I know many things have been said previously but here are some hints in list form. Some things are obvious for any car some are specific for this car but I've stuck 'em on the list anyway:
-Check for leaks underneath & around seals etc. look under the transfer case as well (a freshly cleaned engine is sometimes a sign of hiding leaks)
-Make sure Check Engine Light isn't on
-Make sure sport light isn't flashing (sign of fault with Electronic Controlled Suspension Models or faulty strut or after market struts or lowering springs)
-Check for proof of 60K service ( if not will have to be done as precaution & is expensive)
-Check PCV hoses & connection to intake bubble (hoses from the rocker covers! if badly fouled with oil evidence of blow by & possible piston damage)
-Insist on a cold engine to start (after it warms up there should be no ticking rattling or squeaking)
-Check to see the engine stability for worn mounts
-Check the car idles OK
-Check the oil pressure gauge at idle & make sure it's not too low (a lot of these older cars run low oil pressure)
-Check the temp. at idle is OK (usually sits at half way mark)
-Check for knackered turbo seals (take off the 2 pipes to the 'Y' next to the battery & feel for oil also look down the back of the intake plenum to where the black metal intercooler pipe goes, around the seal is usually full of oil if the seal's gone)
-Check the front & rear aero spoilers activate with the switch
-Look at the state of the oil (these cars are supposed to have an oil change at 4000-5000 miles)
-Check the fluid in the master cylinder looks OK
-Have a look at the brake discs for rust & scars
-Look at the brake pads & see how worn they are & see if the wear is even
-Look at the pipes to the callipers & make sure they're not brittle or cracked or evidence of fluid leaks, make sure the bleed screws are OK & have their covers
-Have a look at the coolant double check that looks OK
-Check if the car has working immobiliser (they do go faulty & burn out like mine did)
-Check that the car has insurer approved certificated for cat.1 immobiliser, alarm & tracker (my insurer insisted on it & it makes insurance a hell of a lot cheaper)
-Check the sump hasn't had a bang coz a lot of cars get lowered & catch the sump
-Check the car has the right wheels on coz people fit after market ones from other cars which have the wrong rolling radius at 25.7" thereabouts (wheel spacers are a good indicator of the wrong wheels & wide spacers give rattling issues at speed)
-Check the bumpers, headlight & bonnet aren't slightly misaligned coz the slightest front end bump on these cars throws it all out of place
When you take the car for a spin:
-Check for wind & road noise coming through the corners of the front windows at speed (a lot of older cars have this, like mine)
-Check gears engage well & clutch is light (2nd gear synchro is notorious on these cars)
-Make sure the brakes are OK with no judders or binding pistons (the brakes on these cars should be good, some say Mk.1 have poor brakes but mine were superb)
-Give it some beans & listen for the turbo's (make sure there is no whining or clattering, the turbo gauge in the centre is only an indicator of what the ECU thinks it should be & not a true figure of boost)
-Make sure there is no smoke coming out of the exhaust & make sure there is no coolant smells from the exhaust
-If a Jap model see if the speedo has been converted from KMH to MPH (check for proof it's been delimited, 112mph on the Jap cars not a bad thing if it hasn't)
-Check that the cruise control works
-Check that the active aero works on auto
Well that's all I can think of but most of it's basic stuff really. If possible arrange with a local garage close to the viewing if you can use their ramp for 10 minutes to have a good look underneath. Then you can check exhaust condition, have a good look at the transfer car & rear diff, check for leaks, check the horizontal suspension i.e. roll bars. tie rods.
Anyway mate good luck with it but if you get stuck loads of guys on here will help
hi i have a mk1 pearl white 3000gt as well as z tt 1st of all the 3000GT & GTO are slightly different in the way that they have different spec. 3000GT's have slightly bigger turbo's & more luxuries on them but because they are UK from factory they tend to be notorious for rust underneath especially as some are 20 years old. GTO's are imported from Japan & usually have spent much less time in the UK climate on salted roads. A GTO has slightly smaller turbo's & oddly will cost slightly more to insure. I know many things have been said previously but here are some hints in list form. Some things are obvious for any car some are specific for this car but I've stuck 'em on the list anyway: -Check for leaks underneath & around seals etc. look under the transfer case as well (a freshly cleaned engine is sometimes a sign of hiding leaks) -Make sure Check Engine Light isn't on -Make sure sport light isn't flashing (sign of fault with Electronic Controlled Suspension Models or faulty strut or after market struts or lowering springs) -Check for proof of 60K service ( if not will have to be done as precaution & is expensive) -Check PCV hoses & connection to intake bubble (hoses from the rocker covers! if badly fouled with oil evidence of blow by & possible piston damage) -Insist on a cold engine to start (after it warms up there should be no ticking rattling or squeaking) -Check to see the engine stability for worn mounts -Check the car idles OK -Check the oil pressure gauge at idle & make sure it's not too low (a lot of these older cars run low oil pressure) -Check the temp. at idle is OK (usually sits at half way mark) -Check for knackered turbo seals (take off the 2 pipes to the 'Y' next to the battery & feel for oil also look down the back of the intake plenum to where the black metal intercooler pipe goes, around the seal is usually full of oil if the seal's gone) -Check the front & rear aero spoilers activate with the switch -Look at the state of the oil (these cars are supposed to have an oil change at 4000-5000 miles) -Check the fluid in the master cylinder looks OK -Have a look at the brake discs for rust & scars -Look at the brake pads & see how worn they are & see if the wear is even -Look at the pipes to the callipers & make sure they're not brittle or cracked or evidence of fluid leaks, make sure the bleed screws are OK & have their covers -Have a look at the coolant double check that looks OK -Check if the car has working immobiliser (they do go faulty & burn out like mine did) -Check that the car has insurer approved certificated for cat.1 immobiliser, alarm & tracker (my insurer insisted on it & it makes insurance a hell of a lot cheaper) -Check the sump hasn't had a bang coz a lot of cars get lowered & catch the sump -Check the car has the right wheels on coz people fit after market ones from other cars which have the wrong rolling radius at 25.7" thereabouts (wheel spacers are a good indicator of the wrong wheels & wide spacers give rattling issues at speed) -Check the bumpers, headlight & bonnet aren't slightly misaligned coz the slightest front end bump on these cars throws it all out of place When you take the car for a spin: -Check for wind & road noise coming through the corners of the front windows at speed (a lot of older cars have this, like mine) -Check gears engage well & clutch is light (2nd gear synchro is notorious on these cars) -Make sure the brakes are OK with no judders or binding pistons (the brakes on these cars should be good, some say Mk.1 have poor brakes but mine were superb) -Give it some beans & listen for the turbo's (make sure there is no whining or clattering, the turbo gauge in the centre is only an indicator of what the ECU thinks it should be & not a true figure of boost) -Make sure there is no smoke coming out of the exhaust & make sure there is no coolant smells from the exhaust -If a Jap model see if the speedo has been converted from KMH to MPH (check for proof it's been delimited, 112mph on the Jap cars not a bad thing if it hasn't) -Check that the cruise control works -Check that the active aero works on auto Well that's all I can think of but most of it's basic stuff really. If possible arrange with a local garage close to the viewing if you can use their ramp for 10 minutes to have a good look underneath. Then you can check exhaust condition, have a good look at the transfer car & rear diff, check for leaks, check the horizontal suspension i.e. roll bars. tie rods. Anyway mate good luck with it but if you get stuck loads of guys on here will help