Anyone in the Detroit Metro area?

Hey guys,

I've found a car in the Detroit Metro area that I'm interested in, but would like some eyes on it first. If there is anyone close by Westland (Wayne County it says) that could look at it for me that would be great.

Chris

You have some really weird formatting going on with your post.

I could possibly get out there next week if nobody else is available.

Mazdax605 wrote: Hey guys, I've found a car in the Detroit Metro area that I'm interested in, but would like some eyes on it first. If there is anyone close by Westland (Wayne County it says) that could look at it for me that would be great. Chris

I may be able to look. What are we looking at?

Not sure what happened to the formatting there. I posted from my phone. Maybe that's why.

The vehicle in question is a flat side 86 Starquest. Seen here:

Flatty

Holy crap, those seats look amazing! I miss performance cars with comfortable seats for those of us with a BMI above 0.

Ok. Viewing the car tomorrow at 11:00 AM. Car is basically a one owner car, bought from the estate and not driven since.Guy selling is retired. Car has been repainted previously and may have bondo around the rear arches, according to the seller. I'll be able to drive it around the block, it's not plated, and I'll jack it up to inspect the underside. What else do you want me to take a gander at, I'm not a Starquest geek?

Rot is my biggest concern. The strut tower on the right side looks a bit crusty.

Mazdax605 wrote: Rot is my biggest concern. The strut tower on the right side looks a bit crusty.

It's an 80s Japanese car in Michigan, so... yeah. But if it hasn't had some love (stored winters, cleaned regularly, etc) it would have returned to the Earth long ago, so that's a good sign.

In reply to Mazdax605:
Keep looking. This one has a decent body job but there's rot underneath. Perforation starting along the floor where it meets the inner sills,the main frame rails are rotted through,more bondo in the rocker areas, punky areas in the driver's side footwell, and a hole in the upper firewall. When I tried jacking the driver's side it started making crunchy sounds. It's a sub $1000 car that needs quite a bit of welding. My advice, look in Atlanta.

Thanks, DeadSkunk. I appreciate you looking at the car for me. Do I owe you anything for your time, or fuel money perhaps?

$2017, or just pay it forward when someone else needs a favour.

That's too bad. It's been ages since I've seen a flatty at all and it looked pretty tidy in the ad. Also that early interior in that good condition is NOT common. Did it have a digi dash?

Did you happen to see the mileage?

In reply to Mazdax605:

103,000 I think. I kind of stopped looking at some details after I saw the underside. Didn't look to see if the dash was digital. Interior did smell a little like it had belonged to a smoker,not strong ,but some odour still there.

More from my inspection notes.
That rust on the right hand strut tower needs to be cut out and patched.It looks like it's double walled. I would expect to find more rust when it's cut open.
There's a hole rusted through the firewall, just above the clutch reservoir. You can see it in the picture in the ad.
Interior is generally in good shape. The carpeting in the hatch area show significant fading, but some carpet spray dye would fix it.
Standing 3 feet away it's a decent looking car, but it has been repainted at some point and there's filler in all the usual areas. Bottom edge folds on both doors showed some rust on the inside area.
Car started and idled with no obvious reasons to be concerned.
It was on a major thoroughfare so I did not drive it, as it wasn't plated or insured.
It had good looking Kelly tires,but I couldn't see a date code for some reason.
Is it salvageable? Yes, anything is with enough effort. It would need to have the interior removed to access the floor and rocker areas. The underside would have to be scraped clean to see what other issues the undercoat may be hiding.
The hood release is broken and there's a pull cord you reach through the bumper opening. Hatch wouldn't work on the key, but it's lever release worked fine.
Handbrake seemed to be working, it kept it from rolling when in neutral.
....and that's about it.