Hello everyone !

Just found this place while i was desperatley looking for a good place regarding my favrorite car :) ( i don`t own one yet )

Anyhow, the thing is that tonight i am going to go look at a 85 el camino and i just need some advice what to look for, it looks pretty nice for being so old, and it only has 40 000 miles on it ( wich im not sure i believe ), but the interior looks greate ( looking through the widows ) also all the rubber seals ( not sure thats the right word for it ) like around windows and doors looks good.

So, any tips on what to look for ?

I would really apreciate any help !!

Thank`s

Ok Berndt -- Most important two questions are:

Where has the car been?? Dry climate or northeast rust belt?
How much money are they asking for?


As a New Englander, the most important check is for body and frame rust. On the frame, carefully inspect the frame rails just past the rear wheels. This is the most failure prone area for local cars. On the body, pull up the carpet and check for rust under the floor pan where the driver's feet go, inside the storage compartment under the rear windows, and also under the carpet in the low spot behind the seat. Bad results here should be a deal-killer unless the price is really cheap.

Anything wrong with the engine and transmission can be easily cured with an injection of green cash and a reputable mechanic. Don't let these problems scare you away if the price is otherwise reasonable.

Give our members most info about the specific vehicle and you'll get some good responses before the night is over. Good luck. John Harris

Hello again and thank`s for your reply :)

Well, i just came home from the testdrive and closer look.

Im not quite sure where the car comes from, i didnt ask, but now it`s in Portland Oregon. The engine seemed to run fine, no wierd noises or anything, i did feel some " jerking " movements sitting in the car with engine idling, dodnt know if that is unusual or a sign it`s not running perfectly smooth.

The test drive also feelt good, it didnt pull to any side, not when i was breaking either, the breakes did feel alittle bit weak though, but then again, im use to driving our 2003 Mitsubishi Galant, so not sure if thats " normal " for an 85 El Camino :)

The ac didnt get really cold, is that an expensive fix ? power windows and power locks seemed to work fine, The interior looked really nice i have to say, no cracks or torn seats or anything, i never pulled up the carpets ( didnt know i should check that :) ) but i did feel the carpets and they felt dry, the dealer had just washed the car before we looked at it, and i did see some water on the spare tire behind the passenger seat.

Anyhow, there was some thing that bothered me though, when i went trough some bigger potholes in the street and when i went over the curb to the street i heard some pretty loud .. hhhm, " clunking " noise from somewhere, seemed to be something with the suspension or something, anyhow, i heard that everytime the car moved alot, like going over curbs or bigger potholes, that concerned me a littlebit., ohh, also when i put the car in drive or from drive to reverse, it made some " clunking " noise too.

The outside wasnt too bad either, sure, it had some dents and scratches, but nothing major, the tailgate was a littlebit tough to open and it had been " bent " somehow down by the left hinge.

The odometer said 40 000 miles, but i think it`s more like 140 000 miles, the dealer said it only had 40 000 miles, but looking at the breake and gas pedal the rubber was pretty worn.

The price was $4995 and he said he wouldent go any lower than that and that he was in no hurry to sell the car, yeah right, they all say that :) i was thinking maybe around $ 3000. or am i totally wrong ? :)

I have to say i did like it though, even if it had a few things that wasnt " perfect " but i guess you cant expect too much on a car that old, i`m just so affraid to do a bad deal, so, how realiable are the El Caminos ? whats the most common problem ? is parts expensive ?

Oohh, before i forget, it said Conquista ( or something like that on it ) what does that mean ?

Again, id appreciate any input on this !

Thank`s.

Berndt

Ohh, i forgot, it has a 305 v8 engine :) and 3 speed automatic transmission and when i turned on the ac after a while there was a really loud " bang " then the cold air started to come, like some " door " or something slammed under the dash.

look for any kind of leaks, check the shocks, check the oil make sure its not mixed with fuel or water. conquista is like a special edition El Camino, i have an 82 and it came with a 305 V8 as well, i am putting in a 350 n it, thats mostly what everyone does. more balls 8) , anyways, you might wanna look around some more not just go for the first one you see, i probably looked at 10 El Caminos before i bought mine, here in orange county they go for 3 g's without engine and tranny, thats right, no engine no tranny for 3 grand. i had to driv e 300 miles to find a good deal. so no rush, just look around, try www. ebay.com , www.pennysaverusa.com , www.autotrader.com , yahoo autos under used cars, good luck

THe water on the spare is probably the rear window leaking which is common. The clunk could be bad shocks, worn out suspension components or even U-joints if you heard it when putting it in gear before taking off.

THat the AC works at all is a good sign but probably needs some attention. You're right about the mileage being more like 140K looking at the pedals is a pretty good indicatior. Reupholostered seats are another one So is new carpets.

Another thing is that water leak. If its been happening for awhile you may have rust in the floor behind the seat(s) where the water accumulated. Close to 5K for one that old is a real tossup.

I would check out a few more before I made a decision. I looked at quite a few before I bought mine.

I have a rule about used cars though.

I figure its probably gonna cost me at least 2K to get it reliable before I can trust it. You always pay for the bad habits of the previous owner.
That rule hasn't failed me yet.

I looked up the kelly blue book value on my '85 yesterday and it said likte $2100 or something and mine has a 305 too. I guess from my little bot I've learned about my El Camino is buy somethings with a really nice body and frame. The motor and other things can be dealt with much easier than body and frame. I paid $1200 for my '85 in decent running condition. PLus there is another decent 5th gen in my neighborhood with a 250 that the guy wants $1000 for. So for $5000 I would expect a nice damn car.

Hello again :)

Thank`s for your input ! i really apreciate it !

Yeah, ive been thinking about this one, and i think ill pass on this one, something just doesent " feel " rightout this, so ill just keep looking, i did a search last night for el caminos around here where i live and found a few i think ill take a look at this weekend.

One question though, is it ok and legal to swap engines in a car ? what does deq say about that ? and the police ?

As you can see on my spelling i`m not a " native " american :) i moved here from sweden 3 years ago, so i have a lot to learn about whats legal about cars here :)

Berndt.

Aside from the great advises posted above..My advise is buy with an impulse 8O , if it feels right buy it. Not that many Caminos around!
Just make sure it's not salvaged, frame bented, or needing a new engine, the rest of the minor stuff to fix is the fun part ! $5000 seems a little high, find a cheaper camino so you can spend Saturdays on it.

There are a lot of 5th Gen El Caminos around. I think that $5000 is to high. Take a look on Ebay, I think it can give you a good idea of values.

One question though, is it ok and legal to swap engines in a car ? what does deq say about that ? and the police ?

My opinion, for what it is worth, would be that it is perfectly "O.K." and legal to change almost anything mechanical on your Elky AS LONG AS IT IS NOT THE VIN NUMBER!
I would probally run it by some local car guys or your local mechanic, but I'll bet you'll be fine.

Keep searching for the right Elky that you want. I looked at a lot of Elky's before I found mine. Go with your instincts. While they don't make El Camino's anymore, I see a lot of them around and in the "for Sale" section of the paper all the time.

One question though, is it ok and legal to swap engines in a car ? what does deq say about that ? and the police ? Engine swaps are very comman. Depending on what state you live in you may run into emission issues, but I really wouldn't worry about it.