Buying my first ws6

**McPwned** · 06-17-2015, 05:53 PM

Here's a little background. A few years ago my buddy bought a formula and has cloned it to a ws6. I have borrowed it on a few occasions and done some work for him. After having driven a few other sports cars and his bird, I can comfortably say that his t/a is the most enjoyable car I have ever driven (I really don't even have to push it to have fun, I just love the feel of it).

Anyways, time to get to the point. I've been looking to buy a ws6 myself for quite a while now. Unfortunately the market seams fairly dry around here, I live in the Memphis area. However, I found one near me that I'm heavily considering and would like to know what you guys think of it.

The car is a 2000 pewter ws6 with 90k miles on it and he is asking $10,500. I feel that may be a little steep, but I am open to it as I haven't seen the car in person yet and I'm sure he has that price in mind with a little bargaining room.

It has been modded and the owners list of mods are as follows, "It has aftermarket air lid and box with KN filter, throttle body, LS6 intake, GM Hot Cam, MidTube headers, Y pipe, EGR delete, Bilstein suspension, traction bars, subframes, drilled/slotted rotors." When I asked him if he did the mods he said the previous owner had and he bought it to be a toy and he is now going through a devorce and doesn't want to have a toy for his daily driver. So thoughts on that would be appreciated.

When I asked him about the ac he told me, "The ac and cruise control are on the same fuse and it keeps blowing. It doesn't blow until the car gets moving so I can put a fuse in and start the car and ac works fine" and told me he doesn't have time to find the short that's causing it to blow. Could this end up being a large $$$ fix? Or would it be a pretty simple repair that wouldn't cost more than a couple hundred, hopefully less?

He also said the passenger headlamp is starting to have trouble lifting itself. I figure that something I need to see in person to decide if it's worn plastic or possible a motor going bad. Any idea on the cost of those parts?

All that being said, I appreciate you taking the time to read my really long post and look forward to reading some feedback! Hopefully this will be the one, but if not the search won't end. I'm pretty determined to have a ws6 sitting in my driveway eventually, just hope my current daily can hold out until then (99 expy pushing 271k miles).

**boxergirl** · 06-18-2015, 06:05 AM

Hi, I am in the same boat as you are. I am looking at the same car in black, a 2000 with 56k miles, 6 speed. its cherry, but it needs tires and has a weird bubiling going on the paint between the T-tops and the roof, other than its so clean. its been sitting 8 years in a garage. there asking 14,500 and there firm on 14k. I am trying to negotiate but its not working, so if you can get it for 10,500 that's a good deal in my eyes. I am in California and am having a hard time finding any. this car is awesome

**raynor139** · 06-18-2015, 06:16 AM

That bubbling is the glue holding down the sail panel coming through the paint. Common issue on these cars from 99-02. To fix it requires a entire new sail panel or a pre 99 donor piece from another car. Once the glue comes through its trashed you can't repaint them the bubbles will just come back. If your willing to to go to a junk yard and pull one or find someone selling onr the repair isn't too terribly costly. A brand new from a vendor named 6LE designs is around 600-1000 depending on if you go fiber glass or carbon fiber and if they are running any sales. Plus you have to account for install and paint fees. May want to use this to negotiate that price down some. It's not as easy and cheap of a fix as alot of sellers think it is.

***SMWS6TA*** · 06-18-2015, 07:51 AM

These 2 threads will help you both:

http://www.ls1.com/forums/f6/guide-buying-fbody-118628/

http://www.ls1.com/forums/f6/differe...y-years-27512/

***SMWS6TA*** · 06-18-2015, 08:10 AM

Originally Posted by McPwned

Here's a little background. A few years ago my buddy bought a formula and has cloned it to a ws6. I have borrowed it on a few occasions and done some work for him. After having driven a few other sports cars and his bird, I can comfortably say that his t/a is the most enjoyable car I have ever driven (I really don't even have to push it to have fun, I just love the feel of it).

Anyways, time to get to the point. I've been looking to buy a ws6 myself for quite a while now. Unfortunately the market seams fairly dry around here, I live in the Memphis area. However, I found one near me that I'm heavily considering and would like to know what you guys think of it.

The car is a 2000 pewter ws6 with 90k miles on it and he is asking $10,500. I feel that may be a little steep, but I am open to it as I haven't seen the car in person yet and I'm sure he has that price in mind with a little bargaining room. Seems a little high but the market has been coming up over the last yr or so.

It has been modded (*) and the owners list of mods are as follows, "It has aftermarket air lid and box with KN filter (Do yourself a favor and lose this), throttle body (Stock that has been ported & polish or aftermarket?), LS6 intake (That's a plus), GM Hot Cam (nice DD cam but not much for pwr bump), MidTube headers (??why these over Long tubes, might be state inspections, but I would be getting LT's) , Y pipe, EGR delete, Bilstein suspension (Another plus, but what all has been upgraded? Shocks/springs?), traction bars (???? traction bars are for spring leaf suspension, maybe confused with Lower control arms), subframes, drilled/slotted rotors (Check these for cracks around the drill circles, does he use quality pads as well with the rotors?)." When I asked him if he did the mods he said the previous owner had and he bought it to be a toy and he is now going through a devorce and doesn't want to have a toy for his daily driver. So thoughts on that would be appreciated.

When I asked him about the ac he told me, "The ac and cruise control are on the same fuse and it keeps blowing. It doesn't blow until the car gets moving so I can put a fuse in and start the car and ac works fine" and told me he doesn't have time to find the short that's causing it to blow. Could this end up being a large $$$ fix? Or would it be a pretty simple repair that wouldn't cost more than a couple hundred, hopefully less? (this would be a major concern for me. It means that there is a short somewhere or most likely one of the previous owners hacked up the wire harness and didn't fix it. Major because if not address you could accidentally set car on fire. It should be address in price nogotiations. You can spend a few hundreds getting it fixed, mostly in labor charges for someone to search for it if you don't do it yourself. I'm not saying this would be a deal breaker but it is something that I would think about and try to get a little lower in price.)

He also said the passenger headlamp is starting to have trouble lifting itself. I figure that something I need to see in person to decide if it's worn plastic or possible a motor going bad. Any idea on the cost of those parts? (this is because of the plastic gear wheel in the motor. A $50 fix and an all to common issue. Not to difficult to do yourself)

All that being said, I appreciate you taking the time to read my really long post and look forward to reading some feedback! Hopefully this will be the one, but if not the search won't end. I'm pretty determined to have a ws6 sitting in my driveway eventually, just hope my current daily can hold out until then (99 expy pushing 271k miles).

I answer in bold red, in addition -

(*) - Modded is a subjected term and can also throw red flags. Questions of parts and who did the work should be asked. Was car tuned for the mods (& by whom)?

What is this car going to be for you? Daily Driver with some fun, Street, Strip or show. I ask because you have several options on what to buy and how to get to your goals.

In the begining all I looked at was WS6'S or Firehawks. But after thinking it over after talking to a few guys here I realized that I would be upgrading/modding everything that made a WS6, a WS6. So I ended up getting a stock bird that is much better than a WS6 and after it gets painted will look so much better.

***SMWS6TA*** · 06-18-2015, 08:12 AM

Originally Posted by boxergirl

Hi, I am in the same boat as you are. I am looking at the same car in black, a 2000 with 56k miles, 6 speed. its cherry, but it needs tires and has a weird bubiling going on the paint between the T-tops and the roof, other than its so clean. its been sitting 8 years in a garage. there asking 14,500 and there firm on 14k. I am trying to negotiate but its not working, so if you can get it for 10,500 that's a good deal in my eyes. I am in California and am having a hard time finding any. this car is awesome

Seller is on crack, walk away for several reasons. Sitting that long unless it was properly stored, after the first few miles it's going to leak like a mofo.

**boxergirl** · 06-18-2015, 08:32 AM

I am aware of the leaking potential and I am prepared to keep a close eye on it and will put a pan under it and be careful. this is a 2000, Ram air with 56K needs tires and has bubbles in the sail panel. what would be a fair price for this car. she is asking 14K, it has not been driven much in 8 years, a standard garage only. would 12k be a good offer?

***SMWS6TA*** · 06-18-2015, 09:01 AM

Mine would be around $10k....with an expected agreement of $12k. It may be that it's a tight market there and she'll get what she's asking for.

Now this might make you mad but I picked my 98' Non-WS6 w/108miles for $6250 in 2009. It was in excellent condition, even had the original stock clutch (that only lasted for another 10k miles because of me

)

**McPwned** · 06-18-2015, 11:36 AM

Originally Posted by SMWS6TA

I answer in bold red, in addition -

(*) - Modded is a subjected term and can also throw red flags. Questions of parts and who did the work should be asked. Was car tuned for the mods (& by whom)?

What is this car going to be for you? Daily Driver with some fun, Street, Strip or show. I ask because you have several options on what to buy and how to get to your goals.

In the begining all I looked at was WS6'S or Firehawks. But after thinking it over after talking to a few guys here I realized that I would be upgrading/modding everything that made a WS6, a WS6. So I ended up getting a stock bird that is much better than a WS6 and after it gets painted will look so much better.

Thank you so much for the specific feedback. I will keep all of this in mind when I go to look at it and you have brought a few more questions to mind for me to ask him.

I know he picked the car up in september 2014 and now he needs to sell it because he is going through a devorce and didn't plan for it to be his daily driver. The owner before him did the modifications that he had listed so I have a feeling that a detailed history of them will be near impossible to get, but it won't hurt to ask

I'll just be extra sure to pay close attention to things as I won't be getting the car inspected (it's almost 3 hours from me) so I'll be doing inspections myself and If I do buy it I plan on taking it to the shop to get the ac stuff fixed and get a general once over of the car done within my first month of purchase.

***SMWS6TA*** · 06-18-2015, 12:07 PM

When you look at it have it run and idle for a bit like 10 mins or so, on a test drive try to make it last about 30 mins. Any possible problems should show itself by then.

Also pull the dipsticks out and smell the oil and if auto the transmission fluid, I also check the coolant too. This will let you know of any head gasket leaks and if in regarding the transmission if it's burnt or going bad. Even if they swap out fluid it will still smell like it's burnt.

I had on a test drive everything was checking out ok then on the way to sign the papers a valve spring let go. So it goes to show you to be thorough.

I've also seen a transmission that had been packed with bearing grease to get it through a sell and then go bad.

**boxergirl** · 06-18-2015, 04:22 PM

I decided to take your advice and move on, it was hard to let it go but I am not paying top dollar for a car that needs so much work. I want something better and I will find it. I want to buy my new car and cruise, without having to worry about hoses busting, and major repairs. thank you again.

**McPwned** · 06-18-2015, 09:09 PM

Boxergirl, sorry to hear. Hang in there, the right one will come along eventually.

Got the Vin number and ran a carfax. The car is on its fourth owner, the first owner sold the car in 2010. It's moved from Texas to Kansas for two owners and now is in Arkansas. Carfax is clean, I know it isn't absolute, but at least I am that much more confident in it.

Current owner claims to run pinzoil platinum and change every 2,500 miles. I don't know much about pinzoil, what oil do you guys run and is that a reliable oil?

**Nutball** · 06-21-2015, 08:14 AM

Originally Posted by McPwned

Current owner claims to run pinzoil platinum and change every 2,500 miles. I don't know much about pinzoil, what oil do you guys run and is that a reliable oil?

Other then keeping it synthetic and 5W30. Opinions will vary on the Brand.

**DarrenWS6** · 06-21-2015, 10:30 AM

I just bought a 2000 Trans Am WS6 M6, with 87k for $11,900. Like buying any used car, especially one of this nature, I overly checked numerous things. Previous ownership being one of the first things. The seller was calm and mellow, answered every question I had, and even offered to go have it put on a lift to check it out underneath very well. Car is in superb condition, funs fantastic. Was all stock with the exception of tint, SLP lid/bellow, and Flowmaster cat-back. Tires all around were great, no odd wear, no debris caked up anywhere under the hood or underbody. Sail panel was bubble free oddly, dash not cracked or faded, door panels were cracked, interior was in good condition for the age and mileage. It was clear just looking it over that it's owners had cared for it and had not beaten it. So again the cost of this well kept Trans Am WS6 6spd relatively stock and clean underneath with 87k was $11,900. Fair enough price compared to most others out there. The book was $9800.

**35th-ANV-SS** · 06-21-2015, 12:59 PM

I use Pennzoil Platinum Plus 10w30 and my motor looks like new after having the car for 13 years.

**theorangeguy** · 06-21-2015, 01:13 PM

Originally Posted by 35th-ANV-SS

I use Pennzoil Platinum Plus 10w30 and my motor looks like new after having the car for 13 years.

I think you have to drive your car in order for the motor to be dirty lol

**35th-ANV-SS** · 06-21-2015, 03:07 PM

I drive it every week from May to Nov...the last few years I have at least. About to turn 26,000 miles...plenty of time for the motor to get dirty :P

**1998 T/A** · 06-21-2015, 05:44 PM

I picked mine up stock and this is my second bird. Mileage never scared me with thsee cars.

**McPwned** · 06-23-2015, 05:18 PM

Originally Posted by DarrenWS6

I just bought a 2000 Trans Am WS6 M6, with 87k for $11,900. Like buying any used car, especially one of this nature, I overly checked numerous things. Previous ownership being one of the first things. The seller was calm and mellow, answered every question I had, and even offered to go have it put on a lift to check it out underneath very well. Car is in superb condition, funs fantastic. Was all stock with the exception of tint, SLP lid/bellow, and Flowmaster cat-back. Tires all around were great, no odd wear, no debris caked up anywhere under the hood or underbody. Sail panel was bubble free oddly, dash not cracked or faded, door panels were cracked, interior was in good condition for the age and mileage. It was clear just looking it over that it's owners had cared for it and had not beaten it. So again the cost of this well kept Trans Am WS6 6spd relatively stock and clean underneath with 87k was $11,900. Fair enough price compared to most others out there. The book was $9800.

I have to say, that is a beautiful bird! You did well, I have actually seen a couple of your videos on YouTube.
Thanks for the information.

**McPwned** · 06-23-2015, 05:21 PM

Thank you all for the input and for helping me to become a little more knowledgeable about a fee things.

I plan to make the trip to see it on Friday and make an offer, assuming the car is in the condition I believe it is and has no major issues. If I can get him to my ideal price range I plan to have someone ride out there with me Saturday so I can pick it up. Fingers crossed.