'91 caprice for a DD? 305 V8 owners step in!

[99blueZ]

Hey guys,

A family friend named Jim elderly father passed away back in November. He wants to sell his fathers caprice by summer and gave me first dibs. I think I want to pick it up for a DD. I leave my Z28 at home when I am away at college so this car would be perfect to bring to school.

Its a '91 caprice with a 305. The first year of the bubble design. It only has 28,000 miles on it!!!! I will get it for $1000-1200. I think thats a pretty good deal. Its in near perfect condition. On quarter sized dent on hood and one quarter size rust spot near rear wheel well - easily repairable. The interior look brand new - he had blankets over the seats. I've been reading online a lot about the 305 and i've basically concluded that its no powerhouse but will run forever! Anyone who has owned a car with a 305 or a caprice please let me know how reliable it was- how you liked it.

[kmassner]

Drove an '88 Caprice with a 305 for years. No complaints. I liked the old boat, sometimes wish I still had it.

For a small amount of money, you can't go wrong. Stylish, no. Reliable, yeah.

[Toyota h8r]

Hey guys,

A family friend named Jim elderly father passed away back in November. He wants to sell his fathers caprice by summer and gave me first dibs. I think I want to pick it up for a DD. I leave my Z28 at home when I am away at college so this car would be perfect to bring to school.

Its a '91 caprice with a 305. The first year of the bubble design. It only has 28,000 miles on it!!!! I will get it for $1000-1200. I think thats a pretty good deal. Its in near perfect condition. On quarter sized dent on hood and one quarter size rust spot near rear wheel well - easily repairable. The interior look brand new - he had blankets over the seats. I've been reading online a lot about the 305 and i've basically concluded that its no powerhouse but will run forever! Anyone who has owned a car with a 305 or a caprice please let me know how reliable it was- how you liked it.

Ive had a hand full of 305's before. Long as you keep oil and water in them they ran fine.....not most fuel efficient or tons of power but they have got me where i needed to on time everytime. I love the 305's....beat the living hell outta them and still came for more

[99blueZ]

Drove an '88 Caprice with a 305 for years. No complaints. I liked the old boat, sometimes wish I still had it.

For a small amount of money, you can't go wrong. Stylish, no. Reliable, yeah.

Thanks! I really think i'll get it because the price is right!

Ive had a hand full of 305's before. Long as you keep oil and water in them they ran fine.....not most fuel efficient or tons of power but they have got me where i needed to on time everytime. I love the 305's....beat the living hell outta them and still came for more

haha i don't think i'll beat on it too much, but i'm glad to know it can take it!! Thanks!

[jad628]

I had an '85 Caprice (2-dr!!!) with a 305 and 4-barrel. It was a very reliable car and got decent gas mileage. I re-built the carb at around 120,000, and replaced the AIR manifolds once. That was about it. Just regular maintenance.

I always heard the weak link to the 305 was one of the rear camshaft lobes, but I never experienced it. That car went over 200,000, according to the next owner, before THEY sold it. Engine was still running okay. It's somewhere in Saudi Arabia now!!!

[davidz28guy]

i had a 87 with a 305 for my first car, thing was a beast, i beat the living hell out of that car and it never quit on me, it had close to 200k on it when we got rid of it and it still ran ok

[FasstChevys]

For $1,000 bucks? Hell yeah......I had a 305 in my '87 Firebird.......it ran just fine.....it did use about a half a quart every 3,000 miles, but that's no big deal. Sounds like a cherry deal to me for a college car.

[Spaz]

it's not a bad car... but i'd go with a LT1 caprice...

[99blueZ]

it's not a bad car... but i'd go with a LT1 caprice...

yea i would like an LT1 too, but you can't get a LT1 caprice in this condition with this low of miles for this low of price. Plus the 305 will get better mileage. I don't need it to be powerful, thats what I have a Z28 for.

[Spaz]

yea i would like an LT1 too, but you can't get a LT1 caprice in this condition with this low of miles for this low of price. Plus the 305 will get better mileage. I don't need it to be powerful, thats what I have a Z28 for.

i'm not familiar with the 305... i know the LT1's don't die ( just the optispark junk...)... now you got me looking for one...

[ss~zoso~ss]

it'd be a good buy man, but gas will probably be over 4 dollars a gallon this summer, and you'll get like 12 mpg around town with that thing

[Toyota h8r]

i'm not familiar with the 305... i know the LT1's don't die ( just the optispark junk...)... now you got me looking for one...

hehe speakin of LT1's......A nioce Lt1/m6 formy im lookin at......


oh yah 305's will get like 16/22mpg for me in my 3rd gen cars(4 barrel)

[86 IROC-Z]

I have a 305 in my Iroc. I get about 17mpg around town and 20-21mpg on the highway. I burns oil, but it also has 220k+ miles on it. Runs well. Not that powerful, but it works.














(I can't get through a post without ragging on it)

Oh, and if you're cruising down the highway at 85mpg half of your pushrods might bend all of a sudden.

[99blueZ]

it'd be a good buy man, but gas will probably be over 4 dollars a gallon this summer, and you'll get like 12 mpg around town with that thing

haha yea well atleast i can run cheap 87 in it!

[1fastcamarosss11]

it's worth it and i like that style but i love monte's and monte ss's from the 80's so a little biased.
you could change the intake to a two barrel if you really anted to. to save some gas money.

[blackSS01]

I don't know how the hell any of you got your 305 to run that long. Never beat on mine, always changed the oil and such and the fucker blew up and I mean grenaded with 100,000 miles doing 25 mph with my foot off the pedal. Stay away from the 305 at all cost. My buddy had a 89 Form with a 305 TPI and its valve seals leaked and it burned hella oil. My other buddy had a Caprice too with the 305 and that thing blew up at around 52,000 if my memory serves me. 305 = worst engine GM built period. Good luck to you.

[davidz28guy]

I don't know how the hell any of you got your 305 to run that long. Never beat on mine, always changed the oil and such and the fucker blew up and I mean grenaded with 100,000 miles doing 25 mph with my foot off the pedal. Stay away from the 305 at all cost. My buddy had a 89 Form with a 305 TPI and its valve seals leaked and it burned hella oil. My other buddy had a Caprice too with the 305 and that thing blew up at around 52,000 if my memory serves me. 305 = worst engine GM built period. Good luck to you.

my 305 was still running with over 200k and it rarely had its oil changed, had every single body panel dented, ran over more than 1 tree, jumped several jumps (i was 16 and the car was cheap), and still ran like a champ, even when it did break down i would just let it sit for a little while and it would somehow fix itself, i did go through 2 trannys though

[67CamaroRSSS]

My DD 89 RS with the 305tbi engine has 207,xxx on it. Puff of smoke on start up (no doubt it's the valve oil seals cuz it doesn't use oil) but it passes smog (it's bone stock) and gets me to work every day.

[ss~zoso~ss]

I don't know how the hell any of you got your 305 to run that long. Never beat on mine, always changed the oil and such and the fucker blew up and I mean grenaded with 100,000 miles doing 25 mph with my foot off the pedal. Stay away from the 305 at all cost. My buddy had a 89 Form with a 305 TPI and its valve seals leaked and it burned hella oil. My other buddy had a Caprice too with the 305 and that thing blew up at around 52,000 if my memory serves me. 305 = worst engine GM built period. Good luck to you.

luck of the draw, every engine has those cases

[bamaz28]

haha yea well atleast i can run cheap 87 in it!

true dat!!!
93 here in bama is $3.34 a gallon, but cheaper than some places.