alright this girl i work with is getting rid her 89 iroc-z for something like a honda i'm not sure which engine it has in it but i know it is a manual transmission and has like 120K miles on it original engine....... i just want to get it as a future project car because i'm almost positive i can get it for round 800 dollars (maybe cheaper if i'm lucky) it's in pretty good shape a little rust in the one rear tire well and a good size dent in the passenger side front fender and she was describing the side skirt might be a little loose but it seems to run really good and i've never heard her complain bout it so do you guys think it would be a good car anything i should look out for in a 3rd gen?

thanks for the help

 

It is for sure a 305 because in 89 there were no factory 350 5 spds. If it is a TPI then you have a decent motor, simply because it came with the 350 cam and not that tiny little peanut cam. I have an 89 305 that runs in the 14s no problem. I am sure with a little traction I should be able to get close to 13s if not in 13s. But if you are going to be able to get it for $800 that is a pretty good start if the suspension is looking good. Body work is not that hard and building a small block or big block wouldnt be that hard either. So for around $5k you would have a nice running car. Now if you look at my car I have $5k in just buying the car. But that was 3 years ago with only 47k on the clock. And then you throw in the motor and everything else I want and will have over $15k in it. I would check out the frame and suspension and that is about it if you are planning on tearing the car apart to upgrade it.