I have an opportunity to buy a 93 LS400 with 183 k miles on it for $2700. This was basically a one-family car, has full records to 90k, and I can contact the previous owner with specific questions (like, was the timing belt changed when it came due the second time around).
The current owner, a friend of mine, bought it for even less, with the intention of turning a profit, and knows the original family personally.
Overall, the car is in VERY good shape, with a few minor issues which simply add character and can be addressed as time and budget permit. It does, however, have one (possibly two, but they may be related) issue/s which concern/s me.
The car has an issue with the instrument cluster which I have not seen directly addressed, and I wonder if anyone can give any guidance on this specific issue.
The car has the fading speedo needle, which I have seen addressed numerous times. I also has an issue where the instrument cluster is simply dead when cold. Unless the car has been heated by sitting in the sun for an extended period, the tach/gas gauge/temp gauge simply do not move - even after the car has been driven a significant distance. I've seen numerous prices for cluster repair, seemingly dependent on exactly what the problem is, ranging from 80 - 400 bucks. Does anyone have experience with this specific issue, and/or any idea where in that repair range this problem would fall?
Possibly related is a problem with the speedo needle - when cold, it is also dead, but DOES (usually) come back to life after being driven for a while. Would you think this is related to the other cluster issue I'm seeing, or would this seem to be an issue with the tranny speed sensor which I have seen mentioned as being problematic?
My next question concerns cost of repairs to the car. My brother is an ASE certified mechanic, and I'm a pretty good parts changer (although not a diagnostician). I figure that, between the two of us, repair manuals, and sites like this, we can fix 95+ % of problems that come up in the future. Let's face it, I'm only spending < $3k to buy it - I'm not going to take it in for dealer service for things that I don't have to. The question is, how many of the parts on this car are dealer specific? If I have a Chevy or Ford, I can go into any parts store in the country and damn near rebuild the whole car out of in-stock parts. Any DIYers here that can give me an idea of how often they'd send me off to the dealer for parts for this car?
Thanks
John Thomas