newbe looking for some advice

hi every one newbie, to this forum

trying to buy a 97 super charged Rivi,

it is 97 white with beige leather interior 83K on the clock,in Florida
beside rust,

what should I look for,and what should I stay away from?

what are trouble spots I should look for (or in my case ask for) since the car is far away from where I live?Seattle WA

thanks in advance for all inputs

Hi,
You can look for rust in obvious spots... peek under the engine and make sure the subframe hasn't been mangled, see if the rear levelling shocks still work (compressor should run about 15 seconds after you turn the key), see if the transmission fluid is clean.

I almost bought a Riv from Texas on Ebay a few years ago. After sending in my deposit I had an independent inspector check out the car... I'm glad I didn't buy that car. It had been hit in the rear hard and then "fixed"... It was well worth the $150 I spent on the inspection. Buying cars on eBay is hard.

Well, the car value doesn't justify travelling there to inspect it yourself, so paying for a professional inspection would be the way to go. Personally, for such a purchase I would shop much closer to home where the travel would be practical to check it out in person.

although most Florida cars hold up pretty well as long as they stay off the beach, i would have to see a car in person before purchasing it.
do you know where in FL it is located? i'd possibly be interested in looking it over for you if it is close to orlando.
i've been around my riv and the forums for 5+ years and learned just about everything that can go bad in 150k miles.

Yeah what Matt said is pretty accurate. You don't see too many rusted out florida cars. And since there are many retirees here , they drive pretty mellow generally. However if it is in North florida i could possibly check it out for you as well. I've only had the Riv for a little over a year but i know how one is supposed to drive and what not.

ive only had mine since august. but im with T S 89 on b n smart enough t know what t look for. if its in northwest florida i can check it out for ya!

Best to follow that advice. I live in New York and bought my Riv in Ohio. I knew as soon as I talked to the seller and I was serious I was going for a ride! I factored this in. I'm glad I did!

thanks guys I appreciate all the input,
I asked the guy for few pics from under the car and VIN,and all of a sudden he said he is too busy and and can,t take pics!!!!!!!!
then I asked how about the VIN and he said he can not do that
so I said looks like it rusted car that was in bad accident.
so I said you can have the car.

what are the trouble spot on this car I should look for when I test drive the car,
tranny,supercharger,C.V joint,engine problem,what are the things I should check ,that are known problems,

I,m looking for 97-99 so I can get the H.D transmission,which is standard on 97_98,

do they still have that famous intake gasket problem on these years like every other G.M'S 3.8 engines?
is that become a recall yet or should I do it on my own? how much will it cost to take car of the gasket problem?

There was never a recall for the LIM gaskets, and yes they can be a problem if the coolant was never changed. Look for brown stains in the coolant reservoir... As for the tranny - make sure you drive it long enough for the trans to get good and hot and do a few medium-heavy starts from a full stop. That's when the 'shudder' of a bad PCS seems to shine.