WTB a $500 car in/near Dayton, Ohio

[TurboMinivan]

My little brother back in Dayton has a problem. It seems the engine in his '88 Daytona TurboI may have just died a horrible death. This would be sad since he has gradually been spending money on needed upgrades (tires, brakes, new radiator, etc) but I can't be there to diagnose it for him. :(

Since he has been spending his surplus money on car maintenance, he is cash strapped at the moment. Does anybody know of a mechanically sound car he can buy for about $500? It can be ugly, it doesn't need any fancy equipment; it just needs to be able to transport him from A to B in a reliable fashion. The poor kid has difficulty operating cars with more pedals than he has feet, so an automatic transmission is pretty much mandatory... but that's about it.

I assured my mother that I would try to find him something in his area, nevermind that I'm in Utah. Thus I open it up to you guys. Does anybody have any leads on anything? Maybe you've got some old car you just don't need anymore? If so, please let me know. (email, PM, reply, whatever) I'm all ears. Thanks in advance.

-Dempsey

[turboshadow]

Does he have a white daytona? Ive seen one up at school and wonderd who it was. As for the car whats wrong with it there are plenty of locals im sure that would help out mysely included.

[TurboMinivan]

Does he have a white daytona?

His is a dark maroon color.


As for the car whats wrong with it there are plenty of locals im sure that would help out mysely included.

When he last drove it home, it began losing power and struggled to maintain speed. Once he managed to limp it home, he shut it off and that was that. Today I spoke with him and had him try starting it. It fires up, but he says it sounds rough and uneven. I had him disconnect individual spark plug wires and see if the noise got worse. On two of the wires, there was no significant change. With the other two wires, pulling either one resulted in the car not starting or running at all.

Next I had him pull the plugs to inspect them and also peek inside at the pistons; I'm thinking he may have a headgasket issue but I can't be certain. He said he couldn't see any coolant on the piston tops. I'm trying to have him find someone who can do a simple compression test and see what it might reveal.

FYI

[midohiomoparsource]

Have him pull the dipstick and see if it shows moisture.
May have blew a headgasket, blew a vacuum line, dropped a cylinder, jumped time, bad sensor, or dropped a rocker.

Have him check the codes and oil first.

Matt

[stampederunner]

I'm willing to help, I have a ton of tools and parts. Might even know of a car for sale, let me check on it and get back to you.

[TurboMinivan]

I'm willing to help, I have a ton of tools and parts.

You have PM.

-Dempsey

[boostguru]

You have PM.

-Dempsey

dempsey huh? your site has tought me so much!! haha kinda off topic but thanks (i think its you)