Transmission:

Check the fluid. It should be red, and not smell burnt. Is the a noticable delay between the time you shift into reverse and when reverse kicks in? Under hard acceleration do you feel the transmission slipping?

Turn of the radio, roll up the windows, and nail the gas with the transmission in 3rd. Let it get up high into th 4-5KRPM range. Above the engine, can you hear a mechanical whine? If you can, then expect your transmission to die a slow death. (My first one had this symptom, not a sudden failure, but we could hear it slowly going)

Okay, advice ppl! I know this has been asked LONG in the past on Yahoo... but of course I can't search.

Anyhoo... I've got my eye on a nice 94 SVX LSi here... it's got its problems but I want some advice from the assembled masses...

Firstly: The tranny; what to look out for? I already test-drove the car and it shows no sign of slippage in any of the gears... though once I did get a rather harsh upshift when I nailed it from a stop... but that is probably nothing unusual.

Second: Body discoloration; the car's pearl white, and some of the body panels are showing minor discoloration. Not terribly noticeable, but it's particularly evident that the plastic pieces are fading at different rates than the metal parts! Could this be a sign of anything else that I should worry about... like wreck repairs?

Third: Wheels; Why would someone respray the wheels? I looked at them closely and they're showing signs of having been repainted. Maybe just TOO much brake dust they couldn't get off and resprayed them? Interestink...

Third and a halfth: Wheels 2; Some nimrod mounted the front tires backwards on the wheels! Agh! http://www.i-club.com/ubb-files/smile.gif Still, they're new tires... same make and model I put on my Saab (Fulda Extremo's... damned nice tires IMHO).

Fourth: Wheel Bearings; not a problem with the car, but is there some kind of semi-permanent fix for that problem now?

I know you guys are wondering if it has wheel bearing problems... but no I was listening out for that... my old 95 SVX L went through wheel bearings like there was no tomorrow and drove me nuts! Still, I loved the car enough to come back for more. I know... I'm a masochist http://www.i-club.com/ubb-files/wink.gif

Please post soon! I'm probably going to make a decision on this car REALLY soon.

Obviously, your best bet is if there are service records with the car. Also, use the Carfax service, its cheap, and all you need is the VIN. If it has had any major problems, they'll be listed on the Carfax sheet.

I've seen a few Pearl white SVXs, and most of the lower body panels tend to discolor, to a yellowish, greenish hughe... not much you can do other than repaint it, but that discoloration is normal for the color.

As far as the trans, I don't think there are any "early" warning signs. I bought my SVX from my dad, he was the original owner and serviced the car religiously. Never drove it really hard, never abused it. The trans went 3 weeks after I bought it, at 80,000mi. Just suddenly, one day, D didn't go anymore.

Re-spraying the wheels? I would definatley get a Carfax report on this one. Some SVXs came with a flatter wheel color, while others seemed to have a more metalic paint. I'm not sure if it had anything to do with the year of production. But, if the car had been in an accident, and a wheel had been replaced, it may have been painted to match, or all 4 painted to match, just a guess though...

Good Luck Thumper! I hope this is the right car for you, and you get to enjoy it. Let us know how it turns out!

Seth

[This message has been edited by tat2skullz (edited June 26, 2000).]