[Kevnic]

Looking at one and they say it's rust free. I'll be the judge of that. Where in particular would these rus

 

[Dr. Johny Dodge]

in 3-5 years from new most of these cars were rotted through in the back half of the front wheel wells

this has always been my walk away now or keep checking standard

there is a seam that runs down the back half of the well where the plastic fender liner stops and mounts
you can feel a step or flange there

and that seam was always the first thing to go

and it can cause issues with salt spraying straight into the kick panel on the passenger side where the computer is

and .. they really don't like salty water

from that seam back the floors will start to rot too

check the rocker pannels under each door
ground effects help things rot and hide

I have another generial rule too

if you have rust spots on the edges of the rear wheel wells , the trunk crossmember is likely rotted too

one side with rust , maybe not but both sides - pretty much count on it

also check the lower crossmember of the rad cradle for cracks

usually at either side , usually running up the front of the crossmember

 

[Dr. Johny Dodge]

to add my "new" charger to the left has only a rusty spot on the drip rail and one on the edge of the hatch

first car I've seen up here in 30 years without rust in the front wheel well seams too

it's nice , black and shiney if I wash it and it didn't cost the world
in fact I saved the add for three years and bought it for half the asking price of 5200

so .. don't be in a big hurry

and remember there IS always something better out there too

the time it feels like you wasted not buying something is time saved fixing stuff you don't want to have to

 

[Kevnic]

Some pics

 

[Kevnic]

Thank you for the valuable information!

 

[Kevnic]

Should i pull the trigger?

 

[4 L-bodies]

If that aftermarket sunroof bothers you, that will be a $1000-1500 fix. "A" pillar and drip rail rust is another area that L-bodies are prone to rust. Like Johny says, wheel well rust leads to front floor rot as water has no way out once it enters the cabin. It finds a way out only when the floor rusts out.

Non-AC car is a deal breaker for some on resale. Easier to work on car without it though.

Decals are wrong (not OEM or even good reproduction) if that is a concern.

Are you and the seller sure it is a 85 and not an 86? The reason I ask is 1985 would NOT have rear 3rd brake light with crooked rear wiper. Either the rear hatch has been replaced with 86+ hatch, or the car is an 86. 85 VIN should have F for tenth digit or 86 will have a G for tenth digit. Also the 85 should should have 287 G-head, while 86 should have 782 swirl head. Lots if people get the two years confused, but there were a number if significant changes to drivetrain.

1985 is a good news bad news thing. Bad news it has 6 bolt flywheel and crank and 10mm headbolts, Good news is it has heavier, stronger rods than the 86-87 turbo L-bodies. The 85 is also a G-head (closed chamber head) vs. the 86 and later swirl fast burn head.

Fairly rare color combo. Black with silver is far more common, than black with red interior.

How does it drive? If it drives good, it will be a fun car, if it runs poorly, or doesn't run at all, it could be easy to fix or it could be a money pit.

Attachment below shows the 85 and 86 rear wiper/brake light changes on decklid.

 

[Dr. Johny Dodge]

yeah , I should add
my 4 year old turismo did have a hole about half the size on my pinky nail under the windshield molding on the passenger side

it was quite a surprise on , that car and it was THE only spot

 

[Dr. Johny Dodge]

yeah + 1 on the air con cars being better
even if all you have left in the car is the a/c -heat box
because .. dash vents , REAL functional dash vents

sweet loveable dash vents
openable CLOSABLE dash vents

as opposed to the non a/c cars with their permanent unstoppable cold wet draft from both ends and the center of the dash

you WILL be looking for thick fuzzy socks to stuff into the car if it starts to get cold

 

[Dr. Johny Dodge]

needs glovebox door
appears to need something to do with a battery tray and hold down bracket

that plastic sheet on top of the battery should be under it and no strap across the top

35 hun US might be kinda steep when you look at it with a canadian exchange rate of 35%

- if you would NOT wanna pay 1/3 more , then it might already be 1/3 too expensive

unless something like the engine is almost new

- how's the dash pad - you can't change them without changing the entire dash - so the hard parts of the dash need to be nice too

and the seats?

35 hun is a lot of money for a car that needs major appearance parts..

however.. if it has zero or almost zero rust ... then , score .. but still "spendy"