I am looking into buying a 95 Lumina APV. It only has 64K miles, can probably get it for $2000. An individual is selling it, a young guy. He is only asking $2500 OBO for it. The outside of the van is very good except someone "keyed" it from front to back on both sides. The interior still looks about new! I checked Carfax, and it came back clean, no problems, and the mileage on odometer checks out. He says he had a tune-up done on it, and that is all the $$$ he is putting into it. However, before it will even pass inspection, I have to get a new set of tires because they are dry-rotted from sitting unused for so long (tread is OK). NO problem, can get a decent set for $400. I have test-driven it only on residential streets at slow speeds, and it seemed fine, except for one big problem: I could not hear the engine or tranny over the loud grinding/roarcoming from the RH front wheel. I also could not SEE what the tranny was doing/how shifting, either, there is no tach. The seller took it to a nearby garage to have that diagnosed, and they say the RH front hub asembly is bad, cost to repair about $225.00 (I could get it myself and likely replace it myself for $140, however), But I am leery of buying this car.... I just can't buy a car that I have not been able to road-test for a few miles at highway speed. For one thing, I have to be sure the overdrive is working. I just won't know until then that it has a healthy tranny. I am thinking it is probably not even safe to drive the car at highway speed with rotten tires and a bad wheel hub assy. Now the question is: Is there anything that can be done to lube that bad hub assy so it quiets down at least temporarily? Or is it a sealed assembly? The guy does not want to pay to have that fixed. If something isn't resolved here, then he has no sale! We had a minor flood not long ago, and the water could have gotten all the way up to that one particular wheel hub. So perhaps water got in and corroded the bearings....at least that is my theory. Ideas?
- posted
18 years ago