Listen, here is the thing you need to know about buying a car in these simple steps. A deal is only as good as you think it is. Do you want to pay 12000, 11000 or are you looking for a payment? At the dealership I work most of the cars used or new are only marked up at most $2500. If you want a warranty ask for one, a full bumper to bumper will most likly run $1800...even this is negotiable. People really make buying a car harder than it has to be, before you go shopping look at you budget and decide what is the majic number....the number you will buy today, and look for that number. If you finance generally the formula is 20 dollars for every 1000 finaced. As far a the car ask to take it to you family mechanic, if they say you cant, walk...I have personally driven to about 20 family mechanics, and had people that didnt even ask to take it, but feel better when we offer the chance to them. Ask up front if they have carfax or offer a vehicle history report...we do at the dealership I work. Also ask people about the reputation of the dealership you are looking ask for a salesman that might have assisted a friend or relative. I sell cars I am not the devil, people dont see it that way however it its true....I guess what I am saying is find a salesman that puts fun into it. Oh and good luck have fun...if you have any questions about a deal that is worked up post the numbers you get on the forum and I will check them here.

Arcxnus, I wish you the best of luck in your search; you've already been given a lot of great info. I was one of those family mechanics who had checked out a lot of cars for our customers, and in my experience, "as is" usually means "needs work". Having the car checked out by someone you trust can save you a lot of headaches down the road.
A couple of "as is" stories: A friend shows up at a cruise night to show off the car she just bought. I had her pop the hood, and then had to inform her that the heater core had been bypassed! ($500-$600 job)
A '94 Grand Prix gets towed to our shop with $1500 worth of front end damage, because a lower ball joint let go while the guy was driving down the highway. The dealer who sold him the car the week before assured him it was "ready for the road".

Alright, this is how it turned out ..

They let me drive it home without committing! The dealership is in Ft Worth and I live in Waco, which is a good 100mi away. They're letting me borrow it until Tuesday so I can get the title signed over to me and make sure I want to buy it, and they said if I needed a little more time, that they could work it out.

Honestly, this car is simply amazing. No dents, no dings, and somehow, only one or two minor chips in the paint. Considering where it was, it's no mental leap to know that it was probably mostly a city car. Fully loaded. I mean, everything. Moonroof, Bose, heated seat, leather, you name it.

Everything drives great, too, all the fluids checked out and she made it back to Waco in heavy traffic and on less than a half tank of gas.

HOWEVER, there is one thing that I noticed, that has been mentioned here recently. It's holding 3k RPM at 70, which I believe Chico mentioned was a cheap vaccuum hose problem? The tranny isn't shifting hard or making any noises, so .. do you think this could be the problem? Other than that, this GTP is just amazing, for having 59k on it.

I worked out a warranty on it, too. 2 years, 24k miles, should be honored at any dealership in the country.

I wouldn't buy the car until that is fixed and it's confirmed that's all it is, is just the vaccum hose or mod. You don't want to buy it and find out you've actually lost OD.

The vaccuum line suggestion that Chico mentioned was for 97s I believe. If you are noticing something different in an 02 GTP, then I think it's something different.

The car doesn't have a 4th gear, simple as that. The 4th gear clutch shaft is likely stripped out, common problem as they're made of a soft metal. ZZP sells hardened ones to correct it, but of course the trans has to be disassembled to correct the problem.

Try this. While cruising at 70-75 or so, let off the gas and see if the RPM's go back down to idle range. If they do, you don't have a 4th gear for sure. RPM's should go down to ~1k when you let off the throttle at hwy speeds.

EDIT: The only vac controlled trans in a GP is the 4T60E in the '97 GT's.

Pics?

I thought of something else, try shifting from the 3 position to D. See if it acts any different...I remember my dad saying something like that since he had driven other cars that didn't always go quite into the selected gear.

It is a beautiful car i saw it today when she came over to a friends house to show off the car. It's a 4 door

This could be an faulty O2 sensor or temp sensor that is causing it to not go into closed loop mode.....it may not be a stripped fourth gear.

Pass...

Not trying to disrespect anyone, but I the only time I hear the term "closed loop" it's referring to the fuel system, not the tranny.
Can you please elaborate on the "closed loop mode"?

ehh, the only thing is that stuffs got to be a certain temperature for TC lockup to happen all the way. O2/closed loop wouldn't have anything to do with it.
Arc, that could be a pretty serious problem with 4th, definetly get that taken care of first!

Thanks guys! You show once again that this forum is an incredibly valuable commodity. I'll let you know how this all turns out.

And as demanded ..

one thing to check, if nobody else has mentioned it already. drive out to an open road that is flat and straight (you should be able to find at least one around Waco) stop then slowly press the gas pedal down and take your hands off the wheel, making sure it drives straight, if not, tell them you want an alignment done first. same basic thing with the brakes, drive along to around 45 mph, then hit the brakes (don't slam) and barely take your hands off the wheel, if it pulls one way or the other, make them check the brakes also. might save you some money after you buy it.


BTW: try to get them to tint the windows for you, also