HELP! Newbie getting ready to buy a '89 Allante what should i be aware of?
 

im a newbie here so any help would be appreciated greatly. im in the process of buying a really nice '89 allante for $4500!
(HAS 105K,RUNS GREAT,NEW DUAL EXHAUST,CUSTOM DAYTON WHEELS,NO RUST OR LEAKS)
is there any "1989 allante problems" that i should be aware of? the guy im planning on buying it from is a straight shooter( 60 something retired officer from the marines...3rd owner) and by no means does this guy need the $. (he has multiple $50,000 cars) im not dealing with a sleazy car salesman here. is $4500fair price? what do these cars go for usually? any help would be great.http://www.picvault.info/thumbs/537091915_edit2.jpg
http://www.picvault.info/thumbs/537091914_car1.jpg
http://www.picvault.info/thumbs/5370...shrinkcar3.jpg

you didnt say where you are located ...
are you sure its a '89 - i really cant tell with those pics? if so, it be a KUXXXXXX on the last 8 of the VIN.

that is pretty steep price for a '89 (Phase-I w/4500 engine). Even if it had half the mileage and the hard top, the going price sould then be around $3k.

$4500 would be a fair price for a Phase-II w/4500 engine '91 or a '92 which IMO, would be a much better car in the long run.

as to Allante popular problems, the main one is the ABS not having been flushed and therefore failing at a cost of around $1K. We flush the brakes no less than every two years, more is even better.

other typical issues, Phase-I Allante ?
check for codes and see what is there if any.
floppy visors
missing headrest/seat belt loops
missing mini-covers
cracked soft top well
battery compartment
cracked headlight lenses
melted rear of tail lights
blown BOSE Amps
etc ..

Dual exhaust? REALLY ?
get under the car and see if that is really so.
dual tail pipes, probably .. but that does not make a dual exhaust.

im in detroit by the way!
really! so an allante in great shape (phase 1) with hard top and all should only be around $3000!!
i searched far and wide and have not seen one even come close to that price..
thanks for the advise...im going to check all the things you told me..

looking at listings is a WASTE of time .. look at REAL SALES !


1993 sold $4700
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1993-...=p4506.c0.m245

1989 - sold $2900
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1989-...=p4506.c0.m245

1993, asking $6500, 85000 miles California car
http://losangeles.craigslist.org/wst...318453860.html


1988 - sold $3200
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1988-...=p4506.c0.m245


1993 - sold $5100
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1993-...=p4506.c0.m245


1989 - sold $1900
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1989-...=p4506.c0.m245


1991 - sold $5600, 45,000 miles, ONE OWNER.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1991-...=p4506.c0.m245

DETROIT listings, not SOLD


http://detroit.craigslist.org/wyn/cto/1316828516.html

http://detroit.craigslist.org/wyn/cto/1302010173.html

http://detroit.craigslist.org/cto/1287903393.html

http://detroit.craigslist.org/pts/1272603923.html


beware that some live in dreamland and ask for the moon.
interesting that now and then, they do find someone that buys,
usually one that didnt do their homework.

the Allante has been severely hit by depreciation.



.

Krackermost

bought my '89 four years ago at 59K miles for $5500. Have added a rebuilt ABS at $1000. Don't care what it is worth today as it is the best looking, most fun toy car I've ever owned.

The hunt is half the fun. If Detroit, make sure it is do***ented and was only used as a summer ride. Send pics when done! Go for it!

I concur...returned July 5 from Indiana with 92 with 99k for $5,300 - great road trip!

you will have a 2nd car aside the Allante, right?

yeah, I have another car! not going to be a daily driver, That's for sure
especially with the winters/potholes etc. We have here in Michigan
thanks for the input everyone,I really appreciate it. Very valuable!
I really always loved these cars. Been saving a while and I'm eager to buy one
this is the only one I seen around here worth looking at so far.
I don't want to rush anything...I want to get the best bang for my $$$
as possible.....

Regardless of all said above, the fact is that when it comes to buying a used car, it is a BUYER's MARKET and with the Allante its even more so.

Maybe someday the trend of dropping value will reverse .. today is not that day.

Do not buy an Allante as an investment, you will do all the wrong things.
Stay clear of the "garage queens", premium priced and higher dosage of issues,
Run a CARFAX, check codes, ABS, transmission, suspension,
Buy the best condition car that you can afford; 70000 to 110000 miles is great,

Keep in mind the cost of repairs as you negotiate ..
ABS $1000, paint $3000, Soft top $900, tran $2500,
leather $900, tires $600, pulldowns $250 each .. you get the pic.

Buy a PHASE-II car, buy a Phase-II car, buy a Phase-2 car (1990-1/2 to 1992),
Read the "XYZ Allante Facts" threads,
Buy it for what it is, a fun car and enjoy it.
Then come back and we will show you what should be done to keep it humming.

damn,Is it just a given that I'm going to be sinking $$ in the car as soon as I get it?
Is the abs gonna fail,trans etc... I thought these cars were very well built and a little
tougher than the average car! ( I am seriously a newbie)
Sh!t,especially for the almost $60,000 sticker price
any input?

Regarding Stomper's previous comments==YES!



ABS system IMHO gives this car a bad rap. The 4.5 motor if serviced regularly will run damn near forever. The pics of the 89 tell me that the owner is a guy that loved to tinker with his car and had to be doing something with it. Hope that means all scheduled maintenance.

I love the Pearl, I like wire wheels, hate the Buick type port holes, hate the Allante decal on the windshield, screen behind seats is a love it or hate it item but isn't cheap. Looks like a decent car--negotiate, negotiate, negotiate. Isn't a better $4k toy car out their.

Would have no problem with an '89. Would be interested in Stomper's buy phase II campaign. Same 4.5, different seats,different top latching system. Have had both and Manual hooks work well for me. Radio with redone (by Bose) amps work for a tin ear like me. I would stay away from the 4.1, even though many friends swear by it, it still scares me. Interesting that Dick Hussey prefers I and II cars over the '93. when asking advice while looking for a second Allante (one is enough), I spoke with Johnny Monzo at length whose only comment on the 93s were that parts were definitely more expensive. Good luck with the chase!

I agree those stickers have to go asap! Not a big fan of stickers
and those Buick type fender hole things remind me of something
picked up from pep boys! Tomorrow is the day. I'm gonna go test drive it
and poke around a bit. Thanks for the input, I have somewhat of a clue now

The cars were well built but they were the kick off of the GM evolution of the last 25 years. Technical innovations that you may enjoy in many of todays GM cars were born with the Allante. With all new technology, there is a period of fine tuning and debugging. 1987 was the start, 1992 was the end. Of the two, which would you expect to have less problems: the 1987 or the 1992 models?

I dont consider the 1993. Although the 1993 model had the Allante shell & body works, almost nothing else in that model car was Allante; not the electrics, not the seats, not the stereo, not the engine, not the transmissions, not the lighting system. GM dumped it all to pay for the Northstar and we all know what engine has been running GM since. Read the XYZ Allante Facts thread

Unless the car is PERFECT MINT, expect to sink an additional $2,000 into it. The bug to make it perfect will hit you. And the $2,000 does not include the items below, failures, or tires - that is EXTRA .. the $2,000 is just for "little" things like interior repairs, touch up, belts, brake pads, A/C service (not failure), wires, plugs, coolant, trans service, hoses, light bulbs, music system, etc ...

if the brake fluid has not been changed DO EXPECT an ABS failure. It is not an IF but a WHEN. the brake FLUID has to be not only changed but flushed in these cars. Is the fluid clear, dark ? Do you see SEDIMENT in the reservoir ? Sediment and dirty fluid are signs of approaching issues.

The Allante 4100 and the Allante 4500 are excellent proven engines, debugged and hardy;
the Allante 4600 Northstar is not - its 1st gen, with expected bugs.

both the 4100 (1987 - 1988) and the 4600 Northstar (1993) cars carry transmissions that have parts that are unique and not available anywhere .. when those fail people buy whole cars just to pull those needed parts . . . the cars with the 4500 transmissions do not share that critical issue.

The 1993 Allante introduced the Northstar to the world, the 1st generation NorthStar, and of course has been hit with serious issues, overheats, headgasket leaks, bearing spins, recalls, and failures. Also, the 1993 had transmission issues that created TWO different 1993 models .. the early issue and the VJ4 issue, with a change in transmissions and NOT compatible with each other. When the last of the warranties expired for the 1993 cars, the values started plummeting to the point that often, they are sold for LESS than a '92 of the same mileage and condition.

anyone thinking of buying an Allante would be highly advised to read our " XYZ Allante Facts " thread ...

============


Bill,

The Allante 4100 (1987 / 1988) is NOT like the Cadillac 4100 engines that saw problems in the early 1980's. That was rectified in 1985 and the 1st 1987 Allante never saw those engines. There are no reported issues with the Allante 4100 engines and you know I have tracked these puppies for 6+ years - this engine is also much more powerful than the standard Cadillac 4100 engine of the other cars due to the different internals.

The 4500 engine has a clean record all around. It is a workhorse and has proven itself over its several decades long history, along with its variation 4900 engine.

The difference of the Phase-I and the Phase-II cars is not about the latches. the latches is only one change. I also prefer the hooks of the Phase-I but several other changes throughout the car, make the whole car much better, IMO.

Both the '89 and the '92 have the 4500 and yet, they are different animals. You of course know that I have owned two 1988 models and one 1992. When its all over, I expect the 1992 to be the only Allante in the barn.
They even ride like different animals, the difference in traction and stability is huge - the Phase-II of course winning hands down!

As to Dick, if I may, prefers the PHASE-II over both the Phase-I & III cars. And so does Johnny but he has to walk a fine line to apeace his membership that is mostly '93 owners. Lets all keep in mind that the majority of the Allante cars out there ARE 1993 models - simply stated, they made a whole lot of them, a whole lot - and being the last year, of course, simply by being the newest they have not experienced the attrition of the years. What finally made Dick cross over to the Phase-II was the increasing issues with the '93 models, specially when the warranties expired in 2003 and the engine and transmission failures started to hit so many of the cars.

For those that dont know who Dick is, he is considered the one and only Allante super-tech in the planet .. he sees more Allantes in his shop than anyone else and in fact, he is reported to own more Allantes than anyone else.

Well,decided not to get that car. It was ok but not worth
$4500! Brakes seemed to tight too...and after I pumped the he'll out of them I got a error message that popped up on the dash! also,the place where you Check the codes(the dic I think) the LCD panel was broken. Couldn't read it at all. you were right on about the duel exhaust! It was just another pipe coming from the muffler! Looked horrible actually think the more I learn about these cars the more I don't want one!
everything is insane expensive! just browsing on google and was reading about how many total brake failures the 87 to 89 models have. And the complete brake system is $3500??
WTF!!
Unreal......I sure don't have that type of cash for a brake job.

Whoa Kracker
WTF??? How many of these cars have you looked at ? One, two. I looked at over 40 before I bought one and that's just part of what you have to do. Friend of mine says there is a $2000 initiation fee for membership to the Allante community. Not far wrong. My $1000 ABS system from Allantesource solved all my major problems.

This car is not for the faint of heart but well well worth it.

hey Bill,

the numbers match !

all kidding put aside, owing an Allante requires prior consent .. skills .. knowledge .. patience .. and .. MONEY !






.

Still for sale
 

The car has made it's way to Ebay - starting bid $4,500. Lots of "interesting" modifications. Is that a roll-bar or wind screen?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Cadil...=p4506.c0.m245

that is a windscreen - probably the only decent addition.

$4,500 for a '89?

and with 105,000 miles?
and missing mini-covers?
and a hole in the hood?
and exhaust ports in the front fenders?
and did you see the rear with all the Allante logos?

someone is in dreamland.



.

Yeah, the car had a lot of weird **** to it. Stickers,broken LCD on the dic display.
Didnt have very good pick up either. It actually scared me away the way it "felt" while driving it.

This is a quote on this vehicle from another web site from a member named Jim Swinler as well respected an individual as there is in the Allante community. I'm sure, as Stealth is an old friend, that he'd agree with my comments on Jim. Made me see the other side of the story!!


"I guess my attitude regarding this Car pretty much differs from others' in that I see a low mileage 1989 Allante that is in basically terrific condition, has its hard top, and has been pretty heavily customized by its owner.

On the plus side, it's an 89, the first Allante year with the excellent 4.5 pushrod engine that has been, let's face it, a tough, strong engine, and this one's barely broken in with only a little over a hundred thousand miles on it.

I, personally, wouldn't have customized it in this way, but I see nothing here that couldn't be easily undone if a person was looking for a good 89.

When I first started learning about these cars in the spring of 1999, the 89 was the odds-on favorite among those looking for a first Allante, and among the owners recommending first Allantes. The 89 had these features: The "new" 4.5 engine. More power, fewer problems. The lack of an air bag was considered a plus in those days. It did have the SDD system, but didn't have the CD player and a somewhat better Tape deck. It normally had a hardtop available but, if not, Phase I hardtops were plentiful and cheap.

When one considers everything in fact, the 89 Allante has a few pretty serious advantages over the 93's back then: That 4.5 didn't (and still doesn't) give up very much to the Northstar until you start reaching for top speed, the 4.5 lacked the engine block divide at the crankshaft journals that had that defective gasket that had to be replaced at a cost up to $3,500, and the Northstars were dropping out of warranty by then. Later, when Northstar engines began showing their particular weaknesses, the 4.5 has magically become a much more "adequate" engine. They're strong, tough, and if given any care at all, become more dependable, relatively, than the Northstars.

So, in my view, what we have here is a low mileage 89 Allante that will require maybe a grand or two to restore to what it is under everything: a tough Allante with a lot of life in it with a tough engine and maybe a long, dependable life ahead of it.

About the "styling additions." This is a privately-owned automobile whose owner has seen fit to personalize. Really, whatever the owner chooses to do, short of painting obscene pictures and/or unacceptable language all over it, is pretty much his business.

The name of this game is "Whatever blows your dress up."

Fox has a beautiful Northstar Allante that she has spent a lot of money on and it shows. The car looks good and from what she's said here, runs well. But, good-looking and performing as it is, the purists among us are probably scandalized by some of the ideas that were applied to it.

Go figure.

At the risk of becoming known as even more of a nut than I am, I smiled when I first saw this 89 until I asked myself, "What is this I'm looking at, in and of itself?

It's a solid, competant Allante with its hard top that has a lot of life left in it.

That's my opinion of it. Everybody else's opinion is just as valid.

I hope this car finds a good owner who'll love it."

JCS

nothing said there regarding technology and durability of that model can be argued, expect the cost.

at $4500 is OVERPRICED specially when one considers (NO MAYBE) $1000 to $2000 to restore and I am not sure that can be done for that cost .. the hood alone with the hole will set you you back a grand, the DIC another 1/2 grand, and Bill, we know what it costs to put a coat of paint.

to buy that specific car at $4500 and spend another $3000 to $4000 to restore it, brings the final cost of that car to a prohibitive level ..

$7500 to $9000 .. WOWWWW ! ! !

regarding the "COSMETIC" changes .. comparing to what Fox has done is not right.. her car was done at another level altogether .. her car is a "I want the fastest Allante in the planet" and the "fashion/cosmetic" changes she has done have been done with a subtle touch that breaths taste .. class .. sophistication .. her car invites one to come and take a ride and you be comfortable to be seen within .. the subject '89 wants me to not be seen within a mile of it.






.

Kracker - well, since you have heard about 'fox's' car - I guess I should chime in...

I do have a '93 - I drove a phase I, 3 phase IIs, and 2 phase IIIs before deciding to buy the '93. it has some opportunities for 'hot-rodding' that the earlier models don't. The Northstar engine, while it can be problematic, if it had been taken care of, and continues to be taken care of, it can for well over 200,000 miles. Plus, parts are still readily available for it (for the time being). I was lucky, Amante (my Allante) was well taken care of, had all the service records, and lived its first 14 years of its life in Arizona. Northstars are popular racing engines and lots of aftermarket parts are available for them.

I like the lower body panels on the '93 and the placement of the side mirrors and the deletion of the 'wing window'.

But, mostly what I can say is have your choice checked out by a local, experienced mechanic - believe it or not lots of Cadillac dealerships still have a guy that works on Allante's - call around and find one. The local dealerships here in Colorado actually quite fawn over mine, and have taken great care of him the few times I have had it at a dealer. Most of the mods however have been done by a local mechanic who specializes in exotic cars.

Best of luck - buy it to drive it, don't let become a 'queen'. Don't buy it expecting the value to rise any time soon, The best thing we can all do is get them out to local shows cruises, etc., people all love to see them, and interest will eventually lead to the cars becoming more desirable.

Here are Amante's most recent 'glamor' shots... you can click on them and see the larger images...

there you go ...
there is no comparison between Fox's '93 car and that subject '89.
Although Fox didnt show the rear end of the car, I assure you again, it is done with class.
Fox's car may even beat some of those 5.0 beasts if put tot he test .. may.







.

wait !

that '89 in the opening post of krackermost looks different than the '89 in the link by AIeradi.
the plates dont match either, but both have exhaust ports on the front fenders.

krackermost & AIeradi .. what is up? two different cars ?
but clearly going by the Semper Fi on the rear of the link car, that is also a Marine's car.



.

Stealth - you are right!

They have the same rims, and what appears to be a wind-screen (or maybe mine IS roll bar) but the one on Ebay also has black painted insets as well. I guess when I saw it on Ebay I made the correlation from both being

* white
* same rims
* Added ports
* $4,500
* 105,000 miles
* Michigan

What's the chances...I smell fish!

Good catch Stealth!

Tony I

Although we no longer make contact, JCS and I go back a long long time .. I know a thing or two of his writings, style, philosophy, and obsessions regarding the Allante world .. and when I read the "quote", something felt out of place ...

I have highlighted the "clues" as I saw them leading me into the final conclusion that the subject car was not a car, but TWO different 1989 Allante cars, both owned by MARINES .. go figure .. what are the chances of that ?

I do not know for sure which car JSC is writing about, but my money would go to the 1989 car of the opening post of this thread as being the target of the JSC commentary.

the only thing that puzzles me to this second is that JCS mis-spelled a word (red highlight) at the end of the rant .. when it comes to JCS, that is unheard of .. in the 1/2 decade I have known him, I believe that this is a 1st.

not a roll-bar .. it is a WINDSCREEN, custom fit by Johnny!

that is scary, I still remember who makes what in that Allante world .. I need to go fishing more often.

you missed one more correlation: both Marine owned

Touche...I did not notice...happy fishing :)

did you see the 1,100 mile 1992 ?

.

I did...what do you think of the starting price? That is one of the higher ones I personally have seen. We have a guy here in PA routinely lists a 90 Burgundy http://philadelphia.craigslist.org/cto/1332261151.html for sale at $11,900.

Then there was one last year (?) that was Yellow that was going for $16,000.

I have been following this one for 4 months as it is for sale, and sold, every month but the winners never make good (according to the dealer).

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1991-...=p4506.c0.m245