What is this worth

[02_Legacy]

I am looking for a project car and I came across a 1992 Pearl White SVX, it has 145,000 miles on it, leather seats, and sunroof.

1)How much would you pay for it in running condition?
2)He says it needs a valve cover gasket, how much would you pay for it with this condition?
and also how far, if at all, can you drive a car with bad valve cover gaskets?
Thanks for your responses.

[mike-tracy]

Valve cover gaskets are less than 100, and maybe even less than 50 for both sides.
I drove my impreza for a couple years with mildly leaking gaskets. It drips some oil on your exhaust manifold's heat shields and causes some smoke, which you only notice at stoplights. I had leaking valve cover gaskets on my 96 legacy for a couple of years as well. I finally got a new engine for the legacy and replaced the gaskets with the motor installed. Really neither car lost enough oil to be noticeable, but it was annoying. I'm sure it could leak worse depending on how long it has been let go, but it's an easy fix, which is well documented on this site and others.

As far as the price, no idea. :smile:

[green97gt]

you can find them rust free, good shape for $1200-$2500 depending on trim level and condition.
every once in a while you will see one go for 3k

dad just sold his w/ 194k on it, leaked a little like he said smoke at lights. for $1200

if your looking at an SVX, be prepared to to trans work.

and i wouldnt even look at a 92. unless your just want the motor or parts. cause ive heard from many an SVX enthusiast that the 92s are riddled with issues, especially trans related.

[02_Legacy]

Thanks for the information, I'm going to look at it tomorrow and the guy told me it was drivable so I will deffentally be on the lookout for trans problems, is there any way to tell if the trans is going, I will probably just buy fix and sell so as long as the transmission is fine when I buy it i won't be beating it or anything.

[klix]

smoke at light s is usually either the rear main seal or the power steering pressure-side line... but can certainly be valve covers/pan/ or cam seals if bad enough. from memory. it is actually (3) seals in total per valve cover and does not take long provided you have the right rachets... a small "gear ratchet" set will help tremendously with this sort of job.

Honestly, the biggest punch in the gut is the seals that go around each bolt (10 per side I think) that need to be replaced... in hind sight, I wonder what slopping some ultrablack under the bolt heads and also where they contact the valve cover would have done.