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PANTERA PRE-PURCHASE INSPECTION (PPI) RESOUCRES
5 Arguments for a guy to use on his wife to justify the purchase of a Pantera - by Wallace Wyss (PI Editor)
(Note that the prices quoted in this article are from Summer, 1992)
Used Pantera Buyer's Checklist
PANTERA PRE-PURHCASE INSPECTION PROCEDURE
- Try to start out with the car ice-cold.
- Jack the rear end up, crawl underneath and inspect for rust. Specifically the bottom of the rear frame rails and the lower horseshoe structure to which the suspension is mounted. Place the tip of a Phillips screwdriver against the problematic areas and give it a good whack with a hammer. Everything should be solid. If the screwdriver goes through the metal there are serious rust issues there, and likely elsewhere on the car. This will be VERY costly to remedy.
- Grasp the rear wheels at the 3 and 9 o’clock position and wiggle them in and out. If there is ANY movement and/or clunking, then normally the rear wheel bearings AND the rear axles are shot. Figure about $300-400 a side to fix.
- Sometimes the bearings and axle are fine, and the problem is the two hub carrier bushings, where the bottom of the hub carrier mates with the lower control arm. Have a helper wiggle the wheel while watching from behind/beneath. If you can see movement where the driveshaft flange/axle goes into the hub carrier, then the problem is obviously there. If that’s solid and you can see the hub carrier moving around relative to the A-arm, then the problem is trivial – a pair of new bushings and a few hours and you’re good to go.
- Lower the car onto the ground, and then go to the passenger side and jack the right side, just ahead of the leading edge of the door, on the factory jacking point (a circle punched into the underside of the chassis).
- Grasp the passenger side wheel at 3 and 9 o’clock and try to turn it in and out. If there is any movement or clunking, the steering rack is shot. However this is a simple fix, consisting of about $50 in parts for a new bronze bushing, etc. To confirm, have a helper wiggle the wheel and eyeball the accordion-style boot where the tie rod mates with the rack. You will probably see up-and-down movement here, where there should be none.
- Check the forward mounting straps for the front sway bar (where it is mounted to the chassis). Those are known to break.
- Check the lower valance and the radiator support; these are poorly designed water traps, and tend to rust out badly.
- Rust spots on the body are at the bottom of the front fenders, just ahead of the doors, the undersides of the doors, and the front of the driver’s side quarter panel at the bottom. Also the rocker panels and the bottom of the door post pillars.
- Check for even panel gaps and alignment.
- Start it up, see if it starts cleanly, or blows smoke out the pipes. If it blows smoke initially, that normally means the valve guide seals are shot.
- With the engine running, hop inside and start actuating all the switches to make sure all the lights, accessories, windows, etc. work.
- Check for even and smooth clutch engagement.
- Once the car is warmed up, try some acceleration tests in 2nd gear, feeling for smooth acceleration, and watching the mirror for smoke, etc.
- Wiggle the car from side to side looking for clunks, etc. Also look for self-steering under throttle, which can indicate worn-out suspension bushings.
- Turn on the A/C and see if it operates correctly.
- When done driving, let it sit and idle for a long time – 10 minutes or so? Check the temperature gauge and watch the engine bay for any signs of overheating.
