thoughts on buying an Allante

[Bill L]

are they all nightmares? looking at a well maintained 89.Thoughts ? Thanks Bill wmlcad@yahoo.com

[76eldo]

The are not all nightmares, but you really should check out the Allante club message board:

http://www.allante.us/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl

The 87 and 88 have HT4100 engines.  I have been told that the Allante 4100's were all hand assembled, and they do not exhibit the usual 4100 problems.  Prices about $3000 to $8000 depending on miles and condition, and with or without hard top.

The 89 still retains the "Phase 1" top, both hard and soft tops have manual latches in the front, with a pull down motor in the back to secure the rear of the top to the rear deck. $4000.00 to $8000.00, as above  These are referred to as "Phase 1 cars"

The 90.5, 91, and 92, all share the same hard top and soft top configuration, and are referred to as "Phase 2" Allantes.  They have small motorized latches in the front header bow, and they lock down electrically.  These cars have the 4.5 litre engine, and are sturdy and good performing cars.  Bose systems can be problematic, but these card do have CD players, the early ones do not.
$5000.00 to $11,000 as per condition and inclusion of hardtop.  My car is a 92, and in 92 they had either a VS in the vin number, or a VR in the vin to indicate factory hardtop or convertible versions.  On hardtop versions, the digital dash was standard, but an option on the convertible only models.  This may apply to other years as well, but my experience is from owning a 92.  I do know that all of the 87's and 88's came from GM with a hardtop included.

87 through 92 have the complicated and expensive to fix Bosch III brake system, so make sure that the car has properly performing brakes.  Ask to see service records.  The Bosch III systems should be flushed every 2 years, which will greatly reduce the incidence of problems with the system.

The 93, most expensive, and the only one with the Northstar drivetrain.  Usually $6000.00 to $15,000 for low mileage cars. One year only "Phase III" hardtop, can cost up to $4500.00 alone. The tops are similar to the Phase 2, but the 93's have a larger door window, and no vent window, so the weatherstripping is totally different on the sides. There are ways to convert Phase 2 hardtops to fit. 93's have standard Delco stereo, Eldorado seats, and a useful center console cup holder. 

Much debate revolves around the Northstar cars, and the non Northstar cars.  Some say the 93 is the only one to own, some say the 93 was "cheapened" by the Eldo seats instead of Racarros, and the standard Delco audio, and the elimination of the simulated vent window in the doors,  but the are all nice cars, and Allante owners always help each other.

The Allante club message board offers a very strong knowledge base, and is extremely helpful in diagnosing and fixing problems.

Understanding the top and the brakes are crucial, as is the ownership of a factory service manual.

If you are not a tinkerer, if you do not work on your own cars, you should only buy a low mileage creampuff, or you will go broke having the car serviced.

In West Palm Beach, Florida, Dick Hussey runs the Allante Source, www.allantesource.com.  His website is the best online resource available.  Go to the site and do some reading, and if you still want to buy an Allante, go further.

Tom Rohner in California runs the Allante Store, https://id282.securedata.net/allantestore.com/merchantmanager/.  More info available there, and there is John Monzo in South Jersey, who runs an Allante only repair shop, supplies parts, and is the president of one of the National Allante clubs.

Allante's are a fun car, are at a low value point right now, and can be a great investment, or a money pit, depending on what you buy.

Regarding hardtops, my car same with the factory equipped top, the storage rack/cart, and the cotton cover, and I like having this for the car.  The down side is that when they are off the car, they take up a lot of space, and I have never put mine back on the car. 

I have a 92 with just over 100,000 miles, and I love the car.  I am not an expert on Allante's, but I have wanted one since I first saw J.R. Ewing drive one on Dallas.  I am just sharing my observations, and experiences I have has in the 2 years I have owned mine.
Prices are based on what I have seen on ebay, and the club message board, and shows.

Good luck,

Brian

[Alan R Harris CLC#1513]

Absolutely the worst car I ever owned in my life. I had a 1987. There was no part of the car that I did not have problems with. There was never a month when every part of the car was entirely functional for thirty continuous days. Horrible elecrical glitches that needed an exorcist instead of a mechanic. Unbelievably expensive replacement parts. Too incredibly complex for the home mechanic to deal with. A complete lack of factory and dealer support almost as soon as the warranty was expired. Capable of instilling fear and loathing on any independent shop that dared to attempt to work on it. The best day of my life was the day I sold it.

The 4.1 V8 had no problems on my car except for oil leaks. Everything else more than made up for the lack of engine problems.

The best proof of this is the fact that huge numbers of these cars seem to constantly be for sale. Considering the fairly small number sold (20,000 cars in seven model years), this would seem to indicate a certain lack of satisfaction on the part of the owners.

The car looked and drove like a dream. Unfortunately, this fact was far outweighed by the negatives described above.