Hey guys! I'm going to go look at a 91 Classic this weekend that I'm gonna be using as my daily driver. The owner has owned the car since 92 and is the second owner. It has 108,000 and is said to be in "immaculate mechanical shape". The car has no mods, so this leads me to believe that this car was probably not driven very hard. Can someone let me know how to do a compression test and what readings I'm suppose to get. Any other
suggestions or tips on what I should look for when i go check this
car out would be greatly appreciated. Oh, they are asking for $3200, so I'm gonna try to haggle the price down to between $2500-$2800.

Thanks guys

Compression on the SR20DE is supposed to be at 178psi. Performing the test is easy. Pull the fuel pump fuse and let the car run until it dies. Crank the motor 2 or 3 times just to make sure the fuel lines are decently clear.

Remove spark plug wires and plugs. Check these while they are out. Oil on the threads could mean a new VC gasket is needed, you can see how old they are, if its burning lean or rich, etc etc.

Use a screw in compression tester, they are more consistent and accurate. Thread in the hose for the tester, attach the guage to it. Crank the engine over 3-5 times. Watch that the needle on the tester pumps up linearly and it should pop right up to the 170's. Release pressure from the guage, move to the next cylinder.

otherwise, look for common se-r problems. 5th gear pop out, sagging door, leaky taillights, sagging headliner. Make sure the CV boots are healthy, the rotors aren't warped, check for leaks. Make sure that the a/c runs (if it has it), check they health of the exhaust system. The normal used car check list.

Sounds like you have the right idea about the price. Good luck!