Sweet, this is cool!

99gst_racer said:

I didn't get my driver's liscense until '99, so I kinda missed out on all of the DSM fun in the '90's. Sounds like it was right up my alley though.

I remember my first ride in a DSM. My buddy's mom had an AWD Laser and would drive us to school on occasion. That was around 1995/96, long before I even knew what a DSM was, but I loved that car at first sight.

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Haha! You might have missed out on the DSM scene in the 90's but you've definately made an impact on the DSM world with your compound turbo setup! Helluva revolution and inspiration man!

Paul, i thought you sold your car? Glad to hear you kept it haha

All you guys are so old!!

I wasn't even born when my car was made, (I drive a '90 and was born in '91) but I could definately see myself buying one new if I could. I wish someone would make a DSM-style car again; small, AWD, turbo, cheap, and ready for modding!

99gst_racer said:

Estimated Annual Fuel Cost: $780

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Yeah if you drove like 2 miles a day i bet . And thats if you were babying the gas pedal

99gst_racer said:

I didn't get my driver's liscense until '99

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That means I probably got mine before you were born.

Damn that's depressing.

i think we need to add a new smiley for the old timers.

1990AWD said:

All you guys are so old!!

I wasn't even born when my car was made, (I drive a '90 and was born in '91) but I could definately see myself buying one new if I could. I wish someone would make a DSM-style car again; small, AWD, turbo, cheap, and ready for modding!

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Especially TunaTalon, think he's closing in on 70. Got me by a couple of years. DSM's just keep you young, and broke of course.

1990AWD said:

All you guys are so old!! :

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Hahahaa! I for one prefer the term Tunining Pioneer! ,

Alex7747 said:

Paul, i thought you sold your car? Glad to hear you kept it haha

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Nope, I don't think I'll ever sell my '99.
It's in storage right now and I'm DDing a '95 Talon.

calan said:

That means I probably got mine before you were born.

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Yeah, you were driving before I existed. Sounds like many in here were.

I don't really feel like such a youngster hanging out with you seasoned guys, though. It's only a difference on paper to me.

dsmTripp said:

These to me are all crazy story's. I couldn't see spending that much on a stock eclipse. Furthermore I think its crazy how expensive they were back then. I'm in pure awe. But its awesome how many of you og's still have them.

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Spending some $20K on a brand new AWD turbo coupe is not so crazy. Now spending some $21K modifying a 12 year old car… that’s bat shxt crazy.

Ah well even old pharts need some fun now and then.

TunaTalon said:

Spending some $20K on a brand new AWD turbo coupe is not so crazy.

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Exactly! Especially considering your talking about a brand new virgin DSM without a scratch on it, no miles, hasn't been neglected, abused, or beat up by some jackhole, and you can actually say you're the sole owner. Ahhh that new car smell! Plus one can easily spend 20k just trying to restore a current DSM to its original condition today, that's not even including mods.

I met my wife in '98 when she owned the '91 GSX - so it was not new at that point but I took it over within the production years if that counts. Yes, you can all thank my wife for owning a 1991 GSX when we got together. If it weren't for her, this site wouldn't exist.

^^ That's a fun piece of history to know.

dsmTripp said:

These to me are all crazy story's. I couldn't see spending that much on a stock eclipse. Furthermore I think its crazy how expensive they were back then. I'm in pure awe. But its awesome how many of you og's still have them.

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Show me a turbo AWD coupe around today that you'd buy and what the list price is for it. As technology improves, you get more for the money. You think mid 20's is high for these cars new, you should see what the Supra/RX7/300ZX/3000GT/Stealth guys were paying for their cars new. Our cars were bargains, and still are compared to what's available. These cars were (and still are) great deals for what they are.

Ludachris said:

I met my wife in '98 when she owned the '91 GSX - so it was not new at that point but I took it over within the production years if that counts. Yes, you can all thank my wife for owning a 1991 GSX when we got together. If it weren't for her, this site wouldn't exist.

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Haaaaaaaaahahahahaa!! That's great!! Yeah that definately counts!! I love how your wife is indirectly responsible for the birth of the best DSM site on the web! Cheers to that!

Ludachris said:

Show me a turbo AWD coupe around today that you'd buy and what the list price is for it. As technology improves, you get more for the money. You think mid 20's is high for these cars new, you should see what the Supra/RX7/300ZX/3000GT/Stealth guys were paying for their cars new. Our cars were bargains, and still are compared to what's available. These cars were (and still are) great deals for what they are.

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In 1991 the car I really wanted was the AWD twin turbo 3000GT, but it was completely out of my price range. The 91 Talon cost less then the front driver 3000GT and had better performance.

In about 2005 as the 1998 Talon was a year of commuting away from passing 200K miles I had to choose between refreshing and replacing. My wife liked the styling of the Audi TT AWD, but the turbo model was over $37K and had only 225 HP. After checking the prices of used Audi cars I found that I could upgrade the Talon with top of the line parts to about 400 HP for the cost of three years depreciation of the Audi TT.

Well those years have passed and the Talon is still pulling strong. The TT would have been better at picking up chicks but my wife would not allow any credit for that.

Bought mine new in June 1990. 21 year anniversary any day now.

Bought mine in August of 1994 off the showroom floor. It's still my DD with 210K miles on the odometer.

Plan to pass it on to my Granddaughter in my will. I told my daughter of my intentions, but I don't think she believes me. She should know better!

I wish i could see one of these cars brand new rolling out of a dealership

Bought my 99 new off the lot with only 15 miles or so on the odometer.

Anyone calling the 1g original owners "old" because they were 3 years old then or whatever, should realize they aren't much farther from the grave than the OGs. A human life-span is incredibly short. 100 years isn't even a long time, when the universe has existed for 13-14 billion. Anyways, that's my philosophizing for the day.

I bought a white 1997 GST off the showroom. Loved that car. Got the grey/black cloth interior. I changed my current car to white and wanted to commemorate that car. Used to spank a lot of cars with that thing we had no business spanking. C4 Vettes, 5.0 mustangs, camaros. They were hot little cars back then with just a few cheap mods done to it.

99gst_racer said:

I remember my first ride in a DSM. My buddy's mom had an AWD Laser and would drive us to school on occasion. That was around 1995/96, long before I even knew what a DSM was, but I loved that car at first sight.

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In 95/96 i was in second grade and KNEW that I had to have a dsm! I used to see them all over by me but as the years went on they got cheaper and kids just kicked the crap outta them and they went to the crusher which made DSMs around me pretty rare. I hardly ever see one thats any good (mostly beat to death and riced out). I definetly wish I was older through the DSM years but I kinda like having a "rare" car in my area she gets alot of looks (good or bad ).

Still gotta find me a gsx though and it should get easier because I just landed an engineering job with GE aviation in Lynn, Mass!!!

First DSM I worked on was a white 90 TSI AWD with cloth and a Sunroof in June of 1990. We ordered an HKS exhaust and off road pipe, all in the same HKS exhaust box from Japan. With a sticker for the cars window that said 93 fuel recommended. A K&N filter and a Horgen boost controller. Clutch eventually slipped. We thought it was the viscous or trans. Dealer didn't know either. On a Vericom -200 it ran 13.3 at 101. I knew the DSMs were so far ahead of their time. Was heavily into V-8s. Wanted a DSM especially after Turbo Magazine did a huge spread on the original FWD and AWD models. Whole background of the DSM trio. Then another article on the "HKS" built DSMs.
Met Dave Buschur in 91-92 range. He was just getting going with his side business of parts. I was to buy a 92 TSI AWD. But bought a 91 GMC Syclone new. Which I still own today with 3400 miles. The dealer did order me a 93 TSI AWD in Quartz. I looked at the same car all winter on their lot from late Sept till May of 93 when I bought it. Among many other new TSi that I test drove but never this car. Paid $19,800 which was more than I paid for the Syclone. Don't have the original sticker. Let it go with the car that Dave sold to a guy in Aruba. I had a 90 Laser turbo as a beater. Then bought the copper Durango GSX in Dec of 95. Kept it till 2004 and sold it to Dave B with 18,000 miles. Nick at Buschurs owns it now with less than 25,000 miles. And has the laminated original window sticker and all the magazine articles that were plaqued.
Have had a dozen DSMs over the years. Plus an orig 36k mile Galant VR4. Sold that in 2005 to buy another EVO. Also have an 89 Conquest I put a 4g63 in.
Kept a 90 TSI AWD from Canada and made it a race car. Had so many leftover DSM parts. Wife says don't you miss having a DSM street car. So I found a 94 TSI AWD from New Mexico with 165k highway miles. Have it running now and use it for transportation. Love it. Its the second 94 TSI I have had like this, same color and options.
I also have three EVOs that I don't street drive. 04 RS, 05 MR and 06 IX RS. All the window stickers are framed. Mileage as of now is 196, 249 and 222 miles. Will be interesting to see how many EVOs survive in the future and what their values will be.

I started looking at the Eclipses when they were introduced in 89/90 but decided to wait out the first year since many new cars have issues in the first year of production.

I bought my 91 GSX in Aug 91 when the 92's had just come out. I didn't like the new headlights so I chose to buy a 91. There were still plenty to pick from and the dealer was willing to deal on the old model.

From the window sticker I see that the list base price was $17,179. With options was $19,377 with an additional $680 for the Chicago delivery and $89 for the wheel locks. I'm not sure where the final invoice paperwork is, but I remember paying around $17k. I also bought the factory service manual that day to go with the car. That's payed for itself several times over.

It's got about 150k miles on it now.