2G TSI AWD good idea for a daily?

[GrattinoDSM]

So im gettin my taxes this week and im looking for a 2G i found one that has 158,000 on body and trans and about 4000 on the motor heres the specs of the motor:
Freshly Rebuilt Stock 7 bolt bottom end
New OEM rods/Pistons.
New OEM oil pump
New Gates(black) timing Belt and tensioner with idler and timing pulley's
NEW ACL main and rod bearings
uncut crank
New OEM Water pump
ARP Head studs
Felpro head gasket
Manley single coil Stg 1 springs
Stock cams
SIM race valves
OEM stock PP
South bend STG 4 OFE street disc
New OEM throw out bearing
Freshly Redone Strut towers (fixed Rust)
Stock SMIC
Hard Upper and Lower intercooler piping
Knock off Greddy BOV
Shifts smooth
Fresh trans fluid and T-case/ rear end fluid
3in exhaust
Stock T25 turbo
I can get it as is for 3500, or i can get a nice set of cams installed for an extra 300, he's taking the timing apart to fix an oil leak so now would be best time to get them) do you think this would be smart if i left it as is for a good daily? what other kind of maintenance stuff should i do if i get it? I do have another car that i was going to keep for awhile then sell.

 

[Kyle d32a]

Not a bad deal man if everything is done right. I loved to daily my tsi, awesome in the snow too. What cams is he willing to put in? You don't want anything too aggressive if you plan on driving the car daily as it will make the car harder to drive on the street if you have too aggressive of a cam, although not impossible.. just not practical.

 

[knochgoon24]

I enjoy my car as a DD. It has 249,000 miles on the body and 185,000 miles on the motor. It still runs like a champ. Any reliability issues or downtime has solely been my own fault, and there have been few.

 

[GrattinoDSM]

its been rebuilt by strictly import motorsports, and he recommended there custom grind 275s they've had them on their dailys, any other 1st maintenances?

 

[knochgoon24]

A 275 with a T25? Not such a hot idea.

The T25 will be out of breath before the 275's come alive.

 

[GrattinoDSM]

it'd be temporary though, i'd be looking into a 16g soon

Edit: would that cause excessive wear on the t25?

 

[DearestNameless]

If this is true I'd swap you my 1998 GST Spyder if you don't like it.

 

[99gst_racer]

Is it the red one? If so, that car is VERY clean inside and out.


DDing a DSM is very fun. As long as you have a soft spot for these cars, you'll enjoy driving one as a DD.

 

[MITSUMURDOK]

I DD my 95 TSI AWD and love it. Just make sure you are on top of the maintenance like others have stated or it will bite you in the ass. One thing I found on mine was that the rear shock mounts rusted out. I looked at the rear shock towers when I first bought it an they were fine, it wasn't until i hit a big pot hole and it started making noises that I realized that the mounts were completely done for. Some scary stuff. Also the axles were rust welded to the hubs...a simple wheel bearing job turned into a major PITA. All in all though, once everything is fixed, these cars are major fun, especially in the snow!

 

[Zdrummer15]

I'll just say that I too enjoy DD'ing my DSM as well. It has never seen any real downtime due to breaking down in the 2 years I've owned it. I was fortunate to find a well taken care of, low mileage, unmodified car so that helps, but all in all if the car was treated right and maintained well it can make a great DD. They get decent gas mileage (although you have to run premium gas), are great in the winter (awd ones anyway), and are fun to drive. There's not much about a well maintained and not too heavily modified DSM that will make it a bad DD if you like these cars.

 

[90turbolaserfwd]

I've been trying to find a nice awd 2g to daily here in Ohio. Lord knows our winters suck, but would be a fun cruiser in summer. If I wanna race or go fast I can pull out the 1g for that.

 

[GrattinoDSM]

yes, paul, the red one

 

[sprmotohooligan]

Do it. Don't look back. Learn to love the DSM quirks. I sure do.

 

[GrattinoDSM]

Do it. Don't look back. Learn to love the DSM quirks. I sure do.

I already love the DSM quirks ....

I did ask Allen for some more pictures of it, being that im about an hour and a half away and he hasn't sent them yet, but overall sounds good?

 

[FLASH1970]

As long as everything checks out like compression, turbo shaft play, no leaks, runs well... I'd do it. I dd my 99 GSX for the most part. Something once in a while will cause a little down time but the car has 220+K on it so I can't complain. About 45K of those miles are from me. I bought the car in July of 09. One of the best decisions I've ever made.

 

[GrattinoDSM]

ok so now the only question is if i should stick with stock cams for now or get bigger ones hmm

 

[Absit]

Stock cams on a DD under 350 WHP.

 

[GrattinoDSM]

thank you absit!

 

[JAX2Ganey]

ive DD'ed my 2g for the last 4 years and now, im DD'ing my 1g. I love 'em! Also, any down-time was purely my fault or just a 14 year old part retiring.

 

[GrattinoDSM]

i put a deposit on it, and i'm picking it up next friday. then i shall start with maintenance, maintenance, maintenance!

 

[JusMX141]

its been rebuilt by strictly import motorsports, and he recommended there custom grind 275s they've had them on their dailys, any other 1st maintenances?

Anything more aggressive than 264's on a street-driven 16G car will be a complete waste of resources. You'll actually lose useful torque in exchange for top end power that you'll never use on the street.

 

[sirslex]

I dunno about the whole cam issue, but the only real problem I have with mine as a DD is the whole PREMIUM only thing. I'm up to 20 mpg for now, but I hear most people actually get closer to 30 (upper 20's anyway)
And there are certainly those times I wish I had more trunk space.
AND you gotta get used to how low it is getting in and out.

If you are ok with that and will keep it well maintained, there's no reason to not use it as a daily driver

 

[GrattinoDSM]

I dunno about the whole cam issue, but the only real problem I have with mine as a DD is the whole PREMIUM only thing. I'm up to 20 mpg for now, but I hear most people actually get closer to 30 (upper 20's anyway)
And there are certainly those times I wish I had more trunk space.
AND you gotta get used to how low it is getting in and out.

If you are ok with that and will keep it well maintained, there's no reason to not use it as a daily driver

im going to get DSMlink and get it tuned for MPGs for now. and also im used to driving small cars and trucks so im good there haha

 

[TofastForU_99]

Your car Runs great Devin. It will be washed and sitting all pretty for you to pick it up on Friday. You previously said that you were going to start the maintenance on the car. What are you going to do besides oil changes? Its practically brand new ... You want us to put DSM Link in before friday and a FMIC And 16g ... Just wait until you start modding it and cant stop.

 

[UofACATS]

Now that's a good seller