91 talon tsi - Worth getting?

[P90]

The Ad and what has been said is below.......im just wondering if this is worth picking up....and this would be my first DSM and i've read about them and i know what im doing under the hood of a car so....you think this would be worth picking up and getting fixed for a daily driver and maybe a little track time.......also wondering what you think the price of all the parts and stuff would cost if i was to do all the repairs myself?...(just looking for an estimate)

Thxs,
P90



I've got a 91 talon tsi that I just do not have the time to work on anymore. First off, it is not road worthy at this time. I did drive it from my old house to the RIT campus, but then blew out the brake line to the LR wheel on the campus. I bought this car two years ago to use for auto cross/rally cross, but unfortunately I haven't gotten that far. It had a bad turbo and bent valves. I've put in a rebuilt head, new exhaust manifold, timing belt, timing belt tensioner, arp head studs, turbo (used, but in good conditions, practically no shaft play). There is more stuff that needs to be done, mostly little things that aren't very expensive or time consuming, but I just haven't been able to put in enough time to finish it and with senior design coming up, I'm not going to have any time. I'll list the good and the bad about it so hopefully there won't be any surprises.

Good:

Freshly Rebuilt Head (30 min run time on it)
New Exhaust Manifold
New Timing Belt Tensioner
New Timing Belt
ARP Studs
Turbo (used, but good condition)
Comes with new clutch
Rebuilt Right Front Brake Caliper


The Bad:

Motor still doesn't run quite right, pulls good though, idles a little high, and some valve train noise, most likely due to the lash adjusters. A little tweaking and it should be good.

Tranny gave a few problems. Made a little clashing sound when going from 2nd to 3rd, but that appears to be mostly a cold clash issue, but I think the synchronizers on 2nd gear are worn. Clash reduced once the tranny was warmer.

Interior is all there, but not the best looking. The kid I bought it off from tried to "pimp" it out so there is stupid red felt glued to the visors, and I junked the shift handle, and some other stupid things like that. (I bought this car to race, not for looks).

Needs a new valve stem in the RF tire
Needs a couple of studs in the RR wheel
Front outer CV boots are torn
Only one speaker left in the car (but comes with CD player).
Tires have a little bit of dry rot on them, but will work for a little bit
Possible seized or sticking RF caliper (comes with replacement)
Crack in the Valve cover
Possible power steering line leak
Needs new battery terminals


The body of the car is good condition considering its age, has almost no rust (only rust is a spot on hood about 1/8" in diameter, and the license plate lights have rusted out). There's a small dent next to the gas cap, but should be easy to fix.

Again, this is has been a project car for me, so there are some "farm" engineered parts. I couldn't find a gasket for the turbo to intercooler flange, so I cut one. The throttle position sensor electrical connector has a loose wire that is clipped back in. And there is a weird homemade blow off valve controller (stock one probably would be better).

I'm hoping to sell the car all together and to get back mostly what I've put into it in parts. If I can get a reasonable price for it I get rid of it, if not I'm just going to part it out. I'd like to get 1000 obo for it.


http://photobucket.com/albums/d69/i...urrent=1e193da1.jpg&slideshow=true&interval=3

 

[FusionTalon]

I would try and talk him down a little bit. The car seems very nice from the pictures. Valve cover is easy to come by. If tires have dry rot, replace them, dont even bother with these. CV boots torn=dirt in cv joins=eventually might need replacement. Battery terminals=cheap. Brake caliper is easy to replace, it seems like he says he has the part coming with the car, correct me if im wrong?

Looks like a decent buy, if you dont take it i will
oh yeah and if you decide to get it, get a real bov and boost controller just to be safe

 

[P90]

i was planning on replacing the BOV and BC...if this was a decent pick up....what you think i should offer him?

 

[ericbev]

Looks like a basketcase to me. The body looks decent but thats not the matter. He slapped a new head and timing goods onto the bottom end that the valve just collided with? Did he mention anything about the condition of the pisons after the assumed timing belt break? Hes claiming valvetrain noise? The trannys condition is also questionable? "Farm Engineered Parts"

Although thats an OK price, I would definitley try to talk him down a little. There are too many questions at this point. I hope you realize what you could be getting into.

I would meet the guy and ask some hard questions along with giving the car a good lookover.

 

[95_E_clipse]

Yeah, looks can be deceiving. I would definately check it thoroughly in person before buying it. I would offer him about 650 and low ball him and then you will either insult him or get his lowest price . good luck man.

 

[DGK215]

You would be surprised at the prices people will take when they need to get rid of somtehing "ASAP". The first DSM I was looking at was a 96 eagle talon TSI AWD with a 6 bolt swap. he was asking 6500 and i low balled and offered 4000. Long story short, the guy accepted my offer.

 

[P90]

so you think that i should wait and try to find something thats a little more put togeather?

 

[bane3d]

We think you should decide what your intentions are with this car. It sounds like something that if you are willing to buy 2 cars (this one and then your daily driver), and you want this for autocross and you are going to rip out the tranny, and engine anyway, then for about 650, this would be a good start. If you are looking for something reliable, look elsewhere.

d

 

[awdtalontsi1992]

What he said/\/\ If you want a daily driver this car is probably not for you. However if you can afford it this would make a great project car. I would personally look else where for now. If you are going to get it, I would start the bidding at $600 and pay no more than $800.

 

[-TunedDSM-]

Like said above its a decent car and you could most likely get it for 600-800 bucks. It would most likely only give you more problems then pleasure as a daily driver though. If you have enough money to throw around get this as a project and then pick up another car as a daily driver. Just my two cents, all the above information from others is quality but the only one that can make this decision is you. Good Luck with whatever you choose! Let us know how it goes