About to buy a 92 GSX, need ALOT of input

[audiomaster1990]

There is an ad up for a 92 gsx for sale where i live for $800. the guys son bought it as a project car. it has been sitting for 2 years, but his son apparently had the motor and head rebuilt by a machine shop before he went into active duty and got deployed. the interior is haggard, but i have a full interior, and the body needs paint, which i can do, but here's the dilemma. for 800 i can have this car which im not sure on the motor because of it sitting for so long, and possibly lose out on, or for 400 i can get my fwd tsi running. i need a running car asap, and im praying i could make sure the car is in time, dump the old gas, change all the fluids and be on my way. the entire short block was rebuilt, the valves/seats were reground, the turbo was rebuilt, and from what i can tell its only mods are a fp cast exhaust manifold, a borla turbo-back exhaust, and rims. do you thingk the motor will be siezed from sitting so long with the rings not being seated?

 

[WES_393]

Project cars will always be just that: A project. It's highly unlikely that you will just be able to drop in the engine and go even if the engine is in good shape. You could get it all together and realize the trans is shot to peices, or there's a huge electrical problem, or the suspension is rigged to the point of dangerous, or... you get my point.

I would get your current car running good before taking on a basket case.

 

[conor14]

to be honest i would take the chance haha but be prepared to put a few hundred bucks in it.. and only get it if you really know your way around the 4g63

 

[WES_393]

I took the chance and sold my 1g TSi for a barely running 2g TSi. I thought it would be cake, I could find the previous owners mistake and get her running in a month or two. I'm now out thousands of dollars and a year of my life. Lesson learned. But the difference between our stories is I had a DD to drive to work so time wasn't a big deal. For you, it sounds like it is.

 

[MichaelSuch]

What's wrong with your current car? And why pick another project DSM? I've done that, had two cars completely tore down and with nothing to DD. My opinion, buy a cheap reliable DD. Meaning a non-molested Honda. Any time I consider a 1g DSM, it will always be a project. Because every single one I've bought had issues and had to be gone through completely.

 

[audiomaster1990]

I took the crank from the car i currently own to be turned today. I bought my current project for 500 because it supposedly had bent valves. Turned out it had bent valves AND a paper thin rod bearing on #3. But i have put probably 60 hours into getting it nice because the body was in good shape, changing out interiors, doing a wire/brake line tuck and converting the harness to a turbo harness, painting the car and engine bay, etc. I was hoping this awd would be a quick fix, but like WES_393 said the tranny or rear end could be fubar, it could have massive electrical issues, etc. It has been sitting for 2 years, so it probably isnt going anywhere soon. If its still there in a couple months ill save the dough after i get my car running and go pick it up then.

 

[conor14]

i bought my dsm which wasn't running for $1600 bucks and put a new alternator and new battery and the problem was the alternator relay which costed me $4.85 from napa haha and it was sitting for a couple years before i bought it