Buying a GST?

[BR3NT]

Whats up, i currently own a celica gt

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I'm ready for something new and i've always liked the 97-99 eclipses. So i've been looking at a few deals on GST's any tips on what to look for or a price on one in pretty good condition? thanks guys

 

[forumboarder154]

First of all, if you get a GST your most likely going to want a GSX further down the line because you won't be able to put the power down with FWD. FWD DSM's do not come with a lsd.

Second of all, there are too many variable that come into play when it comes to buying a car in good condition, but just for example, I got a great deal paying $5900 for a 1995 TSI AWD with no rust at all with 47k miles 2 years ago. GST's and GSX's that are 97-99 tend to go for a little more money though just because they have the nice factory body kit (high wing, skirts, and bumpers), but a GST will most likely be $500-$1000 cheaper than a GSX. Another thing, don't look at the kelley blue book for cars prices they are way low for these cars. The KBB on my car is like $2500. With you being in Georgia I would hope the DSM's down there aren't took rusty. Just look the car up and down before you buy it.

 

[BR3NT]

Yea i thought about a gsx and awd would be awesome but it seems like either there weren't many gsx's or they were a good deal more expensive, around 9k for one with no problems, decent miles, good body etc.
One gst i was looking at, just need more info from the seller.
Eclipse GST $5000 OBO

 

[Zdrummer15]

You should definitely consider an awd DSM if at all possible. Before I bought my TSi AWD, I was looking at all turbo DSM's, but after getting an awd one, I will never go back. And I agree with ignoring KBB for any sporty car from the 90's. DSM's, Supras, 300ZX's, etc are all listed for much less then you'll actually find one for. If you find a specific car, post some info and pics and I'm sure you'll get some opinions on it.

The one you listed looks clean. I would check it out, give it a good test drive, compression test it, check for rust, get a carfax, etc. and if it all checks out offer a little less. My TSi AWD was listed for $5800 and I offered $4800 and got it for that just to give you a price comparison. My car had 86k on it and was unmodified.

 

[BR3NT]

I posted that one up there ^ and heres a spyder. How do the convertible tops hold up?
TURBO MITSUBISHI ECLIPSE

 

[Zdrummer15]

The Spyder may be okay, buy there's always more of a risk buying a modified car. I would lean toward an untouched one if possible. It's just nice to know exactly what is done to the car, but that's not to say that that specific car couldn't be okay. If you look at it, I would ask to see all receipts for the engine, tranny, and upgrades. Another thing would be check if it has an afpr since a Walbro 255 typically overruns the stock fpr and also check if the a/f gauge is a narrowband or wideband because a narrowband is worthless. If it doesn't have an afpr, it's not a big deal, it's just something you'll want to purchase right away. If there is no shaft play on the turbo, the Evo 3 16g is a good turbo that would have way more potential for you to reach in the future with bigger injectors and with a better means of tuning it.

As far as how the tops hold up; As far as I know, they are as good as any convertible tops, but don't take my word on that because I don't have any personal experience with Spyders.

 

[blackhawkgsx]

Honestly it depends on how much cash you have and what you are looking for . you just have to search!!!! But when you go see the car thoroughly inspect the vehicle for leaks ,rust,half ass work,etc. for instance I have purchased a 2g gsx shell for $200 in mint condition i saw it in some ones back yard and knocked on the door, also my most recent purchase was a 95 gst, with a 6bolt engine dont half ass pretty much every thing was done half ass but i knew it wasnt any thing i could not handle beside i got to talk the guy down from 3500 to 2100 because i knew what to look for . So hope this helps good luck with the search!

 

[BR3NT]

Yea thanks guys. I just have to take a look at some of these cars in person, people definitely don't give many details in their for sale threads online for some reason, hopefully it's not because they are hiding the bad things. With that spyder i was thinking it was a pretty good deal if it has a new engine tranny clutch etc with only 7k miles, but that is if it was all put in well and not a half ass swap. I'll post more as a continue my search, thanks for the feedback!

PS. price-wise im looking around 5k to 6k but i have to sell my car first.

 

[blackhawkgsx]

Just make sure they have paper work for the engine . any one can clean up the engine bay and say its a new motor and trans then when you drive off after you buy it the engine spins a bearing or something .I think some one said it already but any thing unmolested is most likely the better buy.

 

[Zdrummer15]

5-6k should be enough for a clean 2g. Good luck with the sale of your car and potential purchase of a DSM. You won't be disappointed in the switch from the Celica.

 

[AK Maniak]

5-6k should be enough for a clean 2g. Good luck with the sale of your car and potential purchase of a DSM. You won't be disappointed in the switch from the Celica.

I wish 5-6k was enough to find one up here an unmolested one that is

 

[dsmdeliveryboy]

DO NOT buy a GST, you will regret it I promise. My first DSM was a 95 GST and I regret owning that car more than my Mazda 3, you will regret it I promise. With $5k you could find a CLEAN AWD DSM, I picked up my 98 GSX with 125k for $5k.

 

[BR3NT]

I guess that is another question i had. High mileage gsx's will be alright if they are well taken care of? Some of the ones i found just looked like they had been abused i imagine not alot of people drive their awd turbo eclipse very conservatively. Also some said they had been rebuilt around ~135k miles

 

[dsmdeliveryboy]

I guess that is another question i had. High mileage gsx's will be alright if they are well taken care of? Some of the ones i found just looked like they had been abused i imagine not alot of people drive their awd turbo eclipse very conservatively. Also some said they had been rebuilt around ~135k miles

Well you can't expect to find a DSM with low miles on them, they're becoming harder and harder to find all the time. Chances are you probably won't find one that hasn't been beat on or modded in some kind of way for $5k. I bought my 1G Talon with 176k on it and it now has 191k on it with 0 problems except the clutch fork snapped in half because it wasn't upgraded when the ACT was put in, but its all fixed now. Have you checked the classifieds on here? You'll probably have to drive to find a decent one too.

 

[BR3NT]

Yea the ones ive been considering haven't been to far away though, TN, NC, FL, not too bad. I can't think of a car i would rather have for the price. I would love to find someones stock-ish gsx with a decent amount of miles and in good condition, thats probably thinking optimistically tho. I'll check out the classifieds on here as well.

 

[AK Maniak]

Try this site
Search Tempest - The EASY way to search Craigslist
It lets you search all of craigslist and it organizes it according to how far away it is from you.

 

[extremeatheist]

There are quite a few 2nd gen gsx around here for 4-5000

 

[BLINKY619]

DO NOT buy a GST, you will regret it I promise. My first DSM was a 95 GST and I regret owning that car more than my Mazda 3, you will regret it I promise. With $5k you could find a CLEAN AWD DSM, I picked up my 98 GSX with 125k for $5k.

dont listen to this guy... buying a gst makes no difference but that its fwd and not awd.. thing about this for a second... gsx have more traction (that i could agree on) but think about this,, it has more parts like center diferential, driveshaft, etc. etc. imo if any of the extra parts that gsx's have compared to gst's would get worn or break in some way then your looking for some more money to spend (unless your not worried about money) the only difference from gst to gsx is that the gsx uses alot more parts than the gst... another thing you should look into is on how much power you want to make... if its well over 350whp then you would be better of with a gsx.. but if traction isnt gonna be a issue then go with a gst... also you can convert your gst to a gsx in the near future if you want... this helps out on you putting you own parts and your own work on you car... just my .02 cents..

 

[extremeatheist]

Try this site
Search Tempest - The EASY way to search Craigslist
It lets you search all of craigslist and it organizes it according to how far away it is from you.

I use this

http://crazedlist.org

 

[daren_p]

dont listen to this guy... buying a gst makes no difference but that its fwd and not awd.. thing about this for a second... gsx have more traction (that i could agree on) but think about this,, it has more parts like center diferential, driveshaft, etc. etc. imo if any of the extra parts that gsx's have compared to gst's would get worn or break in some way then your looking for some more money to spend (unless your not worried about money) the only difference from gst to gsx is that the gsx uses alot more parts than the gst... another thing you should look into is on how much power you want to make... if its well over 350whp then you would be better of with a gsx.. but if traction isnt gonna be a issue then go with a gst... also you can convert your gst to a gsx in the near future if you want... this helps out on you putting you own parts and your own work on you car... just my .02 cents..

Have you ever drive an awd model to compare? It really depends on what this guys uses are going to be for the car & if he plans to mod it, how far will he go? There are a tonn of threads on here already as to which model to choose from, so thats already been covered.

I personally converted my GST to a GSX. I had a properly setup GST (which most aren't) & didn't have any real issues with it, other then traction at the track, which was a huge pain to deal with. Now that the cars awd, would I ever go back to a fwd car making this kind of power? Noway. Once you've driven a higher hp awd vs a fwd, you will notice its not just straight line traction thats improved. On the otherhand, if the guy never plans to make over 300hp, or keeps the car stock, is looking for better gas milage, etc, then the GST may be the route to go.

I'd keep looking around & personally I'd go for one thats stock & doesn't look like its been abused. With these cars, you can go fast for pretty cheap & there's alot of owners out there, that their cars are complete hack jobs & half assed the way they modded them. They'll end up just being a big headache for you.

 

[Kyle_T]

awd or bust.

Just keep checking craiglist. It may take a while, but eventually you will find a nice one that you like for the right price.

 

[extremeatheist]

Test drive the shit out of the car before you buy, shoot him 10 bucks for gas and see if you can drive it around for a couple hours.