compare these 1g's for purchase

[xhaust50]

I've been looking for a 1g awd for a few months now. There are no local cars for sale, but here are some that are withing 3 hours. Please let me know what you think.

Vehicle 1
1990 Talon TSI AWD
150K
Bone Stock
Tan, paint seems pretty glossy from pics
Only known problem is erratic cold idle
$2500

Vehicle 2
1990 Eclipse GSX
125K
Exhaust/Intake/IC piping
White, some clearcoat failure
Recently replaced tranny, says linkage needs to be adjusted because it wont go in first or reverse
Misfires, says the coil pack is in the car just needs to be installed
$1100

Vehicle 3
1991 Eclipse GSX
2k on rebuilt motor, tranny, turbo
FMIC
Blue, looks nice but hood and wing are faded
tranny pops out of first, but says u can drive it as long as you hold it in first (linkage needs to be adjusted)
engine vibrates over 4000rpm, possible motor mount?
$1500

 

[Dream On]

I vote for the first one with the least problems. Unless you know a lot about these cars or wanna risk paying a lot more in the end to get the others to run right.

 

[turbotalon_]

I say the first one also. Get CARFAX and run it on each car because it is unlimited for a month. That might help you eliminate some. Also the irractic cold idle could be because the TB is clogged. My car used to take forever to warm up and acted funy but after having it cleaned it runs great.

 

[ielaser]

Go for the first one. I recently bought a 92 laser awd for $2800 with an idle problem, but other then that it runs great. Get a carfax report like the others said.

 

[brodiedehass]

It really depends on what your plans are. Are you looking for a car to modify or a DD?
Also a Carfax may be good but doesn't mean the car has never been wrecked. Carfax only shows if a car has been branded a salvage title or police reports have been filed. Can you find out what the vibration is being caused by on #3?

 

[redg1clipse]

I'de say go for the first car man, usually when you buy a car that has stuff done to the motor, you know that the car has gotten the crap beat out of it, like the tranny and things, so go for the first, and end the end, you'll have a more trustworthy car. i'm just saying this because of my purchases.

Cody

 

[xhaust50]

im looking for a DD that i'd like to slowly modify, to replace my stock tsi fwd.

I have no way of knowing what's causing the vibration, that car is about 3 hours away and if I'm going to drive to see any of them I'd wanna be sure that im most likely going to buy

 

[Spoolzer]

when I bought my talon it vibrated really bad. When I went to replace the timing belt the balance shaft belt was laying there but after I replaced it the vibration went away. B ut the first one sounds the best plus its the same color as mine

 

[leakyfaucet]

One thing I learned- never trust people's "reasons" why stuff doesn't work. If those tranny problems are from linkage needing to be adjusted, why didn't they do it? It takes 10 minutes, seriously.

Also, just because an engine or tranny is rebuilt doesn't mean it was rebuilt WELL. Get reciepts for all work done, if they can't prove it, consider it having never happened.

I would also say out of the 3 go for the first one. Idle problems are no big deal. But do a compression test on any car you choose, that's very important! I checked a car out that seemed sweet although boost came on a little slow. I was told the car was running rich from a 255lph pump and that made it spool slow. I did a compression test and got about 90 psi across.

Never settle for a car. If it isn't exactly what you want, wait a little longer for something better to come around, they always do.

 

[jmurphy]

The first one sounds good to me. Less problems are always better

 

[1gcrazy]

if it were me i'd buy both cars and make one good car. If anything breaks just replace it with something off of the second car.

 

[weith1111]

One thing I learned- never trust people's "reasons" why stuff doesn't work. If those tranny problems are from linkage needing to be adjusted, why didn't they do it? It takes 10 minutes, seriously.

Absofrickinlutely!

 

[xhaust50]

looks like a lot of votes for the first one, problem is it is on ebay so i'd have to buy it before seeing it. I emailed the owner saying that if it didn't sell I would check it out this weekend, but I will not commit to buying a car without seeing it in person.

The second car is being sold by someone around here, but the car is 3 hours from him. His reason about the tranny: "The tranny I bought is in the car right NOW, but you need to link 1st and reverse properly thats all. My brother didnt get to finish the job because he became busy so he didnt put the coil pack or link 1st/reverse gear. So, you will need to just adjuist the linkage and throw in the coilpack and your set to go. "

Third Car- I really like the color on this car. The owner didn't say anything about the linkage, I assumed that. However, what could cause the vibration?

My reasons for considering cars 2 and 3 is that I see shells sell for over $1000, so I figured if the car is that bad I can't lose that much money. Keep the opinions coming.

 

[xhaust50]

I should also mention that I can justify paying about $3000 for a good running AWD.

 

[Chaddycakes21]

Id purchase vehicle one as well. The only real downfall to it is that it has 150k miles on it. but for a 16 year old car what can you expect. Hopefully the owner maintained it. If so it'll last ya for awhile. Try to talk him down to 2000 and spend the extra 1000 in mods

 

[Maverick3169]

Make the extra drive to look at this one:
http://www.dsmtuners.com/classifieds/showproduct.php?product=41557&sort=1&cat=2&page=3

He might not want much for it, make an offer, who knows? It may be worth the extra time on the road to buy something that isn't so problematic.

 

[xhaust50]

^^ Well I e-mailed that guy too just to see what's up.

Like I said, car 1 is on ebay and is only possible if nobody bids on it. There is a day left.

As far as cars 2 and 3 go, my logic is that I cannot lose much on the deal. There is another post about a junkyard DSM for $600 with a blown motor, and people are calling that a steal, so what's $1100 if all it needs is tranny linkage? Even if it needs a new tranny, it still seems pretty decent. Again, I see shells going for $1000, so I can't see losing much money on this deal. If worst comes to worst, I imagine I can part it out can get almost all of the money back. On the other hand, for car 1, if something is wrong that I don't pick up on it cost $2500, and I don't have as much money left for repairs.

Most importantly, is there any way of knowing what is causing the misfire in the one car and the viration in the other? What are some common causes?

 

[leakyfaucet]

There's about a million causes for misfires. Honestly it seems unlikely that it is a coilpack, as it would probably not work at all, rather than work some of the time. It still doesn't make sense- if it was just a coil pack, wouldn't he fix it so he could get more money out of the car? Does he know for sure it is a coilpack? Or is he just guessing? Did he actually test the coil pack? Probably not.

You can always get that ebay car on ebay, but definetly don't put any money down. Bid your bid, then if he demands a down payment, tell him you'll give it to him when you get there to pick it up. Then you check out the car. If you don't like it, don't buy it. My uncle buys cars on ebay that way =)

 

[xhaust50]

only thing i don't like about the first car is the color, but thats pretty permanent

 

[Chaddycakes21]

^^^I agree, buts is changable for a nice price

 

[xhaust50]

for $1100, wouldn't a car with a misfire, mediocre paint, and questionable tranny (although i know where he bought it, and the source is a 100% legit DSM vendor, highly respected) be a good deal? Like I said, I am willing to spend up to $3000, what is the worst that can happen with this car? What else could cause a misfire other than plugs/mires/coil pack?

 

[leakyfaucet]

What else could cause a misfire other than plugs/mires/coil pack?

Electrical problems, ECU problems, fuel problems...

 

[megadeth0]

Keep looking. The 90's are hard to find ignition components for. 91-94 are interchangable. If you are willing to spend up to 3000, why are you looking at fixeruppers for 1500?

 

[xhaust50]

Keep looking. The 90's are hard to find ignition components for. 91-94 are interchangable. If you are willing to spend up to 3000, why are you looking at fixeruppers for 1500?

Because I have been looking for a few months and can't find SHIT! I'm looking to spend about $2500-$3000, and get close to $2500 for selling my car. However, if I buy a car at this price and something goes wrong, I will not have a lot of money to fix it if something goes wrong. However, for $1100, I still have money to put into the car for repairs and what not, and don't have to sell my car right away.

I live very close to Mitsubishi Graveyard, which carries tons of parts and does work on cars as well. They are extremely respected in my area as the best shop around. So, I know the car would be in good hands once I got it.

Despite this, you DSMers know more than I do so I am respecting your opinions. Keep your thoughts coming.

 

[weith1111]

Electrical problems, ECU problems, fuel problems...

...agree. Who knows?
You say misfire, a mechanic says blown headgasket, faulty wiring, ECU board melted. You say the clutch is worn, a mechanic says the tranny is wrecked. I would never trust what someone says unless I know them personally. How many threads are on here where someone thought they had one problem but it turns out it's something else?

Someone who you don't know, is selling you a car; are you going to trust they made the correct diagnosis?

I prefer the cars that are sold with "nothing mechanically wrong." An existing problem that hasn't been fixed just raises concern in my eyes.

You will "discover" plenty of problems on your own, no need to start off on the wrong foot. Keep looking you will find something. Or take #1 for $2000 and plan on rebuilding the motor shortly.