DSM = First Car??!! [Please Help]

[HTownTurbo]

Hey I am getting my first car and I have many choices and one of them is a DSM. Should I get one? I am going to be modding a little bit too. I have heard bad rumors. How is insurance?

 

[HighPSI TSi Guy]

be smart and you're good to go. My first car i bought was a DSM, and i'm now on my 4th.. had my ups and downs.. but i made it, all on my own..

 

[dave99gst]

as with ANY CAR ... the more ya mess with it the more it will break.
a dsm is no diff.

 

[HTownTurbo]

What year? I like '92's.

 

[speedracer91]

it al depends on what style you like...the 1g's (manual) have very nice stock turbo's, but the 2g's have 210 hp and the downside is that i've heard that the 1g (6 bolt) responds to mods better and thats why 2g guys swap them into their cars....now me i love everything about my car (91 TSi AWD)..basically its all up to the driver and his/her prefs...hope i helped

 

[DSMKevan]

My DSM has been my first car for the past 5 months. I really dont think its a good idea to start driving with a dsm for the first 6 months of having your license, or a year even. It takes that time to build up experience and judgement. I got my DSM about 6 months after I got my license, due to my uncle being hella slow in putting my car together.

Seriously, take the time to drive a normal car for awhile until you gather your bearings on driving. Use that time to work on your dsm and make sure its all in tip top shape.

Of course, if youve already had your license for a long time then all this means nothing :laugh:

 

[Eclipse96Ryder]

a 2g nt would be a good choice as a first car...you will learn the basics to modding and u will be able to beat any honda on the road....granted theyre not too fast...they are a VERY VERY good first car....thats what i did....then i bought my 93 talon awd and made that thing a beast...

now im on my wrx....its tough to have awd, turbo, 4 doors, and reliability

 

[c5chris]

I had mild problems with mine (98 GSX):

Antenna (after the 2nd one died, I never had the radio working)
Leaking moonroof
Torn CV boot

It's been a good car, and for the price that they are going for nowadays, it's a bargain.

 

[polaris956]

A sugestion from my own experience...
Im 19 and have driven well over 75,000 miles already between a few vehicles on and off road.
I started with a POS '86 Celica GT-S fully loaded with 186K. Loved it with a passion.
Got rid of it due to extreme clutch slipage and extreme cancer in integral spots (rear strut tower).

I have a '94 DSM and have helped many of my friends from 90 AWD, 92 FWD-T, 95 Talon 420A, and 98 Eclipse 420A. My personal sugestion is don't start out big your first time. You've probably heard this from everybody but it's so true. Listen to others and get a decent car, and wait with the DSM. If you get a DSM you'll want to tune it. That's a fact. Who doesn't. The DSM's are notorious for breaking because most of them are high mileage by now and if you push more out of them when they're acoustomed to less... Duh. It's quite logical.

So far on my car i've replaced both front driveshafts, front tie-rods, both rear calipers, head, timing belt, belts, altenator, water pump, thermosensor, thermostat, water hoses, spark plugs, wires, my exhuast needs to be replaced from downpipe back, i already welded in a stainless steel flex pipe inplace of the completely rotted stock flex. I also need a radiator.

These are typical things that you'll find with an old car.

As for ease of working on the car, get a first gen car. The space inside the engine bay is bigger and it's just easier to work on certain, or many things. If you get a DSM and wan't it to be reliable, expect all of those things plus more. They aren't cheep.
If you can't affort something right now that expensive, get an old toyota like a Celica. They never die.

If you get a turbo, plan on replaceing everything I listed, unless somebody already did some of it, and depending on the condtition of the engine - such as compression and just mileage. If you learn about cars and motors you'll find that cars are quite expensive and everything adds up.

Motors:
First Generation:
91-94 DSM 4G37 1.8 SOHC 92 HP - Extreemly Reliable and easy to fix - I have one.
90 - 92.5 4G63 2.0 N/T & T 6-bolt main - ~135HP N/T & 200HP Turbo
92.5 - 95 4G63 2.0 N/T & T 7-bolt main - ~135HP N/T & 200HP Turbo

Second Generation:
95 - 99 420A 2.0 N/T Similar to the 4G63 yet not at all.
Spyder - 4G64 2.4L SOHC 160HP
95 - 99 4G63 2.0 Turbo 7-bolt main - ~210HP Turbo - Has notorious crankwalk problems

The 7 bolt has slight internal differences, mainly tollerences and stuff like that.

Third Generation:
2.4L 4G64 160HP
3.0L 6G72 200HP, 210HP, or 215HP depending on trim and year.

The 3.0L is so nice... my mom has the '02 Eclipse, if you like 3G, go with a GT. For stock her car screams and is so nice, stereo, transmission, performance, ride quality and reliablity - 55K and still perfect and the exhaust tone is subtle but aggressive.

There's my 500 cents for the next week or two.
If any information is false, please message me!

 

[JaxTalonTSi]

I've had my DSM (90 TSi AWD) for about 6 months now, and I have to say, it's one of the sweetest cars I've owned yet (and I've had 2 V8 Monte Carlos and a 92 Corvette .

It's good to have previous mechanical experiance though, but if you don't have any, you will soon after you get your DSM.

 

[adversary]

start with a reliable car and learn as much as you can about engines, etc.
Then you can upgrade to a turbo car.
I sarted out with a plymouth acclaim, then a nissan 240sx, then Gsx.

 

[Crazy E]

Although some guys might not like it, id start out with a 1.8 1st gen 5 speed.

Before I bought this car I didnt know what brake fluid was (seriously) now I can do all kinds of mechanical work (just changed my 1st head gasket over summer).

There are few parts for the 1.8, but you shouldnt sink alot of money in just yet anyway. In additon, the 1.8 is reliable and is a non-interference motor, should you break a timing belt.

All the style of a DSM without many of the problems When you get used to it move on to a turbo car or something else.


my .02

 

[Jafro]

DSMs are so cheap these days (for the buy-in price), you should buy 2 first cars. One car that's reliable, and one to tune. If I were you, I wouldn't buy anything with a 420A engine (95-99 or a Dodge Neon), and I'd stay away from the 1.8L. All you'll end up with is a big case of buyers remorse if you intend to mod either one. Neither one of those engines have any real potential, and all DSMs are pretty heavy, so you'll feel next to nothing gained on either one with bolt-ons. You'll get better returns on your mod money with a turbo car. If you buy a NT as a first car, get a 90-92 so that you may potentially swap parts between it and your future turbo car. The engines are the same save for the compression ratio, cams, and 4 oil squirters in the block.

What you said earlier about '92s... Early '92s are good. Real good. Stick with that plan. Get AWD and not WWD. You'll have more fun that way.

My first car: '85 Toyota Xtra-Cab pickup - totalled at 335,000 miles
My second car: '95 Eclipse GS (420A) - Read service manual and got major buyer's remorse when I found out how much cooler the 4g63 powered cars were.
My 3rd car: '95 GSX - best car ever.
My 4th car: '92 civic cx hatch - miserable excuse for a car. Even after the swap. But having it lets me mod and break the GSX with confidence.

 

[VtecRex]

Insurance is alot cheaper with my 93 Tsi all wheel drive than it was with my 88 CRX Si... due to that fact that it is a coupe, and not a sports car :laugh: At least thats what the insurance company says. So it is a steal.

 

[kraka]

Soon, a DSM will be my first car... I have been active in these forums for a long time and I personally love the cars...sure you may hear that they have a reputation for unreliability but they have an even bigger reputation for being great cars for modding and great cars for learning mechanics and how to work on cars...I can't wait until the day I buy my first DSM...1G 5-speed turbo's seem like a good choice both for modding and price-wise(1.5-3k)...But, if you are not so familiar with the cars, do lots of research on the engine and the specific mods for them first like me

 

[Kprime911]

i say go ahead and get a dsm as your first car. i suggest a 1g because they are cheaper to buy now. also i dont think you need to know much about cars just buy a manual and use that if your car breaks they help a lot.

 

[asexton6969]

My first car was a 1987 Olds Calais 2.5L 4 cyl 98!!!! HP it has absolutely no balls. I keep it around in case my eclipse has probs.
I recently bought a 1996 Eclipse GST $1200 perfect body and everything probably the steal of a lifetime. New tranny and i rebuilt the engine. Its one of the nicest DSM's around and i have $2500 total wrapped in to it. Its definately an upgrade from my old car, but everytime i want to step in to it I'm reminded of my speeding tickets. Don't speed, race on a track. You cant get in trouble there
Andrew

 

[saw wave analog]

any parent that gives their kid a turbo car as a first car should have the piss beat out of them imo. start with something slower and that you wont care about hitting stuff with, cause you will hit stuff. learn the road before speeding on it

 

[StyleElements]

My DSM has been my first car for the past 5 months. I really dont think its a good idea to start driving with a dsm for the first 6 months of having your license, or a year even. It takes that time to build up experience and judgement. I got my DSM about 6 months after I got my license, due to my uncle being hella slow in putting my car together.

Seriously, take the time to drive a normal car for awhile until you gather your bearings on driving. Use that time to work on your dsm and make sure its all in tip top shape.

Of course, if youve already had your license for a long time then all this means nothing :laugh:

any parent that gives their kid a turbo car as a first car should have the piss beat out of them imo. start with something slower and that you wont care about hitting stuff with, cause you will hit stuff. learn the road before speeding on it

what are you guys talking about, a stock dsm isnt very fast. what do they run, low 15's? maybe 15 flat if your lucky? thats not fatal speeds guys .. there are a ton of stock everyday cars that are faster then a stock dsm, hell my 2000 v8 dakota with a k&n filter ran a 14.6