DSM reliability??

[cotmfk]

Does the DSM have reliability issues, especially for the 97-99 years?

I am looking into buying a 97-99 GSX, so that would be the model I am most interested in.
I currently own a 1992 3000GT VR-4, and it hasn't been very good to my wallet!

I've heard of crank walk, but that was supposedly on only 5% of the cars or something insignificant.

Any advice, info would be appreciated! Thanks!

 

[Misundaztood]

It all really depends on how well the car was previously token care of.

 

[hoffman]

that, but on another thread research has shown that the majority of crankwalk victims are the 97+ cars. but if you look at the sheer numbers produced maybe 5-10% have/or could get it.

but then again, if a little crankwalk scares you, this isn't the car for you.

they should be pretty reliable, until you start upgradeing parts.

 

[SOURCE1064]

Mine is very reliable when it works. I've never hand any "major problems."

 

[paranoidTSi]

If the previous owner was good to it, and it comes with little to no mods then a DSM can be a reliable car.

The more you upgrade it, the more pressure you put on the car, the more likely components will break.

 

[tlnpwr]

pretty much any car can be reliable...right? as long as u take care of it.

 

[Hobbes =^.^=]

If you treat your car good, it will treat you good

 

[markGSX]

I've never had a major problem. There's been several little maintenance problems (thermostat, spark plug wires, egr) but that's more likely due to the fact that the car is 11 years old.

 

[RipperXX]

I think it all depends on how you care for the car once it's in top shape.. you can't say it's unreliabile if you buy it with problems and expect it to have none afterwords... I say this cause my friend put mine though hell before i bought it.. it had a few real problems like the computer dieing.. and frying the clutch so bad you can't move it (still gota install my new ACT 2100) but considering all the hell it has been though and how poorly he cared for it.. and the fact that it has 175,000 miles on it.. i say hell yea there reiable...

 

[larryd]

DSM =/ reliability

 

[heavyD]

I have only had my car since February and so far it seems fine. Being a previous owner of two Honda's (civic si & del sol VTEC) I can tell you that it doesn't have the fit & finish quality of a Honda but the tradeoff is 210 HP vs 160 HP. HP rules!

 

[cotmfk]

Alright, so we've got some mixed responses, but mostly if there car was taken care of, it'll be up to me. I have a friend who buys them at the lease auction, so I am thinking of getting one coming off lease from him. That way I can get a warranty as well to help out in case if anything does actually go wrong. We'll see. I've got to wait until around June.


So, does anyone want to buy my VR-4? (j/k)

 

[Apexi99]

my 97 gsx has been very reliable.

 

[DaveDSM]

if you treat it good, and do things right, it will be reliable. just like any other car.

 

[KRAZYKOREAN]

Very reliable

 

[CowPimp]

I haven't had my car long enough to really say based on personal experience, but from what I hear DSMs need to be taken care of. They don't like to be tuned poorly. Just make sure you keep up with general maintenance. I have driven my car 5K miles in under 2 months, and it hasn't shown signs of problems yet. The guy who had it before me was a mild enthusiast, so he took very good care of it. Make sure it was taken care of, or it might be hard to get it in good shape again.

 

[nutshot]

Drive a DSM the way you drive yer mom's minivan, and it will serve you well. Dip into the turbo's too much, and *gasp* stuff breaks.

 

[98TsiAWD]

If you leave it stock and take care of it, it will be very reliable. If you start to mod, prepare for high maintanace. "Pay to Play"

 

[nh98gsx]

i have had my 98 gsx for 6 months and have destroyed the engine, just w/a upgraded intake uicp turboxs H34 BOV. So you have to be completely moded out to do damage to this car. all it takes is a balance belt to break or in my case a separated crankpulley. my advise is to go through the entire car, if the car is close to 60k make them change the timing and all acces. belts and at that time MAKE THEM check the condition of the crankpulley, check the trunk area for leaks bring it to a car wash. other than that have fun.

 

[dsmbob]

The 1G DSM's were so reliable that at the time in 1990-1991, they were one of the safest cars on the road-that was even before the recalls started! They even passed the goverment crash tests thrown at it. I walked away from 2 different crashes with no injuries or pain! (except my wallet) This car was tough as nails in an accident. You might cause more damage to the car you hit than your own. Plus the rebuild is fairly easy too. How's that for reliability!

 

[nutshot]

There are guys in North Seattle running 500 horse Teg's, and guess what? Stuff breaks for them all the time. Drive soft, and last longer.

 

[ZenkaiRacerDsM]

You have to baby the hell out of DSM's, thats not something I would call reliable. You shouldnt have to baby the hell out of a car for it to be reliable, it should be reliable either way. A Toyota that has over 200k on it that rarely gets oil changes or any other type of mantenance on it done and still runs strong with that many miles on it is what I call reliable.

 

[MrPikolo]

Originally posted by ZenkaiRacerDsM
You have to baby the hell out of DSM's, thats not something I would call reliable. You shouldnt have to baby the hell out of a car for it to be reliable, it should be reliable either way. A Toyota that has over 200k on it that rarely gets oil changes or any other type of mantenance on it done and still runs strong with that many miles on it is what I call reliable.

I wonder where you get your information. I don't know about the 2gs, but all of the 1gs I have seen driven, and talked to people that own them say they are very reliable. I beat the piss out of my first car, my 90 laser, and I sold it because it still had the stock radiator in it and that got a hole in it(to poor to buy another radiator so I sold it and drove another car I had laying around).

Sure there are more reliable cars, i will not disagree with that. But from my experience, dsms are very reliable vehicles. Sure, you mod it up and then drive it hard, things are going to start breaking. Most cars are like that.

 

[Oreopride18]

You have to baby the hell out of DSM's, thats not something I would call reliable. You shouldnt have to baby the hell out of a car for it to be reliable, it should be reliable either way. A Toyota that has over 200k on it that rarely gets oil changes or any other type of mantenance on it done and still runs strong with that many miles on it is what I call reliable.

And that is why I'd never buy a car from you.

You treat a car right. You do your oil changes religiously. And you stay off the boost and don't run 20 PSI "because it's cool" whenever you feel like it.

That's how to keep a car reliable. You make it sound like a car should be reliable if the owner goes offroading with it, puts water in the oil, shifts without clutching in, etc...

 

[ZenkaiRacerDsM]

Heh Im not saying thats how I treat my cars. I was basing the Toyota example off of my friends 85 supra. I know how to take care of cars and am always on top of everything 110%. Im just saying cars like Toyotas are what I call reliable and dont need a lot of mantenance.