First Car and Mods?

[audiousECLIPSE]

Okay, well, I'm 14, 15 in April, and have my heart set on an Eclipse (probably GSX, since I live in MN, the four-wheel drive would be an asset).

I'm just wondering what year I should look for, what kind of mods I should make on it, how much work it would take to put on/remove the body kit in the Spring/Winter, etc.?

I don't know a lot of auto-jargon or tech specifics, but I am slightly knowledgable when it comes to cars.

Any help is appreciated. Thanks in advance.

 

[DSMeclipse4G63]

Well its been said many times its all in what your looking for. Both 1g and 2g have great assets and its pretty much which one you think looks better. Either way have a mech lok at it before you purchase it as to make sure everything is in good order and the car was maintained.

As far as modding goes read up on this:
http://www.dsmtuners.com/tuning-guide/
I can gaurauntee using this as your tunning guide will make you VERY happy as it has made me. Good luck and if you buy a dsm welcome to the community
Andrew

 

[RiceKiller_TSi]

Originally posted by audiousECLIPSE
Okay, well, I'm 14, 15 in April, and have my heart set on an Eclipse (probably GSX, since I live in MN, the four-wheel drive would be an asset).

I'm just wondering what year I should look for, what kind of mods I should make on it, how much work it would take to put on/remove the body kit in the Spring/Winter, etc.?

I don't know a lot of auto-jargon or tech specifics, but I am slightly knowledgable when it comes to cars.

Any help is appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Your question is one for you to answer yourself. What year body style do YOU prefer? As for mods, wait till you get the car THEN come back and tell us what type of DSM you got and what kind of times you want to run and get better advice. When it comes to body kits, ...we'll you may want to post in the "Non-performance" forum for more replies. Later young homie.

 

[NJ4cF3d]

its up to you personally my man, but as the body kit goes, im from norther jersey and we get a nice amount of snow and the minn i dont think a body kit would be a wise purchase.... would use the money on something else, i know quite a few people who drove their car in the snow just for fun and the weight of the snow in the kit ripped the things off... go go

 

[audiousECLIPSE]

Well, I was saying that I was thinking about taking the kit off during the winter, since the car probably won't look that good then anyways, but I'll ask in the non-performance forum about that.

 

[ltvarney]

Like he said, it pretty much comes down to which one you think looks better. Arguably the best 1G is the '92 with a 6-bolt motor and 4-bolt axle. The '90 has some oddball parts, but at least all '90 TSis (and maybe GSXs too?) were manuals. If you go for a 2G, get the newest one with the lowest miles you can afford.

As far as mods go, the cheapest route is to do supporting mods before power mods. I say cheaper meaning that you'll break less and extend the life of the stock parts. With that in mind, do exhaust, gauges, fuel pump, and a datalogger first. Once you have your boost gauge, you can get a boost controller and set it for 14-15psi if you need more power. Once the other supporting mods are done, you can probably get away with consistent 16-17psi on the stock turbo. Next step would be to get an SAFC, injectors, and FPR. Then learn to tune. From there you can focus more on porting the exhaust restrictions and opening up the intake side with intercooler pipes, a better turbo, and a new IC. Once you start adding fuel and boost you'll need to be familiar with tuning to keep everything safe. On a 90-91 once you start making big power you will probably snap the rear axle and need to upgrade to a May/'92-'94 axle. Any DSM will need a new clutch at some point.

Whatever you decide on, keep in mind the age of the car and the way people mistreat their vehicles. If you get a 1G, realize you may have to put in as much as you bought it for before it is reliable. I got my '90 for $2500 and have probably invested $1500 to it for the rebuild, including the ACT 2600 and 3" turbo-back exhaust. I got my '91 for $4000 or so and have put around $1000 in it for maintenance parts, and it's been the most reliable daily-driver I've ever had.

Since you're young I suggest you find a nice '95 or '96 if you can afford it. They are setup nice from the factory and with an MBC and 1G BOV you will be pretty quick from the start. You could also get a drop-top Being newer, you hopefully won't have to spend so much out of pocket on maintenance and can save for the goodies. Plus, high school chicks probably dig 2Gs more... heh.

 

[98RedGs]

Mods...... You will decide on these once you actually purchase a dsm.

Which one to buy? Make a choice, you either want one of the following
http://www.dsmtuners.com/model-guide/

Thats your options.
It's to much work personally to pull a bodykit off and to put it back on two times a year. Just learn to drive sensible with the bodykit on if you decided to get one.

Goodluck