First time Tuner let alone DSMer :( advice/opinions appreciated!

[Gundyy]

Okay! So I've read all over the forums and it seem you guys and gals here love and appreciate your DSM cars. Therefore I started looking into buying one... I came across this ad on a 1997 Talon TSI and this is what it said:

After an awesome year and a half with my car, its time to part ways. Recently moved to mid/downtown Toronto and between rent/parking, its just not worth it for me to keep the car around. So onto the sale:

Year: 1997
Model: Tsi AWD
Colour: Black
KM: 220,000 km
Asking price: $4500 obo

Goods:
-engine runs strong, boosts fine
-never played with boost
-never crank walked
-tranny shifts well, shifter bushings replaced with metal ones
-overall good body shape (minor scratches here and there, pics can be sent)
-K&N air filter July 09
-Injen intake July 09
-Dejan upper intercooler pipe with Skyline GTR BOV (rec) July 09
-Mustang Cobra front calipers with 13.5 rotors done May 09
-new rear brake setup (calipers, rotors, pads) done in July 09
-kyb shocks with apex? springs (not too sure what the springs are) gives you a nice 1.5 inch drop
-17' CR-Kai replica wheels with Bliztak tires (used for only 2 seasons, lots of tread left)
-3inch SS turbo back exhaust (sounds very very nice) June 09

Bads:
-horn doesn't work (will need to be fixed to pass safety)
-power steering pump dying (should be cheap to replace the pump)
-turbo back exhaust = no cat (you'll have to figure out emissions, engine light on cause there's no plug for the o2 sensor)
-AC pump was taken out, but the system was never flushed so you can plug bolt it back on and you'll have AC

Email for viewings or call 416 648 1590 for viewings after 6pm. I'm not interested in trades and please no low balls. Car will go for $4500 as is obo.

So I figure this is a decent deal with small repairs... But for a 13 year old car 4500 as is will not do it for me. At that age things could be in rough shape. So I e-mailed him some questions and got some answers:


"Thanks for the interest. My days of punk-kid driving have been long over and I assure you I'm past the insurance hump.

Standard maintenance has been done, last oil change however was last Nov. In the last year and a half of owning the car I've only really driven it on weekends, I've racked up only 10k in the last year and a half of driving."

It's km because I am in Canada... But the exchange rate last I heard was around 99.4? so it's essentially the same price in American and compared to the ads I've seen this just isn't worth 4500. I have heard about the Crankwalking issue with the 2g and that's my only main concern. Should i be weary about this issue? Or is it not that common of a problem. My plan is to show up, test drive it, have a mechanic check it out and pay him 3 grand cash. Now, I need to sell my truck first which could take god knows how long... This guy said he almost needs to sell it by the end of May as he can't afford to keep it around. Therefore in your opinion would my offer be reasonable considering he's not in the exact position to absolutely refuse my offer? And is this car worth buying? Any feedback is appreciated! Another side note, average KM per year in Canada is 16 000

 

[dsmdeliveryboy]

Could you send me a link to the car? Or post pics? That would be much more helpful

I wouldn't worry about crankwalk, especially since it has miles that low. Sounds like a good buy to me.

 

[Gundyy]

This is the ad:

1997 Eagle Talon TSi AWD Coupe (2 door) - Toronto cars Cars For Sale - Kijiji Toronto

He sent me more pictures... The rust spots are just body that I've seen...

 

[Chaosweaver]

Looks good, 130,000 miles give or take. From the pics it looks mostly stock, which is also good. I would definitely check it out man, seems like a good buy. See if he will take an offer for it, give it a drive and see what you think.

 

[Gundyy]

Yea it seems like a great deal. The best I can and want to offer is 3000 cash but it's up to him to take it or not. Are parts expensive and hard to get for these cars?

 

[Alex Bland]

Honestly my brother always has me look up parts for cars he likes, and i would say dsm's are the best cars to find mostly all parts for that i have tried to fine, and prices are pretty good as well theres lots of venders on this website you might wanna check them out. hope he sells you the car =p

http://www.dsmtuners.com/parts/default.php?cPath=3
to look up some parts
also
http://www.dsmtuners.com/parts/allvendors.php
theres the list of venders for these dsm's

but remember to look up upgrade paths first and do maintenance once you get it

 

[Gundyy]

Haha! I hope so too, thanks It seems like your average deal I guess... I just hope I'm able to sell my truck asap

 

[ThEDrEaMEnDeR]

looks like a pretty good deal to me but i would also talk him down as low as possible

 

[rock1t]

just from my run in with a dsm from canada, i will always say no. . not to say this is not a good car, or even a great car. i have had major rust issues, which meant me finding a shell and doing an entire body swap and frame off resto to get every bit of rust gone.

also i am confused by the GTR bov??? seriously wtf? but opinions are opinions and you should never rely on any one opinion but with your gut instinct and thoughts.

i would never own a dsm, even though i spent countless days and weeks on researching these cars, and have almost 16k in a car that has yet to run.. but i am also a fan of doing it right the first time and taking your time.

cars are cars. dsm's will break if not properly maintained and driven properly. do some test driving and see how she feels and go with your gut instinct.

wish you luck

 

[Alex Bland]

yeah i agree with going with ## gut, you can always find a nuther dsm, i say take a peek under the hood and anywhere you can looking for rust, if you see something that you think might look bad then it might be!

 

[dsmdeliveryboy]

Car looks good, I wouldn't pay more than $3,500 for it though. The lower miles is definitely a plus though.

 

[1997_GSX]

just from my run in with a dsm from canada, i will always say no. . not to say this is not a good car, or even a great car. i have had major rust issues, which meant me finding a shell and doing an entire body swap and frame off resto to get every bit of rust gone.

also i am confused by the GTR bov??? seriously wtf? but opinions are opinions and you should never rely on any one opinion but with your gut instinct and thoughts.

i would never own a dsm, even though i spent countless days and weeks on researching these cars, and have almost 16k in a car that has yet to run.. but i am also a fan of doing it right the first time and taking your time.

cars are cars. dsm's will break if not properly maintained and driven properly. do some test driving and see how she feels and go with your gut instinct.

wish you luck

FYI GTR and the Evo X use newer version 1G bypass valves.

 

[Neezer]

That looks like a clean Talon. The price is pretty damn good on it, and by judging the pictures no strut tower rust which is a plus! It sounds like the things that are wrong with it are just small issues. And it's stock so that means it wasn't really molested. I would do it!

 

[BGuinard]

Go for it dude, they're fun and cheap to mod. This one sounds like a solid buy.