Hello, soon to be DSM owner, need advice!

[SeanDSM1]

Hey guys, I'm a recently turned DSM fan after seeing the capability of the Talon TSi and others. So let me start off by telling you a little about myself. My name is Sean, I like in Frederick, Maryland. I'm 17 and just got my license 2 months ago but I've been obsessed with cars pretty much since the original Fast&Furious movie came out haha. Anyways my first car was a POS 1999 Nissan Sentra GXE, and it broke down, the problem is that its engine is "fried" (sorry for the lack of detail, I wasn't told what the problem was exactly) and the transmission needs replacing as well. Not to mention the extreme need of a paint job because the paint is faded literally all around the car. So instead my parents and I decided to start searching for a new car because it'd cost around the same as fixing up the Sentra. And so I stumbled upon the Eclipse, Laser, and Talon. My budget is 2000 dollars, maybe a little extra pushing it. Now the Talon TSi has me obsessed the past couple of days and I'm on the edge of purchasing one BUT, I just don't know enough to see if it's a good buy or not. I'm new the the whole engines&tuning thing and I'm eager to learn. Now the Talon, from what I understand, is a bang-for-your-buck type of car and I LOVE those. Like the STi, Evo, or GT-R. Anyways, I was wondering if you guys could give me a few pointers and a little knowledge before I buy something.

These are some of the cars I'm currently looking at:
95 eagle talon tsi awd, 1g 6 bolt swap t3/t4 turbo.. for sale or trade

95 Eagle Talon TSI

1997 Eagle Talon Tsi

The first one is the one that has my attension the most but requires some minor fixes. The guy says the prices of the items that are needed, but I don't really know where to acquire some, or how much it'll really cost me. Any ideas?

The 2nd and 3rd cars seem fine to me, but then again I'm way too new to these things.


Thanks!

 

[dboyle23]

The 2nd and third cars have a lot of miles. I would probably steer clear of those, but that's just my opinion. Hell, my gf's gsx has 145k miles and runs like it's brand new.

Anyway, the most importantly thing when looking for a dsm, I think, is to buy one that has been taken good care of. These cars usually have some hefty miles on them, so make sure they are in good shape

Also, gsx = AWD gs-t = FWD
Tsi can be both AWD or FWD.

Get an AWD if you can, you'll thank me later when you're making power.

 

[brandonwh64]

I would get the middle one, cause it looks like a virgin car that has just been driven and no mods, that would be the best car for a person your age

 

[Ghost1984]

What I would do is try to find one that hasn't been molested too much. It's really hard to find these cars stock, or very mildly tuned. Unless you can find one that was built right and hasn't been all hacked up. The first one seems like it would take some work to get it running since it needs a whole new wiring harness most likely, the second one has a bunch of miles on it, and the third one is pretty nice, and it's FWD.

Best advice I can give you is just take your time and don't jump on the first car you see. Maybe try and look through the marketplace on here and see if there is something close to you in better condition

 

[phunny]

I'd go with the 97 Talon TSI. The other 2 don't run and if you're new to DSM's probably never will.

Take it on a nice long test drive and make sure everything feels nice and tight. See what he has receipts for and if possible take it to a shop and have compression test done.

 

[Bud92gsx]

Well let me try to help..The first one scares me because it almost sounds like an ebay turbo kit, and Front mount setup.Since he just listed t4/t4 turbo and FMIC..And it needs a harness so there's time and effort on your part..

The 2nd one has alot of miles but if it was properly maintained i see now problem with that..The only problem i see with this one is it says needs either fuel filter or its a pinched wire..He doesn't even say what the car is doing to warrant a pinched wire or fuel filter..If it's just a fuel filter you will take care of that when you do maintenance anyway..The pinched wire could mean alot of things, in alot of places..Also it looks like the bov is vented, but then again there is a recirculated pipe on it, but the picture is too small to really tell..I would get more info on this one before you decide to buy it, because it could be a simple fix like a 20$ fuel filter, or chasing down lots of wires to find a pinch..Also I would find out when the last timing belt, water pump, routine maintenance was done..

The third one is fwd which is your choice if you want fwd or awd..But It does sound legit if he has all receipts for the rebuild and all the new parts..If so it sounds like it has been very well maintained, that is if he has all the receipts..

 

[SeanDSM1]

Thanks for the input guys. Right now I'm leaning more towards the black 95. It's FWD and i prefer AWD but I don't really NEED AWD yet because I'm still new and this will be my first true car.

Edit:New post was made.

 

[slow8033]

If you have interest, and an understanding about these cars, I would go for the first one. You would need to go check it out and see how its built. Good quality parts or half-arsed. If you want a modded car sometimes its best to get one from someone who has already done some work on it, as long as its done right. Thats where the needed knowledge comes in for that purchase.

The second one I am betting has boost leaks (hence his comment about clogged fuel filter or pinched wiring) and probably some other easy fix maintenence issues. It's pretty stock. That would probably be your best choice of the 3 as far as reliability goes, if you can go look at the car and check out the motor. Compression tests etc... It will be more reliable, and perhaps less "upkeep" than the first one.

The last one you listed, I wouldn't even personally go look at. I bet it has its problems and they are trying to unload it. That's just my gut feeling.

Thats the problem with used cars, usually people are selling them because they are tired of their problems...most people wont get rid of something that is in good working order. It does happen, but most the time there are issues. So be prepared that even if you spend 2000.00 today, its not gonna stop there. I dont mean fun spending either. There will be things to fix, and things will go wrong.

 

[brandonwh64]

Thanks for the input guys. I like the '97 because it looks clean and apparently the only problems it has are the pinched wire, or fuel filter and they should be an easy fix. As fore the red '95, it's still my top pick because it already has the 1g swap and has some work done. Does anyone know how much it would cost to fix it's problems? And (this is going to be a stupid question, but I just don't know ><) does it even run without the harness he talks about? And the other '95(black one) also has my eye, I'll be contacting the owner later on.

From this.. i see that you havnt contacted any of them about the cars.

Give all three a call then report back here with what they had to say.

 

[Grip]

I would steer clear of anything modified at your age. If you are replacing a car with problems with a DSM you better be prepared to work on the DSM. Things ARE going to break, and you will have to fix them as the come.

 

[SeanDSM1]

Yeah, I'm giving all three of them a call today. I'll also keep looking and checking for listings around my area. As for spending, I am prepared to and I might regret it later on but I know it'll be worth it. I'm hoping to find a rather stock TSi since you guys made really good points.

 

[Ghost1984]

The last one seems to be the one that has been taken care of the best, but be sure to ask him for receipts for everything that he has listed on there.

Even though it's FWD it will still be a great learning experience for you, and there's so much information on this site to help you through it.

 

[brandonwh64]

Yeah, I'm giving all three of them a call today. I'll also keep looking and checking for listings around my area. As for spending, I am prepared to and I might regret it later on but I know it'll be worth it. I'm hoping to find a rather stock TSi since you guys made really good points.

I regret it everyday that i jumped into a DSM like i did due to its a 420A NT so please do your research when buying one.

 

[SeanDSM1]

I'll be sure to post any finds on here to get your guys input before I purchase anything, as well as have my uncle(mechanic) look at it. I've learned my lesson with the little Sentra.

 

[Bud92gsx]

A normal mechanic really doesn't know anything about these cars..Hell even the mits dealerships don't even know much about them..But your uncle should know how to do a compression test, boost leak test, and leakdown test..If not, the how to's are all listed on the site..

 

[SeanDSM1]

A normal mechanic really doesn't know anything about these cars..Hell even the mits dealerships don't even know much about them..But your uncle should know how to do a compression test, boost leak test, and leakdown test..If not, the how to's are all listed on the site..

Yeah thats what I was thinking to, I'm bringing him along mostly to just see if he can detect any kind of big, or noticeable error that I or my Dad would miss. Those tests I'll ask him about. Thanks


I found a few more cars if you guys wouldn't mind looking at. Some don't have engine pics but I'm sure theres things that I don't notice in the posts.
96 eclipse gst spyder

eclipse gsx need gone LOWER PRICE

1995 mistubishi eclipse 5spd

1998 MITSUBISHI ECLIPSE Convertible \\\\\\\\\\\\\\p\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

1998 Mitsubishi Eclipse GS

1991 mistubishi eclipse gsx

99 eclipse plus extras !!priced reduced!!

Also this one: (Edit)
http://fredericksburg.craigslist.org/cto/2346852795.html

 

[Bud92gsx]

The spyder looks semi legit, but tlc can mean alot of things, or something simple..Low miles is good but like we stated before maintenance is the key..

The 90 gsx I would stay away from because it says fully built which means tons of mods..Which in turn most likely means your going to be fixing broken crap more often then a more stock vehicle..

The 95 5speed does not have a body kit, it only has side skirts on it..And the way it sounds is it's a non turbo..which is perfect for a daily driver, but most dsmers say if you buy a n/t eventually you will end up buying a turbo dsm..
The 98 black spyder has two different sets of wheels on it, a stupid looking body kit, and aftermarket spoiler..But If you like that sort of thing it's your call..

The purple Gs needs a head so who knows what kind of money you will need to throw at it..

The 91 gsx..Who really knows how many miles are on that motor, unless he had it rebuilt..But the price sounds like he wants the money back for the engine and mods..I wouldn't pay that much unless it was 1st owner and under 80k miles..So if you could talk him down alot then possibly go for it..

The 99 non turbo made turbo needs work..so that's time and possibly money on your part..And like I said before receipts for all work/mods..But buying a heavily modded car means most of the time that your going to be spending alot of money when it breaks..

And I have to add again receipts for mods. info on maintenance, compression test boost leak test dont hurt do do before buying a car to know what condition the engine is in...The mostly stock a vehicle is the less that goes wrong with them, unless all mods were done correctly and maintenance is all up to date..

The last one you listed the 90 gsx looks too good to be true, but if he has the receipts to match..Damm that sound like a nice and super clean car..You can tell the engine was pulled recently because the block was painted green and appears to be clean and bright..And the price isn't bad either for an engine that he probably just stuck a grand into..

 

[SeanDSM1]

The spyder looks semi legit, but tlc can mean alot of things, or something simple..Low miles is good but like we stated before maintenance is the key..

The 90 gsx I would stay away from because it says fully built which means tons of mods..Which in turn most likely means your going to be fixing broken crap more often then a more stock vehicle..

The 95 5speed does not have a body kit, it only has side skirts on it..And the way it sounds is it's a non turbo..which is perfect for a daily driver, but most dsmers say if you buy a n/t eventually you will end up buying a turbo dsm..
The 98 black spyder has two different sets of wheels on it, a stupid looking body kit, and aftermarket spoiler..But If you like that sort of thing it's your call..

The purple Gs needs a head so who knows what kind of money you will need to throw at it..

The 91 gsx..Who really knows how many miles are on that motor, unless he had it rebuilt..But the price sounds like he wants the money back for the engine and mods..I wouldn't pay that much unless it was 1st owner and under 80k miles..So if you could talk him down alot then possibly go for it..

The 99 non turbo made turbo needs work..so that's time and possibly money on your part..And like I said before receipts for all work/mods..But buying a heavily modded car means most of the time that your going to be spending alot of money when it breaks..

And I have to add again receipts for mods. info on maintenance, compression test boost leak test dont hurt do do before buying a car to know what condition the engine is in...The mostly stock a vehicle is the less that goes wrong with them, unless all mods were done correctly and maintenance is all up to date..

The last one you listed the 90 gsx looks too good to be true, but if he has the receipts to match..Damm that sound like a nice and super clean car..You can tell the engine was pulled recently because the block was painted green and appears to be clean and bright..And the price isn't bad either for an engine that he probably just stuck a grand into..

Thanks again, I'm going to talk to the owners and my parents about the vehicles I'm considering. The 96 Spyder is one of the top on my list. But like you said, the TLC part concerns me a bit. If I set up an appointment to test drive the car I'll make sure to look at EVERY aspect of it.

 

[spritian]

I would steer clear of anything modified at your age. If you are replacing a car with problems with a DSM you better be prepared to work on the DSM. Things ARE going to break, and you will have to fix them as the come.

+1

DSMs do need a lot of TLC. Just be prepared to learn how to fix things yourself. It's good in the long run, and pretty much a must unless you want to come out of pocket paying for a mechanic that usually don't know shit about our cars.

 

[crusada]

+1 on the most mechanics dont know shit about our cars and that 90 1g wouldnt be to bad. Always ALWAYS look everything over. Ill give a good example of a horror story from one of my friends. He went and looked at a 95 GST 6bolt swapped. The guy said oh well it doesnt start because the battery is dead blah blah blah all it needs is a battery and a few other small wires hooked up. It was a really nice looking car to boot. So in all my friend is like ahhh hell it needs a battery and a few things hooked up for 2500 why not. Mind you it was his first DSM and I never got to go and look at it first. So he gets it home and i start digging into this thing its got a decent amount of stuff done small bolt ons mainly. Well i start looking found what needed hooked up got it hooked up he buys a battery we get it in it attempts to crank over then smoke start rolling from under the freaking dash i was like WTF. They had something messed up with the computer wiring because it cooked the computer and then i popped the dash apart there were a bunch of bare wires it was disgusting. In all mainly its a lesson of find out to does the person who has it know what the heck they are doing with these cars if it even has some small mods done. Also like it was said receipts receipts RECEIPTS. Dont trust some moron who says oh yea i did all this my self blah blah blah dont let them blow smoke. I wish you luck.

 

[SeanDSM1]

That's terrifying haha. I'm not as excited now, but it's good to be more aware. I'lll keep looking around for a nice TSi. Do you guys think it's possible to get one for under $2500?

 

[Bud92gsx]

1g awd yes..2g awd, possiblly..Depending on milage

 

[crusada]

If you look yea as stated id look for one thats unmolested. this would be decent to look at

TRADE: ALL WHEEL DRIVE TURBOCHARGED SPORTS CAR FOR YOUR SPORT BIKE

It doesn't look to bad and and its a 1st gen with leather thats rare as hell and if the leather is in good condition thats even rarer.

before anyone hates to it says trade for sports bike but open it up 3500

 

[4stAir]

I don't get on here much but have owned a lot of dsm's. They can be costly, be wise in the one you buy & get one as clean as possible some parts are hard to find. Make sure you have time to repair one of these cars there getting older you beat on them they will break. I didn't do my timing belt when I was supposed to and it cost me on my first one.

 

[unplugme71]

If the car is pushing over 100k miles I check for the following:

sway bar endlinks - tend to break from my experience
motor mounts - usually worn/damaged
exhaust heat shields - the one under the car may rattle
valve cover gasket - tends to leak oil if it hasn't been replaced
belts - check for wear, damage
windows - usually the motor/regulator can be slow/non-functioning


I also do a cold-engine start - see how easy it cranks. Check for smoke out the exhaust both at idle and driving. Check if the car tracks straight on the road or pulls to the side. Check the suspension if it needs to be replaced.

high mileage cars can be good/bad buy. Expect to pay a lot to fix it up if the owner did not replace anything on the car.

When I bought my '95 GS-T, I had to replace the valve cover gasket, front motor mount, rear endlinks, swaybar bushings, and cat heat-shields.

Luckily, the motor started right away, no smoke from exhaust, and it had no problems accelerating both normal and under WOT conditions.

Also, change the timing belt/pump right away too. Get Gates OEM stuff, its like half the price of OEM Mitsu parts and just as good, if not better.