Hey guys NewB here

[CB435]

Hello everyone. New to the forums and the entire DSM comminuty.

Here is my story. Im a mustang guy thru and thru and always will be. But due to my budget ATM im selling all my mustangs ( 2 ) I got all but one sold. Waiting for it to sale before I get another car. The car I was looking at is a 91 Eclipse GSX AWD Turbo. Here is some info about the car direct from the classifieds ad.

91 Eclipse GSX, 2.0 DOHC, 14B turbo, 5-speed, rare blue exterior with gray/black interior. Car has 169K miles on the body, I have no idea if this is the stock motor or if it's been replaced but it runs great and doesn't appear to burn oil. Transmission shifts great. The car has the following mods.

2.5" downpipe, test pipe, 2.5" catback with stock style dual outlet 2.5" muffler.
2.25" mandrel bent upper innercooler pipe
HKS throttle body elbow
NGK plugs and wires
Manual boost controller set at 16psi
Eibach lowering springs and KYB shocks
Einkei 16x7 6-spoke rims with Yokahama tires
2G shifter knob
Autometer boost gauge
HKS Turbo timer
Aiwa CD player
slotted rotors and new pads front and rear


The guy wants $3,500 for the car. Im sure I could possibly get it a tad bit lower. Would this car be a good beginner car? Im new to turbo's and 4 clyinders period. Im a drag racer and I plan on making this a mid 12 second car. My Cobra I sold I got it to 11.74 in the 1/4.

I have read almost all ### and the tech guides and just about everything I come across on this website. I love this website BTW. But I was curious on what the turbo timer done. I done a search on yahoo and got some basic info on it. It says it keeps the engine on even when the key is in the off position and the key out of the car to cool the oil by idling it. But for how long does a car have to sit and idle before it is " Cool" enough to be safe? Couldnt an aftermarket oil cooler be a good thing to replace it? But again im new here. Sorry for the long post. I dont have the car yet I gotta get rid of my 02 GT before I buy it or I can bribe the bank to loan me $3,500 . Thanks for looking and looking forward in talking to everyone here.

 

[GhostSpooLrTK]

your so lucky thats not a local ad for me....

I think the car sounds really nice - id check the engine out real well, if its the original engine you might buy it, run it for a ocuple months then have it blow and have a Trademark DSM crisis on your hands hahah

Other than the mileage - that car sounds really nice to me, id roll it, and that Blue 1g look is SOOOOOOOOO fawkin sekzy!!!!

Hopefully - PreWelcome to the DSM world. Hope you have tools heheh ^_^

 

[CB435]

your so lucky thats not a local ad for me....

I think the car sounds really nice - id check the engine out real well, if its the original engine you might buy it, run it for a ocuple months then have it blow and have a Trademark DSM crisis on your hands hahah

Other than the mileage - that car sounds really nice to me, id roll it, and that Blue 1g look is SOOOOOOOOO fawkin sekzy!!!!

Hopefully - PreWelcome to the DSM world. Hope you have tools heheh ^_^

hey thanks for the reply. yea the milage does sound high but he told me its not the actual miles on the motor but he dont even know how many miles is on the motor itself . Oh hey...I got tools but only like sockets/wrenchs and soon to be air compressor and air tools. haha what else is needed. Are DSM's that really that unreliable?

 

[GhostSpooLrTK]

oh god no, dont get me wrong, some DSMs they last FOREVER, and then some break 3x a year (major breaks, not little things)

Just check this car out good - You might be getting one of the ones that is going to run perfect if you keep up with its monthly tuning - or you might get one that is a SOB and wants you to go poor, loose your job, loose your GF, and be unable to sell it because your mom used your car as collateral on her new house.... .... not that i know anyone that has happened to or anything.

I need a set of air tools so bad hahaha - it makes shit sooo much faster but my friends shop is only 3 miles down the road so oh well


To answer question - No DSMs can be VERY reliable, they can be VERY fast and still be VERY cheap on the gas price. My 95 AWD turbo was running mid 13 almost high 12's when the engine blew and i was only spending 30 bux every 2weeks in gas. - Just make sure your getting a DSM that has been taken care of, not one that Brian Wannabe Spilner owned.

I love DSMs, no matter how much i hate them when the good one is broke, every time i see one on the road i smile and wanna drive home and hug my car

 

[CB435]

you guys talking and im having 2nd thoughts on buying the eclipse haha. If the cars are not reliable then im not gonna mess with it cause for now it will be my daily driver for about 5 months then im gonna get another cobra and have the DSM as a weekend warrior. What kinda weekely/monthly maintence is involved with these cars and how much money is involved in it? If and when I get the car 1st thing I plan on doing is give it a tune up ( plug and wires, oil change and use full syntheic, change the belt's, change all fluids including the brake, and trans fluid. The guy who is selling it says he already changed the trans fluid but im gonna do it just to be safe and up to date. Then back down the boost to 13lbs and get a 250lph fuel pump and bigger injectors then I will turn the boost back to 16lbs like the owner has it possibly more. Then gonna save for a full engine rebuild. ** Anyone know how much would be involved in a full engine rebuild** I wanna put the motor back to condition just like it was when the car was bought new from the dealer ( minus the mods they will stay ) Again thanks for all info you guys have given me.

 

[GhostSpooLrTK]

Changing the fluids (i change my oil every month my tranny ever 3 and brake when i do tranny)

Checking for boost leaks - piece of cake


i would definetly get a Tune-Up when i got it also, when i got my 94 it helped soo much and the car actually felt faster than a Honda and still made like 28mpg hahah.


They arent bad cars, im just pessimistic lately because my fav of my 3 was bought out of a less than perfect area of my state, and it got ragged on....hard. and i really havent had a chance to REALLY enjoy my AWD because it keep breaking from previous owner stress.

Im in the process of rebuilding my engine also, but once i do that i will have replaced my turbo, my tranny, and rebuilt the engine, so the car shouldnt have anything wrong with it for atleast 2 years ^_^

 

[TransDSM]

I have owned my car for a little over 6 months now and not one problem from it :knockonwood: My situation was similar to yours I have a Trans Am that's quick but just too damn unreliable. I wanted a nice daily drive to use while I fix the TA but I wanted something that wouldn't be a dog. That's why I went for a DSM. AWD, manual, turbo, and better than 13 mpg I was getting with the TA. I paid $3,500 for my 92 from the original owner with 65K original miles on the odo. Reliability really comes from how well the previous owner took care of the car and how they drove it. I bought mine from an older gentlemen who just used it to drive to work and back. Kept to the maintence that was recommended and never beat on the car. That way I get to enjoy a car that doesn't break every month like the TA. I say check the car over, find out how well the owner treated her, and if good then take it.

 

[GhostSpooLrTK]

Reliability really comes from how well the previous owner took care of the car and how they drove it. .

Exactly - If that part checks up, Carpe Deim or whatever man, Seize the carp!

 

[CB435]

I dont think I would know if the car has been kept up to date with maintence. I know for a fact that the guy who owns it is a die hard drag racer and own his own performance shops and buys cars and sells them. Hes mainly a V8 guy . I may ask him a little more info about the car how well he maintained it and if he owned it or did he buy it somewhere.


But then again after reading this and talking to a few peeps here and there that DSM'a are hell to upkeep and keep running for a long time without breaking something im having 2nd thoughts about getting this car sinse im not really that much of a mechanic. I know how to repair and replace very minor stuff but thats about it . Thanks for the replys.