How does this look?

[bmxfelon420]

I am looking to purchase this car, and nobody was home so i took these pics of it. What do you think? I heard somewhere that if its missing one of the covers on the inside of the bumper that its a turbo, is that true? It does have rear disc brakes, as evidenced in the picture. Let me know what you think of its appearence, unfortunately it was locked so i couldnt pop the hood or get a good look at the mileage.

 

[alex99gst]

I would start by looking for the badging on the back of the car and if it says GSX or GST then it is turbo. Also, look in the passenger side opening on the front bumper and if you see the sidemount intercooler, then it is turbo.

 

[bmxfelon420]

attachment sizes are radically different from another forum im on, so the pics have been hosted on imageshack. Heres the rest. If it has rear disc brakes, is it at least a 2.0? I can get a turbo cheap.

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[92awddsm]

According to the pic, it looks like a dsm to me. Since it only has a cup holder and no armrest/console cover, I would guess that it is a n/t. Probably even a 1.8. Beyond that, All I see is a reflection of a white caddy. And also, all 1g's came with rear disc brakes.

 

[alex99gst]

First of all, you need to do some research on what you are looking to buy. You can't just buy a car because it has a turbo and expect it to be fast because of that. Study about the car that you want and learn the basics of what the turbo does, why it is there, how it works, ect. Also, you can't just buy a turbo and throw it on. Another reason to use all the information on this site to better understand the car you want to buy. Here is where you wuold look for the stock intercooler:

 

[bmxfelon420]

i should have taken another pic but i think the cover may have broken off, but im not sure. I know that when i looked at the bumper it had a cover on the drivers side hole and none on the passenger side, but i couldnt tell if there was an intercooler since im in a wheelchair and i cant bend down that far, since the driveway was stones. I wouldnt doubt that the armrest cover broke off since its a common problem with lots of old cars, but i didnt think to check it. Sorry about the reflection, but its really sunny today and there wasnt much i could do. The exhaust looks less wimpy than id expect from a 1.8 but i dont have much experience with these types of cars so i wouldnt know. Would a 1.8 be missing the passenger cover?

EDIT: I have looked around much at the faq's and such and i realize that the n/a model has higher compression, but since my friend has an entire 2g engine, turbo, and possibly the whole wrecked car if i wanted to turbo i have parts to work with. I realize that it wont tolerate boost as well, but i wanted to find out of they make thicker head gaskets for dsm's like they do for hondas, to help a bit. Im not sure if i just heard a rumor or something, but it seems like a sound theory that it would decrease compression a bit. I know both covers arent in but i coudlnt see anything due to the horrible angle i have to look from. And im not looking for instant speed or anything, I realize that the car will most likely require a bit of freshening up due to its age and i more than likely will have to replace the timing belt unless its been done recently, and do a full tune up but i want to at least find out what sort of road is ahead of me, and how this car compares condition wise to other cars of its age and kind.

 

[mitsuspeed]

all models have both "covers" just wait n look under the hood, in the meantime read http://www.dsmtuners.com/tuning-guide/1gturbo/

 

[92awddsm]

all models have both "covers" just wait n look under the hood, in the meantime read http://www.dsmtuners.com/tuning-guide/1gturbo/

I have yet to see a turbo that didnt come with the armrest. The laser might be a different story but no 1g gs-t, gsx, or tsi ever came that way. The armrest was part of the option package.

 

[kkinchev]

First of all, you need to do some research on what you are looking to buy. You can't just buy a car because it has a turbo and expect it to be fast because of that. Study about the car that you want and learn the basics of what the turbo does, why it is there, how it works, ect. Also, you can't just buy a turbo and throw it on. Another reason to use all the information on this site to better understand the car you want to buy. Here is where you wuold look for the stock intercooler:

DSM is the cheapest route to go for speed

 

[noz]

you sure you want an automatic?

 

[92awddsm]

you sure you want an automatic?

Well, he is in a wheel chair so a manual would be more difficult for him to try and drive.

 

[bmxfelon420]

were there any exhaust differences between the cars?

 

[92awddsm]

were there any exhaust differences between the cars?

The turbo cars came with a dual tip muffler and so did most 2.0 n/t. The 1.8 came with the muffler shown and I have seen a couple of 2.0 n/t with the single tip muffler.

 

[bmxfelon420]

ok, the 2.0nt (well id prefer the turbo, but beggars cant be choosers) would be ideal for my purposes, as i know people who can get me parts whenever i want to turbo it, and if not i can probably get a whole new engine for real cheap. If its the 1.8, then that is pretty much guarenteed to be my route. I wish a 2g was a bolt in but since it isnt i have to work with what i have. So do you think I should buy it? I decided that its better to get a decent car that is cheap now and once i find some work then i can start putting time and better parts into it, with dsm's being so common in this area it shouldnt be too hard to get parts. Unless theres a compelling reason to do otherwise, i will attempt to buy it. Let me know what you guys think.

 

[rowlex]

i think its better to buy what you want the first time. If it's a turbo and you want a turbo get it. If you want a turbo and its a 1.8 or n/t dont bother, it will be a PITA to turbo it, and then you will want AWD but you will constantly be breaking it. Find out if its turbo or not then make your decision... ALSO to find out w/o opening it if it is a turbo there are two things you can check, on the left side of the front, right infront of the wheel you should see a radiator lookin thing (intercooler), or if you look at the tachometer and see a smaller needle in the bottom right of the TACH it is the boost gauge.

 

[GST with PSI]

ya might be buyin a 1.8 if.....

the muffler looks like the one in your picture.
there is no boost gauge on the dash.
no intercooler is visable from the passenger front bumper.
it doesn't say RS on the rear.

basically everything everyone else already said. the good thing about the 1.8's is they get really good gas mileage. mine got a bit over 30 mpg on the highway(and it was an auto). new parts are cheap for them, and they are abundant in junkyards and u-wrench-it type places.

the bad news is all the 1.8's were ss models (super slow).when i had one i looked all over for aftermarket parts without luck. the parts i did find were expensive (intakes, plugwires, etc.) and asking anyone a question about them in regards to performance usually resulted in them saying to get a real dsm and quit wasting your time. hope you don't find the same thing. the heads warp really easily. don't ever get one hot. also never take the sparkplugs out when the head is warm. head is aluminum. plugs are steel. aluminum cools at a much faster rate than steel. remove plugs from a hot head and you may end up removing the head threads along with the plugs. then your screwed. just a few things i thought I'd throw in regarding 1.8's. it's not often they are discussed.

 

[bmxfelon420]

after some deliberation my Friend pointed out that it has the vents on the fenderwell, and i noticed it was missing the cover on that side also but since i cant get on the stones i couldn't look for the intercooler. Is it possible that they are retarded and just put a different exhaust on? If it is a 1.8, i probably wont even bother but if its a 2.0 i might consider it. I am persuing other cars that are already turboed so ill see what i can come up with.

 

[Sotarts]

I am looking to purchase this car, and nobody was home so i took these pics of it. What do you think? I heard somewhere that if its missing one of the covers on the inside of the bumper that its a turbo, is that true? It does have rear disc brakes, as evidenced in the picture. Let me know what you think of its appearence, unfortunately it was locked so i couldnt pop the hood or get a good look at the mileage.

Write down the VIN# and do a quick check at Carfax.com. It'll say what year and type of engine.

Letter 'U' in the VIN# means it's turbo.

For example, this is information is from my '90 Eagle Talon TSi AWD, at carfax.com:

www.carfax.com
VIN: 4E3CT64U2LE051911
Year/Make/Model: 1990 EAGLE TALON TSI 4WD
Body Style: HATCHBACK 2 DR
Engine Type: 2.0L L4 MPI DOHC TRBO
Manufactured In: UNITED STATES
Search Results: 5 records found in our database
What is a record?

IMPORTANT! The 5 records on this 1990 EAGLE TALON TSI 4WD may confirm a clean title history or uncover potential problems. Find out by ordering the complete CARFAX Vehicle History Report.