How reliable has your DSM been?

[jayjay]

well.. i live in CALI.. no snow.. but the only reason holding me back... is i heard the transmissions are like sticks...

 

[robvas]

None of those are a good car for pizza delivery. Get a Civic or some other little 4 banger gas sipper.

 

[canth]

DSM's can be very reliable but they do have some trouble spots. The trannies tend to grind in the shift fron 1st to 2nd due to weak synchros. 95-96's tend to crankwalk more often than other models. If you get a Gen1 GSX and get it INSPECTED by a known DSM shop or reliable dealer you can get a reliable car with relatively few problems. The Supra you mentioned can be reliable as well but then again we are talking about a car that is over a decade old so you are going to be replacing parts due to wear and tear no matter what. The GSX will be faster and more fun but more expensive than the MKIII Supra. Headgaskets suck but they aren't insurmountable.

-Canth
91 Galant VR4 (Mostly stock ... for now)

 

[Patt6661]

Originally posted by jayjay
well.. i live in CALI.. no snow.. but the only reason holding me back... is i heard the transmissions are like sticks...

DOH! I just noticed that you're in cali...


like sticks like they'll snap like twigs?
I don't have much experience with 'em, but unless you're gonna be doin 4500RPM clutch dumps, you should be okay
I've heard of people having shifter problems, but short shift kits are cheap, and help with sloppy shifters.

 

[HyperGSX]

Originally posted by Rob
Our dsms arent the greatest daily drivers and not to great on gas neither if you looking into good gas mileage and reliable then you really should get a honda......then build up your money get you GsX project going on the side. Just my opinion

Later
Rob

I agree.

 

[98TsiAWD]

If you leave a GSX stock and dont rod the piss out of it, it is VERY reliable.

 

[pneumo]

Our trannys are reliable, not fragile at stock power. They don't shift smoothly either, but it gets the job done. I grinded the gears in my car for 8 years, thought it was normal. It didn't break or get worse, so I didn't care. Now I found this site and did the fixes listed in the upgrade guide, it works nice. I vote for the gsx because for just a little money and some free mods they go much faster.

 

[ilikemturbo]

reliability of the 3 i guess the supra just gotta take care of the headgasket problem

 

[MattR]

Hey, for reliability, Japanese cars are almost ALWAYS better than american cars. And the V8 camaro will guzzle gas like its its job. The 6 in the supra will get less MPG than the GSX/TSI too. Insurance will probably be more expensive for the supra/camaro too. Good luck with whatever you get. Later

 

[gsxgirl916]

get 1st gen GSX (90-94)

mine is a daily driven car.....
still nice

 

[turbine]

I might be getting a 95 up dsm AWD turbo most likely talon because of it's price. I'm fimilar with awd turbo cause I have a celica alltrac tubo and the dsm would be a great addition so any help would be great. Thanks

 

[direw0lf]

All I can say to that one is read some of the posts on this forum and make your own decision about whether you think they are reliable.

I guess the way I would look at it is this...
If the care is fairly close to stock, it should be pretty reliable if you do all of the preventative maintainance (Timing belts breaking is a bad thing).

If you are planning to build major power from the car, the you will have to expect to break things.

My car has had some problems starting with a timing belt breaking.
And now that its back together, the ECU has died while it sat.

These things don't make me love this car any less.. its just frustrating.

 

[Hobbes =^.^=]

Just like an RX-7. Treat it bad, and it'll blow up. But , as long as you take very good car of your car, it will treat you good

 

[reveal1123]

Im trying sooo hard to convince momma dukes to let me get a 97 gs-t. She says i need a reliable car, and that dsm's are totally not reliable. "All they are is a sports car with problems just waiting for you." I tried to explain to her, that dsm's are reliable afterall! She thinks i should get a hundai sonata.. or some slow a$$ crappy new car. im set on a gst, and i was hoping that this might convince her. So vote on guys! 10 is the high, 1 is the low. Dont hesitate to post ur ideas about the duke's opinion. thanks!

 

[thehyena]

.... is this a joke.... do you mean modded or not modded?

 

[BD1]

Every parent says "I hear that car has a lot of problems", "That thing isn't good on gas.", "I heard they aren't safe." all of these are just "No" in disguise.

 

[93||Talon]

Depends on how the previous owner treated the car. If they pushed the piss out of it, obviously shit is gonna break. Also look for mods, if there are mods on the car the chances are it got beat on.

 

[reveal1123]

completely stock.... i gotta convince her man... im dyin over here w/out 1

 

[rdrkt]

Originally posted by BD1
Every parent says "I hear that car has a lot of problems", "That thing isn't good on gas.", "I heard they aren't safe."

She is right on all accounts. The 7bolt motor DOES have a lot of problems. A turbo car ISNT good on gas. And any quick car isnt safe in the hands of someone that drives too fast.

Depending on your age and whether or not you have a real job a cheap reliable slow car would be a better choice. Poor ass college students dont have the money to modify DSMs.

That being said if you are looking for a good deal on a fwd GST. Larry D is selling a VERY nice one and he is about an hr from Philly.

 

[XerxeS]

Theres no such thing as a reliable car, if that were true there would be no mechanics.

 

[madmax]

Your mom is right. You want reliability, by a Honduh.

 

[greyforestgst]

depends on what you do, how you drive it etc

magic guess: you wont get a dsm

 

[HondaHunter2002]

find one stock with low km's and do the maintenance and don't ignore "minor" problems.. u'll be fine

 

[tsiracer18]

i love DSM's but i wouldn't say they are the most reliable car or the cheapest to maintain it also depends on the previous owner. I have a 96 talon nt and a 95 talon TSI my 96 nt car has not had any problems in the last 1 1/2 yrs that i've owned it but my TSI i have had nothing but problems in the first 3 months i've had it i have put over $1,500 into it but i also have cams so it wasn't to bad but it really matters on how the owner before treated it

 

[BD1]

Whoever owned the car before me babied the hell out of it, it has never had a problem. When I sell it this summer the 3rd owner will not be as lucky