Is it worth the money? (pics inside)

[DSM_Noob]

Found a 95 talon tsi at a dealership and there asking 4 grand for it its in pretty nice shape doesnt seem horrid (theres lot paint can hide i kno) car has 155,476 miles on it and its "highly modified" says the guy at the dealer. only thing that troubles me is the check engine lights is always on due to the mods. now droping 4 grand on a car that wont pass e-check due to the engine light seems a little dumb to me and im sure a obd1 will clear the code. so is it worth the amont of money and hassle?

 

[srpjosh]

IMO it's worth the cash. I would however have the dealership read and diagnose the code for you so that you know what your dealing with prior to buying the car.

 

[4g63turbo84]

you need to find out what mods are done because my friends car is super modded and is light isn't on, and that is a obd2 set up on that car, also 4k is alittle high at a dealership, now if it was 4k and you was on the road that is you paying the taxes, title, and all the little things that make a car get pricey

 

[1993eclipseGS]

The car looks to have a pace-setter manifold.

Is the car AWD?

The car has a 6-bolt engine, Or well atleast a 6-bolt head.

The car has alot of rust on the strut towers.

Looks to have some td05h varient unless they for some reason have a td04 13g from an auto on there.


Why has the car been traded in? What exactly is making the CEL stay on? Have them hook up an obdII reader and scan the code. Did you do a compression test? If not, I would do that before anything.

The car looks like it had a 'rough life'. interior pieces are broken, Thrown around, And missing aswell.

Can you get the previous owners information and contact them about the car? Most ''dealers'' don't know anything about ''highly modified'' cars. Just think, It were traded in for some reason, But why?

 

[my98gsx]

The car looks clean... Highly modified??? i dont think so - all im seeing is hard intercooler pipes a BOV motor mounts, air filter and a Pace setter manifold (which is JUNK!) - although the turbo is not the stock t25 and that is a plus no matter what it is 14b, 16g... everything is better then the stock 2g turbo anyways.

The nice thing is it comes with some things your going to want to put in as soon as you get a dsm like the front mount, the SAFC II, the turbo timer and the exhaust. I think the car is worth the money. The body is straight and the aftermarket parts make it a nicer buy then a stock 2g with 155,000 miles.

Ask around, dsms throw check engine lights all the time. - Mine does constantly because of "random cylender misfire" Upgrade to dsm-link and get rid of them. ide say go for it, but dont expect that engine to last much longer if its origional 155,000 is alot of miles for a car that you know was beat on time and time. Good luck

 

[DSM_Noob]

kinda leery about getting it because i dont have the time to invest into the car and i do have a 41 mile trip to drive to work 5 days a week. as for the "highly modified" the dealer claims " this baby is pushing over 300 hp we suspect" yea total bullshyt i got off the fone with the guy said the dude was a mechanic that owned it but that makes no difference to me mechanics are the worst with there own cars. only reason i was thinking about getting this car is because i have a 94 NT 5 speed and its about at the end of its life it has 194,600+ on original motor and rusted to hell

btw my junker with 194k on it doesnt throw any codes at all hasent sence i bought it with 186k on it

 

[mosul210]

4K is not a bad price for a well maintained TSI, especially in AWD form. What concerns me is the amount of rust I see on the pics. Get on the floor and look at the bottom of the vehicle, if its covered in rust walk away.

 

[1993eclipseGS]

If the car is AWD, Then it's ''kind-of'' worth the price. The car just looks beat-up on. It has rust through-out the enginebay, It is missing stuff like the cruise control, Along with the a/c fan (So i'm assuming the a/c is gone, And also alot of the sensors on the firewall for emissions and stuff. Sure, All these would probably be removed anyways, But from a ''car-lot'', It seems kind of strange that they are selling a car for $4,000 in this condition, Let alone one that will not even pass emissions testing.

If I were in your situation, I would highly suggest looking at a few other cars, Before commiting to this one being it's the first one you have looked at so far.

did you try autotrader, craigslist, ETC? I just think you could find one in much better condition, That does not look like it were neglected, For the same price.

 

[bluevoviii]

Well, since you are seriously considering, I would go down in person and check it out. That way you can see if they have tried to cover spots up on the paint that are starting to rust. Also, since you are needing another car anyway, I would def go check it out, and if the compression test is good, paint is decent (surface rust and fixable), the transmission shifts well/no clutch slippage, and the engine doesnt miss a beat. Then I would go home, write down all its problems, and tell the dealership 3.5k or 3.8k w/taxes title and fees included. Just have to use your knowledge of these cars to your advantage

 

[1993eclipseGS]

Yes, If it's in good condition mechanical wise, Then the body can easily be fixed. Being it's going to be your daily driver, You are going to want to make sure it is a good running car. DEFINATLY negotiate on the price, And if they say NO, Then walk away. Just remember, They are selling it for $4,000. They probably got the car for HALF that. If it were on a ''trade-in'', Then even less then half that, they paid.

 

[Blurred Talon]

I'd find out why the engine light is on first.

Also to repair those shock towers you are looking at least $400 if not more unless you know someone.

 

[TRSblader]

To the OP, you're worried about e-check, but didn't Ohio do away with them a few years ago? I've never had to put a car through one, unless only Cincy and Dayton did away with them.

Other than that it looks decent, test drive it to see how it runs (if they'll let you. If they won't that could be a sign). At least make sure it idles well and listen for noise. Then track down the CEL as everyone else said. After that it's totally up to you

 

[gofer]

$4000? look else where for a 2g. your about to open a big can of worms on your plate that you wish you hadn't... theres tons of rust in that engine bay, the OEM luxuries are gone (cruise control/air conditioning), and theres a CEL code the dealers giving you an excuse for being there (its highly modified).
half the fun of modifying a car is modifying it yourself anyway. besides look at the "quality" of the parts that have been installed on it. ebay fmic? ebay 16g? (I can't tell cause the photos are too far back) safc? (does it have upgraded injectors/fuel pump or did he pull those out before he gave it to the dealer?)
bottomline is that car looks beat, its not highly modified, and what is aftermarket on it looks like cheap ebay parts. i know since your a N/T guy your probably pumped about jumping behind the steering wheel of a forced induction DSM (i was too) but im glad i took my time and waited for the right car to pop up. keep looking, when you have to second guess whether its worth it or not and post up on here then you already know better.

 

[yangtech]

Just because of the rust on the strut tower I would offer them $1500 for it.

 

[KevinBoosted]

find out the history on the car as well on top of what everyone else above is saying. look under the car and see if theres any frame damage. looks like a 16g, fmic, manifold, safc, tt, etc. did you drive it yet? id be curious to how the tune looks on the safc and at what boost levels. good luck

 

[1stGenTSi]

$4000? look else where for a 2g. your about to open a big can of worms on your plate that you wish you hadn't... theres tons of rust in that engine bay, the OEM luxuries are gone (cruise control/air conditioning), and theres a CEL code the dealers giving you an excuse for being there (its highly modified).
half the fun of modifying a car is modifying it yourself anyway. besides look at the "quality" of the parts that have been installed on it. ebay fmic? ebay 16g? (I can't tell cause the photos are too far back) safc? (does it have upgraded injectors/fuel pump or did he pull those out before he gave it to the dealer?)
bottomline is that car looks beat, its not highly modified, and what is aftermarket on it looks like cheap ebay parts. i know since your a N/T guy your probably pumped about jumping behind the steering wheel of a forced induction DSM (i was too) but im glad i took my time and waited for the right car to pop up. keep looking, when you have to second guess whether its worth it or not and post up on here then you already know better.

+1 That car is a piece of crap!! The damn front bumper doesn't even match the car. That rust is the scariest part though. What a rip off I would punch that car dealer in the face just for asking that much. Bluebook on a 95 Tsi AWD w/ 155k is $2150 in excellent condition. In piece of crap condition (which this one is) its worth $1400. Highly modified my ass.... NEVER buy from some douchebag used car dealer.

 

[1993eclipseGS]

Alot of people have stated that the car is worth less, And the car should be passed off in hopes of finding another one.

Post rating does not matter. The person could be a new member signing up today, And posting do not get the car, Or get the car. That has nothing to do with the actual topic. The thread starter came on a public forum looking for advice as to see if he should or should not look further into the car (purchasing it). EVERYONE has a different opinion. If it were me, I WOULD NOT buy the car. It looks like it's beat up and hacked together. It's missing alot of parts, And just does not seem reasonable for a car lot to be selling it. Private party is another story, Though. I would not pay much for that car, to be totally honest. If I were to buy that car, I'd just completely strip/part it and sell the shell after fixing the rust issues.

KBB does not really work with these cars. I sell awd 2g SHELLS for no less then $2,500 and have no problem doing so.

As for the rust, Yes, It's in issue. I've seen 99's with enough rust/rot that you can put your entire arm through down to the tire. It's a common issue on the 2g cars, Where on the 1g cars it is not.

 

[TRSblader]

1 post or a million, what it comes down to is what it's worth to the OP. Maybe he/she has been looking for ages now and just can't find a cheaper one. Not everyone is lucky enough to find one for 300 bucks. I know I couldn't find a 1g within 2 hours of me that didn't have bent valves for under 3k. Even cars with blown motors were going for 2k. 2g's couldn't be touched for under 6k. What we should be doing, instead of calling people idiots because their post count isn't high enough, is telling the OP what to check out on the car and the cost of repairs and let him make his own decision. Maybe it drives perfectly. Maybe the guy just wanted to trade in on a evo, or maybe they had a kid and needed a family car. Maybe that's why it got traded in.

Sorry for my rant, but lot of assuming going on as to why it's there, and really no one has any idea at all when it comes down to it, except the OP and the dealer.

 

[gst_project]

I just bought a 1995 gst for $1200 and it's quite a piece of work. It is my 3rd dsm, 2nd gst. You can find one in much better condition for less money. Just takes some searching. If you decide to buy, take the other's advice and have the CEL diagnosed. Offer less $$ as well. They most likely picked it up for less than 2k.

 

[but]

If its worth it to you,thats all that matters.

 

[Doubleot]

you need to find out what mods are done because my friends car is super modded and is light isn't on, and that is a obd2 set up on that car, also 4k is alittle high at a dealership, now if it was 4k and you was on the road that is you paying the taxes, title, and all the little things that make a car get pricey

Wrong 95 is Obd 1

 

[chadnum1]

95s are obd2 hence the eprom ecu working in all the 2nd gens

 

[VPrime]

95s are obd2 hence the eprom ecu working in all the 2nd gens

Actually the 95s and 96's are neither OBDII or OBDI, they are closer to OBDII, but don't have the same functions. A lot of OBDII scanners and readers can not read the 95s.

 

[4g63eagle]

IMO i would say to look around some more like craigslist.com dealerships are terrible to buy from unless its new because they dont know things about the car mostly due to it was never there driver and from the few mods the car has it shouldnt be throwing codes unless the parts they used are installed wrong if its def. obd2 you will be fighting with e. test because it will keep telling the machine its not ready but if its obd1 the cel can be on its not that i dont think a 2g is worth the money in gen. just it would be so much better if you knew info about the car the mods in depth the history of how good/bad of a life it was givin but if the code turns out to be nothing i would say its a good deal but i love dsm's and its your cash just giving you something to think of

 

[gofer]

Wrong 95 is Obd 1

95s are obd2 hence the eprom ecu working in all the 2nd gens

Actually the 95s and 96's are neither OBDII or OBDI, they are closer to OBDII, but don't have the same functions. A lot of OBDII scanners and readers can not read the 95s.

im glad we got that cleared up before we had 5 more worthless posts saying nothing about what the OP wants to know...

http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/newbie-forum/325155-resolved-obd-i-obd-ii.html#post151757649