Just another newbie...

[_Waffles_]

Good evening everyone. I am hoping for some general information and ultimately stay with this forum.

To cut to the chase: I am looking into doing first real tuner car. I have always liked the looks of the 2g's and have wanted to build one up.

I am hoping for some advice on what to look for, watch out for, worry about, and overlook when trying to find a 2g. I have been looking through forum threads for about 2 days now. I have gotten a lot of information, but still have some large holes left out.

Car will be for light commuting, light track days, and mostly fun back roads. Ultimately looking to take the time and build to roughly 500Hp and 425FtLb.

History on my automotive background:
----12 years of restoration: AMC 69 Javelin, Ford 71 Mach 1, 74 stingray with 454, 76 Porsche 911 Carrera.
----Rebuilt engines: V8's, Strait 6's, I4's, I6's, V-twins, single cylindars, R22
----4 years engineering and 2 years metal fabrication.

So what do you guys think I should know? Eclispe or Talon? FWD or AWD? Years to go with and/or to avoid? And ultimately, what to watch out for when buying one, obviously, used.

Thank you guys for your time,
Travis Walthall

 

[Cdc1221]

Welcome. Years to go with? Your preference. I prefer the looks of the 97-99. Talons are the rarer of the 2. Definitely go awd if you can find a nice one. Wheelspin isnt nice unless youre in a burnout contest. Try to find one close to stock. I was blessed in that both of mine were bone stock, but needing the usual things that 20ish years does to a car. If all you can find are modded cars, at least grab the one that the guy actually knows about. I.e. he knows what turbo hes got, whats been done maintenance wise, and what other addons have been done. . Good luck.

 

[fantom73088]

97-99 eclipse is my personal favorite as well and awd is great if you plan on making decent power the fwd suffer from a good amount of torque steer if you can get them to hook up. Some things to look out for are the rocker panels, and the strut towers up front rust through along with the lower radiator support. Southern cars are much better for obvious reasons but the paint pays a toll. But i would rather paint then repair rust. Hope this helps.

 

[FIBA M - EC17PSE]

welcome and its good to see you have previous experience on cars so thats a very good plus!

years to go with i would also say the 97-99 although if you had the extra money then get the 99 and its slightly better in the engine and less prone to this so called crank walk! take a look here http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/frequently-answered-dsm-questions/83932-what-crankwalk-look-here.html

all info you might been will be of some assistance to you also check this out aswell

http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/frequently-answered-dsm-questions/238710-dsm-used-car-buyers-guide.html

good luck and again welcome to DSMtuners and hope you enjoy it and manage to get to your goals

 

[phunny]

97-99 would be your best bet. I'd honestly just find a shell that someone is parting off and then you can just build your motor/tranny, install it and go on with no worries. ECMlink forums you'll find 9 and 10 second cars being parted out daily and you can get some fantastic deals. Just remember to always pay with paypla and NEVER gift the money. 500 is a easily obtainable goal especially on E85, a good trustworthy local shop to you would be English Racing.

 

[manifestmessiah]

Good evening everyone. I am hoping for some general information and ultimately stay with this forum.

To cut to the chase: I am looking into doing first real tuner car. I have always liked the looks of the 2g's and have wanted to build one up.

I am hoping for some advice on what to look for, watch out for, worry about, and overlook when trying to find a 2g. I have been looking through forum threads for about 2 days now. I have gotten a lot of information, but still have some large holes left out.

Car will be for light commuting, light track days, and mostly fun back roads. Ultimately looking to take the time and build to roughly 500Hp and 425FtLb.

History on my automotive background:
----12 years of restoration: AMC 69 Javelin, Ford 71 Mach 1, 74 stingray with 454, 76 Porsche 911 Carrera.
----Rebuilt engines: V8's, Strait 6's, I4's, I6's, V-twins, single cylindars, R22
----4 years engineering and 2 years metal fabrication.

So what do you guys think I should know? Eclispe or Talon? FWD or AWD? Years to go with and/or to avoid? And ultimately, what to watch out for when buying one, obviously, used.

Thank you guys for your time,
Travis Walthall

Definitely need a 2gb(97-98) talon if you can find one, and awd obviously. When buying a used 2g, my main concern was always strut tower rust, it runs rampant on any northern 2g. Try to find as close to stock as possible, it's a real pain to spend most of your free time fixing other peoples mistakes. Other than that, just the basics, I'm sure you've bought used cars before

Welcome to the family!

 

[snowborder714]

Please try again with a more descriptive thread title. A generic thread title like this does not help me when browsing new threads to see if I can offer help or when searching old threads for info to help myself or others.