1G Looking at a 1g gsx

[mattduncan93]

I'm looking at buying a 90 eclipse gsx. The guy said it's been rebuilt about 3000 miles ago. The body isn't the best shape. I've looked the engine bay over and the bov hose has been redone and it's kinda crimped off but I can replace that. The guy is asking 2200. I have built a 420a boosted eclipse 2g. Just wanting to know if there is anything I should look for besides the obvious things. I've check the oil and it's not milky. The only thing I seen funny was as soon as I started the car the temp gauge shot up to hot. I asked him about it and he said it goes down after a while. So I test drove it and sure enough it went to running temp. Just like some opinions.

 

[Pacey]

I just bought a talon tsi 5 speed with 88k miles 3 months ago for 1300. The body on my car has a few paint bubbles coming through the paint but it is in okay condition. The car ran and drove but the turbo was seized. The underside of mine has some surface rust issues so you could use that as a little bit of a comparison for your situation. Like your eclipse, mine was all stock so that is always a good thing. I would check the turbo to make sure that it isnt seized like mine was. Check for rust up in the shock towers. Also check in the hatch and open the gas tank lid. You will have to pull back the carpet. The top of my tank was rusted all to hell. Made it real fun replacing my fuel pump. Lol. Double check your ebrake since it is a manual. Often gets overlooked. Also check the hatch struts. Mine wont hold the hatch open. Those are some of the little things I can think of off the top of my head. None are deal breakers by any means. Might just give you some negotiating power but I wouldnt say that his asking price is way out of line based on the prices I see here in MI. As far as the engine temp goes, I am wondering if that could be a thermostat. Again no big deal. Let me know if you have any other questions. Oh and you probably already know this if you own a 2g but see if he has any service records for the timing belt specifically. Any proof of regular oil changes/tranny fluid change goes a long way. Mine didnt come with any service history so I am just inspecting everything as I go. Good luck!

 

[mattduncan93]

I live in a military town so everything is inflated. I didn't see any rust underneath but one spot on the fender that's been paint chipped. I drove the car and I could hear the Nov open up and it went into boost so I'm guessing the turbo isn't seized up.The truck shocks do need replaced but I will check for more rust and the e brake does work. The guy that has the car is a teenager and doesn't know anything about the car except it has a turbo timer. I know with every dsm it's just a waiting game but I'm wondering on the reliability bc I want to daily the car.

 

[Pacey]

If you have access to the tools, it wouldn't hurt to do a compression test or a leak down test for that matter. Might give you a piece of mind regarding engine internals.

 

[mattduncan93]

If I did the test and it passed you would just do maintenance on it and drive it?

 

[Pacey]

Yes. If you have stable numbers across the board after your compression test, i would just do some regular/preventative maintenance and call it a day. I would do the timing belt and pulleys because if that were to snap you would have a bad day. That is if the seller cant provide proof that it was done within the last 30k-40k. I think they have 60k service intervals but most try to replace them before 60k. If thst is all good to go, replace engine oil, tranny fluid, plugs, maybe air filter and call it a day.

 

[Kenneth Schlorf]

+1 on compression test!

 

[19gsx91]

+2 on the compression test. verify it's not leaking anything, definitely get the temperature issue sorted out, if the guy argues with you.. its roughly 10 dollars for a t-stat and gasket and 2 bolts. I've owned 3 1gs and 2 I have managed to find bone stock and small things seem to get neglected. Make sure the clutch and clutch pedal assembly are good, check around the site for how to look for a worn assembly.

 

[mattduncan93]

I'll definitely do a compression test then. I drove the car and the clutch worked fine. But I'll search around and double check since I'm not for sure what your talking about thanks

 

[SasaniFab]

Crawl under the car and check the fuel/ brake lines for corrosion, check the are were there the fuel sender sits if possible. Check the rocker panels near the rear quarter panels. These were areas I overlooked.

I got a rust free body but my brake lines were shot and my fuel lines were rusted

 

[Pacey]

^^^ what he said ^^^

 

[2gmitsueclipse]

Couple of suggestions:

• Run a CarFax before you go look at it. A small investment for a possible nightmare.You can also ask about some incidents should the owner not divulge "everything". After all, they are trying to get rid of a car.
• As others have mentioned, ask the owner if they wouldn't mind performing a compression test to get an idea of the engine's health (providing pictures of each cylinder). If not, then ask if you can perform the test to see for yourself while also checking the spark plugs. If they oppose, then a red flag goes up.
• You could ask for the test drive to be done to see how it handles boost, drive-train condition, brakes, steering components, and suspension.
• Ask before hand for permission to have the test drive to an auto parts store to have the codes checked. This way, you can confirm out emissions CELs.
• When you complete the test drive, leave the car running a short while to see if the car is overheating or not.
• Check the oil before and after the test drive.
• Check for leaks under the chassis before and after the test drive.
• Bring a car jack to lift the car up to check suspension/steering components/bearing play.

 

[mattduncan93]

Thanks I'll check the brake and fuel lines as I did over look them. I checked for leaks and nothing major that's seemed to be a problem. It was in grass and I couldn't see any spots. It drove decent went into boost fine and I let it run after I test drove and it idled perfectly. It seems to be just cosmetic things that can be corrected with some tlc.