Soon to be owner of...

[DropShock]

I recently came across a 91 eagle talon tsi awd for 1800.
the body has 105,000 miles on and the engine only has 47 miles on it.
I dont know too much about any of the cars made by dsm but I was wondering if you guys would say this is a good deal or not? Advice would be very nice.

thank you,
DropShock

 

[2GbTalonGuy]

We would need some more info. What condition is the body? Any problems? How does it run?

 

[4g63oncrack]

i say hell yeah your can sell that engine for that much dude, i say take it it sounds like a good deal besides this car has alot of potential

 

[TSI from Hell]

Any pics or links? If it's in good running condition and the body's fine It should be a good deal. Do you plane on modifying it? Whats your plans with the car?

 

[solar_eclipse89]

I would buy it man. the 6 bolt motor is amazing that is if it isnt shot.

 

[DropShock]

damn thanks guys. I wasnt expecting this much of a response this fast. I found it on craigslist and im supposed to go down and check it out on sunday. so I'll fill you guys in with all the details. apparantly this guy also put a front mount intercooler with a greddy rs bov. and if i do buy it i plan on using it to get to work so i can save up money to upgrade the turbo in it to a big one. the one in it now is the evo3 16g small turbo. is that the standard one? I also would gut it besides the passenger seat and put a nice exhaust on it with soem racing headers. nothing too crazy really. im not too experienced with modding cars but i know the essentials

 

[bahamian4g63]

Sounds like a good deal. Check everything, and ask for reciepts for all parts and work done. Good luck

 

[mazda-man]

The 16g is not the stock turbo for that car and is bigger. The stock turbo would be the 14b. As long as the car wasn't beat on then I'd say go for it. Sometimes guys just throw a bigger turbo on and turn the boost up and don't do the supporting mods and run the crap ouf of them. Those are the cars you want to stay away from.

 

[Limegrntaln]

I guess the first thing I would look at before buying anything is, has it been hacked up and in need of any new wiring anywhere? Because electrical gremlins are a pita if you are going to drive the car daily. I bought mine as you see it in my Avatar for $2000 completely stock, never been modded. It needed a clutch. Nothing had ever been tapped into the wiring or vacuum lines. Stock airbox is still on it. And its a 1997, which is 6 years newer. New Brakes, new A/C compressor, condensor, timing belt done 1,000 miles ago, water pump and acc belts replaced with a receipt from the dealer. And new tires all the way around with the knobs still on them. So if this isnt the car for you, there are others out there. Just know what you are getting into before you buy it.

 

[DropShock]

I guess the first thing I would look at before buying anything is, has it been hacked up and in need of any new wiring anywhere? Because electrical gremlins are a pita if you are going to drive the car daily. I bought mine as you see it in my Avatar for $2000 completely stock, never been modded. It needed a clutch. Nothing had ever been tapped into the wiring or vacuum lines. Stock airbox is still on it. And its a 1997, which is 6 years newer. New Brakes, new A/C compressor, condensor, timing belt done 1,000 miles ago, water pump and acc belts replaced with a receipt from the dealer. And new tires all the way around with the knobs still on them. So if this isnt the car for you, there are others out there. Just know what you are getting into before you buy it.

that is a lot of new stuff done to a car 6 years newer than mine. are you saying that alot of parts breakdown on talons?

 

[zatomz]

A lot of parts break on every car if not properly maintained, but when you buy a turbo car with faster moving parts there needs to be more diligence in maintaining it or, yes, talons can breakdown more. There are so many more modifications required before being able to run a bigger turbo, I would look into some of the more essential mods that can get the most out of your car now and be able to be used when your ready to upgrade. Example (and try looking these up for some good information): Dsm Link, AEM Wide band, boost gauge, clutch, shocks (good grip is always great), drilled and/or slotted breaks...or start here: Tech Guide - DSMtuners
These cars can be matched with almost literally 50,000 different combination of parts and is still growing, so make sure you get an idea of what you want and you should be able to find it on this site. After that being said, yes that is a good deal for the car if it is running well and driving well, hows the body? Welcome to the site.

 

[DropShock]

First off. Thank you for welcoming me to the site I also havent even seen the car yet It's two hours away so I have to wait till sunday to check it out. The guy who is selling it is supposed to send me pictures tomorrow through email so as soon as I get them I'll put them up. On the his advertisement he said he already put a 16lb turbo in along with a fmic so he kinda took care of the bigger turbo for me. I didnt know that the stock turbo in the talon was only a 14lb one. And as a matter of fact for the last hour and a half I have been reading the tech guide Thanks alot everyone for your advice!

Edit: I also asked him for a list of all the other mods if any that he had done to the car so far because i know that in order to preform correctly its gonna need more than just a fmic with that new turbo in there

 

[zero_wheeler]

yeah this site is pretty amazing. fast responces, and huge tech and search sections. lotsss and lotsss of helpful people, just any questions youve got, hit that search button first..

but the car your lookin at seems pretty good, as long as the bodys good and it runs fine. i was planning on bumpin up to a 16g soon

 

[zatomz]

I would start by asking him these questions: last timing belt job (who did it also), any known leaks (where), any problems shifting, any electrical modifications done (which ones). If you can give us a good Idea of those, most people will be able to tell you if you could be buying a car that will need some immediate major services that could cost you more than you bargained for. You might also want to ask him how much boost he pushes through that 16g. If he is one of those that pushes a lot of boost through that turbo (say 18-20psi or more) with the stock fuel system, statistically he probably does not know how to take care of his car and is trying to sell his problem. Hope this helps.

 

[DropShock]

yeah this site is pretty amazing. fast responces, and huge tech and search sections. lotsss and lotsss of helpful people, just any questions youve got, hit that search button first..

but the car your lookin at seems pretty good, as long as the bodys good and it runs fine. i was planning on bumpin up to a 16g soon

i know man I'm lovin it so far

and Z thanks a bunch dude. That is probably the most helpful advice i could've gotten just told me exactly what to ask for to see if i should buy it. Thanks again.

one more question though. With the 16g turbo in it how much horse power does that add? if you think i should just search it than let me know. I just figured you'd probably know off the top of your head. save me some time

 

[1gdsmftw]

pics or it didnt happen

 

[DropShock]

pics or it didnt happen

I posted this today bro I didnt even go to look at it yet I was just wondering if I should put forth the effort to look at it or not

 

[1gdsmftw]

always worth looking...but make sure the cars paint is in good condition...for 1800 this is what shape it should be in

little to no flaking in the paint
no smoking no tapping no knocking
smooth shifting
little to no leaks...(transfercase had a recall back in 90 - 94 for leaking)
clean title
non raped interior

also make a boost leak tester and tell him you want to boost leak test it

1800 is an ok price...but it can be found for cheaper but if this thing is clean than you found a good enough deal!

 

[zatomz]

I have seen them run anywhere from 250 hp up to almost 500 with a perfect tune and the right build. It is a hard question to asnwer but law of averages would put it around 300-350 being it had a good tune and the proper supporting modifications to go along with it. Turbos don't just increase horsepower but they can if everything that the turbo is pushing(ie: fuel, rotating assembly...) is in sync with the amount of airflow that particular turbo makes. Your goal should be to make it the most effecient performance with what you have so tune will play a key role in getting that to be the case.

Boost leaks can be fixed and personally it's a good way to first "mate" with your car and learn at the same time. Paint I wouldn't concern yourself with untill after you know how it runs, it can always be repainted. For my 1800 I would want a decent interior( one not in complete decay and disassembly) and a sturdy drive. With the engine being such low mileage you might want to know how he broke it in, that will give you some key tips on how much he knows about these cars. Read up on breaking in a motor and that should give you some decent questions to ask.

 

[DropShock]

this site is a god send. thanks alot guys

 

[Limegrntaln]

that is a lot of new stuff done to a car 6 years newer than mine. are you saying that alot of parts breakdown on talons?

Any part could go at anytime on a car. It could last a week, it could last 10 years. The things that were replaced on my car before I bought it are completely feasable for a car with 113,000 miles on it. Brakes are good for about 20-30K rears a little longer, timing belt at 60K A/C compressor can go at anytime. I was just glad to see it was brand new, I will never get rid of A/C. I drive it daily. without seeing the car, its hard to tell whether or not $1800 is a good deal. If its not missing anyting and it runs, thats pretty good. If its been torn into and things are missing, its not so good. remember with the age of the car, the chances of finding anything to replace whats missing is very slim, unless you can find another DSMer thats willing to part with it.

I bought my car missing the right door molding, it took me 5 months to find one that someone was willing to part with, because the part hasnt been made for 10 years. If its in good shape I say go for it.

 

[zatomz]

It's sunday, which means we want to see the car

 

[solar_eclipse89]

Wheres the pics its sunday

 

[DropShock]

I have very disappointing news...I got bought out. very upsetting. I'm going to keep looking for a nice dsm though. Hopefully next time I wont get weasled out of one.

 

[crazysweetguy]

The motor is worth what the whole car is worth if there is nothing wrong with it. This may be a very good buy. Some would buy it just for the motor.