The Official "What's this DSM worth?" Thread

[oldcarguy85]

Hi All,
I'm buying a 96 Talon TSI tommorow. I wanted to get some opinions on how the price sounds to you guys.

Its a 1996 with 115k miles. Stock except for an intake and filter. Runs good but has a coolant leak. This concerns me because of the possibility that it COULD have overheated. Kid claims it never has, but who knows. If it needs a head gasket, that's no big deal. Its got fresh tires, decent leather interior and body is pretty straight. Body has one long dent on passenger side door which i thnk i can have a PDR place fix. There is supposedly a bad U-Joint in of of the rear axles. There is a vibration in the rear (minor) which is most likely that u-joint.

I've been working onc ars for a long time, so any problems shouldn't be a big deal to fix.

Price is $4200 --

It's ugly dark green, and i need to do something about the 95-96 front and rear bumper (i think they are ugly as sin).

Thoughts?

Thanks for the help!
-Jordan

 

[erald01]

Too much money for all the problems it has. I dont exactly know how it looks and drives but honestly i would only give him $2500 for a fwd tsi. For that much you could find an AWD in a better shape and the same year.

 

[oldcarguy85]

Sorry forgot to mention its AWD

 

[oldcarguy85]

i can't seem to find a whole lot of GSX eclipse's or AWD talon's around here. Usually when i find them, they are hacked up, or to expensive. I mean, he's over KBB on the price, but i wasn't sure if it was too expensive or not. THey seem to be hard to find in AWD

 

[erald01]

Well that will make a difference a bit, but i would still offer him $3500 and see what he says first. If the guy needs the money trust me he will sell it. Sometimes you have to be patient to find the right car, and sometimes you might have to go to a different state to get what you want. I live in Michigan but i found mine In Boston and so i went there and got it.

 

[oldcarguy85]

belive me, i know. Im 23 and have owned 16 cars since i was 16, so I've done this quite a bit. He's set on 4200. I have no problem driving, but the tri-state market for AWD DSM's seems to be empty. I'm sure if i looked hard enough i could find one cheaper, but do you think it's a fair deal at 4200?

Unfortuantely im in a jam at teh moment, i have an 08 rx-8 right now, and after a whiole lot of BS with teh dealer i bought it from, they are buying ti back, so it's a godo opportunity for me to get out of debt, i just need to get a car to replace it quickly.

 

[spectr019]

I agree, that's priced too high. When buying a car like ours, IT IS WHAT IT IS. Talon's are inexpensive. Good for you, *hitty for the seller. We can get talon's cheap. If he thinks it's impressive because of an intake setup, he needs to re-evaluate that thought. It's good that you thought about the overheating...obviously he would say that it never overheated. Drive it around yourself and watch the coolant gauge. If it has overheated for extended periods of time, you're going to want to/have to do more than the headgasket most likely. With the U-joint in the rear...eh that could be kinda expensive. Of course they stopped making all of these parts so it has to be 'specialy ordered/made' in a garage made of gold or something cause they are so expensive, but hey man for stock OEM stuff, Ebay is the way to go in my opinion. And with body work that needs to be done and 115k on the engine...You know, he's probably not going to take you seriously, but yeah you could probably pick that up from any intelligent seller for $1500-2500. Again, when it comes to cars, it is what it is :/

Ben

 

[spectr019]

wow there were like 3 new posts during my write up. So the AWD is a plus, yes. You said you wouldn't mind to drive to pick up a ride, but that you're also in a jam. Don't buy a car that seems okay just to have a car that you'll regret later. Yes, finding an AWD today in decent shape is hard...but I garauntee you that since you found this one, there are MORE out there. Either way, good luck, and if you get it I hope it's in good shape!!

Ben

 

[oldcarguy85]

Well i'm going to keep looking between today and tommorow (i'm supposed to buy it tommorow). If anything else pops-up i'll definetely take a look.

Let me ask this a different way. Let's say hypothetically i put this car in teh classifieds section of this forum. Do you think it would sell at that price?

Myabe im just trying to justify my purchase (which i often feel teh need to do).

Thanks for all the replied BTW

 

[Urban Survival]

Well that will make a difference a bit, but i would still offer him $3500 and see what he says first. If the guy needs the money trust me he will sell it. Sometimes you have to be patient to find the right car, and sometimes you might have to go to a different state to get what you want. I live in Michigan but i found mine In Boston and so i went there and got it.

I agree. My friend lived in Va and had to hit New York for his 95 tsi awd. Me personally I am looking for a 1st gen awd shell and I am checking everywhere from MD to SC as a starting point. The drive is worth it if you are getting what you want or better at a good price. So look at what other cars in like or better shape are selling for on here and different sites. Then decide if that's the route you want to take.

 

[LongJonSilver]

that is way too much money you could pick up a talon tsi awd with less mileage and problems for half of that price

 

[erald01]

Why not keep an eye out for the classifieds section? It seems like there is always a 2g for sale every day, and ebay would also be a good place to look at.

 

[housegsx]

I just bought a 96 Talon awd with 58k miles for $5k. So $4,200 sounds way too expensive for one that has that many miles and lots of problems.

 

[mnr88talon]

Hi All,


It's ugly dark green


-Jordan

now I resent that remark





naw, but it is kinda a lame color, might as well be black

 

[mnr88talon]

i can't seem to find a whole lot of GSX eclipse's or AWD talon's around here. Usually when i find them, they are hacked up, or to expensive. I mean, he's over KBB on the price, but i wasn't sure if it was too expensive or not. THey seem to be hard to find in AWD

i feel your pain man, that is why I still own my N/T.. clean GSX's/TSX's are gems around here

 

[gstryyder]

i have had way too much experience helping out fellow dsmers that got ripped off. i would say be smart and take your time in finding one. 4200 is waaay too much, and you don't want a dsm with those kinda problems anyways. that car is worth 3k tops truly more like 2500 tops... but you say they are rare around there to begin with... but, i wouldn't even buy it because you don't know if those are all the problems with the car. obviously he did not take good care of the car. it will be more of a headache than you sitting around and waiting for one! roam the classifieds on dsm forums every day, eventually you will find a good one. and keep saving up your money. you should be able to find one that year with that many miles in great condition for the same price.

don't buy a dsm you know you are gonna have a major headache with. this one will end up costing you 6k before you are done fixing all the problems that are there or will arise in the first month... do you really wanna do that?

i am being very serious when i say this. do not let yourself get ripped off. and do not let him tell you it is worth that much. if he really thinks it is let him sell it to someone who isn't smart enough to come on a dsm board and ask for advice.

i would SERIOUSLY offer him 2500-3000 (more like 2500)if you are REALLLY that hard pressed to find an awd dsm. ### you are gonna need the rest of the 1500 or more to fix it up... i myself would not buy it. or i would give him between 2000-2500 if he was in my area.

a car with that many miles in awesome condition is not even worth more then 5k. why would a busted azz run down POS one be worth anywhere near that?

Like i said, i have had alot of experience with situations like this. and i ended up helping the fools who got ripped off ### i feel sorry for them and i wanna save them money. since they have none left over from buying a POS that they thought had little problems.

 

[bluegs03]

i would go so far as to write him a check for 3000, and have it with you, saying that you are ready to pay that right here right now. If you REALLY want the car a ton try at least getting it down to 4000... Plus you are approaching timing belt maintenance time and thats a large expense as well as the HUGE amount of things that go wrong at 120k. Your looking to sink about 3k into this car for it to be a daily driver just warning you from personal experience.

 

[Flores45]

hi im new to this forum and i am being offered a really clean 92 TSI with a newer motor that has like 40K miles on it, has an act clutch and a 3 inch exhaust. i am being offered this car for 2500 firm and i was wondering what your guys opinions is? i jsut want it to daily drive it and maybe upgrade to a 16G turbo, nothing much. i was also wondering what some common issues are with the first gen TSI's? sorry for the questions but thanks for anyone who can shed some light on this.

 

[swarm]

I'm still curious about my car...


click the link below to see it.
http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/151832881-post5799.html

 

[Dsmj89]

Do you already have a 93 tsi awd as stated in your info ? And why would you want to change it other than the price and it being clean ?

 

[Flores45]

no, i just posted it there cause i figured i would get it sometime this week. the tsi is clean in and out but i was wondering if these cars have any common problems i should look out for and wondering if the price is good. sorry for newb questions

 

[Dsmj89]

Well look at the condition of the timing belt, check for boost leaks, oil leaks, water leaks, alignment, idle, braking, take it for a drive and get a good feel of the car.
$2500 doesn't sound too bad for a 1st gen. If it behaves good go for it. And if you do get it, even though the motor was rebuilt not too long ago as mentioned, i would still strongly recommend doing a full maintenance job on it to be on the safe side before modding the car.

 

[Flores45]

Well look at the condition of the timing belt, check for boost leaks, oil leaks, water leaks, alignment, idle, braking, take it for a drive and get a good feel of the car.
$2500 doesn't sound too bad for a 1st gen. If it behaves good go for it. And if you do get it, even though the motor was rebuilt not too long ago as mentioned, i would still strongly recommend doing a full maintenance job on it to be on the safe side before modding the car.

i drove it and it drove really good and felt nice and strong, it idles well and has no leaks.

 

[KaLo_o]

ask the guy if he swaped a rebuilt 6 bolt engine in there or did he just get it rebuilt as a 7 bolt, also ask if the crankshaft is new or did it get magnafluxed. get details about the rebuilt. check the wiring because you never know if the rebuild was done by a '' butcher ''

if your looking to get a 16b turbo, you will need to upgrade your injectors,fuel pump, fuel pressure regulator. your exhaust should be ok since its 3 inch...thats good enought!

but yeah i would mainly check the wiring and the timing belt...see if its loose on there...i would not think so since the engine has 40k. ask him if he also changed the balance shaft belt, or if he eliminated it.

 

[snakeyes711]

I got mine for 1,300. It was a basket case. Three months later, and some massive attention. I'm out running mustangs! I love my car. nuff said. Most def. che4ck the timing belts. Or get piece of mind, and replace them. For a full kit with pulleys,a nd a pump too is only a little over a hundred dollars.