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

[Schaden]

Ok I owned a 2g gst spyder a while back and liked it. Now I'm thinking of a cheap 1g.

I ran into a guy at a body shop selling a 1990 Eclipse GSX with 170k miles.
New clutch and new tires with decent wheels.
Cloth interior is okay, seats are decent and not ripped.
Needs a headliner/stereo is ripped out.
Body is fair a couple small dings and the paint is a 20 footer (lots of fine scratches and swirlmarks). I test drove it and the brakes are bad. Lots of grinding.
Transmission seemed ok as did the engine bay which was pretty clean.
It all looks stock except a K+N type air filter.
I'm having my Japanese mechanic look it over but I wanted to see what you
thought about the price.

I saw it last week and his friend said he was asking 1300. That seemed decent, KBB is around 1500 in fair condition. But I went and looked at it again today and met the actual owner and he offered to let it go for 1000. I told him I wouldn't fork over cash till the mechanic looks it over. But I was interested for sure at that price.

But what do you think for 1000 ? As long it starts and doesn't smoke and just needs brakes is this a good deal ? This would be a 2nd car just to mess around with.
Anything special I should tell the mechanic to check out ?
I told him look at the brakes/suspension/check for leaks, do a compression check etc.

Wow I hope I get this car.

 

[calcifer]

Sounds good to me, awd shells are going for $500+, so a running one should definitely be worth $1000. Make sure to get the timing belt done right away to be safe.

 

[Schaden]

Thanks for replying.
The owner doesn't speak English well but the guy translating for him
at the shop said he didn't think it had been rebuilt at all but had a clean title
I need to do a carfax today.

170k is a lot without a rebuild isn't it ?
Do think the timing chain or anything else ? heads/valvetrain ?

It looked clean and I felt the turbo kick in nicely.
Is there much that can go wrong with the all-wheel drive ?
I thought there may have been some strange drive train noises when I test drove
but couldn't tell above the sound of the scraping metal on rotor.

 

[RS-RGS-T]

thats not a bad deal even if you were gonna buy it and part it out tranny and body parts as well as motor are worth money at the yards.+ 170 is not really alot of miles if there was not alot of previuos owners and they didnt race that motor can b extremely strong still if it isn't i wont cost that much to make it strong again and rebuild just do the basics and change out belts and fluids... other than that sounds like a good buy! By the way i work at m1 autosports and autobody need paint or parts hit me up bro ask for "BIG" Ryan ill b shure to hook u up! good luck bro!





Ryan
M1 autosports.com (626)442-3356

 

[Schaden]

Thanks Big Ryan. Down the road I'm sure I'll need those services.

Carfax is clean with an estimated 3 owners.

So unless the shop tells me something really bad, I think I just bought
myself a Christmas present !

 

[Steve_P]

Check the cranking compression. If it's good, go for it.
170,000 miles are nothing if it was not abused.

 

[99gst_racer]

Being that the engine has 170K on the clock, only purchase it if you feel mechanically inclinded enough, as well as the time to replace a failing part every week.

As long as it runs and drive fine, $1000 is not a bad price. Just keep in mind that it was manufactured 17 years ago - parts will fail and need to be replaced.

 

[MDAdams1186]

Hey I'm sorry if this is a less then medoicre question...I am in need of quick advice. I lent my car out to a friend who delivers pizza and he slipped the timing belt, broke some valves and cracked the head...and this was the night before I was selling it to a kid for 3g's. So I am short on cash and in need of a car to commute to school. I found this and needed to know your thoughts or opinions since I am unfamiliar with the 4g63.

91 ECLIPSE AWD TURBO, 160k miles on chassis, 55k on engine and 5sp tranny, engine has a cometic head gasket, greddy timing belt, both sets of shifter bushings installed 2nd gen manifold, with ported 02 housing and msd wires. The head was cleaned planned and pressure checked by northeast machine, cylinder pressure was lowest in #4 at 121psi and the engine will hold boost over 20 psi. Comes with a good set a 2nd gen 2 piston calipers and an excellent condition act clutch and rre lightened flywheel hks turbo timer, a greddy egt gauge, 16in OZ racing rims with excellent condition Goodyear triple treads and a rear lsd with 77k miles on it. The car comes with no back seats, and the exhaust leaks real bad, but it runs and drives great. Awsome condition body recently done nice paint red bottom black top looks good for a 91 dsm

What do you guys think? Jump on it which is what I'm thinking...or approach with caution . He's only asking 1500 for it and lives an hour away. Your responses would be much appreciated.

 

[91gsxboosted]

That sounds like a pretty good deal. 121 is the service limit though, that car is probaly going to need some engine work soon. If you can, do the compression check yourself and if it is that low, try pouring a little oil into the cylinder to see if the rings are shot. Other than that, the car sounds like a good deal.

 

[SethA]

I agree with 91gsxboosted, but how was the compression in the other cylinders?

If you know one, have a trusted mechanic who knows DSMs give it a look. Having him verify the compression or doing it yourself is a good idea.

Seth

 

[MDAdams1186]

He didn't mention what the other cylinders measured but I will ask, I'm still waiting on a couple of other questions he hasn't replied to yet either. I'll definetely get a compression check done first thing if I purchase this car, however if it isn't a bad ring that means I have a leak somewhere? What kinda prices am I looking at in replacing a ring or finding the leak and fixing it? I came up 3 grand short since my car doesn't run now, so funds are running low, and since this car was only 1500 I was hoping it wouldn't need a lot of work and it could be my daily driver (I don't plan on beating it at all).

 

[98turbo]

1995 Gst with an evo 3 swap. All bolt-ons...etc. He is asking $4500. He does have receits for the install and all the parts....Just seeing if you think it's worth it...

 

[2DaTrakNow]

I currently have a 420a eclipse and gotta have something faster. I just looked at an extremely nice(perfect paint, interior, new tires, 78,000 miles etc.) 95 AWD TSI. The guy is asking $5900 for it, and the only extras are the side skirts, tires/rims, tinted windows and exhaust. I was in love with the car, but then once i looked in, i seen that it was an automatic. For the next few days it felt like my life was over! i love 5 speeds! but the car is very nice. I want to get in the mid 12's sometime before next winter, so would it be a waste of time to get this automatic and just wait for the right 5 speed to come around, or should i go ahead and get the auto? ........ or

 

[2DaTrakNow]

Oh yeah...would $5900 be too much for the car?

 

[femmeDSM]

All depends on how much the car is worth *to you*. I prefer 5-speed trans, as well, but if the car is in good condition (both physical and mechanical), $5900 is not a bad price to pay. I would consider it, personally.

 

[talonation777]

I'd be torn as well, theres nothing better then a 5 speed. But to have a TSi...hmmm, thats a tricky one. i looked for a long time to find a decent car in my price range, at the time I just settled for the first thing that was nice, and was in my price range. Now I'm starting to wish I would have been more patient and waited becasue you can do so much more with the 4g63 engine. If it wasn't automatic, I would have picked it up in a second. But the thing you have to realize is, alot of people drive nice cars that are automatic, and down the road theres always the posibility of a tranny swap, but thats another huge job that can get pricey. Basically you could either go with this "mint" car and look past the automatica transmission, or just wait it out. You don't wanna rush into things if your unsure.

 

[talonation777]

Sorry man, I got alittle carried away with myself, that price is pretty decent for that kind of mileage. You really should look at the chasis and all the fuel lines etc. You'll want to make sure all these are in pretty good shape, it won't be fun if you get pinned having to fix it all. With any car purchase there is always room for bargaining. Good Luck Man

 

[DGajre777]

"just wait for the right 5 speed to come around"

 

[-DSM2NR-]

I'd just wait for a 5speed to come around. You won't regret it in the end. The price and milage are pretty low but yeah.......it's still automatic and you probably can't get over that. I wouldn't either.
Just forget the car exists

 

[siceclipse]

i waited for the right 5 speed to come around and let me tell you,













i feel great when i hear that BOV between shifts!

 

[1993eclipseGS]

DO NOT just jump into the first turbo 2g you find... Honestly, You WILL regret it. I jumped into 7 dsm's already, And I still didn't get the one I actually wanted yet, Which is a 2gb GSX

 

[guitarhero14]

it sure seems steep. I got my tsi awd with only 65k miles and completely stock car for about 5500. Mine was a 5 speed as well. Like everyone else has said, wait for the 5 speed, if its really what you want. You wont regret the wait.

 

[coving21]

look look look around i purchased my 5 speed with 75,000 owned only by one person for
5,100 bucks and the car so far hasen't given me any problems. The other day I raced my friends auto who has a lot more mods then me and will just say I had a smile of my face!!

 

[SkinnyBAM]

i personally would wait, if you dont get what you want everyday when you get in that car your gonna look at the automatic shifter and regret it. Besides, whats the point of an awd if you cant launch right?

Just my opinion though

 

[quiksilver38]

dont worry man, you perfect car will surface, i know i waited for 6 months untill i foudn the perfect deal on a 99 gsx you gotta compromise sometimes, i really wanted black again but i couldnt pass up the deal, try lookin in repo yard from deadbeats who dont pay there ticket\ payments.
P.S. you'll regret getting auto get 5 speed!