thinking about buying a DSM

[DSM5SPD]

Ive been thinking about buying a DSM for about a month now. I have a Subaru SVX right now and it should be sold in about a week or so. After its sold I am hoping to buy an eclipse or a talon. I would prefer a 2G because I think they look better. I know the GST and GSX are turbo but what models are best to buy? I have heard that DSM's have reliablity issues as well. Can someone explain the issues if any and are they really expensive problems? I just want to make sure i'm not getting into anything expensive. I am really fond of DSM's....great looking cars and ive noticed that DSM owners are all about performance ( not like those honda owners ) Thanks in advance everyone.

Tom

 

[vteg]

Alot of people have subies also it seems

I have only had my gsx for 3 weeks. The most expensive things seem to be crank walk and transaxle failures. Every sporty, inexpensive car has problems though. My WRX tranny will probably blow if I pass 300 whp.

I originally wanted a 97-99 2g also. I like the front on them a lot. But then I thought, I don't want it stolen. I don't want to have to worry about it like my 2 stolen 3g integras I have never seen a fixed up 1g in my area. Besides the 5k I saved may come in handy for a magnus motor one day.

 

[DSMSpyder99]

Most people on this site will say go with a Eclipse GSX or a Talon TSi AWD. Most probelms occur in earlier models 1G (89-94) due to the old age. Like WRX's, DSM have a weak drivetrain. The best way to fix this is just to get a rebuild trans from Shep Racing or BM Tranny. As for the transfer case a rebuild would be good since they do tend to leak, also use Red Line Shock Proof in the transfer case. The engine (if in good condition) can handle 400WHP with proper mods and tuning. 2G (95-99) engines are not as good a there 1G counterpart. 1G have better head, intake manifold, rods, and turbo stock. 2G have better exhaust mani, o2 housing, and MAS.

 

[RBurroughs]

I have heard that DSM's have reliablity issues as well.

Lets just say that me and my friends all have DSM's and theres never been a time when they've all worked at the same time . But heck, im 17 and its my first car, and in the last year i've learned so much about cars. Heck, you'll truely know your a DSM owner when you install a FMIC with a butter knife (couldnt find a flat head screw driver) But like you said, the DSM community is 99% about performance, where honda boys are 99% about looks and 1% about flashy neons... there might be a small percentage there for performance, but nothing worth mentioning
Hope you get your DSM soon,
Ryan

 

[CrazyClipse]

DSM's are wonderful cars period. However, if you leave it stock like any car it will be reliable. As you start modding, you will undoutably run into problems over time. The upside to that is when you do it yourself and fix it yourself you become so familiar with the car and its componets, you can do whatever you want to. The sky is unlimited when it comes to modding, just comes down to how much you know... I started off with a GS and a few 'ricey' mods to begine with 3 years ago. Now, I have an aftermarket turbo kit and the works. After a while it becomes an obsession.

If you purchase a DSM, be sure to keep your other car in the event that it does break down. Good luck with your endevors!

 

[vteg]

. Heck, you'll truely know your a DSM owner when you install a FMIC with a butter knife (couldnt find a flat head screw driver)
Ryan

I was the only person that I knew of that had used a buter knife on my car.

I will ignore the honda comments.

 

[95TSiNewbie]

how much u want for ur svx?
Since you have a AWD currently, you should look inot a GSX or TSi AWD. 2g 5spds have a high risk of crankwalk but any DSM "could" walk too. The highest expensive is keeping up with maintance. every 60k at the most you need to do the timing components. Some people get 100k out of the water pumps and what not, i had mine seize up at 80k. Treat her nice, and she wont break. Ride her rough, and you will be feeding her $$.
just my 2 cents.
Goodluck!
Bryan Tracy

 

[Defiant]

I have a Subaru SVX right now

How was the SVX? I wanted one of those before I got my DSM, but got scared away by the transmission stories. (Same as DSM crankwalk stories?)

 

[DSM5SPD]

Thanks for the replies everyone. I am planning on modding it up but not too much in the first yr or so. I can drive stick but have never owned a 5spd car so the first thing i'm gonna have to do is practice practice practice. Ive spent a ton of money on my SVX in repairs and such because parts are so rare and so expensive. Thats why i'm selling it before it gets more expensive. Dont let the SVX transmission stories scare you all ya gotta do is get a tranny cooler and ur set. They are awesome cars but I just dont have the resources and money to keep it up. For now i just want a nice looking car that is fun to drive and has alot of potential which is why i want a DSM. Every car has its problems though and im assuming that DSM's have their issues. How are the prices or parts? I'm guessing they cant be as expensive as the SVX because theres gotta be talon and eclipse parts everywhere.

 

[DSM5SPD]

Oh and i am looking for 5,500 OBO for my SVX. Am willing to go down to 5k though. Email me for pics if you [email protected]

 

[DSM5SPD]

Oh and another thing....i didnt do alot of work on my SVX myself because as many of you may not know it is one difficult car to work on! The engine bay is so tight ya cant get anything in there. Ive burned my hand many times just trying to replace headlight bulbs. I also didnt work on it because i didnt have a service manual and haynes or chilton didnt make a manual for the SVX. If and when I do get a DSM I will definitley let everyone here know the details of the car first....and I'll be sure to get a haynes manual

 

[95TSiNewbie]

Not much room in a DSM engine bay either....but you can work on almost everything yourself. I have done every single install myself, and had no previous experience. Just get used to swearing like truck driver and have the patiance of a british guard. 2g's have more parts then any other car on the market. DSMparts.com has everything you would ever need but some places may have better prices. CHeck the sponsor page and you will find any part you could ever dream of. DO NOT GOTO A DEALER...unlesss you like paying a 100% mark-up.

 

[Gigaah]

Well with DSMs 1 and 2G the parts are pretty reasonable. If you need some mundane or even high performance part DSMtrader.com has mountians of useds, slightly used, and some new parts for sale. The aftermarket parts seem to be ok, with some good deals here and there with plenty of aftermarket support.

 

[vteg]

The engine bay is so tight ya cant get anything in there.

The eclipse engine bay is very roomie in comparison to the subarus. That is why I don't mind working on it. Changing spark plugs in a subie is a challenge. When I did my uppipe and downpipe in the wrx it took me 10 hours or so. Nothing went as planned.

The WRX is the easiest car to change oil on though. The filter faces down towards the ground since that is the back/bottom of the block.

Parts for dsm's are very cheap in comparison to subie parts. That is why my gsx is my project car.

The svx is a very rare subie. I personally would keep it. I have never been in one, but I was in love with that car during it's time. I had a friend that owned one in the late nineties, but he sold it before I met him.

BTW, I think it was last year that subaru had a record number of sales in North America. 1.7% of the new cars sold were subies.

 

[DSM5SPD]

The SVX is a very rare suby and mine is the most rare. I have the 25th anniversary edition...only 301 ever made. But unfortunatley i cannot afford it now. Im only 20 and cant be using every paycheck of mine towards a car. Thats why i want a DSM....easy to get parts...not that expensive and still a very cool looking and fun driving car. Hopefully one day I can get an SVX again. Keep the replies comin guys i can definitley use all the info!

 

[Zeppelin]

The SVX is a very rare suby and mine is the most rare. I have the 25th anniversary edition...only 301 ever made. But unfortunatley i cannot afford it now. Im only 20 and cant be using every paycheck of mine towards a car. Thats why i want a DSM....easy to get parts...not that expensive and still a very cool looking and fun driving car. Hopefully one day I can get an SVX again. Keep the replies comin guys i can definitley use all the info!

Get rid of that SVX already!!!! (fellow ex-SVX owner)

SVX's are known for transmission failures. I went thru 2 trannies and an engine in the 2 years I owned mine. They are a great car though! The SVX had the most HP/TQ of any Subaru they had made at that time, so the transmissions are definitely the weak point. There's quite a few people who have put in 5 speeds and it makes em even more fun!

If anybody is interested in picking up an SVX, check out www.subaru-svx.net for the SVX forums.

Here's a pic of my old baby:

 

[DSM5SPD]

I have the same rims on mine

 

[Defiant]

That styling could come out next week, and it'd still look great.

But yeah, you're going to find many advantages to a DSM. Talons are a bit less expensive, but no different.

Oh, and don't expect the build quality that the SVX had. But they're still not really horrible.

 

[FireyIce01]

The SVX is a very rare suby and mine is the most rare. I have the 25th anniversary edition...only 301 ever made. But unfortunatley i cannot afford it now. Im only 20 and cant be using every paycheck of mine towards a car. Thats why i want a DSM....easy to get parts...not that expensive and still a very cool looking and fun driving car. Hopefully one day I can get an SVX again. Keep the replies comin guys i can definitley use all the info!

Then you'll probably want to look for a'99 GSX, less likely to crankwalk (of the 2Gs), and still fairly new, so things won't start breaking right away... as far as not pouring every paycheck into it... you're talking about buying a DSM, and if you search you will see that they are moneybuckets... but there's a very big performance following, they have a lot of power support with stock internals, and they're fun to drive... however, if you want to save money, the 1G's are a LOT less expensive... they're just more likely to break from old parts, and abuse...

 

[DSM5SPD]

Yeah I think if I buy a DSM I will look for a 1 G. But being that I have a 93 car right now i wanna go up in yrs u know? So its either a 1G DSM or a 96-00 Subaru Impreza. I'm leaning towards subie only because of the AWD and i wanna get into the rallying scene. What can I say ive always been a loyal subie person

 

[HSK]

Yeah I think if I buy a DSM I will look for a 1 G. But being that I have a 93 car right now i wanna go up in yrs u know? So its either a 1G DSM or a 96-00 Subaru Impreza. I'm leaning towards subie only because of the AWD and i wanna get into the rallying scene. What can I say ive always been a loyal subie person

wrx are good. srt-4s are good as well. both are in reasonable price (in my opinion).

good luck with whatever you are planning to get.

 

[FireyIce01]

Yeah I think if I buy a DSM I will look for a 1 G. But being that I have a 93 car right now i wanna go up in yrs u know? So its either a 1G DSM or a 96-00 Subaru Impreza. I'm leaning towards subie only because of the AWD and i wanna get into the rallying scene. What can I say ive always been a loyal subie person

If you've got the money and want to stick to a subie, a WRX is more than capable... if I had the money I'd get a WRX STI Wagon... jsut because I think they're cool... but I like the 2G DSM body style.

 

[vteg]

If you've got the money and want to stick to a subie, a WRX is more than capable... if I had the money I'd get a WRX STI Wagon... jsut because I think they're cool... but I like the 2G DSM body style.

There is no STI wagon sold in the US.

If you want to rally get a 1g awd dsm. I would not touch that year range of USDM impreza. A lot of 1.8's and no power. The wrx engine can't even fit in without a lot of blood, sweat, and tears

I was going to rally my wrx, but now I am considering rallying my gsx.

Don't worry about the year of the car. I would rather have a 93 Supra, but they are too expensive.

 

[DSMSpyder99]

that is one of the most UGLIEST car i have even seen What the hell is wrong with the windows

 

[95Eclipsers]

they are deffinetely beautifull cars, ive always wanted one, i just heard there is almost no options for forced induction, i always thought they would be silly fast cars if there was an aftermarket, and tranny problems always scare me with any car......

oh yea and the windows are very unique