thinking of buy a built talon awd.. worth it?

[boosted475]

hey guys I'm going to check out a 1995 Talon TSi AWD tomorrow. Just wondering if it's worth picking up. Also I've heard of reliability issues with DSM cars, do I need to worry about that as much with the motor built stronger? here is the ad:

"hi im selling my 1995 talon tsi.it is awd (all wheel drive) and five(5) speed manual.(car is the same as a eclipse gsx)car has 121k orig. on odometer so is on body. motor and tranny 3200k miles since built.car was built back in MAY 2004.car is rarly almost never driven ...weekends only

car was professionaly built down south at road race engineering speed shop down in san diego.NO expense was spared.it dosnt not have a 7-bolt 4g63t motor it has a jdm 6-bolt block and head 4g63t.car has dsmlink ecu flash eprom.


im asking $5500 firm im in a bind and need cash fast.......... my big loss your big gain.real dsm lovers know what rre is and how much $$$ can be spent.contact me for more info


here is a list of the work done to the car at rre as is on the purchase order receipt word for word


description unit price


VALVE TRAIN PARTS

crower spring and retainer 350.00

s/s swirl polished 1mm oversized valves 240.00

hks cams 280 exh/280 intake 550.00


ENGINE BEARINGS

clevite connecting rod bearings 60.00

clevite main bearings 80.00

OIL PUMP

new oem oil pump 1g with case gears and castle plug 175.00

balance shaft removal kit 50.00


GASKETS

mitsu factory head gasket 95.00

factory gasket set 210.00

ENGINE REMOVAL AND INSTALLATION 600.00


TURBO

turbo water hose 20.00

exh. nuts and washers,set 18.00

exh. studs ,set 22.00

modify 2g motor mount 15.00

modify 2g motor mount bracket plate 5.00

modify 2g timing belt cover 10.00

oem jdm mitsu tdo5h big 16g evo 111/3 turbocharger 1100.00

port and polish of turbocharger 150.00

wastegate delete 100.00

tial 38mm f38 wastegate 320.00

tial red and blue springs 60.00

punishment Elbow Outlet 38mm Pipe for wastegate 80.00

turbo Stainless Oil Feed lines kit 100.00

greddy type-s blow off valve (bov) 200.00


ENGINE MISCELLANEOUS PARTS

2g 95-97 cam angle sensor(w/wiring harness) 250.00

set of spark plugs(ngk b7es(4)) 40.00

CORE CHARGES

used short block 500.00


HEAD WORK

555 reurface head,grind valve seats,3 angle valve job 350.00

silicone bronze valve guide set(8 intake,8 exhaust) 80.00

labor:grind valve seats for oversixed valves 100.00

stage2 port and polish head: match port,

clean around valve seats,and smooth ports. 400.00

fuel injector o-rings:upper and lower 14.00


TIMIN BELT PARTS

timing belt 67.00

timing belt hydraulic tensioner 1g 80.00

timing belt tensioner pulley 25.00

timing belt idler pulley 36.00

6-bolt water cooled filter housing new 80.00

water pump 1g 100.00

thermostat 1g 12.00


PERFORMANCE ENGINE PARTS

wiseco pistons 450.00

eagle rods 400.00

arp main studs 55.00

arp head stud kit 90.00

injen cold air intake 200.00

1g stock intake manifold 150.00


EXHAUST

apexi down pipe 3" 200.00

apexi 3" exhaust n1 400.00

2g stock exhaust manifold n/a


PERFORMANCE LABOR

balance complete assembly,blue print 200.00

deck resurface and reinforce 95.00


LABOR(DEPENDING ON CONDITION OF CORE)

strip to long block and re-assemble 300.00

build long block, clean, strip gaskets,

hone cylinders, check clearances, and assemble

6-bolt long block. 700.00

bore cylinders 0.20"(0.50mm)or 0.40"(1mm)oversize 150.00

polish crankshaft 80.00

line bore block 120.00


FUEL SYSTEM

walbro 250 200.00

jdm evo8(560cc) pink tops injectors 600.00


CLUTCH/TRANSMISION

shepracing.com stage3 Transmission 1975.00

bg syncro shift (3) 29.00

centerforce clutch 450.00

fidanza aluminum flywheel 380.00


LUBRICANTS

anti freeze 11.00

break in engine oil 15.00

k&n oil filter 6.00


total:$14,000.00


kelly blue book on car is $3700
$14,000,thats not including the car yet.. just mods!have ALL papers...once again im only asking $5000.00 frim on price for everything!
NO low balling car and mods together are $17,700 so $5000 is a steal
car runs 12.3's to 11.9's in 1/4mile as of now.with a bigger turbo like 50 trim could run 10's 9's.engine was built to withstand 35psi of boost



spec's on tranny

New 1-2 Fork New 3-4 Fork New Shep Trans Spec 2nd Gear New 1-2 Hub/Sleeve kit with Double Synchro Rings New 1-2-3-4- 5-R Synchro Springs New 5th Gear Synchro Rings New Input, Output, and both Drive Shaft Seals New Input Shaft Bearings New Intermediate Gear Bearings New Roll Pins New End Nuts New Center Diff Side Shims New Nylon Shifter Pad Shims for setting preload Upgraded Torrington Bearing Bead Blasted Case 4 Spider Center Differential Heavy Duty 3-4 Conversion Transmission filter upgrade Upgraded Rare Earth Magnet EVO III first gear and input shaft"

 

[giovanniv]

If I were you I would pass it up. Sure it has a bunch of crap done to it and this and that but think about how much abuse that car has gone through that you don't know about. Personally I would save that 5500 bucks and find yourself a stock nonmodded 2g and you can mod it and learn from it instead of purchasing someone elses headache. Just my .02 cents....

Oh and he has all that money put into it and he doesn't say he has anything to tune/monitor the car? Hmmmm weird....

 

[Project2G]

He said it was rebuilt in 2004. So does that mean since 2004 he has only put 3200 miles on it? That to me throws up a red flag. I would never buy a modified car but that's just my opinion.

 

[95420at]

it sounds like a good deal honestly but i would look for a stocker b4 u buy a built car people dont get rid of cars that they have alot of time or money wrapped up in it for no reason there has to be something that this guy isnt telling you or there is something about to break or already has and he just wants to get rid of it b4 he dumps anymore money into it hate to turn down a decent dsm with alot of potential but its best to buy a stock one and build it up on your own so that way you know theres nothing wrong with it and if any problems come up down the road you will know exactly what it is and how to fix it

 

[inneed4dsm]

im not going to say dont buy it but i will say +1 for not buying a modded car its just something that you would really have to know alot about on your own so you could ask the guy questions when you went to drive it or whatever it could very well have alot of problems and sometimes problems are easy to hide for a couple hundred miles... just my .02 cents

 

[boosted475]

um.. that's what everyone here is for right?

 

[funcar]

I think I would buy it and keep on making it faster. But I would only buy it knowing I have a reliable daily driver. More than likely you will want to change it up anyway, just to make it yours as how you think the car should look or perform. So you would be buying a fast car for cheap with minimum cash spent. How does the car look and drive? And if the owner seems to know his stuff about cars (not just what the paper reads from the mechanic) he should have taken good care of it? Choice is still yours in the end.

 

[95420at]

sure thats y everyones here for just lookin out for a fellow dsm owner r soon to be owner dont want to get in over your head

 

[boosted475]

the car is pretty clean minus one black fender. I haven't driven it yet but I'm going to check it out tomorrow evening so I'll get a chance to talk to the owner and drive it then.

Any advice on what kinds of questions to ask?

Also I will be bringing tools to test the compression.. anything else specific I should check for?

 

[giovanniv]

Ask for all receipts of work done and ask him about maintanance. Check for any leaking under the car or if it is overheating, burning oil, any funny smells, rust etc. Maybe if you can check the turbo for shaftplay if you want?

 

[95420at]

ask every question about the car that you can possibly think about ask about wiring if theres any issues in the electrical when the timing belt and water pump has been changed etc these two questions especially are important to kno on an interfearence motor broke timing belt means bent valves and electirical on a dsm isnt like no honda it actually takes some brains fix wiring issues on these things also ask about tcase and rear end make sure those have been properly maintained along with the tranny itself

 

[black_gst]

it is your $ so spend it how you wish... i personally bought a 97 gst with a 6 bolt swap 20g turbo and all supporting mods and it ran great till the day i crashed it so you never know you could get a good deal or you could get screwed. i felt good about the guy i bought my car off of he seemed really cool.. he was in his early 30's i think, and i still talk to him once in awhile

so you may get a great car or someone else's problem

good luck

 

[GSXSixteenG]

It seems like a good bang for the buck. But I'd base my decision on how it looked visual, you can tell how well someone cares about the car when you first see it from the outside. If you see it and it has a ton of curb rash, different color bumpers, and 4 tires all worn in improper ways. Then I'd stay away from it. RRE is a very reputable shop though. There are definitely a lot of quality parts in it. I'd question tuning as mentioned earlier.

 

[funcar]

Who knows if it has problems? Maybe the guy needs some money for his soon to be son/daughter? Cant hurt to at least call him to check it out. I sold my 2000 z28 (which I bought new) in 2003 with a few mods and only 24k on the clock. Sold it because it didnt have 4 doors, my work car did but I didnt want to haul my son around in it. Who wasnt born yet. So all kinds of reasons. I sold my z28 for what I owed on it, I think like 11k. I'm happy I sold it cause year later got my evo.

 

[boosted475]

I know I can probably search for this but I'm at work right now. How do I check for shaft play in the turbo?

 

[pboglio]

Checklist for starters:

1) Cylinder Leakdown test
2) Cylinder compression test
3) Crank thrust end play
4) Turbo shaft thrust and side play check
5) Check strut towers for corrosion
6) Check underneath doors for corrosion
7) Check radiator saddle (underneath car) for corrosion
8) Check panels for damage (check with magnet on wavy spots)
9) Check Carfax for vehicle title history and or collision history.
10) You get the idea...etc. etc.

Find out exactly how many miles are on the built tranny. Anything over 10,000 miles and I'd put aside $1600 for a tranny rebuild fund. It could shift perfectly and fail the next minute but the mileage can give you an indication of how much life is left in it.

RRE is a good shop, no bullshit or hype.

 

[inneed4dsm]

take off the intake and grab the compressor wheel with your index and thumb and try to wiggle it.. if it doesnt move theres no shaft play which is obviously good

 

[joe sobo]

hmmmmm. 600.00 dollars for 560 injectors?????????? yea right. oh, and 200.00 for a walbro?????????? . if he lies about the prices of parts to make the car sound oh so expensive, then just imagine what else is being hidden.
and 1,100.00 for a eiii turbo???????
then he says he paid 500.00 for the block, then in the next paragraph, he adds 700.00 more for a core for a block

LABOR(DEPENDING ON CONDITION OF CORE)

strip to long block and re-assemble 300.00

build long block, clean, strip gaskets,

hone cylinders, check clearances, and assemble

6-bolt long block. 700.00

bore cylinders 0.20"(0.50mm)or 0.40"(1mm)oversize 150.00

polish crankshaft 80.00

line bore block 120.00
here it says to strip and reassemble long block is 300.00, next line downd says to reassemble engine is another 700.00 to strip gaskets and reassemble........ so which one is it.
then to bore cylinders is 150.00, then two sentences below it it goes to say to line bore it is another 120.00. so did he get it line bored or just bored??????????????
dude, listen to all these other members. you are taking a big risk of buying a beat, or maybe a car that has no internal work done to it. MAKE SURE HE SHOWS YOU THE RECEIPTS
after going on cl and looking at the pics, he says no expence was spared, but if you look at the turbo to manifold bolts, the stud one must of stripped out at the manifold, so they threw a bunch of washers on it and called it the day. to me, that is one exspence he spared just by the pic, so how many don't we see

 

[Doubleot]

I love how he put the spark plugs cost 40 bucks. If they are the Oem specified ones, they are no more than 3 bucks a piece.
I'd pass on it. But it's your money.

 

[mitsubishi9908]

Was this on craigslist? post a link. Any pictures? i bought a modded car and got screwed would never do it again! i ended up replacing 90% of the aftermarket parts on it.

 

[PIMking]

set of spark plugs(ngk b7es(4)) 40.00

hahaha hes full of pooo and I wouldn't get it. I read up to that point and had enough....

who pays 1100 for a 16g?

 

[Lusion972]

Dude is hyping up the car to make it worth more then what it is. Ask for receipts for all the parts and service ever done. RRE built the motor then he should have a receipt for it.

 

[bomper04]

haha hey i saw that on craigslist too. i see you're from the area =)

 

[mitsubishi9908]

haha hey i saw that on craigslist too. i see you're from the area =)

post the link!

 

[bluegs03]

the guys just doing what any decent salesman would do, trying to make the car seem like a bargain. While he did exagerate extensively in some parts, he still has put a bunch of parts on the car and it might be worthwhile if you find that you like it.