Tips on my first DSM purchase?

[WisconsinMonSTAR]

OK, so I'm looking into buying my first DSM. I've been searching for a long time now and it has been hard to find one that seems reliable and doesn't need weeks worth of work done. I want a 2g turbo model. I came across a few that I like. First off, I have some general questions:

1. What is a decent price range that a good condition 2g turbo model should be?
2. Around how many miles is too many for a DSM to be a moderately nodded daily driver?
3. What issues are a big no-no when it comes to buying a DSM?


Now, the car that I'm looking at...

It is a 96 talon tsi fwd with 141k miles. It has been converted to an eclipse body style, with a ricey, but clean body kit. I like the way it looks. It is fully functional, power windows and locks work, a/c and cruise control have been deleted and replaced with red under glow and neon lights in all of the vents and under the seats. The back is completely stripped of seats and interior paneling. I dont mind it at all. It has ralliart racing seats and harnesses, a short shifter, ams boost controller, a/f ratio, boost, and tach boost gauges. The engine was rebuilt 2 years ago but has been sitting for a while. Only driven 600 miles in the past 2 years. Changed on royal purple oil.

Mods:

Hahn race craft super 16g turbo, greddy type s bov, dejon tool IC pipes and big FMIC, Taylor 10.4 wires, ported 1g exhaust manifold and o2 housing, full 3" turbo back exhaust w/o cat, injen intake, ams boost controller.

Tokico suspension, 17" pro concept RSL wheels and strut bars.

It has some other cosmetic mods too.

I'm waiting g to hear what ecu and tuning program it is running on as well as injectors and fuel pump.

Only known issues are it has idle surge due to a faulty iacv, and some rust on the strut towers. I have a friend who can fix both.

What issues may occur in the short time I will be driving this car before getting this things fixed? Is $4700 a good price for this car? I talked him down from 6k. I will be including pics shortly. Please, any input at all would be greatly appreciated.

 

[xuberantz]

4700 for a FWD with rust on the strut towers is way to expensive in my opinion. You can come across a MUCH better deal, be patient!

 

[VtecvrsTurbo]

Ill sell you mine for $4700 in way better condition than that!

That's not a good price for that car. I found mine for 1700 with 70k miles and a blown tranny. 1300 later I have a 99 GST with a new tranny for 3k. When it comes to all those mods, in some weird way I still cant understand, the parts are like worth 15% of their actual value on the car. dont let mods fool you on the price.

I wouldn't pay more than 3k for that car in perfect mechanical shape.

Shock tower rust=

The deals are out there, just be patient. . .

 

[slickers111]

Think of why these cars seem to be unreliable...The owners.
Mods usually reflect the owner. They guy has a Fast and Furious eclipse. I see no good coming from a car that was most likely owned by someone who doesnt keep up with maintenance, and doesnt care for the car, other than cosmetic appeal.

Most of these cars are beaten, abuse, and neglected. Like the ASPCA commercials. You want to find one that is mostly stock. That is the best starting point.

 

[RussianMax]

1. Depends on you location. Here in Washington, they go for quite a lot, but a super clean fast AWD would be 4-6K. I personally wouldn't go for it.
2.All depends on how it was driven. Mine is at 100K with serious problems left and right. Kid owned before me
3. My hate is when there is a hack job with wiring.

 

[VtecvrsTurbo]

1. Depends on you location. Here in Washington, they go for quite a lot, but a super clean fast AWD would be 4-6K. I personally wouldn't go for it.
2.All depends on how it was driven. Mine is at 100K with serious problems left and right. Kid owned before me
3. My hate is when there is a hack job with wiring.

I agree with most of your advise, but I beat the shiz out of my car and its very reliable. I think it is more important to find an intelligent person to buy the car from, one that does scheduled maintenance for instance. Just make sure its dont right. Go there askng the right questions. "Did you replace the timing belt? How long ago?" Blah Blah. If he doesn't know what a timing belt is, walk away.

 

[WisconsinMonSTAR]

Thanks for all the input guys! A little more detail:

The current owner is a Russian truck driver, who said that his brother bought the car from a Chicago street racer. The crankshaft belt was broken when he bought it. They think the racer lost a pink slip race because of the broken belt and sold the car before he had to give it up. He said him and his brother rebuilt the motor and it has been sitting for 2 years. He passed emissions 15 mins before showing.me the car and proved it with paperwork. He took me for a drive and the car still ran strong. He took it wide open and it was extremely fast. I like the car a lot but from what you guys are telling me, it sounds like a no-go.

I know that building from stock is the best way to go, but I'd love to find one that was built correctly and is already fast and good to go.

1996 Eagle Talon TSI that's the ad for the car

 

[horizontalkev]

I mean it doesn't look bad, but even with the dropped price its still a little pricey

 

[VtecvrsTurbo]

I dont like the fact that its has a HAWN 16g with a stock fuel setup. Did you happen to know what boost level he was running?

That turbo can flow almost 40lb/min.

 

[WisconsinMonSTAR]

If I remember correctly, it was pushing 18 pounds of boost or so. I'm still not positive what fuel setup it is running. I'm finding out this weekend.

 

[RLSchwabe]

Thanks for all the input guys! A little more detail:

The current owner is a Russian truck driver, who said that his brother bought the car from a Chicago street racer. The crankshaft belt was broken when he bought it. They think the racer lost a pink slip race because of the broken belt and sold the car before he had to give it up. He said him and his brother rebuilt the motor and it has been sitting for 2 years. He passed emissions 15 mins before showing.me the car and proved it with paperwork. He took me for a drive and the car still ran strong. He took it wide open and it was extremely fast. I like the car a lot but from what you guys are telling me, it sounds like a no-go.

I know that building from stock is the best way to go, but I'd love to find one that was built correctly and is already fast and good to go.

1996 Eagle Talon TSI that's the ad for the car

Looks hot but just remember you'll be getting harassed by the Police more often than the scaled down DSMs. And trust me... it's not fun being pulled over 1-2 times a week because your car simply looks fast. I mean, it's probably quick.. but when it LOOKS quick that's when the red/blue lights appear in the mirror.

 

[VtecvrsTurbo]

If I remember correctly, it was pushing 18 pounds of boost or so. I'm still not positive what fuel setup it is running. I'm finding out this weekend.

Yes, you most definitely want to find out about the fuel setup. 18 psi on any 16g with stock fuel is a

 

[WisconsinMonSTAR]

Looks hot but just remember you'll be getting harassed by the Police more often than the scaled down DSMs. And trust me... it's not fun being pulled over 1-2 times a week because your car simply looks fast. I mean, it's probably quick.. but when it LOOKS quick that's when the red/blue lights appear in the mirror.

Yes, he did tell me the car was a big time pig magnet. I suppose that is a downside, but I don't hot rod around in my cars. I just get up to the speed limit fast and rarely ever break 10 over, or even 5. I just like to be thrown into my seat even when I'm only going to get up to 30 mph. I like the look of this car a lot and since it is a talon at heart, it is cheaper to insure than a true eclipse.

Yes, you most definitely want to find out about the fuel setup. 18 psi on any 16g with stock fuel is a

I'm waiting til this weekend to hear what fuel system/ecu it is running. I'll keep you all posted! If it is on stock for either, I won't be buying it.

 

[2gGst98]

I say wait. FWD when you can spend 4-6ish definitely try and get a AWD. I couldn't find any AWD in my price range when I got my car, but I got it for 1300 it ran but missed when under boost due to bad spark plugs. And a fuel leak that I tightened fuel filter, Did all maintenance and it is perfect. Could use a paint job but got it 100% stock for cheap.

It's your choice but I would find something that I can put together the way I want it to look and drive and I know it's correct. Not saying you can't find a nice built DSM because they are their, you just have to look. Sometimes an hour or two away. Good luck on your find buddy and if he has no fuel management stay away IMHO

 

[CiscoBite1Time]

i've seen that on CL since last summer/fall on and off. for 4700 (give or take) there's other options in the milwaukee/chicago metro area. i'd say keep looking.

 

[95talongirl]

That car has been on craigslist for the past two years. At least!

I would hold out. For your first dsm, try to find a taken care of stock one. You will thank us later. Lol!

 

[Rikolas]

Like others have said, I would pass on this car. I've bought a Talon that was modded by the previous owner in the past, it was fun but also came with its problems due to lack of maintenance. Best to start from zero so you know 100% what is done and if it was done correctly. Plus you get to have all the fun of doing it yourself!

 

[WisconsinMonSTAR]

OK thanks for all the tips guys! I'm starting to think I should shy away from this one and find a good condition stock or as close to stock as I can find. I'm still goingto wait and see what he says about the fuel system and have my friend look at it, but I will continue my search for a well taken care of stock awd. Thanks to everyone who has responded! You guys have given me some great input and are real nice!


One last thing I want to ask for before I continue my search. Can anyone give me a good checklist for inspection for 2g dsms? Any sort of guideline would be well appreciated. I want to have a good experience with my first one so I can join you guys in the DSM tuning legacy!

 

[TSicktalon]

Rust is the hardest thing to fix on these cars. Everything else is just "upgraded"

 

[jared_gibbs]

If you need this for a dd I'd immediately assume the worst whatever you buy. Find one you LOVE so when you have to make spendy repairs you won't care because it's not just your ride it's your baby. Plan on about $5k to have the motor and tranny rebuilt (if you do motor yourself), new clutch, address flywheel, all new belts and hoses, and another at least $1k for other repairs. That way you KNOW the driveline is solid. From there it's bullsh*t things that fail like the alternator, brakes, etc.

Pos car with blown motor: $1000 + $6k above shopping list = $7k

It seems like a lot but I'd say that's pretty damn good for a sporty car that feels like new. A properly maintained stock DSM would probably surprise you in performance. Even add on another $1k for paint, $2k performance mods, $1k interior & tint, $1500 tires and rims, $1k suspension, $1k audio sits you at $14,500. Again seems like a lot but you won't find another car like that for anywhere near that price. That budget for a 3si or 300zx would barely get them running . Not to mention brand new cars with that level of performance would be well over $20k if not $30k or higher.

 

[2g spyder eclipse]

Hey man, I'd steer clear of this car. A ebay turbo at 18psi stock fuel? Forget it. Plus, it's still too expensive. I bought my SPOTLESS 130k gst spyder for a little under 4k, with a true 16g and goodies... You can do better.

 

[RussianMax]

I agree with most of your advise, but I beat the shiz out of my car and its very reliable. I think it is more important to find an intelligent person to buy the car from, one that does scheduled maintenance for instance. Just make sure its dont right. Go there askng the right questions. "Did you replace the timing belt? How long ago?" Blah Blah. If he doesn't know what a timing belt is, walk away.

I drove out 2 hours to get it. For 5250$, bunch of goodies, less than 100K, perfect body. It was worth it. It was a dumbass kid that lied to me about everything. Unfortunately I took his word because I forgot to bring my tools and it was getting dark. Lesson, never look a car in the dark!

 

[Rikolas]

My girl paid $2500 for the 2gb talon that I currently have. It's in pretty much perfect condition other than a small dent on the side. We waited for it for awhile, but it was worth the wait.

 

[WisconsinMonSTAR]

GUYS!!!! I found a 98 GSX in mint condition BONE STOCK with 5k on rebuilt tranny and 35k on rebuilt motor. The guy wants $5100 for it, is this a fair deal, I think it is but I want to ask the experts! I think I may have finally found my car after a year of searching high and low every day. This is the first completely stock 2g turbo DSM I've ever found and it is in MINT condition. Tell me what you think!!!

 

[2gGst98]

Well it sounds good, do you have any pics? Stock is always good also, any reasons on why he is selling it?