wanting to buy this 95 eclipse turbo

[cloud3648]

im interested in buying this car. ive heard that the turbo ones are hard to pass smog. any truth to that? the seller says that i have to take care of the smog. seller also says that i need a wheel bearing possibly. i came from a 240sx, and i want to get into a new type of car.

here is the link 95' eclipse
a few more questions:

1. are parts expensive?

2. how reliable are these type of cars?

3. what are teh common problems?

oh any by the way nice to meet you guys

 

[DSMReviver]

I've never live in Cali so i don't know about the smog thing. Alot of members are from Cali and they pass smog test fine. Keep the maintenance up and your cat on you should be fine.

Turbo cars are fun, dsm have lots of potential. To keep these cars running you really need to pay attention to maintenance.

Its a turbo car and like any other car, if its had more moving part the more things you need to pay attention to.

welcome!

 

[beendenied]

Reliable and dsm, are not usually in the same sentence...or paragraph hehe.

Though there are ways to alleviate down time. Such as basic maintenance. That seems to be what people skip over. Going straight to turbo and bov, intercoolers etc...

Just search, this forum is a wealth of knowledge.

 

[Fehrion_sit]

you need to get way more information for us. service history? what is wrong with it? how and who modified it? does he have a title, is it stock turbo or a 420a turbo? ... call the guy, ask lots of questions, write it all down

 

[cloud3648]

thanks for the quick reply guys. im not looking to have it extremely modified if i buy it.

but are there any common problems with these specific models

and how about parts, are they cheap or expensive?

 

[Hugolm10]

I have a friend with a GS-T all stock and it's very reliable never broken down! On the other hand mine is modded and has given me problems . The thing about our dsms is that once u start modding it, it runs more of a chance of breaking down...but that's just part of the fun right! Part prices can vary depending on what it is. However, U should take in mind that there are always a lot of part outs with fellow dsmer trying to lend a hand with good affordable prices !!

 

[GsXdSmKingGsX]

thanks for the quick reply guys. im not looking to have it extremely modified if i buy it.

but are there any common problems with these specific models

and how about parts, are they cheap or expensive?

Yeah. Not being reliable when heavily modded. The parts are pretty cheap when compared to other vehicles. If you do proper maintainence then you will be fine.

 

[dadnkid]

DSM parts are cheap. when the car is properly maintained, they're reliable. But, soon as you start to modd, you wont stop

 

[Boostinsideways]

Parts are pretty damn cheap.

A stock DSM can be very reliable. I daily drove a Colt with a stock drive train swap from a 1g DSM for nearly 2 years and never got stranded, never had it break down.

I also daily drove a ~400 horse Mirage swap for over a year with no issues other than fuel costs.

 

[gusu]

It's not about being modded either its more about the fact you are beating the crap out of your car and using cheap mods or short cuts. Poorly executed builds will break and its your own damn fault. You can build a fast and reliable car if done correctly. Odds are you don't care about reliability if you are going for a fast modded car anyhow.

Do it right and treat it right and it will last.

 

[95talongirl]

It's not about being modded either its more about the fact you are beating the crap out of your car and using cheap mods or short cuts. Poorly executed builds will break and its your own damn fault. You can build a fast and reliable car if done correctly. Odds are you don't care about reliability if you are going for a fast modded car anyhow.

Do it right and treat it right and it will last.

+1

Ask the guy A LOT of questions. If he stumbles on finding answers, than he is probably hiding something. (Unless, of course... he had someone else to all the work.) See if he has the paper work to go with any mods and labor. The problem with these cars are most are modded, and a high percentage are modded very poorly, and thus become the headache everyone assumes when they hear "dsm."

If you are mechicannicly inclined, then you should have no issues unhacking a hacked up car.. if not, I'd HIGHLY suggest that you find a stock one, do the basic maintenance and got from there.

 

[GsXdSmKingGsX]

It's not about being modded either its more about the fact you are beating the crap out of your car and using cheap mods or short cuts. Poorly executed builds will break and its your own damn fault. You can build a fast and reliable car if done correctly. Odds are you don't care about reliability if you are going for a fast modded car anyhow.

Do it right and treat it right and it will last.

Ok, but you should also know that if you have a 400hp car, more things are likely to go wrong.

 

[92AWDHX40]

Take your time do research set goals, find what parts will suit you, and your budget.

 

[Boostinsideways]

You can build a fast and reliable car if done correctly.

This, its all about attention to detail and not cutting corners. If you think you have everything in spec, you need to check it 2 more times.

 

[cloud3648]

talked to him agina he said it needs a left wheel bering. maybe a strut b/c when it hits a bump you can hear a type of metal to metal. he said the power steering went out. (maybe a leak or somthing)? thats pretty much it.

 

[Rockyp]

DSM Parts are very cheap, but dsm maintenance isn't. I bought my 99 GSX in 2009 and have dropped around 1-2k just in components and standard maintenance required for a 10 year old turbocharged sports car. Now I blew a piston ring and I'm dropping for a full rebuild. Overall, not a cheap car, but very well worth it.

Also, I'm pretty sure high HP cars are NOT reliable (counting out diesels). Otherwise, you'd see more daily driven Lambos. High powered cars usually have a shelf life of 60-70k miles.

 

[preludeachris]

I just fixed a wheel bearing on my 95 same side....if your handy with a wrench its about a 4-6 hour job it took my buddy and I more like 7 hours A: neither one of us worked on a DSM before B: We fought A LOT of rust and things that just did not want to budge. As fare as the power steering goes, worst case.. you replace the whole power steering pump not very hard depending on your mechanical skill (check the gaskets before you buy a new one cheaper fix )

DSM Parts are very cheap, but dsm maintenance isn't. I bought my 99 GSX in 2009 and have dropped around 1-2k just in components and standard maintenance required for a 10 year old turbocharged sports car. Now I blew a piston ring and I'm dropping for a full rebuild. Overall, not a cheap car, but very well worth it.

Also, I'm pretty sure high HP cars are NOT reliable (counting out diesels). Otherwise, you'd see more daily driven Lambos. High powered cars usually have a shelf life of 60-70k miles.

Even if "lambos" were the worlds most reliable car your not going see any more because their so freakin' over priced... just because its high horse power doesn't mean Its not less reliable look at the Geo Metro ....its about quality...of parts and the quality of the labor/build

 

[ignited Alchemy]

My two cents would be,
1. Do all the maintenance needed before anything.
2. If it needs anything get it. Do not postpone it.
3. Stay on top of your maintenance.
Do that and you wont have any problems.

 

[4G63_GSX]

as long as you do continued maint. and if you know or even search around on a few forums im sure someone in cali knows a good shop for a tune and any good tuner should be able to get you to pass emissions

 

[goodbuds]

if its to good a deal, it probably is. spend money on a car that can pass smog.

 

[josh1095]

i can speak only on the reliability of the 420a, car is a champ. 210k miles on mine, stock everything! but i drive and maintain it very well. the gst: well, ill find out for myself very soon but i assume if the gs/rs is built this well the gst couldnt be that far off. oh, one thing to look for: wiring problems. they have bitten me twice on my car. just check and make sure the wiring looks solid. that, along with all the other stuff you check b4 buying.

 

[DreamDSM]

talked to him agina he said it needs a left wheel bering. maybe a strut b/c when it hits a bump you can hear a type of metal to metal. he said the power steering went out. (maybe a leak or somthing)? thats pretty much it.

The metal hitting metal sound in a bump could be your bushings. Both my Tsi and GSX did that. Common problem in DSM's.

I gotta say though, going from my '89 240sx to my '95 Talon Tsi AWD (Both stock) was great, and there was no looking back for me. The extra 70-some horsepower makes a huge difference.

Oh, and do the Maintenance!

Edit: Looked at the ad, If it started life as a turbo it's been repainted (No silver stripe on the bottom that I can see), the wheels on the car I believe are from a GST. (They're deff' not OEM GSX wheels). Seller says there's 160k miles, is that on the chassie or the motor? I always worry about people selling cars with that little info posted. I'll text the seller and try to coax more info out of him/her.