What is this car worth / Is this car a good deal?

[Devilsfutbol17]

I found a 1996 Spyder GST for $4900. It is a 5-speed, 91,000 miles on it, white with black top, 17 inch rims. There is 80% tread left on the tires but the guy has a brand new never used set of tires for the car that is included in the price. He says the top doesn't leak, but it had a rip and was repaired, but he didn't like it, so he bought a brand new oem top that isn't installed and is included with the car. He says the interior is really nice, everything inside works, but you have to help the top up a little bit. He doesn't know if the timing belt has been replaced or not. It has a 3 inch cat back exhaust, 16G turbo, apexi intake and a greddy bov. He says it runs great and has no issues. He says he just wants to get rid of it because he doesn't drive it and its taking up space in his garage, which sounds good to me because he kept it garaged at least. he also said that the paint is good on it, no clear coat coming off, no body damage or dents. I'm going to check for crankwalk be looking at the clutch pedal when I turn left. I have been talking to the guy over the phone and I'm suppose to go drive for 4 hours to go and buy it if it checks out on Thursday. Does it sound good? Should I ask him or check for other things on it?

 

[pruitt2480]

Sounds to me like an injector might be sticking open, and that you have some pretty massive boost leaks.

Stock boost should be around 9-12psi.

Boost is climbing to 15psi because of how rich the car is running at WOT.

Would that injector sticking open set off a CEL?

 

[Outdorsman]

A guy wants to sell me his GST spyder but idk how much to value it. He wanted to trade for my prelude but I ran into issues and I have to sell it cash. Right now the GST has a shot to shit top, its ripped and just needs a new one all together. It needs new tires, has two lug nuts missing on the front left tire and 1 missing on the bottom right. It has a 14b turbo and I'm told its in perfect mechanical shape, its all stock besides the turbo. Has no FMIC and it has a bad stereo system. It has 157k miles. I drove it, turbo spools up nicely and haven't had any issues besides cosmetic stuff. The guy knows his stuff about cars and judging by his knowledge, it seems like he's kept good maintenance on it.

What do you think its worth? He was asking 4k here in vegas. I'd prefer a 1g DSM but its all I could find that was in good shape or in my price range.

 

[New_kid]

1998 Mitsubishi Eclipse GST What do you guys think?

It has 15k miles on new engine.
Few minor things.
Hes asking 3200 for it.

 

[t56speed]

1995 GST Eclipse 4300 obo motivated seller

Looking to pick this up wednesday. Trading my rsx type s for it.

Anyway The car is running on 13psi. I was just wondering your thoughts.
Do you think the car will be a reliable dd at this power rating or do you think that
its been abused on this set up and possibly not a good idea. I am very new to dsms and looking to get into a clean close to stock one to be a fun reliable dd.
please lmk your thoughts.

 

[M4s73r]

at initial look it dont look bad. But you gotta drive it. Heres the thing with buying one of these cars that has been modded, your proly inheriting someone elses headache. So drive it. Hell take it by midas and have them do their free inspection thing. If you know what your getting yourself into then that's half the battle. I dont know where you live at, but if you live in a state that does emissions testing (im in MO so safety only) then one of the first things you will have to do is something about the Cat. Wont pass inspection with out one on it. (unless you know a guy that will pass it). I had this same issue. Jegs sells a 9" spun cat. no brackets on it. just took a piece of round bar and knocked out the ceramic in the middle and welded it in.

 

[undefined0000]

First mistake is putting the word reliable and DSM in the same sentence.

A LOT of internal engine work has been done, and if it was done wrong, that could cause you expensive problems down the line. Don't really see if he's got any kind of tuning going on. 13 sounds safe for stock injectors, so he might not have DSMLink or anything. Seems like he ran the 255 fuel pump with no afpr for some given amount of time, that's a mistake. I personally would do the trade, be expecting to become a mechanic if you aren't already. Would make a decent DD, but I would go and listen and look at it first, hopefully he'll let you drive it (Ran into a few people on CL that don't allow test drives -_-). The car was more than likely driven hard, but these are awesome cars and that's what they're for.

When you're driving it, try to go WOT at least once and see if you notice it feels weird. If there are boost leaks or any other air/fuel problems, you will feel like you're hitting a wall and have no power, that's a common problem, and it can be an easy fix, or a hard one. I'm curious as to why he's getting rid of it.

Come back after you test drive it with what you think. Personally, I would drop any N/A honda for a Turbo DSM.

 

[kasumax]

Looks to be as clean and as stock as most others i have seen. Other than receipts for everything that has been done, i'ed say it's an ok purchase. I don't know about 300bhp though. Seems like you wouldn't have to a lot of the regular maintenance. I say go for it. What ever happens you have tuners website to figure things out.

 

[WES_393]

It looks very clean and well taken care of. It would likely be very reliable if the work was done right. It's definitely nowhere near 300hp though. It's probably very close to stock power.

I'm also very skeptical of the "Evo 3 16g" turbo. It seems everyone and their mom has one now days even though it's the rarest and most expensive of the 16g turbo's. If it were a true Evo 3 16g, it wouldn't be running 13psi on stock injectors. It's not a huge deal since all 16g's are great turbo's, but be aware it's likely not the legendary Evo 3.

 

[t56speed]

Thank you all to the replies so quickly...
He told me that the car is on the stock ecu and has no current tuning software.
I am def gonna test drive the car and see how it feels under boost and off boost.
This car will have to last me a while and be a good reliable dd. He said it comes with a stock t25 and a 14b. Im honestly considering uninstalling the boost controller and running it at stock boost if I do get it. He said hed provide a compression test in the parking lot. He said it is his current dd and has been over the last 5 years.. What bothers me is the motor being replaced.. I just wonder as to what went wrong... I plan on asking a lot of questions so please stay tuned.. I have a good friend that is really big into dsms that may accompany. I hope he does. Again thank you for your time.

Also.. To be frank really dont expect it to be the Evo 3 turbo. Those turbos are quite expensive and to be on such a closely to stock car.. I just dont see it happening. To be honest id be happy to install the 14b and leave it alone on stock boost. Even it was the Evo 3 ill probably end up uninstalling it install the 14b and hold on to it or sell it. Im not gonna dd it on such a nice turbo.

 

[undefined0000]

Check for a golden wastegate on the turbo, thats an indicator of a knock-off.

6-bolt swap is an amazing swap, Better for a drag build, and stronger motor. Stronger rods, and not as prone to crank-walkin it out. The other motor was probably just fine, its just something everyone likes to do. 14b is a nice turbo and I wish mine came with it. I bought my car with an ebay turbo in it (unknowingly).

 

[WES_393]

I wouldn't stress the engine swap so long as it was done right. The stock 7-bolt will break if you sneeze on it. Same with the T25, they aren't very reliable or powerful. I personally have one as a pen holder in my shop.

But it sounds like your on the right track!

 

[t56speed]

So all in all. The way it sets the tune should be fine at the boost level he has it set at. That was the main worry. Ive seen friend after friend blow one of these up bc of a bad tune or just cheaping out with a safc and not getting link... I sure hope its everything he says it is. I think the car looks to be fairly clean and well taken care of. Id much rather dd a turbo dsm on stock boost than my na honda.. even though my k20a runs with high to mid 13 second cars. Its a mild bolt on rsx header back exhaust intake and hondata relfash so its a fun dd just has 217k miles on it and is kinda scary driving it with all those miles even though its a honda.

Ok guys went and looked the car over and picked it up. I kinda miss the honda . Mainly bc it had nice intterior and a/c. But hey the gst is nice too. Just gotta fix the a/c and ill be good to go. Thanks for the words of wisdom. Tomm im going to put in a wide band and install new tires. have a good day guys.

 

[undefined0000]

So all in all. The way it sets the tune should be fine at the boost level he has it set at. That was the main worry. Ive seen friend after friend blow one of these up bc of a bad tune or just cheaping out with a safc and not getting link... I sure hope its everything he says it is. I think the car looks to be fairly clean and well taken care of. Id much rather dd a turbo dsm on stock boost than my na honda.. even though my k20a runs with high to mid 13 second cars. Its a mild bolt on rsx header back exhaust intake and hondata relfash so its a fun dd just has 217k miles on it and is kinda scary driving it with all those miles even though its a honda.

Ok guys went and looked the car over and picked it up. I kinda miss the honda . Mainly bc it had nice intterior and a/c. But hey the gst is nice too. Just gotta fix the a/c and ill be good to go. Thanks for the words of wisdom. Tomm im going to put in a wide band and install new tires. have a good day guys.

Welcome to the dark side congrats on your purchase and always remember... 4lyfe!

 

[t56speed]

Thank you I will post better pics of the car tomm. First Dsm for me. Im used to v8s so this is gonna be fun. Maybe it wont break right away. Im just gonna run the 16g on stock boost itll at least be better than the t25 . Btw confirmed it is a evo 3. But the car is on stock wastegate :/ .

 

[New_kid]

1992 eagle talon tsi awd

Saw this on craigslist the other day, the guys says it needs new engine and trans. Hes asking 1k for it, but i might pick it up for 500..

 

[NHerron]

Exterior looks great, look for any rust though. Look for any overspray in case rust is being hidden.

I would pick it up ($500) if that and the interior both pan out to be in good condition.

 

[Arnie]

Car looks good... but the picture is far away... Like Nherron said look for rust... Check the Strut towers in the engine for rust... Look under the car for leaks... Push down on the Front / Rear fenders to see if the struts squeak! how are the tires... remember you would have to get the car towed or if you can move it your self then you're good... towing it will lower the price...

Try to get pics of the interior... miles? receipts? hows the trunk area? is the car gutted??

ETC ETC ETC!

Looks clean from far away though...

 

[bchipman18]

I am thinking about buying a 96 talon tsi with an eclipse front end. It has a few problems. It is pouring white smoke out the exhaust so either it has a blown head gasket or the turbo is shot. The car also has 168k miles on it. The other problem is that the hood, top, hatch and one of the rear quarter panels has the clear coat fading problem. the guy is asking $1200 but my dad says i should only offer $300 seeing as I can't test drive it and its a risk to buy a car without test driving. So forum, how much should i spend on this dsm?

 

[DSMBanditFZ6]

I am thinking about buying a 96 talon tsi with an eclipse front end. It has a few problems. It is pouring white smoke out the exhaust so either it has a blown head gasket or the turbo is shot. The car also has 168k miles on it. The other problem is that the hood, top, hatch and one of the rear quarter panels has the clear coat fading problem. the guy is asking $1200 but my dad says i should only offer $300 seeing as I can't test drive it and its a risk to buy a car without test driving. So forum, how much should i spend on this dsm?

Has the owner modded the shit out of it? Serviced it?

 

[bchipman18]

a greddy turbo timer, a apexl s-afc2 and a aem wideband o2. It also has a front intercooler.

 

[JusMX141]

For $300 he's going to tell you to get lost. Car's worth more than that at the scrap yard.

 

[bchipman18]

well how much would you offer?

 

[JusMX141]

Take a compression tester with you- it takes about 10 minutes to do a compression test which will tell you the condition of the engine. From there, based on the results of the test, you can try to drive the car and make sure the trans shifts properly, then form your own judgement. We can't be there holding your hand while you strike up a deal, so unfortunately you're on your own. A complete DSM anywhere near $1000 with promise of running isn't a bad deal whatsoever....now if he was asking $5000, that's a different story.

 

[Arnie]

^

Pretty much said it... Since it can't be driven it has to be towed... Is the car non op or registered? Take that into account when buying the car after getting receipts... Asking how molested the car was.... How are the strut towers area? Rust free? How's the interior exterior?

If car isn't registered or non op... Tell him you have to pay for a tow truck to move the shit... Also you'd have to pay registrations if not registered... Etc... Things that will lower the price...

 

[talon2gbuyer]

If you come to the conclusion that its not worth it, pull a pin, toss grenade into back seat, run.