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?

 

[boost97gst]

Check the WIRING!!! Theyre almost always hacked by some shit stereo install or dumb car alarm. Bad wiring will bite you in the long run and cause problems that are next to impossible to troubleshoot

 

[mavericktsi83]

Looks like a good car. Make sure it shifts smoothly and the clutch is good. Usually a timing belt and water pump is done around the 100k mark, I would inquire on that and check receipts.

 

[Sebba]

I wouldn't touch it with my barge pole.

All the headache and none of the joys of owning a DSM. I would give maybe $1200 for this car.

 

[fi3ndx]

Ive decided to keep looking i also found out it has custom window tint which is illegal in my state.

 

[99ECLIPSEGSXDSM]

It's illegal in most northern states. Doesn't take long to remover at all. Razor blade and a hair dryer

 

[koafallenangel]

Its a decent looking car, negotiate the price down abit if you can. Check under the car and strut towers for rust you dont want to hit a bump and your struts come through your hood. If possible bring someone who can check the compression so you know there isnt a blown head gasket. All in all itll be a great first car as mine was a buick

 

[DSM_GSX01]

looks like a good buy to me just like my white 95 gs i had.Make sure it drives good down the road and don't over heat. Make sure there is oil in it before buying. Look at the coolant also. Make sure oil and coolant haven't mixed in radiator or over flow. Look for leaks after you test drive car. Hope this helps. Good luck.

 

[Chaotic94]

Hey everyone! First off let me say I've never really worked on a turbo'd car before. I've done engine swaps, tranny replacements, and rear end rebuilds on my 1994 Camaro but I've heard turbo's are a whole different ballpark of fun. I've been doing research on this forum for a couple weeks and I have a pretty good understanding of how turbo systems work now and a lot of the common upgrades for these cars, as well as the "maintenance before mods" lecture.

anyway, now that that's out of the way, Here's the deal I was offered:

1993 Eclipse GSX 5-Speed for $650
The interior is in mint condition
The exterior is straight as rails

Whats wrong you ask?

Well first, the clear coat is faded and pealing on the hood, roof, wing, and drivers side.

Second, the car has been sitting for two years. Not sure if that's a big deal or not. Obviously it'll need a tune up.

Third, it's dumping oil into the intake through the oil seal on the turbo
Would I be better off buying a new turbo or having the factory one rebuilt?

And last, the car has an electrical issue
(Better explained) My friend told me that it will start and drive just fine. However, he said you have to wait for the engine light to come on before shutting off the car or it wouldn't start again. I've never ran into anything like this with cars I've owned so I figured I'd ask you guys if it were a common problem on the 1G DSM's.

Thanks in advance for the advice!

 

[Bud92gsx]

Lemmie add this up for you.

Car 650
New turbo 200
New gas,pvc seals and misc gaskets along with t belt/tensioner 3-400


Total about 1200/1300.For a "straight as rails body car".Id jump on that in a heartbeat.

On second thought this light on the dash deal..Never hear of anything like that at all..

 

[Kyogie12]

"Good Deal" is all in perspective to what you wanna do. If you're looking for a semi-long term project this could be the car for you!

Paint would worry me, but I don't have access to a booth.

Blown turbo isn't a big deal, you can have that 14b rebuilt, or upgrade to a 16g or the likes for relatively cheap. I just picked up a rebuilt 14b for 265 shipped.

Tune ups aren't too bad. I had a 95 GST that i got for 1k that was sitting for a little under two years. I eneded up putting another 3k into the car, but I went nuts and replaced every gakset on the engine, arp studs, clutch, turbo etc....

As for the electrical i'm not too familiar with that problem. It could be something up with the ECU and you can find those for around 100 bucks. So might not be a big issue.

Once again it's all up to you if that's a good deal. It depends on how much money and time you want to invest. It is hard to find 1gs with a solid interior. So that's a plus. PM if you have any other questions.

 

[Chaotic94]

Thanks for the quick replies!!! I actually have a few pics of the car if the forum will let me upload them, being a new member and all. Will photobucket work on DSMTuners like it does on most other forums with the image codes??

 

[Bud92gsx]

Yessir pbucket works amazingly..Let me check this car out?

 

[Chaotic94]

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Sorry I don't have any interior shots. The interior is missing the radio bezel. That's all that's wrong in the interior as far as I could tell.

 

[Bud92gsx]

Id buy the car just because it has the factory mud flaps.

From what i see it looks stock as stock can be.Id definatly buy it for 600$

But critters up in the wiring and what not may be a factor.So your gonna have to watch out for wire shorteges etc.

 

[Chaotic94]

Yeah I kinda figured with it having sat for two years, it may have some wiring issues due to critters . It'll be a fun project if I end up buying it. I'll keep you guys posted for sure! Hopefully the engine light/starting problem is an easy fix. Oh I forgot to mention...
When it wont start, he said it can be roll started. You just cant start it with the key unless you wait for the engine light to come on before shutting it off.

 

[boost97gst]

You might jump balls deep into a ton of underbody rust, drivetrain problems, wiring(like you said) etc....
Theres a good chance brakes are all frozen, lines might be rusted, all bushings def shot, shocks, cv axles, drive shaft, tranny seals, seals everywhere... You want to double the amount of money and time you think youre going to put in. Little things always pop up on these cars. Theyre old, and one way for sure to cause a bunch of problems is letting cars sit for a very long time. You can expect all hoses carrying oil/coolant to be a ticking time bomb. replace them before they leave you stranded.
Just spend a good 3 months going through everything and working the bugs out. A few grand later and some serious elbow grease and youll have a great little AWD!

 

[SlickRicky13]

I would get it out of the weeds and look at it good first like stated above mice and under body may be an issue.

 

[JusMX141]

Third, it's dumping oil into the intake through the oil seal on the turbo
Would I be better off buying a new turbo or having the factory one rebuilt?

Definitely better-off rebuilding an OEM turbo than buying a new Chinese aftermarket.

However, oil can't exist in the intake from the turbo....oil can't travel backwards. Sounds like the turbo is drawing oil out of the engine as a result of poor crankcase ventilation, perhaps a bad (stuck) PCV valve.

 

[Chaotic94]

What he told me that the car is smoking due to the turbo leaking oil. Anyway, I looked under the car and there aren't any weeds under the car. Just around it and growing through the bumper up to the engine bay. But there aren't any actually under the car. I figured with it having sat for so long that a bunch of stuff would need replaced. But I think it would be a good project for me while I DD my Camaro.

 

[NosLaser]

Check underneathe for bad rust, but other than that, the car is all there, and I'd say a good project for that $.

 

[WES_393]

Looks like a nice project car. Just be prepared for the worst, for all you know it needs an engine rebuild.

Side note: It appears to be a non-ABS model too, which is always a plus in my book.

 

[91-GS]

Drag the car out of the greenery onto some hard surface. Use a 1/2" ratchet to turn the engine over (stick it in the square hole in the end of crankshaft), make sure engine still turns over. Pull some interior panels off and inspect the body 'from inside out' to make it easier to see any possible rust spots. Might try starting her, but not for very long since the engine is not serviced yet.

Personally though it sounds like a good deal.

 

[Chaotic94]

Thanks for all the input guys! It'll be a couple months before I'm able to buy it. He said it wouldn't go anywhere between now and then. So in the mean time, I'm gonna do as much research as I can on these cars and what not. I'm sure you'll see me around the forum and I'll update this thread when I take a better look at the car or if I buy it. Thanks again!

 

[dsmporto]

First post, new to the DSM community. I actually just got my hands on a 92 Talon TSi AWD w/ 100k original miles. It's been sitting for about a year, but i only paid $300 for it. In my mind, i think i got it for a good price... what do you fellas think?

Also, since it's been sitting for about a year ... is there anything else i should be checking/replacing besides the fluids/belts etc?

 

[hurricanes71]

Ok I got a question I am going to buy this talon tsi for 3100 I was wanting to know if yall think its worth 3100? Also I got a 98 gst I am planning on taking my performance parts off and either selling it cheap or just parting it and scrapping it. Any know how tell if the cyclone motor is legit?
http://miami.craigslist.org/pbc/cto/4092009507.html