Worth it to buy a parts car? 98 red gst.

[Rengar18]

So I friend of mine has a 98 gst that has been sitting for about a year. It has a decent condition tranny, the motor is "rebuilt" and is completely stock(stock t25). It has the all the interior, ecu, everything. Body is in pretty rough shape tho. Its usable but I wouldnt drive in it. Huge dent near the drivers door etc. Apparently all it needs is the turbo and the exhaust companants put back on to be running. Engine bay looks good tho, hoses and everything look to be good.

Hes selling it for $800.

If I spend a day there and put the car back together put some fluids in and run a compression test and things checkout would it be worth it for me to buy it? The purpose of it is to use the motor in my 97 gsx and the ecu for ecuflash and to have a car for w/e parts I need. Maybe sell the tranny to recoup some money or w/e.

I was saving my money to pull my motor and check my head/replace my piston rings and a few other things to bump up my compression as im blowing 120 compression on my 11k mile 7bolt.

Are there any red flags I should check or read up or huge benefits b4 I take this plunge tho?

Also note I dont have the tools to pull a motor/take it apart nor the experience (never done it) so ill be paying someone to swap my motors if I buy it..

thanks guys

 

[DSMDriver69]

For 800$ I would say go for it. You can sell the body alone for more than 800$. Just turn around and part it out. Or give it a little TLC and save a DSM from death and sell it as a whole, while making money.

 

[TJCTalon]

Yes it is way worth it. Whatever you don't use you can sell and easily make that 800 back. It's a steal bro you better jump on in

 

[97-gst]

yeah id say get it. its a good deal and you need the engine(as long as it hasnt cranwalked)I paid $1800 for a gsx in rough shape just so i could tear it apart and do an AWD conversion. Or you could get an exhaust and turbo and put it back together

 

[Rengar18]

Alright Cool. Yea thats what I figured. I guess im a little intimidated that I dont know how to really strip the car apart completely nor have the tools (jst have a basic socket set/wrenches/jack and stands.) and not a whole lot of knowledge with these cars.

But I mean at this price I really dont want to pass it up... especially if the motor actually has good compression. Is there any precautions or anything b4 I try to start the motor? It currently has year old oil in it. Am i good to jst drain all the fluids/replace, put the exhaust/turbo back on and start it up?

thanks

 

[Khnemu]

Alright Cool. Yea thats what I figured. I guess im a little intimidated that I dont know how to really strip the car apart completely nor have the tools (jst have a basic socket set/wrenches/jack and stands.) and not a whole lot of knowledge with these cars.

But I mean at this price I really dont want to pass it up... especially if the motor actually has good compression. Is there any precautions or anything b4 I try to start the motor? It currently has year old oil in it. Am i good to jst drain all the fluids/replace, put the exhaust/turbo back on and start it up?

thanks

Drain and replace the gas, swap batteries, bring fuses and coolant.

 

[Khadaw66]

Always good to have a parts car. I was wishing I still had my parts car last night when my A/C condensor busted....

Alright Cool. Yea thats what I figured. I guess im a little intimidated that I dont know how to really strip the car apart completely nor have the tools (jst have a basic socket set/wrenches/jack and stands.) and not a whole lot of knowledge with these cars.

But I mean at this price I really dont want to pass it up... especially if the motor actually has good compression. Is there any precautions or anything b4 I try to start the motor? It currently has year old oil in it. Am i good to jst drain all the fluids/replace, put the exhaust/turbo back on and start it up?

thanks

It is extremely important to check the timing before trying to crank it.

 

[Oliver@Slowboy]

For 800$ I would say go for it. You can sell the body alone for more than 800$. Just turn around and part it out. Or give it a little TLC and save a DSM from death and sell it as a whole, while making money.

Yes it is way worth it. Whatever you don't use you can sell and easily make that 800 back. It's a steal bro you better jump on in

Really? everyone told me to GTFO when I was asking $600 for my 95 AWD shell......

 

[Thomas91169]

if the engine and tranny are good you can pretty much make back that $800 if you decide to part out.

hell the t25 alone will sell on ebay for $100-125. injectors go for $40-50. if its 98 that means it has black dash, those go as well. 2gb front bumper, people are looking for those all the time. headlights/foglighs/tails, etc. You could easily make $2k profit off of parting out EVERYTHING, or spend a few hundred and have a running car for under $2k.

Really? everyone told me to GTFO when I was asking $600 for my 95 AWD shell......

agreed. shells, especially if they are pretty much stripped, dont go for more than a few hundred bucks. If all it needs is a motor/trans, i could see $500-600 if it was in great shape.

 

[Tanro]

Really? everyone told me to GTFO when I was asking $600 for my 95 AWD shell......

THis isnt a shell. Its a mostly complete car.

 

[XiKeiyaZI]

Alright Cool. Yea thats what I figured. I guess im a little intimidated that I dont know how to really strip the car apart completely nor have the tools (jst have a basic socket set/wrenches/jack and stands.) and not a whole lot of knowledge with these cars.

The best way to get to learn about a car is hands on opposed to reading. Sure, you should do research, but the minute that you tear an engine apart you gain an understanding that the books, reviews, and diagrams just don't pass on to you. Get your hands dirty. Don't be afraid of it.

For that price it's well worth it. You have an entire car there that's just begging to run.

Just check timing before you ever try to crank it up. Turn it over a few times by hand and see if the engine hangs up in any one location (aside from compression). Also make sure that all of the timing marks line up and that the belt isn't frayed/torn in any location.

In all reality.. you could buy the car for that price and fix it up to drivable standards and have your hands on a good DSM.. or sell it. Hell, part it out and make back double what you paid for it. That's what I did.

Either way, it's a damned good find/buy.

 

[Oliver@Slowboy]

if the engine and tranny are good you can pretty much make back that $800 if you decide to part out.

hell the t25 alone will sell on ebay for $100-125. injectors go for $40-50. if its 98 that means it has black dash, those go as well. 2gb front bumper, people are looking for those all the time. headlights/foglighs/tails, etc. You could easily make $2k profit off of parting out EVERYTHING, or spend a few hundred and have a running car for under $2k.



agreed. shells, especially if they are pretty much stripped, dont go for more than a few hundred bucks. If all it needs is a motor/trans, i could see $500-600 if it was in great shape.

THis isnt a shell. Its a mostly complete car.

I understand that, but the posts I quoted said "the body alone was worth $800" this indicates to me that they are talking about a shell. Maybe I misunderstood the posts.

 

[dcmarf]

Good deal Id buy it.Also look into a engine hoist and doing the work yourself not that hard to pull a engine and tranny and it will save you alot of money. Hoist + manual = saved money

 

[bOOst JuNKy]

I wish i could find a NICE dsm for 800 dollars.

 

[XiKeiyaZI]

I wish i could find a NICE dsm for 800 dollars.

Come to Arkansas/Tennessee for a week. They go damned near running for about $300-$500. I drove my 1G GSX from the PO's house for $250.

 

[esoteric]

If you don't want it ill take it I have been looking for a 1g/2g for under 1000$ for a while now.

 

[Thomas91169]

Come to Arkansas/Tennessee for a week. They go damned near running for about $300-$500. I drove my 1G GSX from the PO's house for $250.

dang.

any running 1g here is easy $2-2.5k, if they are even on CL. Non-running 1g's still pull up to $1500.

2g's are $3k and up, unless salvage title or 200k+mi.

 

[XiKeiyaZI]

Most people here have no idea what they are.

My Motto = If you can find one that's not beat to hell for under $1000, you're dumb to not jump on it.

No offense to OP.

 

[BLINKY619]

just look at it this way... its if you were just buying the tranny and motor itself. and the rest of the car is free...

 

[Coreyred95]

The best way to get to learn about a car is hands on opposed to reading. Sure, you should do research, but the minute that you tear an engine apart you gain an understanding that the books, reviews, and diagrams just don't pass on to you. Get your hands dirty. Don't be afraid of it.

^ Some of the best advice I've ever heard. Don't be afraid to tinker and see how it all works and goes together. I wouldn't know jack squat about cars now if I didn't do exactly that.

 

[esoteric]

Its my firm belief you should buy a blown version of your engine and rebuild it for whatever platform you chose. It will be cheap and you can screw up and start over as many times as it takes. then when you are done you have a good motor you can sell/use in a project shell.

 

[nsrmotorsports]

just look at it this way... its if you were just buying the tranny and motor itself. and the rest of the car is free...

That's true, make some profit as well from the deal. anything you don't need sale.