About to guy a DSM

I know that the Talon isn't an eclispe, but it does use the same platform... and the Talon board sucks. Anyway, it has 156k on it... and I know that there are different things that go wrong with different cars at different times. So if you could give me some stuff to look for it would be greatly appreciated.

I read that there have been several reports of timing belts snapping, but it was only reported on the 91-92s for some reason. If someone could ellaborate on that it would be great.

timing belts, that ive heard, havent been a wide spread problem. You need to know about thier bad starters, stock struts suck, transmissions are weak, VC (awd part) cant handle too much power/abuse, The rear end cant handle an X amount of power, 95-99 (7-bolt crank) cars may have crank walk, some hype, some truth. The stock boost gauge is almost always inaccurate. What else....leather seats are pretty much guarenteed to be worn out. The suspension bushings/tie rod ends take a beating. It's basically a cheap ass car with a powerful motor, and that tells you to prepare for repairs.

Just so you know, a VC (Viscous Coupler) Is just another name for the tranfer case, sorry to possibly confuse. Also I want to retract "It's basically a cheap ass car with a powerful motor" I dont wanna make it sound like it's really just a junk car. I guess the saying goes "If your not breaking parts, your not making enough hp"

The VC is not the transfer case. The VC is a coupler that allows the open center diff to spin freely with front and rear wheels allowed to move at differnt rates. This is so you can make tight turns without binding. If the front or rear wheels are turning faster than the other end, heat buidls up in the VC expanding the viscous fluid and locking the VC, essentially giving you a solid center diff (4x4) and 50/50 power delivery. The transfer case is what trsnfers the driveline power from transverse (the way the tranny/enigne is mounted) to the longintudinal driveshaft (to get to the rear diff). It just makes a 90 degree turn to the rear end. Thats it. Both parts will handle over 500 whp for years on end. Its the center diff that is weak if you wheelhop. ;)

I have never heard of bad starters on DSMs, only aftermarket starters for them. You typically have to buy 4-5 to get a good one. Same for aftermarket rebuilt alternators. The 4 bolt rears in I believe 92 and up cars can run 8s, the 3 bolt rears in the early cars is known to be a weak spot, but poeple still run 11s on them. You can upgrade to 4 bolt if needed. The stock boost guage IS always inaccurate, since it never measures boost in the first place. Its not actually a boost gauge.

I've also heard that the 4g63 is problematic when you really start to mod it. Is high miles an issue? Also the dreaded "crankwalk"

"if it's a 93 or newer, you better hope to god that those miles are highway miles and it hasn't been pounded on all the time(over-revving and the such)"

Why do you say that. Why whould year make a difference as to how many miles the car has? Are the 93's and newer more succeptable to certain problems? It's the same engine, so I don't understand.

I am looking for tips on stuff like warning signs that the turbo is worn, are there certain seals that go bad on 4g63s that I should check or places that oil leaks, maybe certain noises that hint certain problems. I remember hearing something about checking the inside of the turbo piping for oil or something.

Well, I went and drove the car today and talked to the guy for a while. It's a 91, I'm pretty sure anyway... hehe, year wasn't one of my main concerns. Anyway, it has some cosmetic defects. The paint on the hood is fading with the clear chipping. The front bumper has a break on it, there are some small dings here and there, a little dent rear bumper, and the windshield has a minor crack in it.

He is very knowledgable about the DSM, and he was going to build the car his self. He replaced a lot of stuff on the car, in his effort to prepare it for some mods. The car runs strong, and the engine is extremely quiet. The only mechanical problem the car has is the 1-2nd syncro is grinding.

My brother and I drove there in his 93 MR2 turbo. The guy wanted to see how the car matched up to my brothers, since he's never raced anyone. We did two runs, one from a dead stop and one from a 30mph roll. The first run he got a descent launch, while my brother's reaction time wasn't the greatest, and off the line the DSM had about a car length on my brother (I was in the DSM). As we pulled into third my brother was passing us up and by 75 my brother was 1.5- 2 car lengths ahead. It was about what a DSM should do in stock form against a stock MR2.

In conclusion, mechanically the car is in pretty good condition, cosmetically it could use some help but it's not anything that couldn't be fixed. He is asking 2400 for it, and needs to sell it in the next 30 days. What do you guys think?

2400 isnt bad at all. Its about the average price for the 6 bolt 1Gs. It could be well worth it if he did some of the maitnenace as you said to get ready to mod it. I'm not sure what he did, but if he did the tbelt, and things like that, I would certainly spend that 2400 on it. ;)

He replaced some hoses, probably the timing belt (didn't mention it though), plugs, replaced the cv joints, clutch slave and master cylinder, brakes, and some other stuff. It seems like a pretty good car. Like I said, it wouldn't come first in any car shows, but mechanically it's in great condition.