92 talon tsi.....

I'm looking to buy a 92 talon tsi. The guy says the timing belt broke and it needs a valve job or new engine. I have a friend who can do the swap. What other potential problems should I look out for when I go check out the car? He's selling the car for $500.

Basically it will need a rebuilt motor. Once the timing belt goes, that thing is toast.

Hard to check for other things when it dosn't run....

Look for rust, cleanliness of interior and engine bay, etc

There will be problems with any car, but DSM are notorious for having a lot of problems. I find it interesting that since it is a 92 we can assume it was a 6 bolt since most were, that it crankwalked. Usually it is the 7 bolt that does this, which is in the 2g eclipes. A lot of ppl will swap to a 6 bolt just to prevent this type of thing....

look for a better deal. i found a tsi with a bad clutch in great condition with a set of 17"s for $400.

I would buy that car for 500, fix it for 300-500, and drive it on. Easy fix. The motor is always fine, just needs head work, and might as well do tbelt stuff while you are in there. As far as what else to look for, just the usual. I'm sure it's been covered. But I would start with the turbo shaft play and other easy checks.