help

[XpL0d3r]

post pictures of the motor

 

[klutch814]

here's the pics he sent me.

 

[klutch814]

i was searching on youtube and found this video. im 99% sure this is the same car. from the previous owner.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TCkppNDouuc

 

[emerican]

If it is the same car the engine bay is nasty man. What brand is the turbo if you talked to him?

 

[klutch814]

yeah i know the engine bay is bad. and i havent talked to him.

 

[klutch814]

he said its an apex'i turbo

 

[lethal6]

One of the worst things you can do when buying a first car is to "settle" because you are impatient. Hell, that is the worst thing you can do when buying any car.

You have to look at the least likely situation with this car. Do you have the money for a complete motor or a full rebuild? When looking at the price tag you basically have too see it as having no motor at all because of the possibility of this motor as being an inch from dead. Is it worth that much to you as a shell?

I personally would pass, but I have paid my dues. Maybe you need to learn the hard way?? For some, that is the best way to learn.

 

[emerican]

^ already tried man and i know sometimes it is the best way i paid mine on a boosted 1g dsm that i got cause price was ok and was excited about first boosted car and good god i ended up buying the car 5 times over with what i put into it then finally sold it thank god and i told that kid what he was getting into.
Ask for the specs on the turbo him just saying apexi turbo wouldnt be enough for me what about the rest of the set up name brand? all apexi kit? What is the car tunned with please tell me its running some kind of good tune

 

[klutch814]

i usualy learn hard the first time. lol. and i did a VIN check on it and everything is clean. im pretty sure im going to look at it today.

 

[emerican]

Ask for the turbos specs check and make sure it is actually name brand and ask what he is using to tune the car.

 

[klutch814]

will do. im going probly after 3. if i do get it the engine def needs a clean up and some 50/50 tails with tint. other than that what do you think?

 

[XpL0d3r]

Nay on the tinted tails.

Also clearly the car was resprayed, and why he has a bottle of tranny fluid in the trunk concerns me. lol

Also, the video says he was running at 16lbs.....

 

[klutch814]

i meant tinted windows lol. and yea built engine to

 

[lethal6]

Also, the video says he was running at 16lbs.....

This scares me even more. 13lbs is bad enough.

There is a reason that he is selling it. He knows something is up and isn't willing to replace the motor. It is easier to dump it on a kid that knows nothing.

 

[XpL0d3r]

This scares me even more. 13lbs is bad enough.

There is a reason that he is selling it. He knows something is up and isn't willing to replace the motor. It is easier to dump it on a kid that knows nothing.

x2 especially at a good price. If you see it take it for a test drive. turn radio off, listen for any noises, squeals, ticks, etc. Ask him to let you get on the throttle pretty hard. Check for overheating, any smoke coming from the exhaust, smell of burning oil, etc.

And get a list of EVERY mod done to the car. Ask about the fuel pump, what size / brand injectors, what brand map sensor he's running, what wastegate, turbo, tuning, etc etc. When was the timing belt & water pump replaced? What spark plugs are in there? Have him do a compression test - in front of you.

I would be VERY cautious on this now that I saw the video. A turbo car means it wasn't driven like a grandma, and 16lbs of boost on stock internals not being driven like a grandma most likely means this motor is close to the edge of kablammo.

Sounds like a good price now, but once the motor goes it won't be so good. I don't mean to be hard but I want to help you as much as I can.

 

[lethal6]

And get a list of EVERY mod done to the car. Ask about the fuel pump, what size / brand injectors, what brand map sensor he's running, what wastegate, turbo, tuning, etc etc. When was the timing belt & water pump replaced? What spark plugs are in there? Have him do a compression test - in front of you.

Sounds like a good price now, but once the motor goes it won't be so good. I don't mean to be hard but I want to help you as much as I can.

I want to add to that and use an example. Take a look at the forum section titled "Forced Induction". Then go to the thread titled "Post your turbo setup". Screw it....here is a link http://www.clubcivic.com/board/showthread.php?t=66019

90% of the posts in there that actually post what they are running tell EXACTLY what they are running, most of them down to what kind of bolts holding the head down. THAT is how it should be with someone that didn't throw a piece of s**t ebay kit on or actually knows what they are doing. They know anything and everything that goes into the turbo system. EVERYTHING. This guy isn't giving any kind of actually information other than "it has a turbo and I have run it to 16lbs of boost". He SHOULD be able to tell you EXACTLY what is there, what it is tuned on, and how it is REALLY running.

Trust me, he is hiding something. Something that is going to cost you a lot of money in the very near future.

P.S. running a vin check isn't going to tell you s**t about the motor or it's condition. That is the heart of the car. It needs it to be able to get you from point A to B effectively. The last thing you want to do is blow all your money on a car only to have to replace the motor right away. Trust me. I have been there. My first VW beetle lasted a full week before I lost all compression on pistons 3 and 4. Yes it let to a fully built motor and ultimately boost but it was down for a year or so because of funds right after I had purchased it.

I wasn't 16 nor was it my only car. You NEED something that is reliable and ISN'T built by some dude that knows f'k all about what he is doing.

 

[emerican]

^ agree with all of the above, but it seems as though he wants the car bad enough that the advice dont really matter. The guy told him apexi turbo and that was enough for him. Im pretty sure it a really cheap kit and if not then its cheapely done. How many people do have you seen with a ton of money dropped in a legit turbo kit and tune and there engine bay looks like that.
16 pounds is hell of alot of boost especially on stock internals.
Not trying to be an a*****e we are all just trying to save you the money and headache.

 

[klutch814]

i get what you guys are sayin. it was already turboed before this guy bought it and all the work does done loacaly. im also sure they are not stock internals.

 

[emerican]

You gotta stop defending this guy man lol. If it was on forged internals he would have said sumthin about them. If he bought the car without a complete mod list and knowing the whole setup then he cant tell you which isnt good for you.

 

[XpL0d3r]

Straight to the point, again, do not buy the car without knowing what's in it.

x2 on the vin check also... if you were to vin check my car it would say it's an automatic D16Y7... would mention nothing of the auto to manual conversion, the b18 swap, the turbo, etc.