both of these cars on on dsmtrader. both are the same color red ex. gray in.
i would like to ask you guys which one is the better buy for me?

this one is the messed up head laser. it doesnt have a drivers window. it has no exhaust system and doesnt run.
http://www.gopartstrader.com/cgi-bin/suite...03a78a7497127d0

this is the running rich one. im guessing it runs but it has 140k miles. i personally dont care.
http://www.gopartstrader.com/cgi-bin/suite...03a78a7497127d0

i just want to know which one would be better for me in the long run? which one will i spend more money on in the future? which is the better buy?

If your worried about the overall cost then dont get a DSM... as you will dump massive amounts of money in it regardless of its condition.

Personally if I were to buy one again it wouldnt run and Id redo everything from the motor the the turbo... but if your on a budget and cant rebuild then get the running one. It has pretty low compression and it will prolly burn oil nicely, but hey its running.

Who knows if the pistons are all dinged up on the one that has bent valves... as the guy seemed to get it running barely before it died.

If you dont know or want to mess with engine rebuilds and general fix up, which there will be alot of becuase they are both old cars, then Id suggest a Honda.

my .02$

im not worried about messing with the internals. and yeah you are right about the money in the long run because i do plan on modding it. ok new question. which one would be cheaper to fix to get it running good again? if the internals are needed to be fix so be it.

or should i just get an awd?

I was looking at that first one for a parts car, it actually has over 130K on it. It's probably pretty easy to get fixed up though.

i think he put a new motor in?

I'd take the 2nd one, it sounds like a much better deal. At least its running and it is cheaper.

that is what im leaning towards. so what do you need to do to bring the compression back and find out whats wrong with the running rich thing?

A nice big can of Engine Restore should do the trick! Not really though, I am sure the car either has bad rings for valve seals. You could have Mike at QPR to a leak-down test to find out exactly where the problem is. The numbers given on the ad aren't all too bad for a car that price, it'll still run and drive just fine...and you'll just have to run a bit more boost to compensate for the low compression. Heck, Reid's Laser drove around fine with 1 or 2 cylinders under 100 psi compression (until he fucked up the rear-end that is). About the running rich part, is it throwing CEL codes? If not I'd say possibly a bad ECU.

i have no idea what CEL codes are, so what are they? im guessing most auto stores have engine restore fluid? how much would stock 1g turbo pistions cost +rings?

The pistons are prolly just fine... Rings on the other hand are worn and the valve seals in the head are gong to be leaky. Thats wy compression is low....
If you do a rebuild you need all the gaskets and all that so just asking how much pistons and rings are tells me you shouldnt be rebuilding anything unless you find alot more about how these engines work and where to get parts. Call a local parts store on prices for rings... that would be a start. But first Id get a decent car and figure out what you want to do with it.

I was kidding about the Engine Restore additive...but hey, it won't hurt so you might as well give it a shot. Any store will sell it...Napa, Wal-Mart, etc. I agree with Peter, deffinately get a car that is running for now then figure out what you want to do with it. CEL = check engine light

complete rebuild, = $$

i dont think im going to do a whole rebuild. so rings and valve seals, i could purchase these at a dealer maybe? yeah you guys are right i have to get the car first.

The "running rich" one is not on trader anymore (atleast from the link above). I remember seeing that on there a long time ago. I thought someone on here actually bought it. If you want a decent 1/4 time and some money left in your pocket, hold out for an AWD car. As far as prices go on a rebuild, call mitsu and ask what rings, seals, and an engine gasket kit cost. If you plan on modding you may want to consider forged pistons and rods as long as you are down there. Unless you are a machinist, plan on an engine rebuild to cost around $2000 with good parts. If you use stock pistons, rods, etc ecxect around $1000 and you installing the engine.

well i think im looking to build a highway racer so im going to buy a fwd. or should i just get an awd first because they might be harder to find? how fast could an awd go on the highway?

FWD is for highway usage.

yeah thats why i would like a fwd and awd 1g dsm. o i typed that wrong i meant to say fwd at the begining. i think most of my races will be on the highway unless its a stop light in the town or somthing.

Get whatever makes you happier.

Check the archives for people bitching about their FWD's and wanting to switch to AWD.

Check the archvives for me bitching about AWD and getting FWD :)