http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/cto/3571424626.html

Idk what to do. My uncle is selling his gsr^^^ should I sell my 95 hatch and get this?

Here's my hatch
http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/cto/3574480348.html
I know it may seemed priced high but that's only cause that's how much I need to buy the gsr.

 

Buy the engine from your uncle

 

I'd keep the civic. At 204,000 miles, the engine in that gsr is due for a rebuild. Unless it is a freak like Patricks and will still be going strong at 300,000+ miles.

 

Keep the hatch, swap in a b-series.

 

They are both clean cars man.The gsr is do for a rebuild and the hatch would be a beast with a b18c in it.

 

A few things to consider:

1. Do you care about having a clean title; The GS-R does and yours does not.
2. Do you have any attachment to your civic; Do you care what happens to it after it's no longer yours?
3. Do you know all of the history behind your uncle's car; does he take care of his cars?
4. If you bought the GS-R, could you part out to Civic instead of selling it outright to make more money?
5. I'm not from California, so I don't know what the law is when it comes to swapping different motors into different cars. But you might have to think about that as well.
6. Would your uncle give you a discount, or allow you to make payments?

 

Hes trying to sell it as a whole to buy something new.

 

i know my uncle and he takes real good care of his cars. He just recently finished building his ae86 and it won best paint at local car show.

 

thats what the initial plan was. but i know its not gonna happen anytime soon. im still in college struggling to buy books and all.

 

thanks man. i really like with how my hatch is coming along. and his gsr is clean inside and out too. it even has its factory alarm still.

 

1. i do. if i were to get into an accident, insurance would not pay me whatever my car is worth. they will cut in half for whatever it is worth because it is a salvage title.
2. The only attachment i have with it is that it is my first owned 5speed and that ive always wanted an eg hatch.
3.The only building he has done to his car is throw on a dc header, sri, and lowering springs. He has also replaced various part that have gone out. He takes care of his cars very well. Oil changes on time and tune ups. checks oil frequently. im pretty sure he does more than he has told me.
4.i would not be able to part out the civic because i need to sell my civic to buy the gsr. even if i were to part out my civic right now, i dont think i would come up with enough.
5. I would just have to BAR my civic if i were to swap. its been done before in the same chassis as mine. ive seen it a few times.
6. yes he would give me a discount. 3300. Ive already had an offer for my car for 3k without my nardi setup. I will setup a payment plan with him for the rest of the 300.

 

mileage is somewhat meaningless. the fact it says 204k just means he's honest. the majority of hondas from the 90s are in the 200s. the few you see with 130k and BS like that often won't pass an autocheck for accurate mileage. you look at the mileage reports and bam, rollback. after 10 years old it's not an arrestable crime to alter mileage and a LOT of people do it

if i were the op i would compression test that gsr. if it has at least 200psi in each hole warm and burns less than a quart of oil every 1200 miles do the trade and buy it. uneven compression or low compression i might still do it but the trade would be over priced on his side a touch and you would need another motor.

gsr's typically die from burning a lot of oil often due to sustained high rpm driving. eventually the oil coats the exhaust valves and piston ringlands. one or the other fractures and you drop compression in one hole.

 

Once again, racebum hits the nail on the head. I like this guy!

Compression test will tell you what you want to know about the motor. Since you want a car with a clean title, this purchase would be a plus for you as well.

In spite of the fact that you've always wanted an EG hatch, I think you could find a better one in the future, with a clean title. That being said, a lot of people say they regret selling their first cars, one reason I refuse to get rid of mine.

In the end, it all comes down to what you want: a well taken care of, clean title car, or your first car that you know every nut and bolt of?

 

You should get the Gs-r imo.

 

That GS-R has badly repaired damage on the driver door and bad looking paint. Who knows what the interior is like or what the other angles are like. Since it's your uncle I imagine it's easy for you to see it in person. It's all about condition here. No sense in trading your car for a GS-R that's in bad shape.

 

The damage on the door isn't had bad it looks. And the paint I actually cleaner than mine. The interior is immaculate. If not, pretty close.

And my next step then would be to compression test the gsr. I'll post up number asap.

 

Sounds like you made up your mind before you even posted this thread. Title should have been "I really want to buy this GSR so tell me it's a good deal so I feel better about it"

In all seriousness though, you really seem to be set on the gsr so just keep a clear head and check it over throughly. The last thing you want to do is end up with an unreliable car that you have to put a bunch of money into if you are struggling to by your books for school. Regardless of how well you feel your uncle takes car of his cars, don't skip over things that should be checked. Listen to Racebum, he has been in the "scene" for a long time and he knows what he's talking about.

If you really want to do yourself a favor, get your education straight first. There will still be plenty of these cars to **** around with in 4 or 5 years when you get out of school with your degree. When you get a good job because you put the time in to your education you'll be able to build a much better car than you can right now. Your focus should be on having something that is reliable and cheap to maintain.

 

Thanks for the advice. My head isnt totally set on it though. If i were to get the gsr i would leave it in its true form. I like the feeling of having something true to its roots. but with my civic its a different story. I want to build it up as much as i can. idk if im making sense but yeah. Basically what im trying to say is that id be saving money getting the gsr by not building it up, but with the civic i will spending money to fix it up till i am satisfied.

And i will still compression test the gsr when i can.

 

So my uncle got a compression done on his gsr and it came out to be 195, 195, 175, and 180. I think thats pretty damn good for 204k. what do you guys think?

 

Personally I'd pass unless you were planning a rebuild anyways. You're dropping over 10% in cylinder 3. Those numbers are also on the low side, but that could be due to the gauge more than anything else.

 

Unless you plan to re-build it, I'd also pass. 20 psi difference between the high and low is more than I'd want to see. I re-built mine at about the same mileage. I did a comp test on it before I tore it down and I came up with 180-185 across the board which really impressed me considering the mileage. I was expecting one or two cylinders to be way low because it was burning a lot of oil pre-rebuild.

 

Standard compression is 270psi, min. is 140psi, max variation is 28psi, although the numbers do not look that good, [hard to say without knowing how the test was done and quality of the gauge] they are still within limits, for cylinder with the 175, I would check valve lash, it may just be a "tight" valve, a leak down test could pinpoint the problem.

I do agree that the compression does look pretty good for 204,000 miles.

Maybe your uncle will cut you a break on the price because of that one low cylinder that you are going to have to deal with sooner then later. 94

 

was the car at full operating temp with the TB open when you did the test?

that's a bit low if so, if those are cold numbers they aren't that bad but you would want to see the change when warm

how much oil is it burning?

compression generally goes up about 20psi when warm and the variance MIGHT go away, no promises on the last part

also you didn't use one of those god awful adapter tubes did you? they make the results inaccurate. you have to screw the tester hose in the plug hole, no adapter tubes

 

I personally wasnt there when the test happened. He sent me pics of the gauge for each cylinder. im not too sure what kind of gauge he used but from the pics it seemed like one where you screw it in with a tube. Ill post a pic.

 

heres the pic