Going to check out a 97 eclipse gst:HELP

[03specv]

Alright im going to look at a 97 GST that has 160000 miles on it... owner says all he did was an intercooler upgrade on the engine. He said a girl drove it before him... hes selling it for $3000. What should i look for when i go see this car. i have a 2003 nissan sentra spec v so i know a bit about cars but not specifically about the mitsubishi cars. It is turbo but not all whell drive. Help me out guys.

[SpEcRv9]

you already got a FWD car with enough power,dont get another one, why not keep that 3k and just turbo the spec? turbo spec-v > basically stock gst

[DSMTJ]

if you're buying the dsm to replace the nissan as a daily driver, please do not, it will be extremely unreliable, especially with that many miles. however if you're buying it to be a fun project on the side, go for it, i had a blast with mine.
turbo shaft play
rust on the passenger side strut tower
timing belt/waterpump maintenance last done? should be every 60k
when was the clutch last done?
burn any oil/coolant? make sure there isn't any coolant in the oil either, cuz that means you need to do a headgasket
check the usualy stuff like brake pads, rotors, tires, suspension, oil leaks, check engine light, current inspection

it's been a while since i owned a dsm, so i'm sure some of these other guys will chime in. oh and you can probably get it for 2500 with 160k miles.

and post where you're from, maybe someone can go check it out with you.

[enigma]

I don't really see my DSM as being unreliable, my only problems lay with a defective alternator from napa. Then again, i did all the maintenanace for the car.
But anyways, look for the following-
wet spots around seams of trans,
wet spot around center section of turbo,
check the shifter bushings for play,
Drive the car and see it is is hard to go through the gears,
See if the oil pressure moves if you push in the clutch(crank walk)
Look for cracked motor mounts
Smoking, leaking, any basic visual no-no's apply.