1991 Eagle Talon Reviews, Pricing & Specs
What owners say
"Overall, drivers find the 1991 Eagle Talon to be a fun and sporty car, especially enjoying its turbocharged performance and all-wheel drive capabilities. Many appreciate the car's strong acceleration and handling, particularly in snowy conditions. However, several owners have reported reliability issues, including engine and transmission problems, and mentioned that maintenance can be expensive."
I'm currently on my 2nd Talon, both '91 Tsi AWD's. Owned one back in '95 and found a little gem in 2009, which is currently my summer toy. I have mixed feelings about the DSMs. Even though they were amazing cars in the 90's, they had so much potential that just seemed untapped. On the plus side of the ledger, both cars I've owned drove/drive straight as an arrow and felt/feel very tight. Pretty amazing considering the car is now 21 years old! Handling/cornering isn't quite as good as a previously owned 944, but it's not that far behind either. Performance wise, the turbo-charged DOHC 16 valvers are mean little engines. That said, it's a bit disconcerting that many of todays' current vehicles (including some high-end SUVs) can out-accelerate my Talon now. From what I've seen, the cars are fairly easy to modify and get some serious speed out of. Not cheap to do, but the options are plenty. DSMs are very cheap to buy now, and I think one would be hard-pressed to find other sports cars that can perform like the Tsi AWD for the few thousand bucks a good model will run you. A few negatives. Many of the 1st gen DSMs had transmission troubles with the manual trannies and transfer cases. Definitely not cheap items to R and R. Cooling issues have also been weak spots on these cars. Add to that, the fact that many (most?) of the used DSMs have probably been abused and you can be expecting to drop some serious coin on rebuilding the tranny and/or clutch. Parts availability is killing the desirability of older DSMs. Even some engine parts are hard to come by now. This is a huge deterrent to buying or owning a DSM now. All in all, if you keep up on the maintenance and don't abuse them, DSMs will provide a lot of enjoyable driving.
April 1, 2012Performance - The 1st generation DSM in AWD form handles exceptionally well for it's price. The brakes could offer a little for stopping power, but for stock power levels, they are acceptable. The overall power of the car is great for a car of its price tag. It is turbocharged. You can really feel when the turbo spools up. Let's just say life is really fast between about 3200-7000 RPM's Build quality - This is where the car lacks, if you must pick an area. These cars are expensive to maintain for their price tag. However, if properly maintained, they will last quite some time. Appearance - I LOVE the exterior styling of these cars. From the big "whale" mouth on the front bumper, to the "hump" on the hood (for the cams, not the turbo...), to the available 5-piece wing on the rear. Inside the cockpit reminds me of a fighter jet. The orange glow from the gauges, and how everything is built around the driver. The driver's position may seem small and cramped at first, but soon you will enjoy moving your hand about 6 inches to access whatever you may need to. Passenger's seat has good room to stretch. The back seat? Forget them. No full size adult will fit back there comfortably for more then a ride to the gas station. Cost - These cars are not the cheapest to maintain or drive. They require Premium fuel (turbocharged remember?), and a timing belt every 75,000 miles (interference engine. If the belt breaks it's going to be at least $1000 to fix it...). The stock turbocharger will last about 200,000 miles. That will run you anywhere from $500-$2500 to replace (used, aftermarket, new OEM). Being a turbocharged car, it doesn't get the greatest fuel mileage when you consider it is also only sporting a 2.0L 4 cylinder engine. I'll admit I have a heavy foot, but mine gets about 18-19 MPG combined. Fun - In a word? Yes. In a few words? Hell yes. It sticks to the road, has a decent amount of power (195 hp), and just feels right from the driver's position.
December 7, 2011great in the snow, awesome handling, great acceleration
April 11, 2008What owners say
I'm currently on my 2nd Talon, both '91 Tsi AWD's. Owned one back in '95 and found a little gem in 2009, which is currently my summer toy. I have mixed feelings about the DSMs. Even though they were amazing cars in the 90's, they had so much potential that just seemed untapped. On the plus side of the ledger, both cars I've owned drove/drive straight as an arrow and felt/feel very tight. Pretty amazing considering the car is now 21 years old! Handling/cornering isn't quite as good as a previously owned 944, but it's not that far behind either. Performance wise, the turbo-charged DOHC 16 valvers are mean little engines. That said, it's a bit disconcerting that many of todays' current vehicles (including some high-end SUVs) can out-accelerate my Talon now. From what I've seen, the cars are fairly easy to modify and get some serious speed out of. Not cheap to do, but the options are plenty. DSMs are very cheap to buy now, and I think one would be hard-pressed to find other sports cars that can perform like the Tsi AWD for the few thousand bucks a good model will run you. A few negatives. Many of the 1st gen DSMs had transmission troubles with the manual trannies and transfer cases. Definitely not cheap items to R and R. Cooling issues have also been weak spots on these cars. Add to that, the fact that many (most?) of the used DSMs have probably been abused and you can be expecting to drop some serious coin on rebuilding the tranny and/or clutch. Parts availability is killing the desirability of older DSMs. Even some engine parts are hard to come by now. This is a huge deterrent to buying or owning a DSM now. All in all, if you keep up on the maintenance and don't abuse them, DSMs will provide a lot of enjoyable driving.
April 1, 2012Performance - The 1st generation DSM in AWD form handles exceptionally well for it's price. The brakes could offer a little for stopping power, but for stock power levels, they are acceptable. The overall power of the car is great for a car of its price tag. It is turbocharged. You can really feel when the turbo spools up. Let's just say life is really fast between about 3200-7000 RPM's Build quality - This is where the car lacks, if you must pick an area. These cars are expensive to maintain for their price tag. However, if properly maintained, they will last quite some time. Appearance - I LOVE the exterior styling of these cars. From the big "whale" mouth on the front bumper, to the "hump" on the hood (for the cams, not the turbo...), to the available 5-piece wing on the rear. Inside the cockpit reminds me of a fighter jet. The orange glow from the gauges, and how everything is built around the driver. The driver's position may seem small and cramped at first, but soon you will enjoy moving your hand about 6 inches to access whatever you may need to. Passenger's seat has good room to stretch. The back seat? Forget them. No full size adult will fit back there comfortably for more then a ride to the gas station. Cost - These cars are not the cheapest to maintain or drive. They require Premium fuel (turbocharged remember?), and a timing belt every 75,000 miles (interference engine. If the belt breaks it's going to be at least $1000 to fix it...). The stock turbocharger will last about 200,000 miles. That will run you anywhere from $500-$2500 to replace (used, aftermarket, new OEM). Being a turbocharged car, it doesn't get the greatest fuel mileage when you consider it is also only sporting a 2.0L 4 cylinder engine. I'll admit I have a heavy foot, but mine gets about 18-19 MPG combined. Fun - In a word? Yes. In a few words? Hell yes. It sticks to the road, has a decent amount of power (195 hp), and just feels right from the driver's position.
December 7, 2011great in the snow, awesome handling, great acceleration
April 11, 2008I rebuilt the engine 3 years ago and just finished a complete paint job. This car performs amazing and looks good doing it. It still gets decent mileage for the power and is unlike any other car you have ever driven.
April 9, 2010This little rocket ship was a sure footed beast cruising up and down a very dangerous canyon for a decade and a half. When the road opened up you could put her in warp drive and move! I'll miss her.
January 16, 2011very nice car high quality when first produced they make awesome power and are very fast. pretty good handling and braking is great. very nice sleek styling body lines although the factory paint is not a very good quality the clear coat peels off. overall a very fun car to own and drive
February 21, 2010Great handling car which is fun to drive, fast, and is very easy to modify. It is not cheap if you do it right, but it is worth every penny. It'll run 12s on the track and bring you to work the next day.
April 11, 2009I love my car. The AWD is great in winter. The turbo is fun to feel when you step on the gas, it's also cool to hear it spool up too. Overall this is by far one of the best car's anyone could get for the amount of money.
June 24, 2010the awd system laid the power down nice from the well built turbo 4 cylinder. Overall quality was great, and i miss this car like crazy. will definitley buy one again when i get out of college.
April 12, 2008Not a bad car, especially for a daily driver. Gets decent mileage and is fun to drive. Just don't expect to line up with anything faster than a stock Honda Civic.
May 28, 2008
