im looking into getting a car and ive found some gen2 eclipses that are good priced, ones 54k miles for 7k and ones 69k for 6k and im kinda bent on them
my friend however used to own a Manual gen1 eclipse in like the 130k mile range, hes insisting that i DONT get a DSM because ‘it will break down on me’ and it will ‘empty my pockets with repairs’ based on his experience. however also the once that i am looking at are auto and not nearly as old, 98 eclipses and he owned i think maybe a 93’.
his problems were with his shifting cables and stuff,
whenever he drives a manual and shifts his cars would allways JUT forward voilently leading me to believe he doesnt really know how to drive them properly in the first place,
his shifter cables would get detached sumtimes and he had to have his clutch replaced at one point.
however this wouldnt apply to me as id be getting an auto.
also he told me his engine blew,
but it didnt really,
he tried to drive his eclipse threw 6 feet of water during the october storm and fucked up his engine.
he sold it for 500 bucks and the kid he sold it too is a car junkie and was driving it 3 days later, i believe it still runs too.
im just curious if in general are dsm’s, specifically the 98 gen2 eclipse that high maintenance and faulty?
SORRY. lol you just asked 1 of the mother of all automobile questions.
will a DSM break down on me? hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm…
if you find 1 maintained properly and take care of in detail any vehicle even a mitsubishi can run well. it depends if you do your hw and dont just jump right into a sale of 1.
-be careful with used cars, you can get bit by a car with any kind of mileage. it all depends how good of an owner the previous owner was
thank you, i kno, this will be a large purchase for me, but in any case.
according to HIM they WILL fuck up. according to him it will fall apart.
hes telling me to buy a honda civic instead.
i mean like, are they KNOWN to be real flaky and fall apart. any things to look for when seeing these cars in person would be appreciated as this will be my first ever car
edit: theyre dealers, i cant really find any 50-75k mile gen2 eclipses under 5k, for 6 and 7ish thousand sounds not too bad.
any opinions and help appreciated
Part of their bad reputation comes from the fact that everybody and their brother boosts the crap out of them to double the factory power level so then obviously shit breaks.
BUT… As with my beloved Jetta :lolham: they are more prone to repairs than a Honda or a Toyota. So yeah, if you need a reliable daily driver and you quote your salary in “per hour” then you might want to look at something less likely to break.
Ive never personally owned a DSM, but Ive been on all kinds of car message boards for the last 10yrs and it seems that DSM’s DO have a bad rap. But, they also go like a mo fo…as that one guys post about running mid 11s.
Being a car guy the best two things to consider when buyign any car is,
Did the last guy take good care of it (oil changes, susp., brakes, body, mechanicals.)
Is it un-molested. Buying a car that was already a project “can” be a nightmare. BUT, might put u right where u wanna be. Ask the seller how he did certain mods, or wiring. Look REAL close at their work and dont feel shy because its YOUR money.
Hope that helps…sorry I dont have to much “DSM” directs suport though.
IF the car isn’t modded and isn’t turbo and it is auto…you shouldn’t have a ton of problems. There is a few problems DSM’s are known for but if you really want to find out more sign up for www.wnyDSM.org and do some research on there. I used to have a 2 gen turbo eclipse and it wasn’t heavily modded and the previous owner took really good care of the car as did I and I didn’t have alot of problems at all…The only reason I don’t still have the car is because some 80 year old man drove into it and totaled it LOL
correct me if im wrong, but the non-turbo are 420a motors right? Personally ive read AND seen (from na friends) alot of probs come from that motor, especally head gaskets. When you dont beat on your car and you go thru 2 head gaskets in 1.5 years =/, bah. Honestly, try PMing some of the serious DSM gurus here like scrapper, laymone and the like, they will set ya on a good path for what to keep an eye on and such.
They do it once, if it’s pre-98.5. Once you properly replace it with an MLS gasket, you will NEVER again have a problem. The problem comes from mechanics who will just lift the head a slip the new gasket in there without cleaning the old one out.
Late 98’s and up have the MLS gasket stock and shouldn’t have a problem.
if its a non-turbo its not a dsm and it comes with the 420A motor like stated above. DSM’s for the most part get such a bad rap because people try to go fast for cheap and cut corners. Thats when shit breaks.
That is alot of money for a 2nd gen non turbo. You can get turbo and AWD for that much. That doesn’t seem to be the route your going though. I’d steer clear of those two.
Non turbos give you the DSM look without the performance. As long as you stay on top of the head gasket thing, 420a’s can be quite reliable.
Considering i dont know how to drive manual, those are the only eclipses i can find, and theyre all dealer prices.i put all theyre specs into Kbb and the dealer price is still slightly lower than the suggested but i dunno, i cant find much else.
i want something low and sleek however not something thats going to lighten my wallet constantly
