91 eclipse..To buy or not to buy...that is the question
 

Hey, my son has a line on a 91 eclipse gs for $500. I saw it yesterday. There is not TOO much rust but has some small holes around wheel wells wiper arms etc. Floor seems solid. The paint is well faded and the car on looks gets a 3 on the 1 to 10 scale. The car needs a power steering line or pump, as it has none whatsoever right now. The engine and all that is original with 194k. The car didn't seem to have any real power when i drove it and pushed down hard on the accel. There is a wobble in the steering wheel and the car pulls to the right. Owner says he drives 70 miles round trip to work everyday. Says the wobble MAY be tires but doesn't appear to really know.

My son wants it for "ripping into" for educational purposes as he is in his 1st year of Vocational auto mechanics at school. He plans on a career in the field. He also may need it running for daily driving also. My question is, would this be a good purchase for $500? My main concern is the mileage and the lack of any enthusiastic acceleration on the engines behalf when I floored it. If the engine died soon and he's faced with a rebuild or swap would that be expensive and or worth it? Remember it's for educational purposes but may be relied on to get him back and forth. Any input greatly appreciated. Thanxs in advance.

RE: 91 eclipse..To buy or not to buy...that is the question
 

Well if he's looking to get something that has alot of opportunity for upgrades and is decently easy to work on I'd say go for it. But I'd say talk him down from $500 that seems a bit steep for the problems you're describing. It'll need a bit of work to make it reliable again but it would make a good learning experience.

RE: 91 eclipse..To buy or not to buy...that is the question
 

500 isnt really a lot for a vehicle... However if he plans on "ripping" into it, a GS may not be the way he wants to go... If hes looking at getting a beater to drive around for awhile, it may be perfect.. But I would offer 250 or 300 for it... The car is prolly on its way to the junk yard, with that much milage and that old... Im sure it hasnt been babied for the last 15 years... But honestly, if he is looking for something to rip into I would look for an old GST or GSX... Both are good for fixing up and fun to drive...

RE: 91 eclipse..To buy or not to buy...that is the question
 

this is my advice for you. if he is looking for a car to learn how to take apart and put togeather and all that. as much as i hate saying this i would buy a civic. for these reasons, 1) they are generally inexpensive 2) you can find parts for them everywhere 3) they are everywhere so if he does end up messing the car up you can find another one to replace easy. i personally own an eclipse 93 i bought it with 80k miles on it and i already went through all the mechanical parts in the car besides for the engine and at 99k miles the engine finally gave out. i do love my eclipse but i dont love replaceing parts on it. what is nice about that eclipse is that its cheap, people do tend to crash their first cars and i hope your son doesnt crash his but it does happen..it only took me two weeks to crash my first car and i had spent 5000 on it. just some things for you to consider hope this helps

RE: 91 eclipse..To buy or not to buy...that is the question
 

should have read the whole thing...about the engine swap part. i just bought an engine for 800 if he is looking to get some mechanic type experiance id say buy the car let him beat the hell out of it and then let him put his own engine in! (just dont do that if he wont be able to install the engine himself) my family has been going to my mechanic for years now and he usually gives us really good prices on everything but he wants 1000$ just to install the engine so if he cant put it in himself or with your help it can be a pretty costly repair. sure wish i knew how to install the thing