Hey there. I'm brand new, and just to provide a little intro, me and all my friends are enthusiasts to put it nicely, street racers to put it bluntly. My best buddy has a Dodge SRT-4, and boy is it nice. My problem? I've got the bug, but I'm driving an '89 pickup.

Enough is enough, so I've made a little list of cars to look into. The first two were the Hyundai Tiburon GT, and the 2nd gen Eclipse GST/GSX. Question #1 is, if I were to go with an Eclipse, which of those two trims would it be? The GSX would provide that leap off the line that AWD owners are envied for, but would the front-wheel trim have a better top end?

Also, after deliberating with some people I know, it seems that your AWD Subaru speeders have serious trans/drivetrain problems. What's the GSX's record?

 

I'm not sure about the gsx track record but I do know that it tops out at 145 while the gstcan hit something like 135. Theres a thread on page 9 or something like that about top speeds so there's my little bit of help. You'd have to ask someone else about the records cuz mine is only a gs.

 

i havent really heard of to many problems with the gsx drivetrain, other than a blowout while at the track running high boost.........

 

any drivetrain is going to get beat on in an AWD car. you have guys that like to rev to 6k and drop the clutch time after time, and with a stock clutch and strong tranny, you MIGHT be ok, but with a strong clutch and some adequate power you are going to have a broken drivetrain. the GSX drivetrains are decent, but if you know how to launch them properly you dont ahve to worry too much about it until you start making some serious power. As for better top end on a FWD, the difference isn't that much at all. If you love to drag race and have fun in the rain, get the GSX, it has shorter low gears too for better acceleration becasue the GST is goin to have major traction issues and takes a lot more skill to drag once you start making power.

 

Well, that's good to know. Looks like the GSX is the way to go. Now if I can just raise the money and find one in my area...

I had thought about the Stealth/3kgt, but by the sound of it they're more pet cars than the kind of workhorse I'm looking for. The last thing I need is a money pit that doesn't give back.

Also learned that the Tiburon GT is hard to turbo, not to mention has weak internals. I'd go for the 4 banger there, and if I were going to do that I may as well get an Eclipse.

Here's another question: I had been considering getting a '95 in order to slip in under the emissions standards (pre-96 are exempt, at least where I'm from) but I had been worried about the potential trouble involved with getting something with that much age on it, as opposed to a '99. Do you fellas think the hassles of an older car (higher mileage, potential full engine rebuild before I can do anything else, cosmetic problems, etc) would be worth avoiding the hassles of emissions inspection?

This car would be my daily driver as well as my show horse. Stand-alone management would let me tune for daily and performance on the fly, but I'd about have to hook up the stock ECU every time inspection came around, among other things, as high performance applications usually don't pass emissions testing...

 

well i would personally go for the gsx because the engine that it has in it is the same engine in the evolutions, plus it has more hp and has a better top end speed. i know this because i used to own one. now the tiburon wouldn't be a good choise between the three because it weighs alot more than the eclipse's so it isn't quiet as fast , in other words the gsx is the best of the three. but that is just my opinion.

 

ive never heard of the pre 96 exempt rule but if that works where ur from thats awesome. I dont think older engines are going to give you more trouble, in fact, the newer engines (mostly 97-77) are prone to crankwalk and that involves engine rebuilding. besides, you see plenty of early 90's eclipses running strong out there. it just matters what the current condition of the engine is when you buy it. i have a 97 that crankwalked, so i ended up putting in a 1st gen engine and now my only option for smogging is to get it done illegally.

 

i meant 97-99 engines typo