Hey guys- Well heres the story. I drive a 1997 Vw jetta 2.0 liter, and this car is EXTREMELY slow- so its gotta go bye bye- making less than 110 HP to the wheels it is like riding a geo metro with a misfire. So- im selling her soon- and i test drove a 2 liter 16V eclipse today- just for ish and giggles, and WOW- you guys don't know how well you have it- it was like flying, i felt like I had a race car compared to my jetta. So now- im seriously considering buying an eclipse. nice HP, at a usable power band makes me a happy boy- (drive a 4cyl jetta for 3 months and you'll see how i feel.) Basically- I just want a car that will look 'racy' with a wing, sound cool with a big muffler, and look sweet with neons on the bottom that *blink*. So what i want to know is- are these cars reliable? I am going to UTI in Florida next year, and i'm in GA so i need something reliable that won't give me a hassle while i'm in school. Im decent working on cars- so i don't mind makeshifting or fixing certain problems- but i don't want a car that will give me a hassle. Are eclipses a good buy? and are there certain model years i should stay away from? Thanks guys
P.S: i was kidding about the wing.. but not the muffler... or the neon.

 

Please dont rice out the damn car.

All the turbo models are good cars. Good value for money. As long as it hasent been beaten on then it will be reliable and fine.

 

seriously.


but if they havent been treated really well, you will run into a lot of problems. If you dont like fixing cars, dont get an eclipse with more than 100kish miles. Things start to go wrong around 150(or at least for a car that hasnt been treated right=mine)

 

Meh- i was kidding about the neon etc. But i will be modding the car. I'm not looking for the turbo i just want a cheap NA car. is the eclipse a reliable model from mitsubishi? are there any sensors etc. that go out real soon? And also- does this car have a really REALLY short shift throw? Because i swore it felt like a short shifter when i test drove one today.

 

What sort of things happen to go after 100k? I don't mind fixing things- i enjoy it; but i want to know what im getting myself into.

 

Are these cars reliable or not? i don't have a car- and i need to make a discision quick. where do non turbo base model eclipses stand in terms of reliability?

 

Ok the crank angle sensor is common. However the non turbo models are a little better in reliability than the turbo models. He was talking about problems after 100k with the turbo models. Seriously if you are complaining about no power... you are going to have the same ole crap with a non turbo eclipse. You can get a short throw shifter bit i shift with the stocker just fine.

Next time put everything in ONE post...

 

The power on this eclipse was just fine- the jetta is horrible. So would you say that the non turbo eclipse would be a nice reliable car? Im sure there are some bad seeds- but i do regular maintanence- and i treat my cars well- and they usually return me the favor. The car will probably see the track atleast once or twice a month.

 

I have a gs and I like it but it definetly doesn't have the power I wanted. Im sure it is better than your VW but to most car standards its slow. If you took it to the track stock I think you would embarrase yourself because they really are just short of pathetic. As far as a daily driver its a good car. Fairly comfortable and good on gas. I haven't had any major problems with the car yet but then again i've only had it for about 7 months or so and im at 98k for miles. I've been hearing a lot about built up 420a's can be pretty strong motors. I'm looking into making my own turbo kit for under 1000 too. they've got threads on that in the forum, if your interested.

 

Is it that slow? Ive taken my jetta to the track- and i can always take out the kids like me that are riding in hondas/acuras and even sometimes the stangs. My jetta also has hydro 270 cams and a chip though, its still rediculously slow.
if its reliable- and gives me some fun i don't care. The jetta is slow- slow to the point of even though its german- there is no fun. Also- the clutch on the mitsu is better imo- so much less travel- the jetta felt like my cousins pathfinder.