Hey everybody,

I'm thinking about buying a 3rd gen eclipse and I'm looking for some advice. I've always loved the eclipse though I don't know a whole lot about it. I drove an '89 cavalier z24 previously which has over 200,000 miles on it (still runs strong to this day but I moved and couldn't take it with me.) I know all the basics about how to shop for a used car, but is there anything in particular about the 3rd gen eclipse that stands out in your mind that I should be wary of? In particular I'm looking at a 2001 Eclipse GS Spyder Convertible with about 130,000 miles. I took it for a test drive and it ran like a dream other than it needed a new battery. The interior was somewhat ratty-looking, but there was no rust or watermarks anywhere around the interior of the car, underneath or in the hinges of the roof, so it tells me the roof doesn't leak. It would need a new paintjob and other aesthetic things, but other than that it seems like a decent car. But:

- What are some common problems that an eclipse with this high of miles generally has? Are these problems easy to fix or do they require major time/money?

He's asking $3600 for the car, which with tax and title comes to just under $3900. I just want some opinions on the general quality of this type of car and what you guys think. Thanks in advance!

 

I would suggest not getting that car. I took a look at ebay and found similar cars with less than 1/2 the mileage for a lot less then 4k. What state are you in? That could help people find you a better deal. I would suggest that you check out automedia.com they have a really great car finder on their site. Again I dont know what state you are in but on the first page of listings there is a convertible eclipse in colorado with 100k miles for 3k. On the same site I found another car in texas with 88k miles for 4k (the site said 910 but on ebay the same car is listed as 4k). Anyway, cars with over 100k miles on them typically become money pits pretty quickly so I would advise either buying one with a fewer miles on it, saving up so you could buy a newer one, or you could purchase it with the knowledge that you will probably wind up spending some serious money to keep it going. I hope that helps. Good luck with your purchase!

 

Thanks, that actually helps a lot!

Yeah I'm in the state of Texas, more specifically in the Houston area. All cars in this area have a lot of mileage, everything is very spread out and you use the freeways for everything. I'll check out that automedia.com website.

I definitely am willing to travel to pick up a nice car, I've done cross country trips before and quite enjoy them! haha. Thanks for the website!

 

Hey Im glad it helped! If you have any other questions Id be happy to help you out. Enjoy the Eclipse!

 

Hey just thought I'd wrap this thread up by saying I bought an '03 Eclipse GS for $4300 with only 87k miles... so I figured that was a pretty good deal!