Hi Scotty! I'm a young car enthusiast looking for a cool sporty jdm car that I can drive on the daily, that also has a hatchback trunk, and I was wondering if the 2nd generation eclipse would be a good choice, I was just wondering if buying an eclipse would be a good buy for the purpose I need it for, and if not, what cars do you recommend? thanks scotty!
Mitsubishi is about gone from the States and parts are hard to find.
What's wrong with a Civic Si? Much better built car and a HUGE aftermarket.
I'd look for an Integra or Celica - better built, easier to support/tune
Yeah find a Civic or a 350Z which is still in good shape.
You can forget about Mitsubishis..
Old Mitsubishi daily that will be ragged out?
Thanks but no thanks.
I'd opt for a Honda or Toyota, but.....I've had 3 mitsubishi eclipses. A 2g, 3g, and a 4g. The quality in the 3g and 4g was worse and worse and I'd never buy another. The 2g is a great car and I still have it, still runs with over 200k.
If I found a good 2g I would be tempted to buy it. The trick is finding one that hasn't been beaten or modded to death. You'll probably be best off with a 5 speed RS than the ones with the bigger engines. If you see anything like turbos, cold air intakes, fancy wheels with curb rash, etc I would run away. I have a feeling this is more of a needle in a haystack as to finding one in good shape.
Regardless, best of luck with whatever you decide to do!
I had a 3rd gen Eclipse in high school, an 03 with 78k miles on it. At around 102k it spun a bearing and did significant damage to the whole engine, and at 109k, I had to replace the manual transmission due to a bearing going out. I've heard that the 2nd gen Eclipse was one of the best, but honestly, I'd never buy another one. The one I had drove like crap. The engine would drop RPM before you could shift into the next gear, causing it to jerk every time you shift. If you want a fun car, check out the Honda Civic SI, specifically the late 2000's models. They're very comfortable and a lot of fun to drive.
