Someone at work told me that they have a friend (who's a mechanic) who's selling a standard 2002 Mitsubishi Eclipse with a rebuilt motor for $2500, right around the time I'll be getting my license. I was wondering if any of you knew much about it, because I'm not a car person at all, and I'd like some extra help.

 

Yes, that's all the info I have as of now, but I'll try and get some more (assuming that it shouldn't be avoided altogether.

 

Thanks!

Kelly bluebook says the price would be a bit higher than that. That was using some random assumptions about the condition and options of the car.

However, thinking back to my second car. I bought it when it was 10 years old for about the same price, and I still have it 5 years later.

You may as well get it. Either it's a great car that you can keep for years, or it is a mediocre car. Either way, since it's your first car and it isn't a piece of crap, you've got a solid ride.

My '02 Civic was $8000, so for the age that's not a bad price at all.

 

That being said, I know nothing about Mitsubishi.

My dad's concerns (and he's the car person) are:

 

a) The rebuilt/possibly custom motor.

 

b) It's Japanese (different than U.S.: costs more to repair)

 

c) May not be the most reliable.

 

 

...Doesn't really affect much in terms of this thread, but that's just to keep in mind I suppose. Thanks for the replies!

My friend has the same exact thing. He likes it and it's not too bad on snow (assuming you get snow).

An Eclipse is a fine little car. And I do mean little. Gas mileage is alright. Steering can be wonky. But it's a good first car. Just be sure to check it out, first.

It's a sexy car for that price range. Id grab it if you can afford it, but you may want to have a mechanic look over it to see if anything is broken or will need costly repairs in the future.

That's not too terrible a price. The Eclipse isn't a bad car at all, my friend has a '99 Eclipse and it's the car I most frequently ride in next to my parents, never had any problems.

Mileage on a car is very important when factoring in cost. Checking under the car for rust and rubber for decay is always good. Anything that looks wrong, probably is if you don't know too much about cars. I bought a VW Jetta that's also an '02 a couple months ago and it was about three times that price but that's because it was in good shape and had low mileage. Running the VIN through carfax is a pretty good idea if you're actually interested in buying it but you should actually see the car beforehand because running carfax does cost money. Like others said, bringing a mechanic along or a friend that knows cars is never a bad idea. Also you should shop around and not buy the first car you find, I just went through this whole process and I'm glad I waited until I found a car that I loved rather than settling. Good luck!

Mitsubishis aren't one of the most reliable foreign cars that I lknow of. 2 and a half grand for a 2002 sounds like a sketchy offer so you might want to

do a research on it before you make your purchase. As far as I know, the Eclipse is a "sporty, fast" type cars so it might cost

more for repair, maintenance, and gas mileage.

Nonetheless, my 2002 Toyota Echo is still worth more than that even with 2 small accidents. I believe that this 2500 is a good price for an eclipse that is usually a more valuable car than a small Toyota Echo.

 

Check the mileage and story of the car accident wise and decide if you want it.

 

I know someone that has an Eclipse of the same years and it works very well.

My dad's concerns (and he's the car person) are:

 

a) The rebuilt/possibly custom motor.

 

b) It's Japanese (different than U.S.: costs more to repair)

 

c) May not be the most reliable.

 

 

...Doesn't really affect much in terms of this thread, but that's just to keep in mind I suppose. Thanks for the replies!

1. Japanese cars are very reliable.

2. They are very cheap to repair compared to American/French cars (depending on what part of the world maybe).

3. My dad owned a Mit. Colt. and OH MY GOD that car (pick-up) was a [bleep]ing beast. My dad now drives a maserati gran turismo and a porsche cayenne and he STILL says the Colt was the best car he ever owned.

 

As for not knowing much about cars. Always test drive. It does not take a genius to figure out when something does not feel or sound right. The best thing you can do is to take it for a test drive to the clostest Gas station (repair shop), let them look underneath and see of anything is out of place. If the person from whom you are buying has nothing to hide, he won't mind this.

Aslo, if the car was in any prior accidents i'd think twice before buying it. Accident damages havea way of coming back to you.

Aslo, if the car was in any prior accidents i'd think twice before buying it. Accident damages havea way of coming back to you.

Yeah, this really is something to watch out for. Be extra careful if the seller admits it has been in an accident before and make sure you have a look through the full car history before you buy it (the paperwork from the garages everytime it's had something fixed) to make sure it all checks out.

 

If the engine is custom/rebuilt, make sure it says this and checks out in the car's history and mention it when you go to insure the car if you do get it. I'm not sure how American car insurance works but a custom engine over here would likely put your insurance costs up and if you haven't declared it and get into a collision, it could void your insurance policy meaning you wouldn't get a bean.

offer $1500 and up that to $1700 or you'll walk

offer $1500 and up that to $1700 or you'll walk

 

$1500 starting at a $2500 offer?

 

I'd flip the kid off and sell it to some other bastard to be honest.

rofl. it's a 9 yr old mitsu that was beat to [cabbage] by the previous owner (hence the rebuilt motor) who was probably a ricer. the motor won't be the last of his problems