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Mitsubishi Eclipse Prices Paid and Buying Experience

75 messages,  Last post on Jun 27, 2012 at 5:50 AM

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What is this discussion about? Mitsubishi Eclipse, Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder, Coupe, Convertible

Messages Page 8 of 8

#66 of 75 2000 Eclipse by cyn_d

Jun 21, 2010 (5:39 pm)

I am a girl in need of advise. Looking to buy an Eclipse with 141,000 miles on it for 3800.00. Car is in excellent condition. Ad is as folows 2000 Mitsubishi Eclipse GT V6 Automatic. It currently has 141xxx well taken care of miles on it. It is in great condition. This beauty has cold ac, all tan leather interior, a sportronic shifter (meaning that you can go from automatic to stick.), a four disc cd changer, tape player, power seat, power windows, power locks, cruise control, a sunroof. Please any advice would be taken graciously. It is a beautiful car inside and out.

#67 of 75 Re: 2000 Eclipse [cyn_d] by fushigi

Jun 23, 2010 (7:37 am)

Replying to: cyn_d (Jun 21, 2010 5:39 pm)
With any high mileage car, the care & maintenance that it's received is going to count for a lot when it comes to how reliable you can hope it to be going forward. I'd suggest asking to see copies of the maintenance records, paying closest attention to the major service intervals (30/60/90/120K miles) and making sure the routine stuff like oil changes were done on time (doesn't have to be exact; just close).
 
At 60K & 120K there should have been a timing belt change.
 
There should probably, though I can't confirm, be a transmission fluid change in there somewhere (some trans are lifetime on their fluids; some aren't). Refer to the owners manual (hopefully the seller still has it) to confirm.
 
If it hasn't happened yet, around 140K might be time for a water pump replacement. This isn't a routine maintenance item but in general, 120-150K is a reasonable life expectancy. That said, if it hasn't been done it wouldn't keep me from buying; just something to consider as a possible future maintenance item.
 
As to the car itself & Mitsubishis in general, I don't see any problems. I'm a two-time Mitsu owner ('99 Galant and '10 Outlander) and like the brand. I've not had any reliability issues. My Galant, BTW, shares the engine (and platform and other components) with the Eclipse. I had 152K miles on the Galant when I sold it to buy the Outlander. Everything still worked just fine, but after over 10 years in one car I was simply ready for a change.
 
On the car specifically, look to see if it's had aftermarket engine modifications. If so, there's a higher chance that it's been driven hard. That wouldn't rule out buying it as long as the maintenance is done, but a driven-hard car + minimal maintenance would tell me to look elsewhere.

#68 of 75 2009 Eclipse GS w/20,600 mi by nalacindy

Jun 27, 2010 (3:53 pm)

Hello
 
A week ago I purchased my second Eclipse (traded in a 2001 Eclipse RS w/auto transmission and 89000 miles for 2009 Eclipse GS w/auto trans and 20,400).
 
Nothing was wrong with the 2001. In the last year I put in a new battery and put on four new tires. After driving the 2001 for 9 years, I was at the point where I was ready for something new. The 2009 is a great ride. It's quite a looker. The dash and dials are so retro European. I can see myself keeping it as long as the 2001.
 
With my trade in, the bottom line on the 2009 Eclipse was 14,000.00 What kind of deal did I get?

#69 of 75 Star Mitsubishi Jamaica, NY by bmws50b30

Jul 01, 2010 (6:26 am)

DO NOT buy from this dealer. They are crooks and will give you the run around. They will add other services to your contract and confuse you with it. They will also rush you on signing so you don't get the chance to question the other charges. They will accept your offers and then add charges without telling you. Beware! Go some place else.

#70 of 75 Mitsubishi GS Spyder 2003 by goose56

Apr 17, 2012 (8:03 pm)

I bought a black convertible with 17k miles for $5500 garaged and detailed every year. I had to use the car for the past year added 8k miles been stored the last 6 months any advice on the maintenance? I plan on storing it every winter from now on only putting 3or 4 k miles on it a year. My first rag top!!!

#71 of 75 Re: Mitsubishi GS Spyder 2003 [goose56] by fushigi

Apr 18, 2012 (11:00 am)

Replying to: goose56 (Apr 17, 2012 8:03 pm)
goose56, since it's gone a day with no replies I'm going to suggest you ask your questions about long-term storage in a car maintenance thread that's more general to long-term storage.
 
I've never had a pleasure car that spent time in storage, but off the top of my head I'd say some things to consider are resting the car on jack stands to prevent the tires from getting flat spots, running out as much gas as you can before storing/gas stabilizers, whether or not to drain the oil when you store it so you start the summer season with a fresh change, whether or not to use a cover, and surface protectants (tires, ragtop, upholstery).

#72 of 75 Re: Mitsubishi GS Spyder 2003 [fushigi] by goose56

Apr 19, 2012 (6:58 am)

Replying to: fushigi (Apr 18, 2012 11:00 am)
Thanks fushigi, I garaged and covered it , put a float charge and move it every couple of weeks.

#73 of 75 Re: Mitsubishi GS Spyder 2003 [goose56] by fushigi

Apr 19, 2012 (7:38 am)

Replying to: goose56 (Apr 19, 2012 6:58 am)
Silly me; I totally spaced a battery tender.

#74 of 75 2000 Mitsubishi Eclipse GS w/ 147k by jaytay4

Jun 26, 2012 (8:16 pm)

Ok, so I've been searching around looking for a reliable life expectancy for the 2000 Eclipse and have found a wide range of answers (from 150k-240k). This car I have been looking at for quite some time and tests great on the road. There are no known problems with it and seems to be in great condition. I keep up with my car maintenance and was wondering if it seemed like a good investment for $4000. I don't want to get into a bad investment. However, I realize I'm most likely am not going to get up to 220k+ miles but hope to get quite a bit of mileage. Some guidance would be much appreciated!!

#75 of 75 Re: 2000 Mitsubishi Eclipse GS w/ 147k [jaytay4] by fushigi

Jun 27, 2012 (5:50 am)

Replying to: jaytay4 (Jun 26, 2012 8:16 pm)
My last car was a '99 Galant. The Eclipse is basically a Galant Coupe; they use the same underlying platform & have powertrains and lots of non-cosmetic bits in common.
 
I had the '99 for 10.5 years & 152K miles. I did the routine maintenance, proactively replaced the water pump at 120K, and otherwise had just one actual mechanical repair (leaking gasket) & one other (replaced a blown speaker). Everything from the AC to the power windows & sunroof still worked.
 
I had no reason to expect it wouldn't be good for another 50-100K miles or even longer, but after 10 years I was simply ready for something else.
 
It was reliable enough that I bought another Mitsu - an Outlander - to replace it.
 
As to buying an Eclipse, first I wouldn't call any car purchase an investment unless it's a rare collectible. Cars are expenses. Second, it's hard to judge if $4K is reasonable without more information. Is that a 4 cyl or V6 model? MT or AT? What trim line and major options does it have? How many miles are already on it? Pricing can also vary across regions, so "third", what state/major city are you in/near?
 
If cost is a concern, you might also check in to what insurance will run. There was a discussion recently about how coupes can be more expensive to insure than their sedan counterparts.

Messages Page 8 of 8

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