is this car worth buying?

Question

im 16, i already have a chevy truck, but cant afford to drive it every day with $3.00 gas, im looking at a mitsubishi eclipse for sale, it has minor body damage, but the motor needs work

the manual transmission isnt connected to the motor, its bolts are loose, way loose. and pretty sure the gaskets need replacing.

also, the front motor mount is loose, not sure if it can be tightened or if it needs to be replaced. the motor shakes real bad when i let off of the clutch going up a hill today when i went to go look at it,

is this car worth $1200, it only has 159,000 original miles, and the current owners offered to fix the engines probs without raising the price

its a 1994 mitsubishi eclipse, the problems are minor, and i really like the car, and as much as i have to drive i figured it up that i would spend more in one year on gas in my truck, which gets 10 mpg, than the cost of that car.

it came up to be, over 2000 dollars a year in gas for the truck, and the car is only 1200, and gets 25 mpg, much better for a 16 year old kid, considering that my trucks got 320,000 miles, and im waiting for my transmission to fall out on the road

forgot to mention, the car wasnt driven hard, was owned by an older man. a younk kid got a hold of it, and decided to tear the motor down, and didnt put the bolts all the way back in, its not as severe as it sounds, its actually had a pretty easy life, and where i live, its the cheapest one ive found

Answer 1

Hiya mate!

I'd leave it myself, don't rush into anything like buying it 159,000 miles..I'd say it's due a cam belt change too!
It's hard to say without looking at it, you need to know that he is going to do the cam belt change & head gasket! I wouldn't touch it unless he did these, as you will be paying out more cash geting this all fixed soon later!
You'll come across more better stuff than that what don't need this kinda work! there are bargins out there!!! ; )
Good Luck in what you do!

Answer 2

Yeah this car definately sounds like a big headache. I absolutely would not buy the car until the problems were fixed. Even then 1200 sounds awfully steep for the condition your describing. I'd offer 900 to start. But you should probably look elsewhere. Remember if you have to spend all kinds of money to fix the car then you might as well just pay for gas in your truck.

Answer 3

A new engine doesn't mean the car has only 15k miles. The body and everything else mechanically has way over 15k miles on it because usually when an older car like this means the first engine probably had a lot of miles and problems. Seems ok with the price but gas will hit you hard.

Answer 4

Keep looking for a better deal. You'll spend about $1200 (if you do the work) just to get it running right.

My daughter bought a 280ZX for $500. So far we have put over $1500 into it to get it roadable.

Rule of thumb. Unless it is a classic, and you have an equal amount of money to use on repairs, that you spent to purchase it, avoid it at all costs.

Answer 5

1200 buys a lot of gas. You know your truck and how well it's been maintained. I'd be leary about the Mitsubishi since it sounds like it has had a hard 159K miles. Gas may come down too, hard to say. Good luck

Answer 6

What year is the car? 159,000 miles????? asking $1200. I wouldn't do it, but it all depends on the buyer. Why are the tranny bolts loose in the first place? If the owner will fix everything, and everything seems to be fine, go with your gut feeling.

Answer 7

first of all those bolts o the transmission sould not be loose ,also if they are going to fix it don't pay them untill after they finish with the repairs in case they need a good faith advance , to hold the car for you make sure you consult with a lawyer it may cost you $75.00 or less for consulting but in the end it will pay if you have any disagrements . get a receipt clearly explaining de details of the deal , good luck.

Answer 8

Here's the thing; you're not going to recoup the cost of buying another vehicle for quite some time, even with gas prices the way they are.

That said, this car sounds like it has a LOT of problems. I'd personally look elsewhere.

Answer 9

Forget it.
How much gas can you purchase with $1200.00 + the cost of repairs?
There is no logic to what you are proposing. It will take years for the Mitsubishi to pay for itself.

RE. Details. Now you tell us.

Answer 10

no it aint I just got 106,000 mile 2003 chevy caviler fro1400. That sounds like it will cost you a couple thousand if not more to repair it. Money best spent on a good used car.