Mitsubishi Eclipse 1995-1999?

Question

Are these cars reliable? I am considering one as my first car and I dont have a lot of money throw away if it breaks.

Answer 1

Straight forward, every car is reliable, it just depends on how much you take care of it.
In any case, let's get on with some of the quirks of the engines.
The base model engine, the 420A made by Chrysler, is the same engine that is within the Neon. So, basically, pretty reliable.
The 4G64, which is a 2.4 liter power plant, has not been known (at least that I know of) to have any major quirks to it.
The 4G63T (which came in the GS-T, GS-T Spyder, and GSX models) does have one major quirk to it: Crankwalk. Yes, it's serious.
However, the engines which are prone to crankwalk within the 4G63Ts are 7-bolt engines. There are two variations of the 4G63T, the 7-bolt and the 6-bolt. (The number of bolts meaning how many bolts are holding the flywheel on.)
The desirable 6-bolt 4G63Ts are not too hard to come by, but they are a little more expensive than their 7-bolt brothers.
Apparently, turning left in a 7-bolt engine may be hazardous to you and your car's life. So, with that said, the major quirk that should be looked out for is crankwalk on the 7-bolt engine.
Other than that, the 4G63T is a reliable engine, but, given that it is a turbocharge motor, be wary of who owned the vehicle before you. A young male would more than likely beat the piss out of the engine and could be selling you a lemon (bad rings, valves, pistons, turbocharger, not enough oil changes, lifters, rockers, blow headgasket, etc.) However, if a middle-aged woman owned the car, you're pretty much set.
The prices for a 1995-1999 Eclipse with any engine runs between $2,000-$5,000.
Maintenance is easy on these cars, and though they do have that major quirk, they'll take what you can dish out over and over again.
As far as I know, these happen to be one of the most reliable engines out there. Example A: Brent Rau's 4G63T with, oh, somewhere in the vicinity of 600-1000 horsepower. Yes, very reliable I would say. (He runs under 7 seconds in the quarter mile. So, yeah, you can understand how much stress is being put on the engine as a whole for that entire 7 seconds. Lots. And he still runs the car at the track.)

Answer 2

Buying your first car can be tricky...but here are a few things to think about: -Cost of insurance -Cost of gas -Cost of maintenance -Anticipated length of ownership (need the car for two years or five?) All three cars you've listed are coupes, the insurance (typically) is higher for a coupe. An older car is more likely to be totalled if its in an accident. Either Eclipse would make a great first car, the stratus R/T should have the same engine (6G72) as the 3G GT which is a great engine. The 3G is heavier but gives you the option of a V6, which is what I'd get if I wasn't getting a turbo 2G. The 420a in the Eclipse is pretty weak and not the best engine. The 4G64 and 6G72's in the 3G's are solid. Both generations have good aftermarket support, the 2G more so than the 3G. Making the 2G fast is also cheaper if you start with the right platform. If your parents are at all involved in this purchasing decision, the safer car is the 3G. The 2G is smaller and would be a good first car, because it's decent on gas unless you get the turbo and get a heavy foot haha. At the same time the 2G is also not as safe and harder to carry more than 1 passenger around in (think of all the friends who will want rides now that you have a car). In the end I'd prefer the V6 3G or a turbo 2G. The problem is 2G's will have higher mileage, so unless you find one that was taken care of and has decent mileage, it might be harder to come by. Even though the R/T has the Mitsu engine, I'd say Mitsu > Dodge in this comparison.

Answer 3

Like most of the people before me have said it depends a lot about how well the car has been taken care of by its previous owners.... I bought my 1995 Eclipse when it first came out and has not been to a shop yet with a little over 140,000 miles....they are great cars if taken care of and look SEXY = )

Answer 4

I just bought one, it is a strong car and so far very reliable, Just don't run cheap gas threw it, keep at lease mid grade fuel and you have a nice high performance car that will last a long while, also whats great about it is you can add a bunch of modifications to it so personalizing it will be relitively easy too.

Answer 5

I would generally tell you that these cars are reliable because I used to own one. The thing is, that it's hard to predict how much abuse or negligence from the owner on a car this old. Get it checked out from top to bottom before buying and test drive it.

Answer 6

I have a 96, never had a problem except with the convertible top. (leaks, they all do). I've driven most versions too and I hope you like a stick because the auto I drove was a dog, bvut maybe it was just that one.
The timing belt needs replacement at 60k mile, if you get one make sure that is done, or do it when you get it.

Answer 7

http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee70/KileyHD/SierrasRide.jpg

sexy as hell, but not reliable

buy a honda civic or accord
or a toyota or nissan
if you must buy a mitsubishi, go for it, they're known to be pieces of **** but this one has been totalled, has a salvage title, and never has it broken down, it runs perfect
never had a problem with it, gone hundreds of miles no problems NEVER
gets almost 30 MPG

FOR SALE
$8000
dont buy a mitsubishi unless you got money to put into it

Answer 8

Wow man - don't do it .. Eclipse , i did that mistake once like 1 year ago - i drove it 2 weeks n that was it ! i went down with 2 gran .// i was in a hurry , but that was the worst investment i've ever made !!
Friendly advice ,buy something cheap ..american , ford or whatev.. but if u wanna get something better - bet on german !!!

Answer 9

if you getting an eclipse make sure before yo run it to clean the engine cause most people dont take care of them
2g my favorite car and can make a lot of horsepower
it can destroy cars
if you planing best i can say buy the 2g gsx or tsi awd
and sell the 4g63t 7bolt it has and buy a 1g 4g63t 6 bolt thats only to make sure u don't get crank walk

Answer 10

HAVE WORKED ON MITSU'S FOR SERVERAL YEARS,YES ABUSE IS A BIG FACTOR,HOWEVER HAVE SEEN A LOT OF PROBLEMS WITH HEADGASKET LEAKING OIL.MOST OF THE 98 99 MODEL HAVE THE APPROVE METAL HEADGASKET,BEST WAY TO TELL IS SIMPLY LOOKING UNDER THE ENGINE.IF IT;S LEAKING YOUR'LL SEE IT,BETWEEN THE ENGINE AND TRANS AREA.