Well it seems as though fate has intervened. My current vehicle is dying way before I planned on letting it, so my saving period for the Z has been cut short. I can't afford it but need a new ride, I am looking for opinions and thoughts on the a new 2003 Eclipse. I already love that car, though not as much as the Z, but I am wondering if any of you have experience with owning that car. I have already checked out www.neweclipse.org, and I am looking for your opinions as well. Thanks.

 

Eclipse is FWD peice of *****. They are cheap crap, and everybody has one.

 

Now that's an opinion, lol.

 

An unbiased one too. Anyway...

I wouldn't buy a new Eclipse now. Seriously, if your current Mitsubishi is dying, would you buy another one? Not to mention that the Eclipse may be redesigned soon hence, the "freshening" they gave the 2003 model. Also, those cars are typically unreliable anyway. Don't buy something if you're not sure about it's quality and reliability.

 

Opinion: Why do you think they're giving them away? No payments? No interest? Something's wrong here...

If I could not afford the Z right now I would buy an RSX-S. Big aftermarket support, 6-speed, MUCH nicer leather interior than the Eclipse. Acura's working on dealer-installed packages as well for suspension too. I'd have one in the garage if the spousal unit would let me have two cars for no reason.

 

Did someone say... crankwalk? ColecatZ is VERY familiar w/ Eclipses and crankwalk. Ya'll oughta ask him for his opinion...

Hey Brad... it's still not too late to get a daily beater. You know you want one... I mean, can you imagine when they start sanding & salting the roads...?

Michael.

 

I have a white 2000 Eclipse GT ($11,500), which I'm selling for my Z. The only thing that I tell that is similar between the two, is that the torque comes on early compared to 4 cylinders. Performance wise, there is no contest. The 3rd generation Eclipse is actually a Dodge Stratus RT. Same everything except the styling. They are both built in Normal IL, thus not a true import. The Eclipse is a great cruiser, but it isn't a slouch. It will still beat most honda's.

"Did someone say... crankwalk? ColecatZ is VERY familiar w/ Eclipses and crankwalk. Ya'll oughta ask him for his opinion..."

That is a Second generation Eclipse problem the 3Gs dont have.

Later.

 

Check out the new Mitsu's in person, the quality is pretty cheesy. My wife was interested in one, and was turned off by the cheap-looking inside, the lethargic engine, and the high price. She ended up with a Tiburon, which is a sweet car for the money.

The eclipses have horrible resale value, due to them giving away the new ones. (of course, the hyundai resale value ain't so hot either!)

 

as a member of CLUB3G.... and an eclipse owner....

i do not recommend getting the 2003 Eclipse....
my reasons
1- Everyone and there mom has a 3G Eclipse
2- The aftermarket sucks, it took a good 2 years b4 the first turbo kit was even thought of
3- The car is goin to be a main car in "The Fast And The Furious 2" -Tyrese is driving it... and there is gunna be alot of people tryin 2 think ur being fast and furious
4- To Slow


I really recommend that you either get an RSX Type S... that would be the next best thing... you have alot of aftermarket support, the car generally looks good and has some good styling, and its somewhat fast....

 

Everyone and their moms are gonna have a Z as well by Jan I reckon (me included!)

 

hmmm 10000Zs by january, 50 states, thats like 200 Zs per state... is that everybody? I believe there are alot more eclipses on the road, like 50times as many.

oh, and fast? haha, well maybe if you get the big engine, wait the big engine costs 28000$ you say? well you could get a Z for that much! oh wait big engine equals ~200hp? well whats going on here.

so if your not spending 28000$, then your getting the 4 cyl, so toss the torque out the window.

with this down, my final comment is that eclipses are over priced cars made to appeal to chicks(no offense if you happen to be one) that dont know anything about value, reliability, or power.

 

i personally dont have a prob. wid dis car..
the car has a very good soundin exhaust

 

Ok, it was said that Mitsubishi isn't a true import. How does anyone feel it stacks up with the other domestics, Ford, Dodge, GM, in quality, reliabilty?

 

...well, I woudn't recommend a 3G eclipse either, and as far as an RSX-S goes...well, they're really nice cars, but, being a current RSX-S owner I would say save a little extra and go for the WRX...Honestly, you can't beat that deal as far as bang for the buck. Of course, if you don't care that much about performance, and just want a nice looking, stylish, fairly fast car (, it is after all a N/A four) with an AMZING re-sale value, then the RSX-S is for you...if you want something a little bit less, then at least go for a V6 Altima (they really are fast, convenient, nice looking cars), or would you maybe consider a VW...the GTIs are great cars also and can be had for under 20.000. Seriously, the 2000 Eclipse GT going for 11.500 is scary...a 2000 Acura GSR will still go for about $20.000. The key is, how performance oriented are you?? Personally, I love the RSX-S, but it's just not enough performance for me ... I want a reliable mid to low 13 second car .... based on price and performance, the 350Z is It for me....

 

I have a friend with a new 2003 eclipse. He loves it and had gotten a lot out of it so far. If you're looking to mod it, it had a lot you can do with it. You've looked at neweclipse.org so no doubt you've seen some of the many posibilities.

Ofcoarse, you've asked this question on a Z forum so you'll get a lot of people who have narrowed their vision to solely the 350Z. Remember, there are many nice cars out there and many that will fit the needs of each of different drivers.

Good Luck.

 

There are a lot of misconceptions about just what the Eclipse GT is supposed to provide. Speed or fun.

I have driven my 2000 Eclipse GT for 3 years and 70,000 miles without a problem. It has been a great car after all of the others I've owned over the last 35 years except the 72 Datsun 240Z I never should have traded for a pickup to haul horses.

At the 3G Forum I've seen people bitching about their cars because they fall apart but in a previous post the same people were bragging about how they drove like a maniac. I suspect many problems are to be found with the drivers and not the cars.

I'm switching to a Z (whenever it finally gets here!!! 30 days down and 60 to go) because I love the look of the car and the way it drives. I'm also hope that I get as good a service from the Z as I have my 3G.

Regards,
DriveI65

 

I test drove the RSX-S. This was before I found out that I can actually buy the basic Z for 26,500 rather then what everyone and their mom has been telling me.

Now that I vented. Its a very nice car. This was in March of this yr.

Inside is not luxurious but it does its purpose. The car is quiet. It it is extremely stable and the I was able to take it to 80 mph. The car drove very well.

But this is what I remember the most. How stable the car was. The car seemed as if it was glued to the road.

I don't know your financial situatoin but you can probably pick up a 1 yr old for 20k maybe even less.

Plus it is Acura. A good brand name.

 

If you need a cheap ride but still want a rear wheel drive sportscar go with and MR2 Spyder or Miata.

If you want to spend a bit less, but still want something cool and a bit exclusive, go with the new Mazdaspeed Protege (only 2000 produced this year). The MS Protege was said by SCC to be the new king of FWD cars in the handling department, finally toppling the mighty ITR.

 

Buy that piece of junk... and you are going to have to change your handle.

No BEAST in the world would be caught dead in that car.

The only thing of merit from Mitsubishi is the EVO... and even that styling is questionable. Mitsubishi's reputation in Japan is really bad -- particularly after it was discovered that they did not report mechanical and design flaws to the Japan government for a number of years. They are now paying the penalty of loss of consumer trust. Mercedes Benz is now running the show at Mitsubishi and the M-B management has its hands full.

Listen to raceboy above.. his recommendations are good.