Newbie with $7000

Hi,

I'm a total car newbie but have been doing a lot of research for getting a good sporty car for $7k. I was suggested to get an Eclipse GS-T, but from what I've looked around and learnt, a 3000GT seems to be the way to go. I dont intend to race very much (I'm 21 and a grad student) but I like to know that I have the power to use when I need it. I rented a >2000 Eclipse Spyder GT (auto) yesterday, but couldn't stand my own against my friend's Acura Legend (manual, RWD). I've heard great things about the 3kgt, and was wondering if I could get a VR4 for the $7k i've saved up. I live in LA, and I was also counting in the taxes and DMV fees I'd have to cough up which seems to cost upto 10% of the car's value.

Also, I've heard that maintaining an Eclipse GS-T is a pain, since it breaks often. On an average, I came across lesser problems stated with the 3kgt. It might also be due to the reason that the 3kgt isn't as popular as the eclipse, and so the problems aren't so apparent.

I was wondering if I could get a good vr4 for $7k, or if I'd have to settle for an SL. How bad does a vr4 get with more mileage? I've seen some posts which claim that they have put more than 200k miles on it, but their vr4 still runs smooth. Also, I can't fix cars (I hope to learn how to, once I get one), so I was wondering what kind of money I should be willing to part with frequently for doing the regular maintainance.

And, is getting a car shipped a good idea? I see a lot of Florida cars being sold by dealerships on Ebay and elsewhere. Does the climate in florida have anything to do with it? No snow, etc? Also, is getting a car on ebay a good idea? What have people's experiences been on this?

Thanks in advance for all the help!

Nikhil.

With $7 grand, I'd personally go with an SL or a base model though I'm sure many on this board would disagree. Reason being is that the VR4's tend to be a bit expensive and if you want good car, $7 grand might not cut it. However, I'm sure it's out there so you'll just have to look around. If the previous owner took good care of it, then you'll be in luck.
You're from LA you said right? I noticed that you were looking on internet sites so I thought I'd just give you a bit of a warning. There are a lot of people out there to rip people off. For example, if you search on Yahoo for a 3KGT around your area, you'll get this car as one of your options:
http://used-cars.autos.yahoo.com/usedcars/detail/index.html?cid=automobiles-1079995514-2919203&dst=57.83&rsr=bWFrZT1taXRzdWJpc2hpJm1vZGVsPTc1MDAwMTQyMSZjbF 95PSZjaF95PSZjbF9wcmljZT0mY2hfcHJpY2U9JmNsX21pPSZj aF9taT0mY2s9Jmd1cj0xMDAmY3N6PTkyNTA0JnZ0eXBlPWF1dG 9zJm1rPU1pdHN1YmlzaGkmbW89MzAwMEdU
Now that's a sweet looking car to be selling for just $4K! I did a search online and found the same car here (I think it's the same car):
http://www.cardomain.com/memberpage/223503
Anyways, my point is that if you e-mail the guy about the car, he'll tell you something like he's outta town or something and if you want it, you could put down like a grand or something and he'll deliver it to you. I e-mailed a couple people about some Supras and this guy told me that he was death and was overseas but if I wanted the car, put $3 grand into this account, he'll send the car over with his wife (who was also overseas) and they'll deliver the car. So yeah, just be careful about where you get your car and make sure you see it before you put any money down. As a fellow college student, I know a dollar could go a long ways. :o) Good luck......

You'd get a pretty beat up VR4 with a billion miles. Or a pretty crappy Stealth RT AWD. These two are rated as sports cars, and will land you some premium insurances costs. The Eclipse GSX is not at all unreliable if you take the time to give it the minor maintenance it needs.

I don't know about you, but I would never buy a car and get it shipped to my house based on a picture and a few sentences of description alone.

Now that's a sweet looking car to be selling for just $4K! I did a search online and found the same car here (I think it's the same car):
http://www.cardomain.com/memberpage/223503
Anyways, my point is that if you e-mail the guy about the car, he'll tell you something like he's outta town or something and if you want it, you could put down like a grand or something and he'll deliver it to you. I e-mailed a couple people about some Supras and this guy told me that he was death and was overseas but if I wanted the car, put $3 grand into this account, he'll send the car over with his wife (who was also overseas) and they'll deliver the car. So yeah, just be careful about where you get your car and make sure you see it before you put any money down. As a fellow college student, I know a dollar could go a long ways. :o) Good luck......

Hey i sold that guy his supercharger kit on that car, gorgeous car with a ton of money into it, i don't see any reason for him to sell it for 4k though, he spent that on the supercharger setup

You're from LA you said right? I noticed that you were looking on internet sites so I thought I'd just give you a bit of a warning. There are a lot of people out there to rip people off. For example, if you search on Yahoo for a 3KGT around your area, you'll get this car as one of your options:
http://used-cars.autos.yahoo.com/usedcars/detail/index.html?cid=automobiles-1079995514-2919203&dst=57.83&rsr=bWFrZT1taXRzdWJpc2hpJm1vZGVsPTc1MDAwMTQyMSZjbF 95PSZjaF95PSZjbF9wcmljZT0mY2hfcHJpY2U9JmNsX21pPSZj aF9taT0mY2s9Jmd1cj0xMDAmY3N6PTkyNTA0JnZ0eXBlPWF1dG 9zJm1rPU1pdHN1YmlzaGkmbW89MzAwMEdU
Now that's a sweet looking car to be selling for just $4K! I did a search online and found the same car here (I think it's the same car):
http://www.cardomain.com/memberpage/223503


Thanks for the headsup! I knew people cheat people all the time on the net but I didn't know it was this bad. Is taking a mechanic alongto check out a car the way to go? I'm new to the US, and really dont know where you can hire mechanics by the hour to check cars out for you. Is there any place that you recommend?

To continue with the discussion, there seem to be a lot of GS-T on sale, but there are very few GSX I could find. Most GSX I find are totally souped up and are sold for a higher price. Is a GS-T good enough? Or, does the AWD really make a lot of difference? As I mentioned before, I dont intend to race often, but I just might decide to venture out some day. :)

Is the 2000 Eclipse GT any good? I've seen a lot of reviews which claim that it isn't as fast its "younger brother" the GS-T/GSX. And, if given a choice between picking a GS-T and a 3kgt SL which one would people pick? I think I like the 3kgt's styling, and it stands out. I am at USC, and there are sooo many people here who drive an Eclipse. I've seen very few 3kgts around here. Can a stock SL take on a stock GS-T. How much difference does a turbo make?

Thanks!

Nikhil.

the stock gs-t would probably win. i have a '95 gst and it's pretty quick, but i'm selling it because i want a vr4. i have a question, though. I read that the vr4 transmissions can't be rebuilt, is that true? any info is greatly appreciated. thanks.

You'd get a pretty beat up VR4 with a billion miles. Or a pretty crappy Stealth RT AWD. These two are rated as sports cars, and will land you some premium insurances costs. The Eclipse GSX is not at all unreliable if you take the time to give it the minor maintenance it needs.

I see. Any idea how often a maintainence/checkup is required and how much it will cost me (say) monthly? And, people tell me that only a liability insurance is required "by law". Does the liability insurance premium go up on sports cars too?

I don't know about you, but I would never buy a car and get it shipped to my house based on a picture and a few sentences of description alone.

Heh, I agree. I had a bad feeling about it too. There are so many people selling cars online, so I thought there would be a minimum amount of trust involved. I'll start being more suspicious now. :)

Nikhil.

Yeah, i wouldn't have a car shipped to me either. on autotrader.com there's an WRX STI for sale for $9000 and the dude wants me to deposit the money into an account until i give the okay for the money to be released to him and he's also deaf and his wife is also over seas. how odd. sounds like an internet scam to me.

the stock gs-t would probably win. i have a '95 gst and it's pretty quick, but i'm selling it because i want a vr4. i have a question, though. I read that the vr4 transmissions can't be rebuilt, is that true? any info is greatly appreciated. thanks.

how much are you selling your gs-t for?

I am at USC

Hey, I'm at CBU (Riverside). It's about an hour to an hour and a half (depending on traffic) from you. Hehe That's pretty cool! Never thought I'd "meet" someone so close to where I'm at...

Anyways, I don't know if you could hire a mechanic to go out with you to see the car but you could always take the car you want to the mechanic. If the seller won't let you do that, then it's probably a cracked out car anyways so you probably shouldn't buy it.

Hey, I'm at CBU (Riverside). It's about an hour to an hour and a half (depending on traffic) from you. Hehe That's pretty cool! Never thought I'd "meet" someone so close to where I'm at...

Anyways, I don't know if you could hire a mechanic to go out with you to see the car but you could always take the car you want to the mechanic. If the seller won't let you do that, then it's probably a cracked out car anyways so you probably shouldn't buy it.

Thanks for your advice. Great that you're at Riverside! But, I'm surprised that its rare to find people so close to LA. I thought LA had a pretty prominent racing scene and was assuming that a lot of them would be hanging around here. :)

I'm just trying to get my feet wet by starting off with a good car and moving on from there. Any idea how much I would have to invest in an SL to take it anywhere near a VR-4 or even a GS-T? Are there are cheap ways out, without damaging anything?

Where in the hell have yall seen a GSX for less then 6 grand? Seriously I cant find ANY in like 300 miles of my house thats not less then 9, and the old ones hah forget it there pretty damn rare. And if your gonna go the GS-T route get the spyder, itleast you can maket aht AWD with not that much money. Ive had people around here that have done it for around 3 grand. Just went to a junk yard found a GSX swapped all the crap from the Rear end onto the spyder. It was pretty mucha ll a str8 swap to. had to buy a diff tranmission though.

the stock gs-t would probably win. i have a '95 gst and it's pretty quick, but i'm selling it because i want a vr4. i have a question, though. I read that the vr4 transmissions can't be rebuilt, is that true? any info is greatly appreciated. thanks.

The VR4 transmission can be rebuilt. Whoever wrote that you can't was wrong. A rebuild isn't overly expensive (considering we're talking about a VR4 here) but a new one is.













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The GSX is nice because it makes a safe and inexpensive sports car. There's a large aftermarket of parts for it, and you don't pay the prices of a VR4 for it. Plus the AWD is very nice to have during snow or rain. It's rare, but you can usually land a good condition, lower mileage 95-96 (before they had the exterior change) GSX for $6995. You can also look for its more or less exact twin, the +95 Eagle Talon TSI AWD for a lower price (and lower insurance!).

Patience is a virtue, and eventually you'll find one that is still pristine and untouched by ignorant kids bolting mods up to their car. And besides, a GST to GSX awd drivetrain conversion is stupid. It costs more than if you were to buy the GSX in the first place.

The new (3rd) generation Eclipses from +2000 aren't impressive. And will probably be expensive due to their year.

Good luck on your search.

I'm selling my GS-T for $6500. If you're still interested let me know. I live in South Carolina, and I thought that you said you lived in Cali. so it probably wouldn't work out.

I talked to a guy selling his VR4 and he wants $4000 for it! He thinks that something major is wrong with the engine, but I believe that the lifters are just ticking. I will hit up the bank, but the car, sell my gs-t throw $6000 in it and maybe run low 12's.

lol, 6 grand in a vr4 will put you in the 11's.
ripleys, beleive it or not

i picked up my 96 gsx in great shape and spent $3500. Their are defently good deals to be had if your patient. of course i would rather have a VR4. duhh. their is a 91 vr4 for sale with 64-74k miles (cant exactly reamber) here in spokane for $6900 1 owner. i sell cars. so i keep up on this stuff =)

I bought my 96 Tsi Awd for $6700...I'd been looking online and in classifieds for close to 4 months though. As it turned out, I picked mine up over my spring break, drove 110 miles to Orlando to see it. 1 owner, 78k, bone stock, new factory clutch and flywheel :D.

I looked at VR-4s before I decided on the GSX/Tsi Awd, and since I am also a college student (out of state at UVA :(), there is on way I could afford a vr-4 with repairs. Twice the turbo parts that could need replacement, and with the funds I had, I was looking at VR-4s with 100k+ miles. The SL and 3kgt styling in general is amazing, but an SL will need a turbo kit to hang with a similarly modded turbo eclipse. No way around that, unfortunately. So I guess if you want a reasonably quick car with great looks, buy a nice SL. If you want a very quick car with good looks, buy a turbo eclipse. If you want a streetable race car with amazing looks, buy the VR-4, but be prepared to pay extra to maintain it!