1997 Eclipse RS

[wardak33]

hey guys. i found a 1997 eclipse rs for sale for about $2600. its black in color, and all stock. it has 101k miles and supposedly had a tune up at 99k miles. i'm buying this car as it will be my first, and we need a gas saver anyway. i'm planning to keep it stock with little mods like exhaust/intake and lights, stuff like that (yea i know, RICER). i was just wondering if you guys could tell me if i'm making the right choice. what are the pros and cons of eclipses? do they last long? do they require heavy maintenance? any info would help, thanks!

PS. i'm the type of guy that takes real good care of cars. i change the fuel/air filter, plugs, plug wires, pcv, all that stuff on my own, which leads my mom's bravada running for the past 6 years and having over 127k miles. occasionally i do like to floor it and here that inline 6 roar, but still take good care of it. so do you think that an eclipse would be my type of car?

[MazdaX]

If you plan to by an "RS" as a gas saver , do not modify it. Also the RS only has 140 HP stock at the crank and even less at the wheels so there really is no gain in 'flooring it' and feeling anything happen. Chances are it will just creep its way up the tach & speedo.

If you are looking to buy it as a DD and modify it , don't go with cheap-o headers and mufflers as they are annoyingly loud , rattle & leak. OBX has a decent head and cat back kit. The intakes are pretty much just a tube and a filter so no need to be picky there.

If you maintain the eclipse like a person should maintain any car , it will be just as reliable as any other car. If you abuse it expect it to break. The 420A isn't a race motor nor does it have a race drive train so slam shifting it and rev dropping the clutch and gears will only jack it up quick.

For the price - It's iffy. If the body and electrical is good it's about right as long as it runs good to boot. If there are problems , pick the car apart to the owner and decrease the value of it to lower the price. Over all the RS is a good all around driver just doesn't pack any punch.

Good luck.