Weren't you trying to decide between a Charger and a 280 ZX awhile back? With the Eclipse, I assume you're talking about the 1st generation ones, like 1990-94? Anyway, that's what I have experience with, so here goes. A good site to check is www.dsm.org And there's a ton more info out there on the web for these cars. They are the same as the Eagle Talon and the Plymouth Laser. You could get them with a 1.8L, a 2.0L, and a 2.0L Turbo engine, with front wheel drive or all wheel drive. I've got the 2.0 Turbo AWD. The engine seems to be pretty bulletproof. Burns just a little bit of oil. No blue smoke or anything, just have to add some every once in awhile. Like someone else said, I think Mitsu's are known for that. It's fast, and its fun. Surprisingly enough, you can fit quite a bit of stuff into the hatchback with the seats down. With the Turbo AWD, the gas mileage aint the greatest, but its OK. The achilles heal on these cars is the manual transmission. After awhile, they all seem to grind going into gear. Ask anyone whos ever had one, you'll probably hear the same. There's a ton of aftermarket stuff out there for these cars. As far as availability, I don't know where you're at, but here in N Illinois, it seems like all of the ones in the junkyard already have the engines taken out of them--the 2.0L and 2.0L turbos are pretty popular to stuff into other cars. Now, if you're looking for somethign to work on, I always see these cars for sale on Craigslist. It seems like there's at least one a week that pops up on there--and the story is always the same: "This is my Eclipse/Talon/Laser. I did these mods to it, and now it doesn't run right/doesn't run at all, and I need money, so its for sale." Sometimes it's just something simple to fix, and you can get a good deal. Other times, someone has beat the thing and the motor is junk. You know how it goes--too many kids trying to be "Fast and Furious." Anyway, if you don't get an Eclipse, keep an eye on Craigslist anyway, there always seems to be at least a coupel of decent deals on there.
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