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420A Friend offered to sell me his '98 Eclipse RS for around 2k and I'm not sure if it's worth it.

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TheKing03

Probationary Member
1
0
Aug 10, 2022
Santa Clarita, California
Hi Ya'll! I have a dilemma going on regarding a '98 Eclipse RS and I got recommended this site for advice.

My friend recently decided he wants to sell his Eclipse and I've been looking for a cheaper stick shift to drive for fun, so it seemed like a perfect opportunity. But there are some glaring issues that I wanted to get an outside opinion on that are really concerning me.

The car overheats when it's left to idle for more than 30 minutes and there appears to be a small coolant leak that lets coolant drip under the reservoir. I noticed that when the car does overheat, it drips a lot more coolant and often leaves a medium-sized puddle under the engine bay. I've been asking around and I've been told its most likely a blown head gasket but could also be a bad water pump or fan.

Another issue is that the AC doesn't blow cold. I've read it could be a whole sleuth of reasons like a bad/un-charged compressor, or faulty thermostat.

Beyond that the car has some smaller issues like small splotches of body rust (already been grinded down and primed), A pretty bad dent on the right rear quarter panel, a missing radio, broken crank window, small crack on the windshield, and for some reason the wipers don't stop at the bottom of the window, but instead wherever they are when you turn them off.

I'm more than willing to learn how to fix the car and get it back into better shape, but I don't wanna end up dumping thousands into the car if it's a lost cause or just not worth fixing.

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The mechanical things you listed can be fixed relatively easily. You didn’t list the mileage and what is known about the maintenance of the engine and transmission. That’s where things can start to get expensive. And even then, you’ll have to make a decision on whether you will be doing any repairs, or paying for a mechanic to do them.
 
It sounds like its not a good car.

If your are buying this car to drive everyday and you are unable to pop the hood and determine on your own where the coolant leak is, do not buy this car to drive. For all you know the radiator cap is loose, but you have to ask others why coolant would leak.

So is it a good deal? No
Is it cheap? No

How much would a mechanic charge to fix all of those problems if your couldnt work on the car yourself?

The coolant leak will probably cost you $400 to $800 minimum

The AC being fixed will cost you $1200 to $1400 minimum from a shop

The stereo missing will cost money

The rust most likely isnt fixable or would cost another $2,000 to resolve.

So if you pay some one to fix the two biggest issues, do you think a running eclipse rs in poor condition is worth $4k after repairs? The answer is no, you would take a loss on that car
 
It sounds like its not a good car.

If your are buying this car to drive everyday and you are unable to pop the hood and determine on your own where the coolant leak is, do not buy this car to drive. For all you know the radiator cap is loose, but you have to ask others why coolant would leak.

So is it a good deal? No
Is it cheap? No

How much would a mechanic charge to fix all of those problems if your couldnt work on the car yourself?

The coolant leak will probably cost you $400 to $800 minimum

The AC being fixed will cost you $1200 to $1400 minimum from a shop

The stereo missing will cost money

The rust most likely isnt fixable or would cost another $2,000 to resolve.

So if you pay some one to fix the two biggest issues, do you think a running eclipse rs in poor condition is worth $4k after repairs? The answer is no, you would take a loss on that car
This is probably not what you wanted to hear OP, but this is the truth.
 
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