how much abuse can she handle?

[apexwarrior]

Hi everyone, this is my first post.
I just want to let everyone know that I went ahead and tossed my wifes belives that the eclipse is a unreliable car. Can anyone help me convince her?

I bought a '96 turbo spyder with an auto tranny. the tubo has never been rebuilt and the trany shifts through gears fine. Its got 98,000 miles on it.

Anyone have any reliability issues with their car? I am about to take a trip down to florida and want the car to last well over the length of the trip. I want to baby it so that we get the most miles we can out of her.

 

[halligoo]

If this was my only car, my wife would slap me silly.

Change the timing belt if you aren't sure that it has already been done. 'Baby' is the key. Change the oil - frequently. Regularly check for loose bolts, leaky hoses, oil leaks. Mine has 124,000 and I would drive it anywhere without worrying too much. I keep a bag of tools and a roll of duct tape in the back.

Congratulations. You now have a new part-time job that you don't get paid for.

 

[eclipseGSTud]

Did you get the car inspected before you bought it? You shouldn't have a problem with reliability. Make sure the car is caught up with regular maintenance (i.e., oil changes, spark plugs, wires, atf, brake fluid, steering fluid, air filter, check brakes, coolant, etc). NGK spark plugs (BPR6ES or BPR7ES) work best on our cars. DO NOT use "Champion" spark plugs! They caused me a lot of problems and lost money. Don't forget about the tune-up intervals of major parts (i.e., timing belt, water pump, etc). In addition, check the turbo for shaft play, do a boost leak test, check for bad hoses and leaks, and do a compression test.
Keep up with maintenance, tune-ups, don't have a "lead foot" all the time and you'll be fine. The 4g63t engine is very strong, so it can handle you pushing it when you want to. Anyways, I'm sure you'll be able to make it through the trip without much or any problem. You should bring a small bag of tools with you and a bottle of oil just in case though. Expect some minor issues with any car that is near 100,000 mileage mark.

Besides this site, www.vfaq.com is anther great website with a wealth of information about your spyder. Welcome to the DSM world!

 

[1993eclipseGS]

If the routine mechanical things have been kept up with, Then the car should be good to go. DSM's ARE NOT UNRELIABLE. Honestly, I'm sick of hearing this constantly. Yes, If the car was beat, Owned by a teenager that didn't care about it, Or just was not serviced on time, Then yes it will be unreliable. Drive the car how a car should be driven, And you shoulden't have any problems.

 

[I_LOVE_DSMS]

DSM's will last forever, my friend had a 91 vr4 with 380 whp and stock block and it lasted him through 160mph blasts and new jersey winters.

 

[apexwarrior]

well i did get the car inspected and nothing came up. there are no oil leaks and the turbo was rebuilt at 60,000 miles. I guess I over looked that. I took a lift to it and checked myself. I found that the car has alot of scrapes on the bottom. and the front axels need to be changed or repaired. The rubber is broken and you can see the grease has lots of dirt in it.

I am a lil worried about the top and these New England winters. trucks around here toss tons of salt and sand on the roads. Even though I got a garage, I wonder how what the winter will bring.

 

[gsnoturbo90]

Defintly suggest that you change the oil. I read an artical the other day saying to use the best oil you can buy for your car along with a good filter. I suggest you use royal purple its 6.50 a quart but so worth it, my car runs amazing since i changed it and put a k&N filter with it. Also check timing belt and anything else you can, any loose belts you see. MAke sure they are all tight, one of my belts broke and ripped some wires out and stalled the car while i was driving. ANd if you want the car to last run the AC as least as possible. I hate AC!

 

[Defiant]

Hell, she's your wife, you tell us.

You can always get a newer one.

 

[Spoolin4Ever]

"how much abuse can she handle?"

As much as you can afford to pay and fix it.

Turbocharged engines take more abuse though, because of the heat of the turbo and combustion process. Change oil frequently (every 3K), and remember turbo cars also benefit from synthetic oil more then a non turbo car.

Sounds like a cool car you got. Trying to argue with your wife that they are reliable, and then go buy one when you never owned one before, and you don't know this person you bought it from: really pushing your luck. Now anytime something breaks she is going to be all over you hehe.

Do you have automotive skills and a place to fix things? Rebuilt turbos usually don't last as long as a new one, as an example. A turbo is about $600 for a new one. And that just where they start.

Welcome to the boards. Good luck.