Reliability and Buying Used

[michintom]

Hello,

I have searched around and couldn't find anything very useful.
Anyways I had a 99 GSX previously and moved onto Honda for a while.
In order for me to save money I need to sell my current car and move down to an older car....and a gsx was the first thing that came to my mind.
I found one local at an used card dealership and the mileage is probably the highest I seen. 220k...
I might have some time to go check out the car on Saturday and need to know what I should check for and how long the engine will last before I need to replace it. I seen the highest mileage thread with people over 300k.

Here is the link to the GSX.

Thanks in advance
1998 Mitsubishi Eclipse GSX

 

[caboose]

if its from a dealership and its that clean it should come with a warranty, wow that gsx looks just about as fresh as it gets, $6995 though? a little high in my opinion i would offer 5k cash and see what they say.

 

[rdejardin777]

if i was you buying it (im a used car salesman by the way) i would only buy it with a good price! dont give in!!! check for leaks, color of exhaust, rust on the frame etc etc. i would only buy it if you have enough money to replace/rebuild the engine at any given time. at least enough to rebuild a turbo bc who knows how old it is. beat the crap out of it on a test drive to see if it still has good compression/power. as far as how long will it last...your guess is as good as anybodys! thats my 2 cents worth

a car that high miles being a 99...it is not worth 6995...i agree. i would offer 4500 cash not even 5000. i would also try to buy a car off the forums for a decent price that might be built up a little already

 

[knochgoon24]

That looks pretty clean. Nice. If it's always been a CA car, there probably isn't too much rust.

Things I wish I had done before I bought my car:
-Driven more than 1 DSM. I would have noticed the bad wheel bearing and not-so-hot transmission.
-Looked at it in better light. It had a ton of small chips in the paint.
-Known what to look for. I didn't even know that a Talon was nearly the same as an Eclipse.
-Known a good going price. I over paid. A ton.
-Looked around longer. I settled for an automatic instead of a 5-speed.
-Found this forum earlier.

I ended up paying $4500 for a car that had a bad wheel bearing, 192k miles, chipped paint on the hood, worn tires,an engine with unknown miles, and an automatic.

If I had posted the history of the car on this side, I would have been told to run away from the deal, or only offer $3000, if that.


EDIT: I missed that it has 220k miles. That's a good bit. Get a maintenance history for it. That's a lot of miles if you don't know the work that's been done.

Also, I love the blue brake calipers...

 

[michintom]

if its from a dealership and its that clean it should come with a warranty, wow that gsx looks just about as fresh as it gets, $6995 though? a little high in my opinion i would offer 5k cash and see what they say.

if i was you buying it (im a used car salesman by the way) i would only buy it with a good price! dont give in!!! check for leaks, color of exhaust, rust on the frame etc etc. i would only buy it if you have enough money to replace/rebuild the engine at any given time. at least enough to rebuild a turbo bc who knows how old it is. beat the crap out of it on a test drive to see if it still has good compression/power. as far as how long will it last...your guess is as good as anybodys! thats my 2 cents worth

a car that high miles being a 99...it is not worth 6995...i agree. i would offer 4500 cash not even 5000. i would also try to buy a car off the forums for a decent price that might be built up a little already

That looks pretty clean. Nice. If it's always been a CA car, there probably isn't too much rust.

Things I wish I had done before I bought my car:
-Driven more than 1 DSM. I would have noticed the bad wheel bearing and not-so-hot transmission.
-Looked at it in better light. It had a ton of small chips in the paint.
-Known what to look for. I didn't even know that a Talon was nearly the same as an Eclipse.
-Known a good going price. I over paid. A ton.
-Looked around longer. I settled for an automatic instead of a 5-speed.
-Found this forum earlier.

I ended up paying $4500 for a car that had a bad wheel bearing, 192k miles, chipped paint on the hood, worn tires,an engine with unknown miles, and an automatic.

If I had posted the history of the car on this side, I would have been told to run away from the deal, or only offer $3000, if that.


EDIT: I missed that it has 220k miles. That's a good bit. Get a maintenance history for it. That's a lot of miles if you don't know the work that's been done.

Also, I love the blue brake calipers...

Thanks for the reply guys. I know the price seems high but I'll try to lower it down to about $5000. I'll try to go check out the car on Saturday and look for the problems you guys mentioned. Thanks again! I'll keep you guys updated.

 

[97gst_spyder]

If your going to spend $5k+ on a 99 I have a 97 spyder you can have for $3k... Man I wish you lived in FL...

 

[michintom]

If your going to spend $5k+ on a 99 I have a 97 spyder you can have for $3k... Man I wish you lived in FL...

I don't like convertibles...had a s2k in the past and having the top rip and replacing it was a pain.
Thanks tho

One more question, if the engine is in decent shape how many more miles would I be able to get out of it?

 

[caboose]

if the engine has been babied and all upkeep has been done properly and you baby it, it could last another 220k, but who really knows.

 

[IgotBoost91]

It is a nice car but that price is a little steep.

 

[GettinPaper]

It is a nice car but that price is a little steep.

agree'd,
They want too much for it.
If it was me, and i had the money to spend.
I'd buy a nice rolling chasis and a motor,
and swap it for less than the cost of that 2g.
But that's me

 

[richard33]

I think thats a little bit too many miles and too much money. If you're patient, a better deal will come your way. You just have to keep looking. It's a buyers market right now since everyone is trying to get rid of stuff.

 

[motozachl]

Wow that is incredibly clean but like others said it may be a little over priced still however. It appears completely stock

 

[michintom]

I called yesterday and these guys won't go any lower then $6995 . Thanks for the reply guys. I guess I have to look around a little more.

 

[SnprSlick]

I called yesterday and these guys won't go any lower then $6995 . Thanks for the reply guys. I guess I have to look around a little more.

Keep their number. They aren't going to sell it for 7000... .

 

[werx]

I agree. They are not going to sell it at that price. And dsm are particular so definitely make sure they did all the routine maintainance and have the paperwork since that's a lot of miles on those turbo parts.

 

[D's GS-T]

7K, my god , thats rediculous

 

[TsiDan]

thats a gorgeous gsx!... don't agree with the price though... offer 5k... if he refuses wait it out.. dealers are always willing to go lower towards the end of the month... they have to meet quota... my uncle is a scam artist i mean dealer...