Car Guys, is this a good deal?

[Lucky]

it needs a new transmission. 9x,000 miles. Supposedly everything else is OK with it. What would the cost of a new transmission be (sorry, don't know if its auto or stick yet) and would it still be a good deal after the repair?

 

[apac]

Supposedly everything else is OK with it.

That's all relative. In a car worth $225, 'OK' might mean a 3 month lifetime. If you're really that interested, have a good mechanic inspect the whole car and give you a summary.

 

[Gurck]

trannies aren't cheap, especially autos. Sounds like 90k hard miles, my guess is it'd be nothing but trouble.

 

[Bistromath]

You're asking if a car that has been driven so hard for less than 100k miles it needs a new transmission is a good deal?

 

[jagec]

An OK deal if you can install the tranny yourself. It would cost a couple grand, or much cheaper if you go the junkyard route. You get to pick whether you want auto or stick, since you're replacing the tranny anyway.

I'm not a big fan of Mitsus myself, but if you like 'em it might be worth it.

 

[Childs]

Is this an AWD turbo or plain jane eclipse? You can pull a trans from a autowrecker and slap it in and have a decent car for under $1K, or it could be headache after headache. 93K miles is pretty good for a 93, so it may be worth the stretch. Mitsu engines are fairly strong, but it is strange that an auto trans is whats broken. Maybe you should run a carfax and see if it was salvaged or the mileage was rolled back. If is an AWD turbo I'd go for it just to have an AWD Turbo!

 

[Lucky]

Im basically looking for a beater (2nd) car for my GF. We weren't even looking at imports at first, just saw this and thought it might be a steal. I had to replace the tranny in my 92 civic at 108K and it's gone strong for the last 60,000, so I wouldn't be all that worried. I would definitely be looking to get at least 3-6 months out of it, but I thought if it only cost 1K or so like my civic did to replace it, it might be a pretty good deal.

 

[Lucky]

Originally posted by: apac

Supposedly everything else is OK with it.

That's all relative. In a car worth $225, 'OK' might mean a 3 month lifetime. If you're really that interested, have a good mechanic inspect the whole car and give you a summary.

at this price that's not much of an option. seller says reverse works but not forward, and the car needs to be sold ASAP. So I'd be taking a chance and buying it, then trailering it home till I figured out what to do with it.

 

[fs5]

Originally posted by: Lucky

Originally posted by: apac

Supposedly everything else is OK with it.

That's all relative. In a car worth $225, 'OK' might mean a 3 month lifetime. If you're really that interested, have a good mechanic inspect the whole car and give you a summary.

at this price that's not much of an option. seller says reverse works but not forward, and the car needs to be sold ASAP. So I'd be taking a chance and buying it, then trailering it home till I figured out what to do with it.

reverse works but not forward? I'm guessing it's an automatic. Turbo or non-turbo is another question (do I think '93s come in in turbo trim.)

it's also possible to get a tranny from a junkyard and do the install yourself. If you do that maybe you can sell it for a profit depending on the body condition. good luck

 

[dudeman007]

I'd say go for it. Sounds like a good deal to me.

 

[Lucky]

No, not an option to do it myself. I've got neither the time, the inclination, the skills, or the space to do it myself. 🙂

 

[fs5]

here are what the '93s came in:

1993 Eclipse
Coupe 2D
GS Coupe 2D
GS 16V DOHC Coupe 2D
GS DOHC Turbo Coupe 2D
GSX AWD Coupe 2D

What trim, do ya know?

 

[Lucky]

No, unfortunately I don't know yet. Am calling in the morning though. KBB says in 2D coupe form, it's worth $1700 private party, in GS 16V DOHC form, worth 2500 private party, and in GSX AWD turbo form worth $3500. So I probably wouldn't buy it because of the hassle factor if it's the bottom-of-the-line model, but if I can get a repair done for 1K (is this reasonable?) I might spring if it's a higher model.