[lorie]

Im thinking about buying a used eclipse gs with manual transmission and I want to upgrade its performance for only a few thousand dollars.

The only thing is that I know very little about working on cars. Im only thinking performance wise right now, I want it to be a great car before it looks like one.

I want to know some areas of the car that I should think about upgrading, the estimated cost, and if I should be able to do this on my own or if I should leave it to professionals. Any other advise is appreciated.

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[89y49rexsi]

well i would recommend getting it in tip top running condition before modding. but i would defiantly get your timing belt changed before anything else in any used car (i learned this the hard way lol) but besides getting / replacing anything thats (worn/ missing/ broken) out always do a tune up as well, oil change, spark plugs, spark plug wires, cap and rotor button. but as far as little mods a cai (cold air intake), and exhaust will always help a little and can give it a cool tone (without being ricey).

btw is it an auto or manual. if its a manual you may want to have the clutch replaced.

what year is the eclipse? i hope this helps a little.

good luck and keep us updated on the progress

[lorie]

Its an 03 do it's pretty much brand new it's only 7 years old so i don't think it needs timing belt right away! (but I am not 100% sure) lol and it's manual!

And only has 157k on it..

[89y49rexsi]

because of its age and the miles on it HAVE THE TIMING BELT REPLACED. 157k means that the belt should have been replaced around 2x-3x already according to Mitsubishi. and if its raced you should do ur timing belt every 4-5 oil changes. or about once every year at a minimum.

about a year ago i wouldnt have said anything about it but then i got a rude awakening when my90 accord had the timing belt snap. and then i was schooled on timing belts. better safe then sorry. and then there is the fact that it is much cheaper to replace the belt than to replace your motor. over time (this time is severely reduced if you race the car) the belt stretches ever so slightly. and when this happens your hp goes down down down. plus the fact that you never really fully know what this car of yours has gone through in the past. plus there is also the fact that if ur belt snaps there is a good chance that if and when the belt breaks that you can kiss ur motor bye bye. seen it happen a few times.

but just do the maintenance on ur car and your car will last just that much longer for your enjoyment =)

[KyleClyne]

Maintenance is very important on these cars as everyone stated above, however if you're spending "a few thousand dollars" to mod, ON TOP of what you're already paying for the car, I would want to look for an older GSX or something.