looking to buy a talon/eclipse, have Q's

arctic_scrap said:

I live in northern MN and have a 55 mile round trip commute to work and put a lot of weekend miles on. I want something thats four wheel drive or awd. I drive a lifted '96 chev truck that gets 12mpg so I need a car. To be honest I'm not a fan of imports and modded 4 cyl engines. I don't even care how fast they are or that they have a turbo, its the awd and gas mileage that I want. Just need something comfortable that will get me around on icey and snowy roads without having to drive half the speed limit.

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I would definitely recommend one of these cars for you.

I disagree that these cars are a waste of money if you don't build it. G3ne is probably just upset that it wasn't being used to it's 'potential' but really they are great cars for the money. Honestly if I didn't got to the mountains 3-4 times per week I'd probably have a CRX, but these cars are great in the snow, and cheap/easy to make go fast. I live in Denver.

These cars have a bad reputation for reliability because lots of little things tend to break, but just about everything can be avoided if you're willing to put a little bit of maintenance in. I think one reason people get really into these cars is because you have to be familiar with them (or connected to a board like this that can answer your questions).

As soon as you get the car you'll probably want to replace the timing belt ($2-$300 in parts if you do it right) and check the transfercase for leaks (there is a recall that needs done or else the fluid will leak out and the drivetrain can lock up), and replace the capacitors on the ECU (very easy and about $3 in parts - the reason you heard about electrical problems, but mostly only an issue with the 94 and older cars). There's also a recall for the fuel tank and control arm/ball joint that you'll need to have taken care of, but otherwise they really are good cars...with one exeption...starting in 1995 there were an unusually high number of crankwalk reports.

Most of them do have LSD (check for an orange sticker in the drivers door jamb) and all 4 wheels do get power all the time. It's a very simple but effective system (someone I know won a local rally circuit last year with a 1st gen). If you maintain the motor you can get a ton of miles out of them...very solid design. I pulled one from a junked car last year that had over 200k on it. I was surprised when the shop told me all it needed was to polish the crank, reshape the rods, and hone the cylinders. Other than that they said it would go back together and run like new.

I bought my '92 GSX AWD 5-Sp. for the same reason you are looking at one. I was commuting 67 miles each way for work. I have a 4x4 Chevy but I wanted something that would get better mileage. Driving down the winding roads in NW. Arkansas I wanted something that would
a) hold the road
b) be able to pass slower traffic in the blink of an eye
c) Get me home safely when the snow started coming down.

This car was everything I ever wanted in a car and more! Not only did it perform its daily functions, it also surprised me on long trips. Took it on what normally would have been a 10.5 hour drive to see the family in Nebraska, only had to gas up 2x, and didn't ache at all when I got there. Not to mention how much fun it was flying down the interstate from border to border across Kansas at 105+ MPH.
Aside from the ECU going out on my car, the only real trouble it ever gave me was the front axlehaft actually FELL OFF going down the road. Not going to blame that on the car though......I was probably at least partially to blame for that.

Anyhow.....if you buy it....chances are you will love it!