Mitsubishi Eclipse or Hyundai Tiburon?
Looking to buy a 2003 Eclipse or Tiburon. Hyundai offers a better warranty, but the Eclipse seems a little more solid of a car. Price difference is maybe $2,000. Any advice or comments?
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Revka
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2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
The car had more than adaquate acceleration and it handles really well. The interior is a little sparse, but sporty. The seats may seem hard at first, but on long trips they are extremely comfortable and supportive.
My only complaints....torque steer and slightly numb steering. The car's handling limits are far beyond what the steering communicates back to the driver.
I'd recommend a Tiburon to anyone looking for a sporty little coupe. You should test drive both and see which one you like better.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
If they did that they'd be in violation of federal law unless they paid for all parts and labor. I get my Elantra's oil changed at Wal-Mart, as long as I have receipts I should be OK.
Hyun: 15 years, during which there was a lapse of a few years.
Mitsu has had a long time to get it right, and seemed to go downhill instead of up in the 90's. Hyundai is too new to tell, so they could still be worse, as were the 80's Excels, but they are an UNKNOWN as opposed to a KNOWN.
Can't you get a V-6 Tib with everything on it for under $20K?
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
Nippon: Yes, you can get a fully equipped V-6 Tiburon for about $19,000 or so. That's about $4,000 to $4,500 less than a similarly equipped Eclipse. That's a significant difference between the two models. Perhaps paying that $4,000 is worth it to some folks so they can drive a Mitsu. But given that the quality difference between the two manufacturers is about even at this point, why bother paying that much more?
An Eclipse is about $2,000 more. Not quite $4500. And you can get 0.0% financing on the Eclipse if I'm not mistaken or at the very least you can get deferred payments til '04 which would give you some time to put those payments in the bank so you could make a lump sum payment and cut your interest. I really don't prefer either car over the other I'm just playing devil's advocate.
And like I stated, most people I know keep their cars for over 5 years. We have other things to put our money into besides a deprecating asset. Maybe you hang with a more upscale crowd, who knows. And hopefully you aren't throwing in leasing when you make that statement. Because obviously that would throw all the calculations off, since leases are only going to be for 2 or 3 years anyway.
Why do people automatically assume someone who trades cars often doesn't already have a chunk of money going into savings/stock/401k. Maybe we do hang with a more upscale crowd but I see a bunch of people trading 2 year old cars with major negative equity and a high interest rate. Those are the people who are throwing their money away.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
As far as people trading in cars every 2 or 3 years (purchases, not leasing), then those people are extremely poor money managers. Trading in a used car and buying new every three years is probably the dumbest thing anyone can do from a financial standpoint. You are a loser everytime. So, if you actually have friends that do that, that is a sign of either (a) they have a lot more money than they know what do to with (in which case they can send me some), or (b) they are just not very smart people.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
As for trading cars ... we've been through over 20 cars in 6 years. We never make "stupid" trades because we wait for the deals we can't refuse. I have a significant amount of money going to 401k and stocks every month so the money I do have left is disposable. We are a dual-income-no-children household so all we have to put our energy in is cars and our house. Call us stupid if you want but I'd rather lose $4,000 trading in 5 cars than $6,000 on 1 Hyundai.
Or you might decide after a couple of years that the Mitsu isn't everything you thought it would be and you want to trade up/sell your way into another vehicle. Oops! Better have some extra cash to cover the gap. (There's no insurance for this.)
If you decide to ride the first year with no payments, you'll be looking at payments WAY OVER $680 a month to get the zero financing. If you're more disciplined and start paying right away you're still paying way north of $520 a month. You'd be much better off to do this, obviously, but that's a steep payment for a lot of people.
Okay, you could walk in with $5k to $8k down and the numbers would look pretty good, but that's not the target of Mitsubishi's marketing on this, is it? Plus, if you take that money out of savings to do this, you're losing money to reduce your payments. It's a kind of hidden interest, isn't it?
Plus, c'mon, you're driving a Mitsubishi, a car that has to be given away free for a year to keep its sales afloat. (Sorry ;-)) All I'm really saying is that nothing's simple in these financing deals and there are too many "if's" in the Mitsu deal to make a compelling comparison on financing alone.
I am sorry but is driving a mitsubishi going to have any more snob appeal??? At this end of the market who really cares what name is on the trunk.
I'll bet if you play it right you could get the dealer to sell you the Tiburon for such a low price that it would make Mitsu's financing not much of an issue.
The Tiburon is the best Korean car ever made and a damn pretty one to boot. The new eclipse has a piggy nose bulge and ugly fake carbon-fiber clear-out tail lights. I say get the Tib.
There are alot of "ifs" in buying a Hyundai as well. Their reputation is improving but their resale value is still horrendous.
However, my point in rebuttal to the statement that a loaded V6 Eclipse could be had for the same (or less) money as the loaded V6 Tiburon was that there were too many "if's" and too many financial risks, especially if the "free" period of no payments for a year was applied. Then one would be totally upside down for the first twelve months and the financial burden of getting right side up would be the reality of very high payments.
I didn't really address resale value, which in this segment is terrible. If you don't want to feel that pain, buy a used car.
SEOUL (Bloomberg) Hyundai Motor Co., South Korea's largest automaker, said its new venture with DaimlerChrysler AG and Mitsubishi Motors Corp. will use an engine based on its technology and lead to royalty payments from the partners.
The automakers will each make 500,000 passenger car engines, based on Hyundai Motor's newly developed model. The 1.8 to 2.4- liter engines will be made at the automakers' own plants and be used for their own future models. The Korean automaker expects to receive royalty payments for its engine design starting in 2005.
The three automakers signed an accord yesterday to set up a venture for the design and development of four-cylinder gasoline engines. The venture, called Global Engine Alliance L.L.P., will be equally owned by the three companies. DaimlerChrysler owns 10.5 percent of Hyundai Motor and 37 percent of Mitsubishi Motors and is looking for ways to reduce costs and risks in developing cars.
"The agreement is a sign that Hyundai Motor has gained acceptance for its technology for engines used in smaller cars," said Lee Young Seog, who manages 500 billion won ($390 million) at Dongwon BNP Investment Trust Management Co. "The next step for Hyundai will be to raise its competitiveness for engines for bigger cars."
Hyundai Motor will begin using the engines for its own cars in March 2004, DaimlerChrysler will start using the engines in June 2005 and Mitsubishi Motors will begin using the engines in March 2006.
DaimlerChrysler and Hyundai Motor formed a venture last year to produce engines for commercial vehicles.
And sorry but the price differential between a fully equiped Tiburon and a similarly equiped Eclipse is still to much for the Eclipse to overcome. The quality of the two makes is essentially the same at this point and Hyundai offers a much better warranty.
And like was pointed out earlier, if you do o% financing and don't make any payments for a year when you do start making payments, besides being majorly upside down on that Mitsu, your monthly payments would be unbelievable.
Nice try though. Mitsubishi ought to give you a commission for your posts. LOL.
http://www.bankrate.com/brm/rate/auto_home.asp?nav=left_nav_auto_loans&page=default
Let's use carsdirect prices since they are easily available to anyone.
03 Tiburon GT V6 with Option Package 17 (sunroof, power package, etc) $18,960
03 Eclipse GT V6 with Sun, Sound, Leather package $21,486
03 Tiburon at 6.3% = $369 p/ month
03 Eclipse at 1.0% (it won't let you calculate 0.0% on bankrates calculator) = $367 p/ month.
So the Eclipse has closed an almost $3000 gap. Neither of these cars are winning the resale value race right now so you would be equally upside down in the Tiburon since you are paying interest where even if you don't make payments for a year in the Eclipse when you do start making payments all of the money will go to your principal.
I'm not trying to sell the Eclipse here but if you compare the 2 the Tiburon isn't the raging bargain that people make it out to be.
As for the 000 deal on the Eclipse, why do you think the payments would be unbelievably high? If you make no payments for a year, your payments will be higher then if you did, but they won't be outrageous. In essence, you are taking on a 6 year loan, of which only 5 years you are required to make payments. Are you thinking that the 1 year of no payments counts as one of the 5 years, thus making it a 4 year loan? If so, that's not the case. At any rate, between these two cars, I would choose the Tiburon hands down, simply because I love its looks, inside and out. The Eclipse is ok looking, but nowhere near as stylish as the Tiburon. Plus, its extra 30 horses doesn't appear to make much of a difference. The GTS achieves 0-60 in 6.7 and the Tib GT in 7.1. However, the regular Eclipse GT gets to 60 in 7.0. The Tib's 7.1 sec run is pretty impressive for an engine rated at 170.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
GT V6 2dr Coupe (2.7L 6cyl 6M)
STANDARD
MSRP $20,522 TMV(true market value) $19,049
Standard features
17 X 7 alloy rims
215/45R17 Micheline tires
Alarm
leather package
power package
cruise
A/C
Infinity 360 watts CD sound system w/subwoofer
2003 Mitsubishi Eclipse
GTS 2dr Hatchback (3.0L 6cyl 5M)
MSRP $24,752 TMV(true market value)
$22,514
Standard Options
5 spd
17 X 6.5 rims
215/50R17
leather package
power package
cruise
A/C
Infinity 210 watts
Tiburon is $4,200 cheaper
With TMV Tiburon is $3,465 cheaper
if you don't have good credit then interest offer does not matter BUY TIBURON. instead American touring coupe Eclipse. with same engine, and chassis Chrysler's Sebring looks better.
if You have Great credit rate
Eclipse for 0% for 36 month
$22,514+(Sales tax 7%)$1,576
$24,090
36 month $669/month
60 month with %2.9: $432/month
Tiburon for %5 (with great credit most banks today offer uner 5% interest for 5 years)
$19,049+$1,333
$20,382
60 month $385/month
total include interest
$23,100 60 month interest $2780
Even with my good credit I can't pay $670 per month And most others are same. If I pay $670, I will buy BMW. or Mercedes C-coupe which cost about $3,000 more than Eclipse.
Neither one is at the top of their class so just buy the one you can live with the most. Neither is going to break records come trade-in time.
So differece will be more than $5,000 between Eclipse GTS and Tiburon GT basedon of standard model with above listed features.
it will be around $17,400 for Tiburon GT 6 spd.
including DES Charge. Which is almost cheap as Civic EX.
2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick