I am planning to buy a first car and was wondering if my decison is right. I have chosen a 1999 mitsubishi eclipse gs. Dont worry I wont put some body kit on it or tune it. This is my first car. Do you think this is the right choice and can you tell me why or why not. Also does anyone know how much insurance would cost on this car. Thanks!




Also these are two cars I have been looking at. Which one do you thinks a better choice and is the second worth the extra money.

99 Mitusbishi Eclipse GS - Lowest price around for this great car

1999 Mitsubishi Eclipse, Auto, Leather, CD, Sunroof!!!

If these are the only choices, I'd definatly go with the first red one. It has better MPG, less miles, and cheaper. The only drawback I can find about the red one is the insurance is that your insurance is probably going to go up. Whenever you buy a used car with over 50k miles, your always just buying somebody else's problem.

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thanks for the response. I think I'm going for the red one...I am probably going to get a new car when im 18. I'm going to have to find out how much insurance will be. Thanks again. Also i heard that red cars cost more to insure. Do you know if thats true?

Yep. I've had first had experience with it. My sister owned a '87 red mustang and insurance was about 30 dollars cheaper for a different color. Its not much, but if you take care of the car, and keep it long enough, the savings add up

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Youre lucky to be able to afford insurance. Here in UK, I was quoted £1300 to insure my son as a second driver of a little Ford Fiesta, worth about £800. He's 18 - we'll have to wait until he's a bit older.

man, thats outragous! Here in America, 18 year olds ussually pay for their own insurance. My sister pays about $220 per every half year.

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wow! Very lucky! Motoring here is getting more and more expensive. Ok, insurance for me isnt too bad cos Ive been driving a long time, but road tax is £180 a year and gas costs about almost £4.00 per gallon. Young people just cant afford it.

A few things raise insurance 1) color (solid red, black, white) 2) # of doors and (fewer than 3) 3) transmission (standard). Why, these things usually indicate a sports car. If it is solid red, with only 2 door, and a standard transmission, you can expect it to be hot rodded...

Why the color? Well basically 2 things, a) most sports cars are of those 3 solid colors, they look big, mean and powerful. b) Red has psychological effects on people. Instinctively when we see red, our heart speeds up, and we release a little adrenaline. Our minds see red and think of Blood... Fight-or-flight, and reacts appropriately. Solid black usually sooths the psyche, but it's a popular color for fast cars that want to slip below the radar. White, cheap, easy, and still shows the lines of the car real well.

Most sports cars have 2 doors and a trunk. This is historical, from the early 'stangs and 'vettes to the modern speed machines. A hatch-back is seen as a "family car" feature, that most guys who are young, dumb and full of ...... won't be seen dead in... it's to much of a mother thing, like a mini-van. See many hatchbacks on the professional race circuit???

Transmissions: again, historically the trany of choice being standard. An automatic can be faster of the line, but gear options can let a standard driver out perform the automatic for acceleration.

Insurance companies have these options built into their pricing, all they need is the VIN to garner most if not all of the information. Since the VIN tells if it's a Ford Mustang, or a Ford Escort, they know, and adjust their prices according to that. The others, like color (optional, but used by most manufacturers) are reflected in the VIN, and potentially transmission choice, they know enough.

So things to help: 1) Get a 2-tone, or not solid of the basic hot rods) 2) get a hatch-back (3rd door) 3) automatic transmission (this isn't as big as it used to be, but still, how many people buy a vette and want an automatic transmission).

Now, for factors you can't control: Gender, Males in the US are more likely to do something very stupid behind the wheel and kill themselves. Females are likely to have parking lot accidents, but guys aren't thinking with their head. (I'll leave the wisecracks up to you). Age: Most guys wise up (and physically their brains and bodies finish growing up) around age 25. So once you turn 25, your rates typically drop.

One factor you can control: Marital Status. Once you are married, your rates drop. This is typically because when we marry, our priorities change, we typically accept the great responsibility and start to drive safer. (i think the fact we can actually relieve some of the hormonal stress helps a lot too).


Now.. For the original question. Is that the right choice.. That all depends on you. Typically you will wreck or even total your first car. So If you haven't destroyed moms/dads car, I'd say buy a TANK. If you have already christened a car, then sure, go for it. Get a CarFax (sp?) Report, and know it's history!! That could let you know if you'll be planning on fixing a bad axle, because it wasn't replaced after an accident.... Well it wont' tell you if the part was replaced.. but it'll tell you about the accident. you can then be ready, and know what to look for, including the price. If it's been in an accident, you can usually talk the price down, unless you feel that car is worth what is being asked/offered/paid.

You can't tell it, but I worked in a garage for 5 summers... (my dad owned it)

I don't know. It depends on the driver about how long the car will last. My sister has had her mustang for 3 years, and has only done minor repairs such as a distributer cap and new tires while she drove it. But then theres her boyfriend who has blown his transmision 3 times, bent the frame in another car, and pretty much total my sisters mustang from driving it like a ferrari.

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My point exactly. But if the car was in an accident (which was reported to the insurance companies), then it will be in the carfax report.

As you pointed out, how a car is driven won't show up. as an example; I once drove this nice shelby cobra 5 speed. that car would burn rubber in all 5 gears. Of course, it was nothing compared to the 63 corvette 3 speed. now the owner of the mustang was young, and drove it HARD. The owner of the corvette bought it as an investment, and babied it (but man we hit over 65 in first gear with no stress on the RPM's).

As for if the mitsubishi is right for you, that is totally up to you. How do you drive, How do you take care of your car. Are you planning on towing a jet-ski? If yes to the last, don't get a car with a small engine, or sport suspension...

It's like this. Which computer is right for me?

Well, without a lot of extra information, you can't answer that. It's the same. Do you plan on driving to school 300 miles away, and living away from the parents? If yes, you need a car that can make the trip. do you plan on making a lot of visits home? Then you NEED a reliable car!!. If you plan on racing the car down northwest highway at 3 in the morning, get a SUPRA the I-6 would eat asphalt. Do you plan on going rock crawling? then get a jeep wrangler or CJ. Plan on wooing prospective business clients? Get a nice BMW or Mercedes. Those cars are RELIABLE, and look good. Not to mention they can perform very well. If you just want something to go to high school, then the eclipse is a WONDERFUL car.

Consider this... don't get something and make it so pretty it becomes a target for vandalism or theft. Leaving it parked in a college dorm parking lot, or even a main campus parking lot could land you walking home when your auto-theft report is filed with the police.

Basically, only you can decide on whether the car is right for you. As for what the insurance will cost.. goto progressive.com and get an online rate quote. You will need the VIN of the car for that if I am not mistaken.