A lack of space is the reason given for the sale of today’s Nice Price or No Dice Mitsubishi Eclipse GS-T Spyder. That makes one wonder what else is crowding the seller’s camp, as this looks to be a keeper. Let’s find out if its price might keep us from finding a new space for it.Â
When I was a kid, I built a ton of plastic models, most of them acquired on family shopping trips to a regional big-box store called Gemco. I built all sorts of models, but my jam was cars. That meant my model shelf (yes, I had a model shelf, don’t you judge me) was crowded with little plastic dream machines. Eventually, my model-building phase ended as I got older and started working on real cars. It was also around that same time that the model glue being sold was switched to a less effective type because people were sniffing the good stuff.
I was reminded of my model-building days by the 1988 Lotus Esprit project we saw on Thursday. It was plastic and, just like the models of my youth, required some assembly. Few of you showed any interest in the prospect of putting together a model, no matter whether 1/24 scale or full-sized. Not even a $6,500 price tag—arguably cheap for an Esprit—could sway the consensus. As a result, when all was said and done, the Lotus went down in a 92% ‘No Dice’ loss.
The golden age of Japanese coupes
While Lotus has never sold many cars at any point in time, in the 1990s, the company planned to expand both sales and overall appeal with the introduction of the more mass-market Elan FWD convertible. Unfortunately for the British cottage builder, the car arrived at the exact same moment as the similarly-sized, but vastly more accomplished (and properly RWD) Mazda Miata. Owing to that competition, it was left in the Japanese sports car’s wasabi-tinged dust.
In fact, the 1990s were a great time to be a Japanese carmaker. At the time, sales of mainstream sedans (the UJC, or Ubiquitous Japanese Car) gave the companies the money to invest in sporty, fun but more niche models like sports coupes. This gave us cars like the ultimate expression of Nissan’s Z car, Toyota’s monster Supra, Mazda’s RX-7 and Miata, and the 3000GT and Eclipse from perennial upstart Mitsubishi. Fickle market trends toward SUVs spelled the end for most of these models, but the era has provided us with a rich strata of classic ’90s coupes that are coming into their own on the used-car market. Today’s 1997 Mitsubishi Eclipse GS-T Spyder is a convertible version of one of those cars, and it looks to be a pretty darn good one, too.
Diamond Star Car
Painted in Arrest-Me Red over a gray leather and lots of plastic interior, this Eclipse is spec’d the way most of us would want. That means Mitsubishi’s 210-horsepower DOHC 2.0-liter 4G63T inline-four under the hood, mated to a five-speed stick. The top-of-the-line coupes could pair that drivetrain with a permanent AWD system related to that of the Lancer EVO, but the Spyder was denied those dancing shoes. Also, it should be noted that the FWD drivetrain is oriented backward compared to most conventional layouts, with the engine on the right and the gearbox on the left. Never change, Mitsubishi!
Mitsubishi built the Eclipse at the Diamond Star Motors factory in the wonderfully named Normal, Illinois. That plant was a joint venture between the Japanese company and Chrysler, but it closed in 2015 when sales of the cars built there dried up. Today, the factory is open and building Rivian models, including the well-received R2. Our Eclipse looks almost as nice as the day it arrived in Normal. According to the seller, it has taken a cash infusion to make the car look this good. Not only that, but it’s mostly stock. Admittedly, if the seller is so proud of the car, why are some of the pictures in the ad so janky?
An Eclipse you’d want to look at
It’s getting more and more difficult to find these cars in stock condition, as most have either been left to rot or have been turned into track monsters. This one not only looks, at first glance, to be without major mods, but at just 67,400 miles, those stock parts aren’t all used up either.
Some things to note: the car is shown with a Pioneer aftermarket Double DIN stereo in the dash. It’s also shown in the pictures with both the standard factory alloys—albeit with less desirable chrome plating—and a set of later alloys (from what looks like a 2006 Eclipse) with a natural finish. One final change is the addition of “lower” coil-overs.
Other than those three obvious updates, there’s nothing on the car that looks altered. Also, the seller says that all the original parts have been kept and will come with the car.
As far as maintenance is concerned, the biggest red flag is the cam belt. This is an interference engine, and despite the low miles, the car is nearly three decades old. Happily, the seller claims the belts have been refreshed and that the car runs and drives amazingly.
Too much of a good thing?
Obviously, a car so clean and well cared for has a clean title. That’s the last piece of this puzzle, which means it’s now time for us to discuss the price tag. At $21,500, you’ll have to exchange a sizable chunk of change for this red convertible. In the seller’s defense, this is a desirable car that is rare enough as is, and even more so in this condition, that it may be a fair price to pay for the experience.
Of course, that’s all going to be up to all of you. What do you say? Does that asking price make this Eclipse’s future so bright it’ll have to wear shades? Or does this Mitsubishi’s price miss the mark?
You decide!
Seattle, Washington, Craigslist, or go here if the ad disappears.
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