Which car?

[Sippi]

So i recently found out in the last 3 months I have Rheumatoid Arthritis. My knees have gotten to the point my doctor says i shouldn't be driving a stick anymore. My car is an 01 Eclispe spyder GT. I have an option to trade my car in and maybe plus some cash for a 97 Honda Prelude. Just curious as to which car is better pros/cons of the situation. What u think is a good deal or if the trade is a good deal as in car for car?

[Saleen06]

iam hoping you mean that you'd be getting cash and an older car....not trading a newer car and putting money on top to get an older car...

[Sippi]

No the lady tried to sell me on some bs saying the prelude is worth 5 and my eclipse is worth about 3 maybe 3500. I figured i wouldn't get more then 3 for my car if i tried to sell it. I told her I'd trade her the eclipse for the prelude plus a grand but idk if she's gonna go for it.

[arsrac]

No the lady tried to sell me on some bs saying the prelude is worth 5 and my eclipse is worth about 3 maybe 3500. I figured i wouldn't get more then 3 for my car if i tried to sell it. I told her I'd trade her the eclipse for the prelude plus a grand but idk if she's gonna go for it.

Thats because trade in value is a bitch! Try to sell it on your own and you will get more. She will give you 3500 and put it on the lot for at least 6k if not more.

[Sippi]

Yea well the eclipse has oil leaks and needs new carpet but the fact that its got an all new sound system plus suspension upgrades new headlights and A LOT of engine work oh and tinted windows. If the prelude doesn't have any serious problems i mite just say screw it and get the prelude without any money just a straight up trade. Idk yet.

[Saleen06]

only at a dealer(or TR) is a 97 honda worth more then a 2001 mitsu. You'd be must better off selling your car yourself then getting another then trying to trade it in to a stealership

[_Charles_]

So i recently found out in the last 3 months I have Rheumatoid Arthritis. My knees have gotten to the point my doctor says i shouldn't be driving a stick anymore.

What?

My dad was diagnosed with RA in the 60's, been on prednisone so long, his entire body is brittle, had his wrists and neck fused, and breaks bones when he falls. Know what he drives? A 2006 Corvette convertible with a 6 speed, and a Wheelchair license plate. Best of all, he'll rip you up from a light.

You were diagnosed 3 months ago, and with all of the medication improvements that my dad can't take due to the damage already done by less effective 'older' style medicine, and your already packing it in?

Time to change doctors.

[Empire]

No the lady tried to sell me on some bs saying the prelude is worth 5 and my eclipse is worth about 3 maybe 3500. I figured i wouldn't get more then 3 for my car if i tried to sell it. I told her I'd trade her the eclipse for the prelude plus a grand but idk if she's gonna go for it.

personally, I think those eclipses are terrible. I had a friend with one, and I hated driving it. If you are mechanically inclined enough to do all of the work yourself, then that prelude wouldn't be a bad deal. The problem is, she's pretty much right about the prelude being worth more. You would have a hard time selling that eclipse yourself for over 3,500 bucks. There are just better cars out there for the same kind of money. The prelude has a lot higher demand for it. I mean, people who want them, really want them. And they will pay upwards of 5 grand for one. So, if it solves your whole manual shift problem, and you really like the car, and you are going to do the work to it yourself to make it pretty awesome, then I would say do it. But if you were asking my personal opinion on what you should do, I would try to get the eclipse sold for as much as you could get. Take it to Carmax and get a quote, same thing with Autoway, they will both buy your car. If they say 3,500 or more, then I'd take it. In the mean time, I would look for something else. You can get a N/A 300zx all day long for 3grand or below. Find a clean 240sx for that price. Both of which will be cheaper because they are automatics and everyone wants a 5 speed. While I do think the prelude would be better than that eclipse, I would personally go for an integra, or a civic depending on what they cost. If you have the time and the resources, you could get a decently clean shell, and swap in the engine you want. 3,500 might be cutting it close for a SR swapped 240sx. But I have no doubt you could get at least a b16 in a civic for under that much. Hell, if you really played your cards right you could get a decent 240sx shell, and a wrecked camaro and swap the LS1 into the 240, then sell off the extra parts and scrap and make some of your money back. My whole point is there are a lot better cars, and a lot better options out there than just trading one not so hot car for another not so hot car. Search through craigslist and see what you can actually get for between 3 and 4 grand. you might end up surprised. Hell, even the for sale threads on here you can find some pretty neat deals.

[Empire]

Yea well the eclipse has oil leaks and needs new carpet but the fact that its got an all new sound system plus suspension upgrades new headlights and A LOT of engine work oh and tinted windows. If the prelude doesn't have any serious problems i mite just say screw it and get the prelude without any money just a straight up trade. Idk yet.

when you go to buy a car, you're not going to spend 4 plus grand on a car that leaks oil and needs new carpet... Hell, you won't spend that much money on a car if the paint is a little faded. So yeah, it might be worth more to you because of all of the neato stuff you put on it, but it still leaks oil and looks like crap. If you are trying to claim all of the engine work that has been done to it And it still leaks oil, that tells me as a potential buyer that either A) you, or the mechanic working on it are too retarded to figure out what is wrong with it, which means that there is something wrong beyond just the basic stuff, or B) All of the engine work is the cause of the oil leak which means it was done wrong and is just a bomb waiting to blow. and considering the carpet is trashed, which shows that the car wasn't taken care of, it wouldn't be that hard to believe that the engine and other mechanics of the car weren't taken care of as they should have been either... So with that perspective, that tint is probably cheap wal mart crap that is going to bubble soon.
I would look at that sound system and probably think that it wasn't installed correctly. and the suspension would make me think that you hit a few too many curbs and had to fix it and aftermarket parts were cheaper than OEM.
Yeah, I got all of that from worn out carpet and an oil leak. I've bought and sold way too many cars and you would be astonished as just how accurate those thoughts are.

only at a dealer(or TR) is a 97 honda worth more then a 2001 mitsu. You'd be must better off selling your car yourself then getting another then trying to trade it in to a stealership

while I do agree that he would be better off selling it himself and using the cash to buy something else, It doesn't look like TR and dealers are the only ones that think the values are that way...

97 prelude - good conition - about 5 grand.
http://www.kbb.com/used-cars/honda/prelude/1997/private-party-value/pricing-report?condition=good&id=7863&equipment=294999|tru e&mileage=100000

2001 convertable eclipse - about 4 grand.
2001 Mitsubishi Eclipse - Private Party Pricing Report - Kelley Blue Book

and that is for "good" condition for both which technically, the Eclipse isn't because it leaks oil and the carpet needs replaced.

[Empire]

What?

My dad was diagnosed with RA in the 60's, been on prednisone so long, his entire body is brittle, had his wrists and neck fused, and breaks bones when he falls. Know what he drives? A 2006 Corvette convertible with a 6 speed, and a Wheelchair license plate. Best of all, he'll rip you up from a light.

You were diagnosed 3 months ago, and with all of the medication improvements that my dad can't take due to the damage already done by less effective 'older' style medicine, and your already packing it in?

Time to change doctors.

that was going to be my next point.
If it is bad enough that you can't drive anymore, then it might not actually be RA. There are lots of other things with the same/similar symptoms. Everything from just an injury that never healed, to Lupus, to all points in between.
If your doctor isn't sending you for at least a dozen different tests and loading you up with all kinds of meds, then you need to find a new doctor. With the meds available and all of that fun, there isn't any reason why you don't function like normal.

[P057]

empire hit the nail on the head three times.

But i'm starting to think you're trying to justify buying an old prelude.

[Sippi]

You were diagnosed 3 months ago, and with all of the medication improvements that my dad can't take due to the damage already done by less effective 'older' style medicine, and your already packing it in?

Time to change doctors.

I actually don't wanna sell my car but thing is my father has basically done nothing any doctor has ever told him and can barely get outta bed some days so when a doctor tells me something I pay attention plus i'm a bit of a worrier.

personally, I think those eclipses are terrible

To be honest I love my car. It has everything I have wanted, but i agree with what your thinking about the car being poorly taken care of. The carpet is torn only in the driver side because the AC was leaking into the floor board on the driver side and it was supposedly fixed by a shop here on tr but started flooding again and i couldn't get in touch with the shop to fix it again. As for the oil leaks I've been trying to get a handle on it but every time I would try something else would break down with the car. I literally have more money into fixing this then i would get when I sold it. As for the suspension I dropped the car on 2" drop springs and a set of KYB shocks. The sound system is installed by a shop and I have all the receipts and paperwork for all the work done on the car for any buyer. Even Oil change receipts. Empire I know u were just giving an example but i just wanted to throw that out there. Thanks for all the advice though man u gave me a lot to think about.

Oh and my mother informed me that its Psoriatic Arthritis not RA. I'm going to see a Rheumatologist(sp?) on friday and get some tests done. Looking forward to getting this shit under control.

But i'm starting to think you're trying to justify buying an old prelude.

Who me? Yea kinda. The only reason i bought the eclipse is because it has everything i've wanted. V6, convertible, 5 spd, leather and its black.

The prelude is the same its got the h22 which is a good building motor. Plus its black with a sun roof and it has less miles then my eclipse. I'm still up in the air about it but I might just give my doc the finger cuz the more I think about getting rid of my car the less I wanna do it. I know if i fix all the problems with the car i'm gonna be out a good bit of money.

And who said owning a car isn't fun!

Thanx for all the help guys. Rep for everyone.

[Saleen06]

To be honest I love my car.

then why not find an auto version of your car....

[Sippi]

then why not find an auto version of your car....

To much trouble.

[Saleen06]

that makes no sence, if what everyone says it true that they arnt worth shit then it should be cheap and easy to find an auto. I think P057 is right, your set on this Prelude and basicly this thread is a waste of time haha. Do what makes you happy dude.