1996 Black Mitsubishi Eclispe GSX/ Lexus IS 300

Ok so with this post, I am going to talk about my adventures with my Mitsu.  First off, I recall I got the car with nearly 70k miles on it in late 1999.  I got it for $12k.  It was in decent shape.  The moonroof rattled, no floormats, the stereo needed the number key, and everything worked.  I didn't even test drive it.  My dumbass forgot my license or something so my dad had to test drive it.  I was soooo extatic getting this car.  This was the first time I actually got a car that I wanted that wasn't a hand-me-down.  Even the color was one that I wanted! 

So I got this car knowing that there was a huge aftermarket for this car and that it could be tuned from a stock 210 HP to easily 400+.  I just started getting it in driving condition.  I actually had to purchase floormats and pay the dealer to get me the code for my stereo.  That started my cursed relationship with the Mitsubishi dealership.  From there, I got some sound deadening material for the sunroof and we were golden.  The stereo was an Infiniti that had an EQ, tape with auto reverse, and even an AUX input for my cd player.  Speaking of cd player, my original one sucked because it skipped like a mutherfucker.  So I "borrowed" one with a 3 second anti-skip.  That was the shit!  My passenger was my dj because switching cds while driving was dangerous.  Eventually someone else "borrowed" the thing back.  Oh well.  =)

The stereo didn't last that long.  I was looking online for these so-called mp3 players.  I had a good collection of mp3s and wanted to get a device to harness that technology.  I forgot the brand, but I eventually found one for $400 and I purchased it online because no one carried mp3 players for their car.  Back then they had lots of places to purchase car steros, Circut City, Good Guys and lots of small places that install these things.  Now, not sooo much.  So I replaced the deck and people were once amazed at my music collection.

Next up I changed were the speakers.  I dropped another $300 on speakers.  No bass recepticle though.  My trunk was small enough.  Then came the performance stuff.

My first purchase was an exhaust system from Greddy.  It was made specifically for the car so it was simply bolt on.  Nice shiny stainless steel.  The car now had presence.  The car would announce my arrival with the low note exhaust note.  This was no longer stealth.  Next up was a blow off valve.  This was a neat device that would let out excessive boost pressure so that it could spool up quicker.  This would happen when you let off the gas.  It sounded like the car would sneeze (or sigh).  CHOOOOO!  At the maximum you would hear this for over several blocks.  I decided to turn it down the quietest and even at that setting you would hear it a block away.  It really did help when I shifted gears.  The turbo spooled up quicker.

Another probably more annoying modification to my car was the turbo timer.  Since the car was a turbo, the engine needed to cool  Expecially with my spirited driving!  The turbo gets REALLY hot and gets oil pumped into it for lubrication when the engine was on.  The problem arises when you turn off the car while it's hot, the turbo is super hot and then cooks the oil and you end up with a major problem.  So then with my new device the car would idle for 30 seconds after I lock it and walk away.  I can't tell you how many people ran up to me to tell me that I left my car on.  I usually smile and thank them for the concern but assure them that it's supposed to do that.  So the car probably had 275hp or so.  It really was fun.  I am greatful that I never got into any accidents and happy that I rarely lossed races.  =) 

One of my favorite things to do was an AWD burnout.  I would drive on those metal plates and drop the clutch at 6000 RPM and then I would pretend that my car was a Nissan GTR!  All 4 wheels would peel out and eventually catch the tarmac and leap ahead.  That was one of the fun things was the AWD when it rained.  The roads became my playground. 

Durring my ownership, I noticed there were lots of recalls.  Seriously, I would get at least one a year.  That and the fact that my car started breaking down.  Frequently.  And shit started to add up. 

Off the top of my head, I went through
3 clutches
1 Radiator
1 water pump
1 set of spark plug wires
1 brake master cylinder
Lots of brake rotors/pads and tires.
The car drank gas like damn because of the 4wd.

I might add that it was only $5 to fix a flat in your tire at the time.  Now its fucking $20 for the same goddamn shit.

I also averaged a speeding ticket every other year.  I might add that I never got citations for running red lights or stop signs, just speeding. 

Very expensive.  Not just that, the car is 4wd, meaning that you can't tow it with the standard tow truck.  I needed a goddam flatbed.  This made things worse because AAA would never send me what I needed and this would make the process even longer.  I had a cell phone, and that helped.  So eventually I got sick of everything breaking and the horrible experiences with the dealership.  I then did some research and purchased my NEW 2002 Lexus IS300. 

I was always obsessed with keeping my car clean.  I would get it washed weekly!

I liked they way they treated me at Lexus.  I knew that cars break down, but at Lexus they rarely did and they take care of you and (here is the best part) usually give you the benefit of the doubt.  To this day, I HAVE NEVER BEEN WITHOUT A CAR BECAUSE LEXUS ALWAYS GAVE ME A
LOANER.

This was a sad day.  Christmas Eve, some asshole hit me from the rear. 

 

I was super cool but the guy dragged out the process.  Very obnoxious.

 

So I took it to the body shop

 

That was pretty annoying.  It took them several months to get my car back to normal.