Altima Coupe vs. Eclipse

[coupenthusiast25]

Hey guys,

I'm guessing most of you have seen my last post in some form or another...I've still got a while before my parents are willing to actually, physically get the car, so I'm still deliberating.

My latest curiosity?

The Eclipse vs. the Alti_Coupe- Obviously the Eclipse is quite cheaper , but how does it perform?

[Goon]

My younger brother who is currently a UTI student, has heard from word of mouth the the batches of Eclipses that first batch with new body, has had many lemon problems. I don't want to bash on Mitsubishi, but I guess it's a brotherly trust, heh.

I almost went for the Eclipse, until he told me all the way about it. I test drove it, and it felt find, a lil ruggish. Overall, I really like their body, but as soon as I saw A/C coupe, I signed up for more news. I was after the G35, but was always discouraged from driving a RWD, from the weather conditions in Central New York, so with the FWD A/C. I am satisfied.

[guitarmn07]

Prior to my Altima Coupe, I had a 2003 Eclipse GT, prior to that a 2001 Eclipse GS (never had any problems with them). When I had my Eclipse GT and was ready to look at new cars, I initially wanted the new 4th Generation Eclipse. However, the body style did not appeal to me. The new features were somewhat better than the 3rd Generation.

On the performance side, the 4G Eclipse has 263 HP at 5750rpm and 260lb-ft torque @4500rpm, MacPherson strut with coil springs, 16/26mpg (V6), 0-60 in 6.1....... I have never test driven this car. I went and looked at it when they first came out. Plus the MIVEC engine has an odd sound IMO. 263 is such an odd number for horse power... maybe they were shooting for 260 and got 3 extra somehow...

Comparing the A/C, 270hp @ 6000rpm, 258lb-ft torque @ 4400 rpm, sprt tuned suspension, 19/27 mpg (V6) 0-60 in 5.8... I did test drive and bought this car. Of course a paper comparison is nothing like the real world comparison.

Personally for me the looks of the 4G Eclipse is what made me not purchase the Eclipse. Performance wise, the engines displacement of the Eclipse is 3.8 whereas the Coupe is 3.5...however the Eclipse is heavier by 400 pounds and has lower MPG. You be the judge.

[SHIFT_CR]

i would never go for the new eclipses... they are just plain ugly... unlike the beautiful evo and new sporty lancer, i dont know what happen to the eclipse...

if you were going for a mistu, then get the new lancer, i was gonna go for that but the power just didnt cut it for me...

[ctrlaltcoupe]

One thing I don't like about the new Eclipse is that piece of molding that splits the front windows in half (where the mirrors are). It looks kinda weird.

[generic808]

The Eclipse looks like it has a big bubble butt! Now if you're a big fan of Sir-Mix-A-Lot I guess it would be ok <---insert sarcasm here It just doesn't look balanced. Unlike the Altima, which seems very streamlined in comparison.

[guitarmn07]

i if you were going for a mistu, then get the new lancer, i was gonna go for that but the power just didnt cut it for me...

Yeah, I actually liked the new Lancer...but not enough power...

[mcheddadi]

Here's the comparasion sheet from Road&Track:



Also here is the video of the two head to head:2007 Mitsubishi Eclipse GT VS. 2007 Nissan Altima 3.5 SE Coupehttp://link.brightcove.com/ser...06192

And finally here's the written article's 1st part (Mostly on the Eclipse):http://www.roadandtrack.com/ar...=5514

and the Altima's revenge in the 2nd part:http://www.roadandtrack.com/ar...=5515



P.S.: Yeah I went a little overboard with the images, but..I know you liiiiike it!
Modified by mcheddadi at 7:43 AM 9/28/2007

[KayaVibration]

What color is that Alti Coupe? It looks like a Slate that has been bleached out by the sun.

[AltiCoupeDriver]

I think its a dirty Radiant Silver. They should've used another color to show off the coupe.

[guitarmn07]

cool! didn't realize R&T did an article on A/C vs Eclipse. Thanks for sharing that.

As for the color of the coupe...I thought it looked silver...but it doesn't have that metallic look... maybe it was a test color of some sort...

[coupenthusiast25]

Alrite, funny story time:

My dad and I took the car I currently have, a 2001 Hyundai Santa Fe into the dealer b/c it would make some weird noises when it brakes...

We go there, and they tell us that:1) The transmission oil is low, and further tests show that replacing the oil will only last a short while (like a couple of weeks/months) before the transmission will have to be changed completely :|2) The back shock absorbers are screwed!3) There's some fan problem/hissing in the cabin.3) The brakes are perfect (Ironic, isn't it, the problem we took it in for was not really problem)

So basically, I'm kinda hinted that it might be worthwhile to sell this one off now and get the Altima Coupe...I'll see how that goes.

[generic808]

Alrite, funny story time:

My dad and I took the car I currently have, a 2001 Hyundai Santa Fe into the dealer b/c it would make some weird noises when it brakes...

We go there, and they tell us that:1) The transmission oil is low, and further tests show that replacing the oil will only last a short while (like a couple of weeks/months) before the transmission will have to be changed completely :|2) The back shock absorbers are screwed!3) There's some fan problem/hissing in the cabin.3) The brakes are perfect (Ironic, isn't it, the problem we took it in for was not really problem)

So basically, I'm kinda hinted that it might be worthwhile to sell this one off now and get the Altima Coupe...I'll see how that goes.

Tell him to get you the new Altima for safety reasons. You don't want to be stuck on the side of the road late at night

[coupenthusiast25]

Haha, yeah I tried the safety angle already - oddly enough, it's my mom that's putting up the resistance:

Apparantly, I can "take the bus" to get home if I'm not content with the car --- umm, hello?! the TRANSMISSION is going to FAIL! that could potentially be a problem... Keep in mind Los Angeles' public transportation is total crap!

Oh well, c'est la vie!

[generic808]

Apparantly, I can "take the bus" to get home if I'm not content with the car --- umm, hello?! the TRANSMISSION is going to FAIL! that could potentially be a problem... Keep in mind Los Angeles' public transportation is total crap!

Oh no! Public transportation in LA!! Haha I lived in LA for 2 years and I wouldn't recommend public transprotation to anyone, EVER! That's even more dangerous than having your car stall in the left lane on the 405 during rush hour traffic! Well, I lived on 3rd and Kingsley (mid-Wilshire area), so I'm pretty sure you know why

[coupenthusiast25]

My point EXACTLY!

btw, what do I do if I want to re-paint the Altima when I do end up getting it...cause the one I'm looking at (the cheapest) is a 2.5 + Premium package for $27,055 but its Silver - I want black.

What steps do I take, like can the dealer do it for me, etc?

[shift_mikey]

Transmission is ready to fail? On what grounds? because its a little low on oil? That sounds like someone trying to rake you over the coals.

Does the transmission exhibit any kind of shifting problems or slipping? I wouldn't take low oil as grounds to replace a transmission, i'd wanna know some test results to back it up

[coupenthusiast25]

Actually, it actually is having trouble shifting - the car redlines every time before upshifting (from 1st to 2nd or 2nd to 3rd mostly) I dunno though; it should be good for at least another year - or so they say.

Anyway, I just realized that some of the schools that I'm applying to have some restrictions on cars for freshmen (UCLA, for example) so I have to look it up to see if its even worth it to get a car if I won't be able to drive it for a whole year...Thoughts?

[EzeebMOS3]

Altima coupe, no question.

[generic808]

My point EXACTLY!

btw, what do I do if I want to re-paint the Altima when I do end up getting it...cause the one I'm looking at (the cheapest) is a 2.5 + Premium package for $27,055 but its Silver - I want black.

What steps do I take, like can the dealer do it for me, etc?

Whatever you do, do not repaint the car. Especially when it's new. Nothing will beat factory paint. If you want a good qualtiy paint job, look to spend over $3K. You might as well wait til a black one comes along rather than repainting the car. Buy a black one and use the extra $3K for some goodies for your car.

[wendijfocht]

Thanks everyone, for the info on the Coupe vs the Eclipse. My brother got a 2007 Eclipse GT and he swears that it is faster than my 2008 Coupe. I can't wait until he reads all this info.

Also, coupeenthusiast25, definitely wait for the one you want. At the dealerships around here (Delaware) they have plenty of the 2.5's, so you'll be able to find one when you're ready.

It's the 3.5's they can't hold on to. I had to wait 2 months for a 3.5, but there were about 10 2.5s I could have chosen from on the lots.