Eclipse: Mine was actually an AWD talon TSI
Quick stock, great potential. The problem I had with it was once you really start putting in the power things break. Being a 4 cylinder it does have its limits. Biggest set back is crank walk if your so unlucky
Mustang:
Quick stock, great potential. Can be made fast, made faster, and stay fairly reliable.
I prefer the mustang, bit tougher of a car if speed is your thing.
Eat eclipse's for breakfast. Although a couple have given me a little scare of the line. Usaually all over though by middle of second gear. Not really fair thought I have 2 turbos, 8 cylinders. You do the math.
toyota sprinter trueno HACHI-ROKU!!!!!! Those are cool little cars. I guess It's a side effect of having lived in Okinawa, Japan for four years. Man is the price of those little things going up here in the U.S. though. Out of your three I'd definetely take a mustang still. Hachi's only if your going to be into hardcore drifting.
91 DSM was the best (strongest) ever built. 4 bolt, mean suckers.
I might get flamed for this, we'll see. but R/T, man your 12 second build doesnt sit right with me. Your talking essentially 2 actual power adders, the MAF and the boost controller and those are supposed to drop you from a 15 second flat (stock time) to a high 12? I understand the vent to atmosphere wastegate and all (they do sound stupid but damn they are helpful) but your dropping a solid 2+ seconds off the quarter with very little done.
I've been ghosting around the DSM world for year now and I have yet to see results such as those. I have a friend who's had two of the things, one really nasty, one mostly stock. The stock one we had the Apexi N1 downpipe on and had it pushing 14psi. I ran it in my lightly built 302 HO swapped F-150 with a BAD pump (leaked off pressure under stress) and he pulled me in first gear and I sat next to him more or less the rest of the way.
Now, the bad-ass built one had HKS Cams, HKS Fuel Cut Defencer, HKS engine managment, 2.5 exhuast, custom 3in downpipe, custom maps, 16psi (16g) with a few other assorted odds and ends and it wass STUPID. I mean scary stupid. A 12 second car with ease but it had a ****-ton more done than you listed.
I dunno.. I like the DSMs quite a bit and as far as 4 bangers go its about as good as it gets but they DO break. They DO have issues and they DO require alot of love on the part of the owner. Their extremely picky cars and can be a bastard to deal with.
Heavy little ****s to. Something like 3250 dry w.o a driver. My SHO weighs only a tad more and its a full sized, 4 door family sedan, heh.
I like em though, when I sell the SHO I'll likely be buying one. The 5.0's are great but the DSM's kinda scoot out for me due to boost. I'm a sucker for the boost.
I knocked a full second off my quarter mile time in my talon by removing the exhaust after the downpipe.. went from 14.5@94 to 13.41@99.. And that is on an otherwise stock DSM except for a boost controller and K&N.. Also done on a 165k original engine!