l have a few friends who have these cars, and have had civics or acuras in the past. They say eclipses are GOD lol...l dont know the facts, but would someone break them down for me?

Mitsubishi Eclipse?
Honda Civic/Accord?
Acura?

The good, bad, pro is and con is and the price l am looking to pay...FYl l am lookin for 94-99 models

the 4s are an interference engine make shour you keep a good timing belt in it ore you will bend all the valves when the belt brakes . l have a eclipse that way and a eagle talon awd dead in the water.

Heres my quick breakdown for the years u stated...

Performance - Acura GSR or Type R, Civic SI, Prelude, Eclipse GSX

Longevity - Acura, Honda

Gas mileage - All the cars get good mileage (if ur not racing stop light to stop light)

Resale value - Acura, Honda

l do not know what ur plans r but if u r looking for a performance car, buy a performance car. By the time u invest the money to increase horsepower (the right way), u would have spent enough to buy a high performance car.

mitsubishi is eclipse cant take too many mods without a lot of internal upgrades. They can be hella fast but will cost you lots of money to keep it running.

If l were u l would look for a gsx that has not been modifed or tampered with.

The 1994 model Eclipse/Talon/Laser (first generation) came with two different engines, & one of the engines with a turbocharger. The 4G37 1.8 liter base model engine, & the acclaimed 4G63/T 2.0 liter engine.
The 1995-1999 Eclipse/Talon (second generation) came with three different motors, and, again, one with a turbocharger. The 4G63/T, 4G64 (2.4 liter which came in the Spyder trim level mostly), & the Chrysler 420A 2.0 which came in the base model Eclipse/Talon.
The 4G63T is the motor u would want for performance, along with all-wheel drive (GSX for Eclipse & TSi AWD for Talon).
The Civic & Accord r ur economy cars. Dollar for dollar, you're better off getting the Eclipse or Talon if u want to go fast & have a very reliable car.
The Acura Integra (assuming u can not afford an NSX or RSX) is a good vehicle as well. Coming with a much larger power plant than the Civic or Accord & able to rocket along side the Eclipse/Talon. However, the Integra was not available in an all-wheel drive platform, so it would be relatively useless off the line against a GSX or TSi AWD. This does not say, however, that the Integra is not a good car. Everyone likes a good B series VTEC.sort of.
As well with the Civic & the Accord, the Integra is a very reliable car & has a good resale value seeing as it is backed by the Honda name.
Alas, l am a DSMer & promote a DSM over a Honda. So, that is where l sit.
The pros for the DSM (Eclipse/Talon) are:
-An abundance of power immediately. The turbocharged 2.0L 4G63T engine can handle quite a bit of power & is capable of ~250 horsepower on stock internals.
-Couple the immediate horsepower with an all-wheel drive drivetrain & u have yourself about a 14 second car at the 1/4 mile on stock everything.
-With the DSM u r capable of doing a slew of free modifications (which can be found at VFAQ.com) to make the car even faster (albeit not too much, but it helps down the line immensely).
-There is more of a cult following, l believe, among DSMers. Sort of like a brotherhood. The DSM engines were only produced from 1990-1999 which gives them a distinct desirablility.
Cons to the 4G63T:
-If u happen to buy a 7-bolt engine (which can be found out two ways, looking at the flywheel. If it has 7 bolts holding it on, u have a 7-bolt engine & rumor has it the brakes let u know how many bolts ur flywheel has, but that is sketchy) is prone to crankwalk. Be careful turning left!
-Interference engine. Granted, many engines r interference & the 4G63 should not be looked down upon because of it. Changing ur timing belt at regular intervals & checking the timing belt tensioner while changing the belt will save u catastrophic failure of the engine: Bent valves, scratched pistons, etc.
-The 4G63, & especially the 4G63T, will likely have been driven hard. This makes more wear & tear on the engine than normal because, afterall, this car is a sports car. More wear & tear on the engine, & by a teenage male, means more likely that the car was not properly taken care of.

The price u can be looking to pay for a mint condition 4G63T, & not Spyder trim, ranges from $3,500-$6,000 depending on where u live, how the engine was maintained & if there r any aftermarket parts bolted on.
As for the Integra, the price is relatively the same for the upper models, if not more.
A Honda Civic will likely run that amount as well, with the Accord being slightly more.

However, if l were to suggest something, though it would be more pricey; buy an early 1990 is Honda CRX then swap in an Integra motor. Pop can weight coupled with a much larger engine means u will go much faster than an Integra, & possibly the Eclipse/Talon (depending on what is been done to the engine & free mods if any).

Eclipses are, In my opinion, the best overall 4cyl, aesthetically speaking. they look so much nicer than any civic or accord could.

performance wise, Stock Vs Stock, An eclipse will walk away from a honda in 3rd.

The only downside l see to an eclipse would be the lack of engine swaps available. The only one i've seen is a JDM swap, which only adds about 30HP at around $700. (if im correct)

l have a 97 Spyder GS, Manual.
With an APC exhaust system, Pacer Headers, OBX cam gears, Alluminum headers. venom Fuel rail, & a few free mods.

all together, i've spent about 7k (after restoring the damage from the previous owner & buying performance parts) plus buying the car last year for $4500.

so after a fairly cheap amount of money spent on performance (maybe 5K on just performance) l can out run almost anyone in my area.

The only think better than modding an Eclipse, would be to get a Civic Hatchback & swap a JDM Type R for $4500 straight from Japan. (thats the only car that has out run me)

if u want a Head turner, plus a freakishly fast tuner, go for an Eclipse.

If you're not the stand out kinda guy, get a Hatch & drop in a Type R, or maybe an EK.