ok first off im about to get a 1998 Mitsu Eclipse RS with 100k miles in good condition for 2500. the only mechanical things i noticed were the check engine light which he got serviced and said was a loose gas cap. and a constant (not very loud) chirp coming from the right part (under the hood) of the car. is this worth getting?

if this is from a shop i would make them fix those things you notice.if your buying off the street then, maybe ask to take it to a shop yourself and have it looked over.If you are unsure of the noises it makes. if you could explain more on the chirp noise,is it when your driving ,when the car hits a bump,etc?

it could be a number of things if not electrical ,like an alarm system,then i would think it could be struts ,wheel bearings,brakes ,all depending on when you hear the noise.

at 100,000 miles the car should have had or will need timing redone,etc.(or is best to do so)a shop could tell you weather the head gasket is weak or blown,or even tell you things you didn't notice about the car itself.

Its always best to invest a little money into it to see what you are buying,and you will be glad you did when you know you bought something worthy or your money,and not stuck with a car that blows a haed gasket not long after buying it.

Drop $1700 cash in front of the guy, and see what he does.
The constant chirping sounds like it might just be a belt.

ok so i checked the noise out a little closer. it is coming right from the area where the power steering pump is but the belt does look new. My dad suggested maybe the power steering pump needs replacing. i really have no idea what could be causing the squeaky chirpy noise. someone give me another opinion

im also thinking about replacing the timing belt (been 60,000 miles), maybe the water pump, and the sparkplugs because the car has 100,000 miles and im not sure if theyve ever been done (it wont hurt and im assuming is cheap)

Ok for one, all of that is not cheap. Even if you do it yourself parts can add up. The chirping is probably just a belt. Even if it is new it could be tensioned wrong, thus giving you that sound. Is it chirping or whining? If it's whining it may be the pump, if it's chirping it's probably just the belt.

haha ya i worded that bad. i meant the spark plugs are cheap...i know timing belt is 400+ to replace. ya im gonna check out the belt first

I call BS on this one. I did a timing belt, head swap, cam swap, new water pump, and bought a parts car to get the head off from and only spent $600. Most expensive parts were the timing belt (like $70) and the head bolts (also like $70)
Its not the parts that are expensive its the labor that kills you not the parts.

Edit: the parts car was $400