I recently bought a 1997 Eclipse GS with a 5-speed for my next project. I wanted to have an experience with the second-gen DSM after owning the the 2000 Eclipse GT for about a year. I like 'em both for their similarities and differences. Yeah, this one has a 420a but it runs well and has a 5-speed. It already had some mods included that I would have done but anyway I'm finally driving stick again, and the MPG this thing gets is phenomenal.

The car was a long way from perfect; the nose was salvageable but would take some work. The taillights were aftermarket faux carbon fiber, which had no appeal to me. So these areas became priorities. Hit the jump to see what I did.

I found a new set of black aftermarket tails on eBay (above), shipping included for $38, then immediately put the good-condition used ones on Craigslist for $40, which sold the next day. Swapping the tails made me $2.

There was a set of Miglia rims on the Camry but the offset was better for the Eclipse so on they went, with the Eclipse's better-fitting stock alloys going on the Camry after a quick refinishing.

A local vendor had a new front bumper skin for... $38. I snagged that as fast as I could drive there and the old one is listed for $35 on Craigslist, still a fair obo price for a used bumper skin.

The headlights were refinished using a progressive wet sanding / compounding kit, which turned out great and cost only $6.

A find at the local U-pull-it yielded a pristine center console and some other miscellaneous parts that cost all of $10.

I borrowed an OEM Toyota double-din CD head unit from the shop to fill the empty hole in the console until that's replaced by a touchscreen nav, probably the most pricey mod this car will get...

This car has only been around for a couple weeks, but with luck and some effort it's coming together to be a fun daily driver that'll save a lot at the pump. I'm just glad the mods aren't making me poor either...

So, has anyone else actually made money by replacing parts on a project ride?