Tell him to get a '92 or earlier eclipse because those were the ones with the 6-bolt 4G63 which are less prone to crankwalk than 7-bolt engines. 4G63 engines are very potent but at the same time extremely fragile like any other motor they are only as reliable as they are maintained.

Tell your buddy before he tries to make it go fast to spend money on preventative maintenance because it isn't unheard of for a timing belt to snap before 70K miles when you're talking DSMs.