Mitsubishi Eclipse

Overall Rating
 2 of 5

Value Rating
 1 of 5

Used product for
More than 1 year

Visitors rate this review
5.00 of 5, 2.00 votes

Price Paid:  $8000.00 from Private

Year / Model Reviewed:
1997 GST Spyder

Summary:
This car is great to look at and drive when it works. I bought this car with 80K on it. The first month was a living hell. I replaced the engine mounts, water pump, timing belt, alternator, turbo, and transmission. After the $6000 I dropped in the first month, I thought it would be a decent car now.....WRONG. Within 3 weeks of having all these repairs done, I ended up replacing the engine due to "crankwalking" You DSM people know about this. That cost me $5000. The alternator sucks! I replaced it three times within a period of one year. Multiple belt replacements. Good thing about this car is that its VERY fast and has MANY MANY aftermarket parts. Everything from custom turbo kits to door spill neons to NOS packages. Thats all this car has going for it. I have spent well over $16,000 on this car. $14,000 of that was just to keep the car running. I had an Alpine DVD player, Evo 3 16G turbo, and 17" chrome rims. The Reliability on this car is possibly even worse than a 1993 Ford Taurus with 150k on it. I have never been so scared to wake up and go to work because I didn't know if my car would start. Sure, it gets attention. Sure, you can beat a Honda Civic with it. But come on with all the time and money you will spend on this car, it ain't worth it. I could probably afford a Mercedes by now if it wasn't for this car

Strengths:
-Very fast
-Ungodly amount of aftermarket parts
-Blast to drive with the top down on a sunny day
-Attention getter
-Gas milage for a turbo'd convertible

Weaknesses:
-Reliability
-Mitsubishi customer service
-Crankwalking
-Horrible alternator
-Terrible in snow or rain
-Once one thing breakings, its a damn waterfall one thing after another
-Transmission needs replacing at 80k when with non-aggressive driving
-Engine crankwalks around 100k-120k depending on driving style
-WAY to small intercooler
-Turbo lag boosting at 15psi

Similar Products Used:
Honda Accord, Acura TL3.2, BMW 330xi, Lexus IS300, Toyota Camry, and Toyota Corolla

Price Paid:  $32000.00 from all star mitsubishi

Year / Model Reviewed:
2002 mitsubishi eclipse spyder

Summary:
its a great car but has more downs than ups

Strengths:
the choice to be in auto or manual decent accel

Weaknesses:
belts start to sqeak after 35000 miles and drop top has mech problems

Overall Rating
 3 of 5

Value Rating
 2 of 5

Used product for
3 Months to 1 year

Visitors rate this review
5.00 of 5, 1.00 votes

Price Paid:  $11995.00 from Benson Auto

Year / Model Reviewed:
2002 Mitsubishi Eclipse GS

Summary:
3 weeks after I purchased this car, it was in the shop with transmission problems. I had trouble shifting into 2nd gear, and when it would go into 2nd, it would grind. It was in the shop for 2 weeks, the master and slave cylinders were changed and I was told there was nothing else wrong with it. It doesn't grind anymore, but still doesn't shift right. Sometimes it will try to stall on me between 1st and 2nd gears, at around 15 mph... I need a 1 1/2 gear! :) If I could go back 7 months, I would have kept looking for another car.

Strengths:
6 disc CD changer, moon roof, cruise control

Weaknesses:
Transmission has problems, car doesn't run as well when the air conditioning is on, cup holder is in an awkward spot.. if what is in there is too tall, it's difficult to shift.

Similar Products Used:
1997 Ford Escort, 1991 Ford Escort, 1988 Ford Escort, 1987 Plymouth Turismo, 1980 Buick Skylark, 1984 Chevrolet Celebrity, 1981 Buick Century

Price Paid:  $10000.00 from Thomas Motors Portla

Year / Model Reviewed:
1998 Mitsubishi Eclipse GS

Summary:
I traded my 2000 Dodge Neon in for this car because the Neon started falling apart about a year after I bought it brand new. I got my Eclipse and fell completely in love with it. It's not a new car, around 140,000 miles now, but I've yet to have any major problems with it. The stock speakers were blown when I got it, the sunroof started rattling and leaked for awhile but I tightened some screws on it and haven't had a problem since. It does have a little quirk where it can pop out of reverse for some reason, no idea why but I've heard it's a common problem. Overall, million times happier with this car than the brand new Neon I bought in 2000. It looks better, rides better, and I'm not worried it's going to leave me on the side of the road.

Strengths:
Great gas mileage, LOVE the way it looks, drives pretty quietly, easily upgradeable power.

Weaknesses:
Minor defects, the usual stuff you'd expect from a car this old and with this many miles on it.

Similar Products Used:
2000 Dodge Neon

Overall Rating
 4 of 5

Value Rating
 3 of 5

Used product for
More than 1 year

Visitors rate this review
5.00 of 5, 2.00 votes

Price Paid:  $25100.00 from Gettel Mitsubishi

Year / Model Reviewed:
2002 Eclipse Spyder GS

Summary:
I thought it was only fair that I wrote a second review. The car has preformed w/o problems since the last review in 2005 and since window repair early 2002, i've kept current on all routine maintanance, tires, etc. I like that it feels like a larger car, very good stability on the road for a car this size. Nothing beats the looks(for the price) I get when driving with the top down. In Florida it is a great poor man's solution to owning a convertible. Only thing is, I wish I would have bought a used GT rather than a new GS. But, good buys are out there now. It is a fun second car for showing off. My four star overall rating is based on the improvements Mit seems to have made with the 2007 redesign of the Spyder.

Strengths:
Ride quality, convertible top fit & function, rear seat room, reliability, gas mileage(23-26mpg), curb appeal.

Weaknesses:
Off the line power w 4-cyl, quality of dash - there are several cracks.

Similar Products Used:
Toyota pickups, nissan maxima