Faults:

CRANK WALK!!! Yes, this car has the typical factory defect that causes the thrust bearing to wear prematurely. It's a well-known problem that Mitsubishi has been trying to keep swept under the rug.

I had a new set of bearings installed 20,000 miles ago, and now they have worn through as well. I knew it was only going to be a temporary fix. The engine designers at Mitsubishi must have been smoking crack when they decided to put in oil squirters that get their oil from the main bearings.

Check out www.dsmtalk.com. About the only thing people have been doing is just replacing the short block with a 1st Generation Eclipse (90-94), because it had a better, stronger design. Note that this is all quite expensive.

The lifters started clicking at the 1 year mark after buying the car, and have done so on a regular basis. Sometimes the ticking is so loud, it is kind of embarrassing to drive the car. There is a newer improved design to the lifters that is available. This should have been a recall.

Rust - about the only place that I have rust on my car is right around the edge of the rear window, right under the seal that goes around the glass.

Transmission problem at 50,000. The car would pop out of 4th gear when accelerating to get on the highway. Eventually it became a grind while trying to get it into 4th... eventually grinding every time, then got repaired under warranty.

Transmission developed a loud knocking sound at 98,500 miles, most likely due to the second failure of my crank thrust bearings with the crank pressing against the tranny. This could get expensive. I am only having my tranny rebuilt by a race-proven professional, John Shepherd. He can replace the stock parts with stronger parts that will last longer.

One wheel spinning problem due to high horsepower on a FWD vehicle. Cheap tires and rain make it a lot worse. This car should have had a Limited Slip Differential installed at the factory. I highly recommend getting the Quaife LSD installed. It is kind of pricey though.

The stock fog lights are easy to break from road debris. Even though both lenses are cracked with holes and there is rust inside the housings, the bulbs still work.

Driver side door switch failed after 6 years - easily replaced by myself.

Stock front rotors warp easily, but these were easily replaced by myself with an aftermarket, higher quality, cross-drilled or slotted rotor. Also these rotors are a tad undersized, so I upgraded to the AWD (GSX) dual-piston calipers and slightly larger rotors. This should have also came stock on the GST.

Passenger side electric door lock has stopped working. I haven't begun to look at this problem due to the overwhelming problems with the engine and tranny right now. This might have something to do with rust proofing junk gumming up something.

A/C leaks bad, starting after 5 years. I added dye to the system and it seems to be leaking at the connection next to the firewall behind the battery. I've heard that you cannot replace the O-rings, and you must buy completely new hoses.

General Comments:

Excellent styling on interior and exterior. Nothing has ever broken.

Virtually no rust after 7 years.

The interior has held up quite nicely.

I have NEVER replaced a single bulb on this car in 7 years.

A GREAT car to modify to make it go faster!!! Lots of aftermarket products available. A good way to throw away a lot of excess cash.

This car is also easy to work on for the backyard mechanic, and there is a whole online community of owners available to help you to modify this car to make it go faster. www.dsmtalk.com as well as a lot of local groups in various cities across the U.S. (and Canada).

Faults:

Oxygen sensor went at 97,000 miles.

Oil Sending Unit went at 97,000 miles (or so I was told)

Bad oil filter fitting at 96,000 miles.

Bad connecting rod at 98,000 miles.

General Comments:

The oxygen sensor was no big deal; only about $150.

I was told that my oil sending unit was bad and that it did not need to be attended to immediately so I let it slide a while. It turned out that it was not the oil sending unit, but the oil pump. Thus causing the failure of a connecting rod. There was no indication of of a failed oil pump at all. But to get the vehicle running again will cost around $3000. That's going to put a good sized dent in the wallet.

Another thing was the oil filter fitting or the oil filter. I was driving along when my oil light came on then my oil pressure dropped to zero. I stopped the car and looked under the hood. I saw a stream of oil the size of my finger running out of the oil filter. The filter that was on there was the correct one. So I am led to believe that it was something with the fitting.

Overall I think this car is not worth the money. It's a wanna-be sports car made out of plastic. It seems that the whole car could fall apart at anytime. Even when I get in the car and close the door it feels like the door panel will come off in my hand. I think the 1st generation Eclipses were much better. They were built much stronger and much more durable; unlike the second generation that's made from plastic.