Faults:

I have had this car since brand new, 10 ywars or so, and with very low mileage still, so not sure if this is a good comparison to other like models, but so far I have had to replace the A/C compressor, which was just last year.

The only other main thing is the paint job, which I feel is not the best, but looks aren't everything. And a new paint job after 10 plus years is not really major.

All in all a real pleasure to drive, looks good and is still fast as can be. It (I) doesn't like to be second off of any light, and when put into manual transmission it does not disappoint.

Faults:

Thermostat needed to be replaced at approx. 130,000.

General Comments:

This car is great value for the cost, and simply a pleasure to drive.

The V6 offers plenty of power and torque when you need it, but also gets great MPG when you drive it conservatively.

The speedo tops out at 150mph and the car will reach it!

Minimal maintenance and repair costs.

Retail cost is thousands less than a comparable Acura RSX.

They make hundreds of aftermarket performance parts to custom tune this car.

It lacks turn radius, so sometimes it requires a little extra effort when you are in tight parking lots.

The mechanism that opens the sunroof could be better. It sort of hops as it opens instead of sliding smoothly.

Faults:

Factory clear coat/paint faded after 4 years.

Sunroof leaked after drain plugs got clogged.

Stock wheels heavy.

Stock tires too small, bad performance.

General Comments:

Had to get a new paint job for $1,200 when rust started to appear on the hood, much better now.

Kept the 17" wheels, but got wider tires from 6.5" to 7.5". This improved the look a great deal, and only set my wallet back $800 for tires and wheels.

Under the hood is reliable and has a fair amount of power, but nothing to brag about or race by any means; it will go when you tell it to, and gas mileage is decent at 21mpg city, but you need to run 93 with 10% corn juice.

At 109,000 miles I had the timing belt replaced, 2 serpentine belts, one tension pulley, one engine mount, transmission fluid and filter replaced, various small clamps and hoses, water pump, all 4 struts and one front end alignment for $2,100. Rides on rails now and very smooth thanks to the engine mount!

Will keep her until the engine shows major repair signs, even then may drop in a new power-plant as a minivan doesn't appeal to me!

Faults:

Car had a weird water leak INTO the factory spoiler, which meant that after a wash, or a heavy rain, it would drip water for days. No noticeable cracking on the wing, so it must have had some fine porosity (it appeared to be hollow fiberglass). Replaced under warranty.

It also started to develop a horrid, sharp cracking noise from the front suspension under certain bump conditions. Dealer could never ascertain the problem.

General Comments:

A car with a great deal of promise, let down by crappy materials and questionable engineering.

Mine was the top of the line, GT Premium package, leather, etc. Got it with the manual transmission, which was a strong point (good, solid, short-throw shifts, especially for a FWD car). Interior materials were questionable at best - lots of cheap plastic, hatchback cover made of flimsy material, "leather" seats were leather facings only, with clumsy vinyl elsewhere. Some ridiculous sharp metal edges here and there, like the back edge of the clutch pedal, which actually sliced a shoe when I inadvertently rubbed against it.

Despite having a power adjustable driver's seat, I could never find a really good driving position, and my right leg tended to ache after long drives. Seating was always too low and claustrophobic.

V-6 power was good, but not exceptional. There was a very usable sweet-spot in the powerband, but it was pointless to rev it to the redline, as the last 500 rpm or so were just a lot of noise. Seemed like it needed better cam profiles and/or better breathing.

Overall performance was good, but not great. The car's generous weight didn't help mediocre power output.

The downside to the V-6 was considerable torque steer for no good reason, as well as a lot of weight over the front wheels. Expected FWD understeer was very pronounced, especially with the horrible, squealy, and not-very-grippy Goodyears that were the OE tires. The car for sure needs much better rubber, but tended to chew up the hard-worked fronts no matter what.

Resale value plummeted like the stock market in late '08. I kept mine in perfect condition and was eager to escape it after two years. As it was, I took a beating on the value when I traded it on a real sports car - my first Honda S-2000.

Why did I buy it in the first place? It was a compromise on what I wanted to spend and what was available at the time. The dealer experience wasn't good either - they tended to be stingy on warranty issues, and argued with me when one of their technicians scraped some paint on my car.

This series Eclipse may be an OK car on the used car market now, as most of the depreciation is already pretty much dialed in. I can understand how a decent used one would appeal to youthful buyers who want to lay out modest amounts on the car, then upgrade it. These Eclipses sure need it!