Faults:

There is absolutely NOTHING wrong with this particular car... (2000 Eclipse).

General Comments:

Passengers in this car have commented that it turns on a dime, corners gorgeously, and handles the ride without a hitch.

The car is quiet and sturdy, even LOOKS strong.

Gets up to speed with sure-footed precision, but understand it IS a 4 cylinder. I am not unrealistic about that.

Car stays on the ground on wet road conditions. My previous cars NEVER managed that.

Car is super fun to drive.

Faults:

Power mirror switch blown twice. Covered under warranty.

Back hatch is badly designed, cheap, broken. Covered under warranty.

Grinding sound from 2nd gear, rough shifting at times. According to the dealer, linked to cold brushings. Research has shown this to be a common problem, solved with a change to synthetic MT fluid.

Glovebox lock cylinder fell out, first attempt. Replaced under warranty.

Speaker grille rattles in the back seats. No resolution.

Sunroof chitters/skips when going back. Needs lubrication, covered under the warranty.

Shake/chitter in the steering wheel at 70-80MPH. Problem from day 1 of ownership. Dealer blames 'hot spots' in the rotors (requires resurfacing). Badly handled issue.

Tires squeal excessively after 20000+ miles of wear. IMO, cheap OEM tires.

General Comments:

This car is a steal for the price, but suffers from an overall poor build quality and new-model faults. This Mitsubishi is not Honda, and it shows.

On the upside, the V6 is extremely quick and punches nicely in 3rd/4th gear.

Handling is disappointing (the turning radius is pathetic for a sport coupe/sports car). Speeds over 115+ handled with ease (friends have taken it to 130+ with no problem). I don't trust the car completely, due to the poor tires (absolutely terrible choice of rim/tire for this car) and the shake in the steering wheel.

Aesthetics are mixed. Ditch the ripples in the side of the car, and it would look really mean. Don't know quite what the designers were thinking, but it wasn't quite all together.

Bottom line - this car feels like it's *almost* there. Several minor flaws, overall build quality, and notoriously horrible service from Mitsu dealers make this an almost-there car. With a little more detail and thought, this could have been a superb racer with gorgeous style and handling. As it is, it's still a deal at i's sub-$25K pricetag, but a little work needs to be done by the owner to put it into top shape. Drive it and see if you like it. Expect the minor issues, and enjoy.

Faults:

Noise in the front right corner, appears to be a missing bushing, going to get replaced under warranty, hopefully.

Speakers have a crackle now after a mild front end collision.

General Comments:

Overall the car has been great. I think both of the problems with the car could stem from the accident.

After having the car over a year now, I sure wish I had gotten ABS. The strong brakes are easy to lock up under hard braking. I have the GT with sun and sound, basically everything but ABS and leather interior. I feel that ABS, at least 2 wheel, should be included with the sun and sound, or be standard.

The performance is really impressive, but I would personally love to see Mitsubishi come out with a turbo charged model for the V6. AWD would be nice also, actually just making it rear wheel drive would be even better, then only a turbo would be needed. The engine is so strong and seems pretty bulletproof, it leaves me wanting about 50-60 more horsepower to really be a missile. Performance is much better than GSX-T, pulls away from them smoothly.

One last complaint, if they are going to give us 17 inch wheels, make them wider rims and fit them with at least 225/55 or 60 ZR tires! 215s on a 17 inch wheel is silly. I break loose in first and 2nd gear, and chirp into 3rd on dry roads. Need more rubber on pavement please.

Rob.