2001 Mitsubishi Eclipse GT 3.0
Summary:
Good Looking Fun Car
Faults:
Have a slight rattle/ticking sound by the left front tire when the clutch is out.
Once the clutch is pressed it goes away.
The lighting is the worst ever. The Low beam only goes out maybe 50 ft. I was driving 40mph and I ran over a dog that was running same way as car, never had a chance to stop. High beam is excellent.
Inside lighting in 2001 GT is horrible.
The 2 little lights on rear view mirror do not cut it!
There even isn't a light in glove box.
General Comments:
I bought the car for the looks. Its hard finding a nice looking car under $25,000.
The Negatives are, expensive 17 inch tires, bad lighting, and stiff ride.
I went to the dealer today 3/27/04 for my clutch problem and was given a paper to read, it says:
Clutch/Manual Trans axle Rattle
2000-03 3.0L M/T
Customers may report a slight rattle from the clutch/trans axle. This occurs after the vehicle has been driven for at least 30 minutes at moderate speeds and the outside temperature is 80 degrees or higher. This condition is NORMAL. If you confirm this condition. Do Not Attempt Repairs At This Time.
The rattle doesn't bother me at this time. I went to the dealer to see if this was a major problem or could lead to one. Its called the throwout bearing rattle, but its either the clutch disk, or the clutch springs that are the problem.
I am happy with my Eclipse GT after 34,400 miles.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 27th March, 2004
17th Apr 2004, 19:59
I bought my 2001 Eclipse GT Brand New in April 2001. I was hoping to get maybe 7-10 years with minimal problems. I like the looks of the car and decent performance. Turning is like turning a truck with a very wide radius. Lighting is horrible, don't drop something at night unless you got a flashlight handy. If you have passengers in the back while traveling at night, you won't see their faces until your in a lit area. No dome light in the GT with moon roof. Glove box is dark also.
I lost all confidence now in my third year and only 35,000 miles. The manual transmission has a throwout bearing problem. A ticking sound by the left front tire is annoying and only goes away when you press the clutch down. I took it to the dealer and they had a paper ready to give me saying its normal! There have been thousands of complaints and they don't want to deal with it. I have a $25,000 car which should be covered under warranty. I won't accept a clutch going after 35,000 miles, my old Nissan 240sx had 219,000 until the clutch finally went. I don't like my brakes either, lots of squeaking even after getting new pads and rotors turned. My Good Year tires got a few thousand left which would take me to 38,000.
I lost confidence in this car and it's a time bomb waiting to happen. New tires coming, that's $700. Brake rotors $300-$500. The clutch noise, who knows $300 to $1000. I still have my $435 payment for 2 more years.
I traded it in a couple days ago. Let it be somebody else's problem.