2000 Mitsubishi Eclipse GT

Summary:

Great little mover!!

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.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 25th August, 2009

25th Aug 2009, 17:12

It only has 32,000 miles! WOW! You must never drive it! So it's really no wonder it has needed so little repairs.

2000 Mitsubishi Eclipse GT 3.0 V6

Summary:

Great value and plenty of bang for the buck!

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.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 25th August, 2009

2000 Mitsubishi Eclipse GT 3.0

Summary:

Sporty with good looks and reliable, just get ready to paint it again!

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!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 25th May, 2009

2000 Mitsubishi Eclipse GT - Premium 3.0 V6

Summary:

Mediocre Sports GT - Cheap but not cheerful

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!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 5th May, 2009

4th Jan 2011, 11:52

I purchased a fully loaded GT new in 2000. I found the car to have good acceleration and performance. Unfortunately, subsequent years brought higher and higher horsepower to all cars so it would later be considered tame by comparison to even a 4-door Maxima or similar. It is definitely not a racer in stock form.

I also have a 2007 Mustang GT which cost much more. The Eclipse GT was much better engineered with many many less defects and flaws. By comparison also, the 2007 Mustang GT has the same "cheap" plastic interior but with much less metal trim and much less ergonomic design. The Eclipse handles better IMO and 11 years later still gets comments from strangers who think it looks hot. The only thing the Mustang has on it is the shear horsepower and acceleration in a straight line. The driver's seat in the Eclipse is much better on my back as well though the passenger seat is not power or adjustable and IMO sucks. The steering wheel on the Eclipse is soooo much better designed than the one in my Mustang GT it is amazing.

Now that the Eclipse is 11 years old, I can say it has only been in for repair once in its life - to replace a clogged fuel injector. By comparison, I flat out gave up on getting horribly long list of nightmare flaws and defects fixed on the Mustang.

The mold issue some speak of under the seats is most likely due to clogged drain holes for the sunroof which will then allow water to run down the front A-pillars, behind the plastic kick panel and under the carpet where it will pool and sit for quite some time if the carpet is not pulled up and dried out. Simple solution: check the drains once or twice a year for debris buildup. Never had a problem with the windows or sunroof or paint, in fact people say they can't believe the car is not brand new when in fact it is 11 years old.

4th Jan 2011, 15:53

"I also have a 2007 Mustang GT which cost much more. The Eclipse GT was much better engineered with many many less defects and flaws."

I also had a 2000 Eclipse GT that I bought brand new, and it was anything but well engineered. I could not believe the shoddy workmanship on that car. I had it for one year, stored it that winter and drove it 14K miles. The plastic gas cap broke at 2K miles, and I was really careful with it as it looked cheap from day one. I replaced it with the aluminum one that should have been a standard feature. The heater control panel caved in and had to be replaced. The door weather stripping on the passenger door fell off. The rear cargo cover completely fell apart.

I babied this car, and really only drove it on weekends and occasionally to work. It was a third car for me at the time. I was really disappointed in the poor overall quality. The worst thing was the amount of rust underneath it when I sold it. I actually took it to the buyers mechanic to be checked out, and he pointed it out to the new owner. I was really surprised given the car had been parked for the winter that I had it. Luckily, he liked it enough to buy it anyway. I was glad to walk away from that car before it really sunk me in nickel and dime repairs.

In no way does that car compare to a late model Mustang in any way. The Mustang is worlds ahead in quality and design.