2000 Mitsubishi Eclipse GT review from North America
"A terrific bargain, but not quite a racer; it can be with a little help"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
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.
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| A good looking problem |
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| Overall, great all around car with good looks, but have some money if you keep it beyond 120k miles |
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | Yes |
| Year of manufacture | 2000 |
| First year of ownership | 2000 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2001 |
| Engine and transmission | 3.0L V6 Manual |
| Performance marks | 8 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 8 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 8 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | 1 / 10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 7 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) | |
| Distance when acquired | 6 miles |
| Most recent distance | 23600 miles |
| Previous car | Chevrolet Beretta |
| Date of Entry | 11th June, 2001 |