19th Dec 2005, 07:10

I'm waiting for an '06 Eclipse at the moment. I currently drive a '99 model which I purchased brand-new and have done 210,000 miles on original motor (ouch!). An only selling because I need to upgrade. The newer model seems to have exceptional build quality and I was suprised about your complaint about road/exterior noise. This didn't exist in the one I drove, maybe it was the roads you drive on as the stock rims are sweet as. I am actually suprised by the build quality of this car and would see it as class leading. Mitsubishi have improved a lot since my '99 model. The '99 Eclipse was also an excellent car, but interior quality has been greatly improved in the '05/'06 model (probably on par with Diamante!). Amazing car!

1st Apr 2007, 11:29

I too am a fan of the new 06 model. But I highly doubt that the last commenter and the original poster have even driven the car. the poster failed to say anything really about the car it was loud and mit's is known for low quality? umm, what about how it handles or anything else important. Last commenter I doubt that you can even keep anything on the road at "145".

1st Apr 2007, 17:04

I'm generally not a fan of Japanese cars, but I got one of these (Eclipse Spyder) as rental in Colorado around 2004 and really liked it.

It handled great on the curvy, steep roads with virtually no body roll, and I was surprised at how fast I was going. I had to keep watching to slow down.

I really enjoyed the electronic stick shift (actually an automatic transmission, but just tapping the shift lever left or right to downshift or upshift), which is the first I'd seen of that style, although I've since seen the same design on the 2005 Jeep Cherokee, so it must be a standard thing now.

I had a convertible, so I guess there was a bit of wind roar, but not as bad as I'd thought. It was a bit difficult to fold myself into it, since it sits lower and was smaller than what I'm used to. A really fun car, though it might be difficult to live with long term because of comfort issues. I'd be willing to give it a shot, though.