2003 Mitsubishi Eclipse GS review from North America
"Fun, but noisy and unreliable"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
AC compressor and AC clutch blew at 44,000 miles.
Rattling noise from dashboard.
Sunroof button keeps on coming off.
Hatch open button needs to be pressed at least 2 times before it opens.
General comments?
I bought this car thinking it was going to be a performance car which would be comfortable and safe. The car handles exceptionally well and has performed fine even in the snow. It is not as fast as I expected, but it is the four cylinder.
I only have a few complaints. Gas mileage is not as great as I expected and sometimes I get very dissapointing mileage. Car is driven carefully and is never abused. It has never required more than regular oil changes and flushes. The filter is great and has not been changed in 20,000 miles. Every mechanic says it is still in perfect condition.
There is a rattling noise from the dashboard which will only go away if I open and close the glovebox. There is a lot of plastic in the car and the blindspots are horrible.
The hatch/trunk keeps on getting stuck which is annoying. The sunroof button keeps on getting displaced.
I was surprised when the whole AC and clutch went out at 44,000 miles. Dealer refused to cover it even though it was a month ou of warranty and charged me $150 to just look at it for 30 seconds and tell me what was wrong. They would not even quote prices without charging the diagnostic fee. To add insult to injury, they said it would be $1800. They quoted me seperately for the AC and AC clutch as if they did not go together. I got it done at another mechanic for under $600. Still, my dad had a 4Runner and its AC clutch did not go out till close to 200,000 miles.
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| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | Don't Know |
| Model year | 2003 |
| Year of manufacture | 2003 |
| First year of ownership | 2004 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2007 |
| Engine and transmission | Automatic |
| Performance marks | 7 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 5 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 7 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | 2 / 10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 7 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) | |
| Distance when acquired | 25000 miles |
| Most recent distance | 49000 miles |
| Previous car | Dodge Neon |
| Date of Entry | 4th March, 2007 |