Comments: 1-15, 16-25
The clear coating has started to flake on the spoiler and mirrors.
Has a valve tap when its really cold.
Had to retrofit the A/C from R-12 to 134a.
Hazard light button no longer lights up.
Rear hatch gas struts are failing.
Broken lighter.
(Notice how none of these are really bad)
I traded in my 1990 Oldsmobile 98 Regency Brougham for the Eagle Talon. It was quite a change.
I'm 6' 3" and a big guy. My Oldsmobile had all the bells and whistles, including dual 8-way power adjustable front seats. I really enjoyed the Oldsmobile, but as soon as it hit the 165,000-mile mark it started to make me go insane. The interior was great, but everything else was falling apart.
I went from old man luxury to total utilitarian. I traded my Olds for the Talon at a shady local car lot. My Talon was shiny bright red, with a nice slicked down shiny interior- the trademark of small used car lots. I bought the car and lost money on the Oldsmobile, but was happy to have a car that that looked like something my age group would drive and didn't have any of the crazy electronics that the Olds had.
Nothing as gone bad in this car. I drive the heck out of it and it still runs like a top. Before I bought my 1.8 liter Talon, I had checked out a few Eclipses and Lasers, even some AWD turbo models, but I liked the style of the Talon and decided I'd have a better chance of wrapping a turbo model around a tree or get caught commuting to school at 120 mph. The DL was a great choice and it runs great. My only complaints about the motor is that it can be heard working really hard while driving on the highway and forget driving around with the A/C on while driving around town. I retrofitted my A/C with 134a for about $35, which was a great deal, but the A/C puts such a strain on the 1.8.
A word on maintenance:
I studied the durability of these cars before I purchased mine and learned that all of them like to self-destruct if the timing belt fails. Since my Talon only had 77,000 miles on it I waited until 90,000 miles to change all the belts. I'm glad I replaced them at exactly 90,000. My dad is a Subaru technician and he has done all of the dirty work on the car, which really hasn't been all too much. He took the timing belt out and it had tears running from side to side on the belt. He said it probably had about 100 miles till it would have broke. The car still ran fine at the time and I didn't like that feeling that it could have melted down while feeling so secure. I had all of the belts replaced with Mitsubishi parts. I always believe that OEM parts are the best - right down to the Mitsu/Mopar oil filters.
The transmission is a 5-speed manual. I don't understand how it still performs so well at 139,000 miles. It is still tight and I test the clutch every 500 miles or so by abusing it on the highway. Hasn't faded yet. The main complaints with the transmission are the gear oil likes to prevent from shifting smooth in cold weather and somewhere along the line I must have fouled up a syncro for second gear, because it will grind and bang into the gear for no reason or not want to shift to second.
The exterior still looks great after 11 years with at least three years spent outside at all times. The paint looks good except on the hubcaps where it is falling off and on the spoiler and mirrors where the clear coat is flaking. There is a bit of rust that pops up around the door window frame and on the roof, but I fixed that with light sanding and 1 Shot black sign paint. The headlights have turned yellow and I recently had to replace the windshield due to a stress fracture that went clear across the window.
The interior is great except for a large burn hole in the middle of the front passenger seat and in the back seat. The seats are very comfortable. I mentioned that I had the Olds 98 with deluxe seats. They were the same as sitting on a Lazyboy recliner for long periods of time, so my butt would fall asleep on long trips and they had no lumbar support. The Talon seats provide a perfect seating position all of the time and my butt doesn't fall asleep. I also like the dead pedal for my left foot. I wear a size 16 shoe and my foot fits perfectly on it.
Gas consumption on the Talon is about the same as my previous full size Oldsmobile. I get about 31-36 mpg on the highway and 14-21 mpg in town.
All in all this is a great car. I will probably sell it when I'm done with school and start diving my 1980 Cutlass Supreme on a regular basis. I like the Talon, but I feel safer in a big RWD Oldsmobile with three point seatbelts, rather than power seatbelts with the lap belt (that I never wear).
I also own a 93,Just wondering how much it cost you to retro fit you're a/C? and what needed to be change on it?
Thanks for reading my survey.
I bought mine A/C retrofit kit at Wal-Mart for $40. It was a bit of job, but worth it. Any kit will have all of the pieces needed to retrofit. My A/C went from warm to cold after the fix, but still leaks. So I add a can of 134A every summer. Make sure you're a/C system holds pressure. If not a retrofit won't fix your cold air needs.
I also own a 93 Talon. It is the 2.0 liter turbo automatic an I like driving it more than a manual. It has longer gears so its top end is higher. I only have a few mods and I'm down into the lower 12's with it. Over all I agree with you and love my car. Thanks for mentioning where to buy a change over kit.
I also have a 93 talon D L. I recently had the exterior repainted,due to flaking and fading, so my little sister in law can start driving it to school. I used it as my commuter car to work and back, 90 miles round trip. It has 249,312 miles on it and still has all original parts except the timing and other belts. Still have the old a/c system and it works fine for now, but is getting a little worn out, and like mentioned above can't use it in town due to the engine strain. Loved driving this car and hated to pass it down, but kinda wanted to see how much more it could take before going to the bone yard. I am planning on changing out the headlight assembly because of the yellowing and road damage, for safer night driving. All in all thumbs up!
Hey, I bought a '94 Talon ES (automatic) for $800 last November, and since I have no source of income, I haven't been able to fix the things that are wrong with it. The transmission won't shift to 2nd when it's in Drive, but I can shift it manually. Any suggestions would be helpful. Oh, and I was wondering how hard it would be to replace the belts in it.
Peace
He Who Owns A Green Talon.
The timing belts should be changed at 60,000 miles, not 90,000. You really lucked out there... That belt should have died, like the mechanic mentioned. Glad to hear it made it, though.
Hi, I got a 93 Eagle Talon Dl with like yours (referring to the reviewer). However for the 7 months I have drove it, I had nothing, but problems, and it has left me stranded several times, 3 of which involved the gears seizing up. Some of the work I have done involved 6 tires in 4 months, a new clutch, flywheel, clutch master cylinder, clutch slave cylinder, ac had to be charged, isc motor, new cigarette lighter (does not work), new clutch lines, complete new pioneer stereo system (all speakers were blown), new tie-rods, new headgasket, new valve cover, etc. There is much more, but I'm not going to go on with more. The biggest problems I had besides the gear problems was the fact that the piston rings and the main seal blew right after the headgasket was changed. The car had good compression numbers before the headgasket was changed, but still managed to do this only 4 days later.
Despite its problems, this car is very fun to drive, sporty looking, and gets excellent gas mileage. Similar to other dsm's if you get a bad one, it will only break your wallet and your heart. Its no longer running for now, but I am in the process of rebuilding the engine myself to enjoy it again. These cars are wonderful to drive in the city, and mine will be used as a summer beater. I agree with your comments on big RWD luxury cars, since they seem to be safer and better built. My daily driver is a 1987 Mercury Grand Marquis LS 2 door, and its big, safe, reliable, and most of all comfortable.
Hello all.
I am the writer of this review, Mike B., and yes, I still own my Talon!
What have I done to my Talon?:
I have recently had a major tune-up including all belts, hoses, and water pump. The Eagle currently has 181,000 miles and still never misses a beat. I have upgraded the stereo to a new Pioneer head unit that plays cds, mp3cds, and has Sirius Satellite radio. A great combination. I also was able to have a successful junkyard trip where I was able to find a complete interior out of a 1994 Mitsubishi Eclipse GT. I upgraded my cheap-o grey DL seats for sweet black and grey velour seats - front and back - for $50!
What has happened to the Talon since my first review?:
The car was hit a few weeks ago. A guy backed into it smashing the turn signal lamp and breaking the headlight. It's all fixed though.
Rust is beginning to bubble up from the rear fenders. I plan on fixing that after winter. Maybe I'll repaint the car too.
My new (ish) windshield is showing the marks of being driven on the highway a lot and the paint on the very front of the car is beginning to look pitted, along with the spoiler which has lost almost all of its clearcoat and is turning white.
The transmission likes to act up sometimes. There is a syncromesh problem with second gear. Sometimes it will shift into second with no problem, other times it will bang into place making lots of horrible noises.
In all, I still love my car and it owes me nothing. I will continue to take care of it for as long as possible.
I have read many of the comments that have been posted and enjoy them. Thank you for taking the time to post them. I'm sorry some of you have had such troubles with your Talons. They are just cars, and these first generation Talons are getting OLD. Buyer beware. I put more than 100,000 miles on mine, but have changed the oil every 3,000 miles and fixed anything that has broken. That is why routine maintenance is key to owning any automobile. Any car built is built to last the life of the warranty. If you choose to keep it longer you will pay to take care of it.
Hello all.
I’m just updating my post…again.
The Talon has made it to the 205,000 mile mark and is running great! I found a perfect spoiler with matching red paint at a bone yard to replace the one on my car that had turned pink from the clear coat and paint falling off. It still looks and runs great!
Sadly upon reaching this mile marker some parts are and have gotten very worn out. Check out the LIST:
1. Door locks.
OK. I know you are thinking “who cares”, but when you are stuck in a parking lot and you have to look like a complete moron while you move your 6’3” big body into the hatch and manually open the doors from the inside because both door locks are messed up. The locks were acting flaky. The key would fit in, but not lock or unlock, or both. I eventually took my chances with leaving it unlocked, but that backfired when BOTH doors got jammed.
The solution:
I took one (whole) day and devoted it to my Talon. I took off both door panels, taped the window, and detached the window guides on the doors. Pop the metal connector rods that plug into the lock mechanisms, and undo the metal ring around the locks, until they finally pop out. Locks in hand I took them to the worktable and went to work on them. My dad and I took them apart until we were down to the tumblers and ground down the stuck tumblers. Both locks were really worn out and by all means, broken. After we fixed the locks and tried them out I put them in the car. It took much longer to replace the locks and reinstall the window guides. You could be in a room full of light and still not see one thing in the door. By all means it was a horrible job. But, it worked. Both locks function 100% and I didn’t have to spend $175 for two new ones from Chrysler. Same key still works everywhere!
2. A rundown of the inevitable:
Well, I think I stated before that a car is built to live out its exact mileage and years (whichever comes first). Then it can fall apart and the manufacturer is no longer obligated to do anything! At 14 years old (2-93 build date) and 205,000 miles (averaging about 21,333 miles a year since I purchased it) my Talon is OLD. Even I can’t believe it has made it this far. When I take it to my dads work for oil changes (every 3,000 miles – Valvoline 10/40, OEM oil filter every 6,000 miles) The other mechanics and management can’t believe it has made it this far. “They weren’t made to last this long”, “Wow! That’s 14 years old?!”, and “That doesn’t look like a Subaru – when is it getting out of this bay?” is what I hear.
At the last oil change my dad inspected the entire car, like he has been at every oil change for any signs of failure – and for the first time, Talon had a list!
Left front strut
Right front U-Joint
radiator
condenser (but that has been dead for over a year)
All of the mentioned are all original parts. So I’m really not going to cry a river when I have to buy the parts for inspection. The radiator is really crusty and is leaking a bit, but I keep an eye on it.
3. That darn transmission:
I think I have posted in every update that the Talon likes to grind into second gear. Well it still does. Some days it is fine, other days I double clutch just to be safe. I’m still on the original clutch. I think that the clutch is magical or I’ve just been that good of a driver. I don’t pound on it, but I don’t treat it like it’s gold. My dad said in the 30 years that he has been working on cars, he never saw a clutch last this long.
4. Cruise control:
Sometimes when I set the cruise it will turn itself off. I need to replace the button on the bottom of the dash where the brake pedal reaches. OR, I just move my left foot under the brake pedal, tip my shoe up and set the cruise while the brake pedal is being pushed up. It works.
5. Rear hatch struts:
Went to parts store bought two struts and installed them. No more vise grip to hold the hatch open. No more using my head to hold up the hatch. Again, crappy job. You find out that when they installed them in the factory, it was done without ANY plastic interior panels in the car.
6. Creeping rust:
Rust is still invading the rear quarters. Some rot-through is evident. Pop the hood and look at the rust all over the place. Mainly on the air cleaner housing. It is nowhere else on the car though. The underbody looks better than most 2002 and older Subarus. It still has the original muffler and pipes, except for the flex pipe. I had it replaced because I thought it was leaking, but it was in good shape. The rust on the rear quarters appears to be a common problem with this car. Does anybody have any insight to where the moisture is coming from to make this happen? I know Bondo and paint will fix it temporarily, but from experience I know the Bondo will fall off with the rest of the fender at some point.
At 205,000 miles the list I’ve come up with is really nothing when you look at the age and miles on the car. Just the fact that this car has made it to this point, while keeping a close eye on all mechanical operations, dropping a thousand dollars into the car will make sense versus getting rid of it. It is my daily driver and it owes me nothing, plus I really enjoy driving the Talon. Unless it is stolen or crashed, I doubt I will be getting rid of it.
Thanks for reading. I’ll leave another post in a few thousand miles or if something happens to it.
I have a 1995 eagle talon esi. The same things are going wrong with it as you have all mentioned. It got a brand new engine from Dodge about 2 years ago. It has 200,000 km on everything else. Looks like the transmission is all screwed up now. It grinds when it goes into 2nd gear so, now I shift from 1st to forth. good times. The lock on the driver side doesn't work at all, if somebody locks it, I have to climb in from the trunk, not so pretty. The cruise control sometimes works, when it wants to. Both doors freeze closed in the winter so then I have to take the truck. The brakes are fine, but they squeak when I'm coming to a stop. The headlights are foggy looking and scratched up. The light doesn't go on when you open the door. But either than all that, I love my cute little blue Talon.
I HAVE A 1993 EAGLE TALON 1.8L DL, OK NOW WHAN IT'S COLD AND I START IT UP IT TAPS AND WHAN IT GETS RUNING TEMP IT SOUNDS A LITTE BETTER BUT IF AND ONE COULD HELP ME WHITH THIS I WOULD BE SO HAPPY AND YEA IT ONLY HAS 150,528 MILES ON IT I HAVE REPLACED { POWER STEARING PUMP,2 ALTERNATERS, ALL BELTS, SPEAKERS,RADIO,OIL PAN GASKIT, VALVE COVER GASKIT,PCV VALVE,FUEL FILTER,2 BATTERRY,SPARK PLUGS,SPARK PLUG WIRES, AIR FILTER K&N RACING COLD AIR INTAKE,WELL I DONT KNOW IF I HAVE TO GET A NEW A/C BECUASE WHAN YOU TURN IT ON THE 1.8L ENGINE DOES NOT KEEP ITS IDEL UP IT MOVES AROUND BUT I THINK IT MIGHT JUST BE THAT THE ENGINE UNDER A LODE AND IT GOES GOOD AND WHAN YOU GOING DOWN THE HIGH WAY AND YOU GOING YOU LOOK DOWN AND YOU RUNING 85 90MPH EASY SO YOU HAVE TO KEEP IT ON CRUSE BUT SOME TIMES IT ACKS UP LIKE YOU SET IT AND IT TURNS OFF OR ITS ALL FINE AND 30SEC LATER IT STARTS TO SPEED UP AND I HAVE NO IDEA SO IF AND ONE HAS ANY THANG TO SAY ABOUT MY TAPING ON THE ENGINE PLZZ HELP ME THANKS MICHAEL!!
Hi again.
In response to the last plea for help, I can tell you that the tapping is caused by one or more worn out lifters. I replaced all of mine a few thousand miles ago, and that made the tapping go away.
My A/C has been deep sixed for a few years; however here in Pennsylvania, I have to reset the idle speed. There is a screw in the throttle cable body that lets you slow down or speed up the idle. For winter I have to set it a bit high, and for summer I set it back to normal. The noisy lifters won't wreck your car.
One more note about fixing a Talon. I believe in factory parts or parts from a good auto parts store. I have very good luck with Advance Auto Parts. Trust nothing but the best for your car. Always choose an American, Canadian, or Mexican built part. I had to search for my last set of timing and cam belts to find a U.S.A. made belt. To me it is a piece of mind. A bargain belt made somewhere else could cost you your car.
I've had the same Mitsubishi air cleaner on my car for about 150,000 miles. I take it out, blow it off, and put it back in. I haven't had any problems with it.
Some parts, like my water pump, are only available from China. I had one installed when I had the last set of timing belts installed and it seems to work fine.
I never bought an alternator from Advance. The original alternator went out on mine at 188,000 miles, and I got an American made remanufactured unit for $130, which was a great deal. I expect that one to last until 250,000 miles.
For a quick update, my Talon is sitting at 210,000 miles. It continues to run just fine. I'm about to take it on an 800 mile round trip vacation.
As per my last update, I haven't gotten to any of the parts that need to be replaced. The car is due for inspection in September, so I will have some of the items replaced at the next oil change.
The oil leak that it has had for a few years is actually getting to the point of leaving a dime sized spot overnight, which is not bad at all for 210,000 miles.
Valve seals need to be replaced, however, since I change the oil every 3,000 miles and keep an eye on it between changes, I'm not too worried about the oil leak getting worse.
It will be due for another timing/cam belt change at 237,000 miles. If I'm still driving it at that point, I will be sure to give it the works - valve seals, water pump, cam belt, timing belt, etc...
The Talon still shines up just fine and looks great. I still have no plans about getting rid of it. It keeps doing its thing and never misses a beat. I'd like to see it make it to the 300,000 mile mark. You think Mitsubishi/Chrysler would send me a congratulatory paper and a discount for a new Mitsubishi if it did make it?
Hi, my name is Chris Erickson and I live in Anchorage, Alaska and my Eagle Talon 2.0L TSI Turbo has about 138,000 miles on it. Overall I have to say that I have had a great experience with this car. The single biggest negative I have is that it is too small! Adults can't fit in the back seat and a certain number have trouble with the front seats too.
I had a major tuneup and belt replacement at 80,000 miles and have never had any problems with anything under the hood except the Hall-effect top dead center detector (cam angle sensor), which went deader than a rock at 120,000 miles. In the old days we called these "the ignition points." I was blown out of the water when the dealer wanted about $1,000 for the stupid sensor! After figuring out what the common name for this thing was, I was able to find a compatible replacement (optical sensor type from a '91 Talon) on eBay for about $30. eBay rules! I even got about a 20% increase in gas mileage when I switched to the replacement, older, optical type sensor. I also had the clutch rebuilt around 100,000 miles.
The car is beginning to show its years. The black plastic coat on the trim around the door windows is cracking and coming off. I think there is air in the hydraulic clutch line that wasn't there before the clutch rebuild and hasn't been resolved after two return visits. Smashing the clutch pedal to the floor seems to barely release the clutch enough to shift gears and more often than not any more, there is a grind when going into gears. The AM/FM/CD/cassette deck started acting up around 90,000 miles and I took it out and re-soldered all of the connectors on the back of the circuit boards, which fixed it right up. There is a hole worn in left upper side the driver's seat, where I slide past it getting in and out. And possibly most annoying of all, the rear brakes sing like tuning forks on warm days. Always the same pitch, irrespective of braking activity or vehicle speed. I have heard that there was a service note that addressed a retrofit clip that was supposed to stop the brake singing, but the local Mitsubishi dealer seemed clueless and indifferent about it.
If anyone has any suggestions for me on the brake singing or the hydraulic clutch, I would love to hear them!
The car handles wonderfully, gets great mileage and has addictive power. I wish I could find a reliable, mid-sized SUV that had the power and handled even remotely as well as this Eagle.
-Christopher Erickson.
I'm so glad to hear about how good your Talon runs! Mine's a 93 as well. My spoiler's clear coat is bubbling badly, and it ticks sometimes... but other than that, mine's still going great...
Part of this is that it was barely driven before I owned it. It has only 137 000 KM on it now. A beautiful car, despite that my friends don't care for the back seat on road trips. It's great for me though, as I'm a 16 year old girl, haha.
Hope you make the 300 000 mile mark. :) Good luck. I'll have to check back for updates.
Phil from Madison.
I have a '93 Eagle Talon DL. Driver-side door lock will occasionally be inoperable. I won't even be able to operate the lock from the inside. I have to dukes of hazard my way in and out, but winter is coming so I can't just leave my window open anymore, and I'm not moving to Hazzard county Georgia. I guess I'll have to open the thing up and see what I can do.
It seems to happen when I lock the door from the inside with the door open, like most people lock their door. When the door is closed, something loose or broken in the mechanism then gets jarred out of place, and jams the lock. To prevent this, I have been closing the door and locking it from the outside with the key. It seems to help a lot, but every once in a while, especially at the most inconvenient time, it gets a wild hair up its butt and jams anyway.