My 5th gear sync. went bad right after I bought the car.
I have CPU problems-The car randomly dies at the most inopportune times, the car sometimes revs on it's own without pressing the gas until you restart the car.
The gas mileage is nothing like the websites quoted.
The doors do not open and close very smoothly.
The insulation of the car is horrible (esp. during winter when you need it the most)
The body is extremely easy to dent and ding.
The car as a whole is SOOOO slow it's not even funny..
My trunk does not like to stay up on it's own and sometimes hits me on the head when I am unloading groceries.
The headlights are horrible despite the fact that I have put brighter and brighter headlights in.
I've dumped more money into this car than it is worth 5 times over because I was convinced that THAT time would be the LAST time I would have to fix something (I was very very wrong)
People would constantly try to rip me off when I needed something done (i.e. timing belts, etc.) because I am girl and I was in the Midwest.
After I put leather interior in, the comfort of the inside dramatically increased.
The shifting is nice and short which is a plus.
The car is great for modifications (i.e. drops because the wheel wells are huge, turbos, etc.)
It has a nice slick look if you like this gen. eclipse (which I do)
I liked your review a lot. I was looking at this model/year for the same reasons you got yours. However, some of the problems you describe are not because the Eclipse is a bad car, but because of normal wear and tear. Maybe your car is slow due to a problem in the ECU, ignition, fuel delivery or timing. All that you have described is easily fixable. Also, you seem to know about cars... I wish all girls were like that.
The problem with the hatchback (i.e., falls down on you when you're unloading groceries) can be easily fixed by removing and replacing the hydraulic arms. I have a '95 GS Eclipse that I *ADORE* - but I definitely had to r&r a few components that had just gotten old with use. Also, check your weatherstripping around the door windows; mine was a little leaky, which meant that I felt cold air in the interior during cold weather. Again, not a major problem, just a thing with older cars, I guess. Oh, and girls who drive Eclipses rock! :)
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