Hey everyone, Quick question for all you Eclipse owners. I was in the market for one. But I hear that after about three years, the motors fall apart. Is that true? Are they really crappy cars? If your an Eclipse owner, I want to hear from you!! Thanks...~WildGoldCougar.
The engine/tranny has a 60k miles / 5 year warranty. They are built in the US, so don't expect Honda or Mercedes quality. Do they automatically fall apart after three years? not likely, dumbass
"The engine/tranny has a 60k miles / 5 year warranty. They are built in the US, so don't expect Honda or Mercedes quality. Do they automatically fall apart after three years? not likely, dumbass"
spyder, looks like you're the dumbass here.... honda and mercedes both manufacture here in the us, so i don't understand your comment. especially since mitsubishi was hammered so hard by every domestic manufacturer in recent jd power quality surveys. (mitsu is near the bottom)
to answer the posters question, there are issues with the turbo motors in the 1995~1999 eclipse cars that results in the thrust surfaces of the crank bearing wearing out. this is commony called crankwalk and when it occurs, the crank can move from side to side in it's bearing journals (really bad). as the crank moves sideways, a sensor that's mounted to the crank gets destroyed and the motor stops running. there is no data that i am aware of as to the number of affected cars but from what's on the net, it is large and growing. the cars normally make it past the warranty period. mine did 83,000 before the crank angle sensor was wiped out and the motor died. i measured the crank end play at .015"
thank you for a very nice informative response, and for taking up for me when that person decided to call me names for inquiring. May I ask you would you buy another one? And did it corner well? I test drove one, and I was really impressed with power. But Im looking for instant power with a graceful larger body style for a sports car, like the eclipse. Thanks...wildgoldcougar.
They now have a 7 year / 100,000 mile powertrain warranty. It's usually a lack of maintenance that causes the problems. There were a few bad years ('95-96 come to mind) for motors but it's neglect that does the most damage. They'd not put that warranty on it if they intended to have to pay out a lot on it. Wouldn't make fiscal sense.
That's changing fast. The Lancer, for instance, is #3 on JD Powers for quality. It lost only to two Toyota's, the Prius, a near hand-built car, and the Corolla. The Civic rated 4th behind the Lancer. Oddly enough, the Matrix, another Toyota, was nearly dead last! Subaru's were at the bottom.
The new Endeavor is getting top marks and the '04 Galant should be the same. Mitsubishi, as a company, is completely rebuilding itself and it's frankly way overdo.
There are also a lot of problems with the turbo's that stem from the simple fact that they are now cheap enough to be in kids hands. They run out to Home Depot, get a valve, crank the boost to oblivion, smoke the motors (gee, it's not meant to handle 35psi? Really? Nahhh) and then they scream how unreliable it is. The crank-walk problem is well known and yep, the numbers of the affected are growing. The V6 appears to be proving much more reliable but the maintenance on the back-half is a pain.
what model are you looking at? the 3g (2000 and on), or the 2g (which came in some fairly sporty trims, with awd&turbo)?
the 3g is not considered a great-handling car, compared to such as the WRX or the EVO. it is basically a spiced up Galant, that looks absolutely gorgeous. however, it will certainly beat 65% of the cars out there in handling, including all SUVs and non-sporty familiy sedans. hard to give you specific advice without knowing your background and more details on what handling you want. it's a great city summer-cruiser, powerful enough to beat 80% of all cars out there, but not really something you'd take to a track, IMO. the steering is really flaky, it is loose, and has a lot of dead drift in it. it is exactly opposite that of a quality handling-oriented car, such as many of the german beauties.. poor turn radius as well.
sorry about the dumbass remark, btw.
Most of the handling traits (serious understeer) are easily fixed with a good rear swaybar and a decent set of shocks. Most importantly, a good, aggressive, alignment will help tailor the handling to where you want it to be. I find it funny how few people ever get their car aligned so that it runs the way it was supposed to.. and how few know how dramatically you can change the feel, handling, and perormance of a car by what type of alignment you give it. Heck, just a really good alignment can bring the Eclipse to the edge of oversteer in handling and keep it neutral through most of the rest of the envelope.
That's easily fixed with a nice yank on the E-brake..
"They now have a 7 year / 100,000 mile powertrain warranty. It's usually a lack of maintenance that causes the problems. There were a few bad years ('95-96 come to mind) for motors but it's neglect that does the most damage."
well that's cool that mitsu now has extended warranty terms on their vehicals but didn't kia and hyundai offer similar terms when they were in the crapper?
i have heard various theories as to why crankwalk is occuring but i hadn't thought to put it off to lack of maintenance. for certain, you are exposed to a different demographic, dealing with the public at large. i'd really have to call into question any claim that the guys on the dsm1Gina2G list all abused their motors with infrequent oil changes. what i found inside of my '97 4G63 turbo was evidence of a sloppy build (impressions on bearing shells from debris present in the motor when it was assembled- scratches in the cylinder bore from burrs on piston rings)
3,000 mile change intervals and synth oil did nothing........" May I ask you would you buy another one? And did it corner well?. Thanks...wildgoldcougar."
yes, i 'd buy another. and yes, it does corner well. the all wheel drive, turbo charged car with a manual transmission is the only car to look at. you have to keep in mind that your motor could gack and die through no fault of your own. if you have the wherewithall to deal with the maintenance, the car is fun. the 2G (second generation) eclipse is strongly supported by the aftermarket and there is a huge cult-like following of enthusiasts who are very helpful. dig these links...get a first hand idea what is going on with the eclipse. how far are you from norwalk?
It will probably be extended to 10/100 after October first. Why? Pierre Gagnon is no longer the CEO of Mitsubishi N/A. It's now ... gads.. I forgot the guys name! Anyhow, he was the chief in turning around Hyundaii and one of the changes he made was that 10/100 warranty. The quality of the Mitsu product is growing in leaps and bounds with all the '03 and '04 redesigns (Galant, Lancer, Endeavor, etc.). The Normal, IL plant also took the #1 position in terms of efficiency, reliability, and quality. It also is one reason that many of the MSRP's across the board will be cut roughly $1,000 in the next month with the '04 models. There is a small kick due to come back to help quietly move the 'more expensive' 2003 models.
For what it's worth, Hyundaii is now a pretty nice damned car for the money and if it wasn't for the rep it earned in the '80s with junk like the Excell it would be fine. Mitsu, once a 3rd rate car maker in the US, is now rapidly shooting to overtake Honda and Nissan and pursue Toyota by 2005-2006. At least that is the goal. Given some of the things I've been seeing and what they have in the works for the next 2 years of intro's there is a very good chance they will succeed.. but then again, none of the other 3 makes will rest on it's laurels.
I'm just glad to see that Mitsu has decided to get in the game for a change.
I got a 2003 Eclipse GT with the V-6. Put 18,000 miles on it in the last year and I highly recomend the car. I owned a 300ZX years ago and feel this Eclipse is a true bargain for what you get.
The GT option has 17 rims, a little tough on bumps when I go into NYC, but makes for a tight ride on winding suburban roads.
John
Lisa wrote:
I had a 1998 Eclipse. Simply the worst car I have ever owned. Poor brake design...if you drive in even a moderately aggressive manner, plan on installing new rotors and pads every year to the tune of several hundred dollars.
Engines are poor quality, unreliable, at least before Daimler. I cannot testify to the quality after the merger, but would never buy anything from the Springfield, IL plant.
Before you by one (in your best interests), look at deadeclipse.com . I sure wish I had.
Buy a Mistu and you may very well pay more for it in service an maintenance than you did for the car itself.
Sorry to rain on the parade.
I had a 1998 Eclipse. Simply the worst car I have ever owned. Poor brake design...if you drive in even a moderately aggressive manner, plan on installing new rotors and pads every year to the tune of several hundred dollars.
Engines are poor quality, unreliable, at least before Daimler. I cannot testify to the quality after the merger, but would never buy anything from the Springfield, IL plant.
Before you by one (in your best interests), look at deadeclipse.com . I sure wish I had.
Buy a Mistu and you may very well pay more for it in service an maintenance than you did for the car itself.
Sorry to rain on the parade.
I own a 95 eclipse it has 107K miles on it and the only problem I had was the timing belt....had to replace it at 91K damn rubber belts...lol I drive it hard and maintain it accordingly. I believe you get out what you put in. so if that is what you want Lisa get it. if you take care of it you will love it....I know I wouldn't trade mine for any car...well maybe a Ferrari....lol good luck
go here.
"go here.
"I had was the timing belt....had to replace it at 91K damn rubber belts...lol "
the service interval here is 60,000 miles. do you understand what an interference head is? this is what you have. when you break a belt on this kind of engine, your pistons smack your valves. it is a stupid-expensive failure.
sorry man but 3G cars suck even worse than a crankwalked 7 bolt.
**********End Of Post*************Your opinon really don't mean much without something to back it up. personal preference can can be misleading. over the years i've had 6 mustangs from 68-85, 72 grabber(used) ,74 country esquire(1st car, bought from folks) ,76 cutlass salon(used),76 swb doge van(used),78 camaro(used),
78 crown vic(used from family). , 84 firebird(new joint owend sister wanted it ), 84 turbo exp.(new),85 bronco 4x4 (new),92 toyota 4x4(new), 97 gmc 4x4.(used from family) now if I like a vehicle I drive It a long time, sold my toyota 6 mo ago mint.60k no rust. exp in the garage(6 yrs no rust 65k not pract. for kids) bronco rusting but runs great. I've decited to get rid of the bronco and the exp only because I don't have the room to keep em. I guess what I'm getting at is I can point out good and bad things about every car I have owend. The camaro and firebird were junk In my opinon but I would not tell someone not to buy one with out saying why. I love mustangs but 2 of the ones I had sucked. I drove a 04 GT and was seriously disappointed so tried the eclipse gts and found it to be perfect for what I am looking for at this point. Not many parts to hop it up but thats fine for me untill the warr. runs out @100,000 mi to each there own.MotorsForum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.