Information on Mitsubishi Eclipse

[rightushook]

Hey everyone,

I have a friend looking at a 2002 Mitsubish Eclipse listed here.
2002 MITSUBISHI ECLIPSE RS

Believe it has the 2.4 Inline 4 with an Auto.

I was wanting to know the overall reliability of these car's as it will be a Daily driver.

Any help from owners or past owners would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks, John:coolman:

 

[GloomySVT]

thomas91169 I think has experience with them. As a matter of fact, I believe he daily'd one.

 

[10splaya22]

I had an eclipse that was the generation before that one and it was nothing but problems. There are better cars out there

 

[Wildman113]

Its a Mitsubishi. Stay far, far away. They are junk, no other way to put it.

 

[thomas91169]

thomas91169 I think has experience with them. As a matter of fact, I believe he daily'd one.

I've had (2) 2nd gens and (2) 1st gens. Daily drove both my 2nd gens over 40-50k each.

They're as reliable as their owners or previous owners.

The car in question though is a 3rd gen, which shares nothing in common with the dsm platform. I've known many avid dsmers go to 3rd gens when they wanted a reliable daily driver, not because their current dsm was unreliable due to maintenance or design but due to having too much power/mods to daily drive in comfort. I've heard nothing negative about the 3rd gens for reliability, I even know a coworker put 260k on a gts spyder and finally after my recommendation changed the timing belt, plugs, etc. He was original owner and after warranty went out he was gonna drive it till the wheels fell off. They're still on, and he hit 300k a few weeks ago.

Most the bad rap the 1st/2nd gens got was due to shit noob owners who learned how to mod on that platform, then blamed mitsu for their shortcomings in the maintenance/modification fit n finish department(ie ghetto rigging). Most these guys when they moved up to other brands/models stopped ghetto rigging shit and imagine that, they have reliable fast modded cars. Cause and effect Imo.

 

[InvisibleBlade]

^ +1. I had to fix all the stupid crap the previous owner half-assed or thought was cool, ie: ricer.

 

[#1stangfreak]

My brother in law has a 2000 eclipse GT and daily drives the living crap out of it! Its got over 120k on the clock and runs perfectly fine (even after missing an oil change...once or twice lol). They seem like a decently reliable car to me but his is the only interaction I've had with an eclipse.

Good luck to ya!

 

[Stormtrooper5.0]

Horrible horrible horrible. That's what my girlfriend drives and I refuse to drive it. It's very cheaply made. Noisy. Rough. I can't stand it. She's got a 2014 ecoboost Fusion on order though and I'm stoked!

 

[Fox-4]

My Friend has a 04 GS, its pure junk.

 

[Blown_By_You]

My 2002 Sebring Coupe which is a rebodied eclipse has given me 182,000 100% reliable miles while only having to replace the radiator and NOTHING else besides scheduled maintenance..

 

[CobraBob]

My Friend has a 04 GS, its pure junk.

My son had a 3rd Gen Eclipse (2002 I think). He had it for about 3 years and it was nothing but trouble. A couple of times he was left stranded on the road because of breakdowns. I can't remember specifically what the issues were, but they were multiple. On the opposite site of the spectrum I had a 1st gen Eclipse GSX that was exceptional. No issues with that one. But a 3rd Gen Eclipse. No way. JMO.

If you're serious about this one, I would check its repair/maintenance history very well and ask for receipts. You want to be absolutely sure you're not buying a car full of trouble.

 

[mike.b]

No experience with a third gen personally, but I've known a few people to have them as daily drivers. No major issues to speak of with those that I know.

Like most used cars, as long as you do your homework you should be ok.

 

[Defknotzero]

I had a few friends that had them. They were not that reliable. Some were in the shop more than they were driven.

It's hard to say though. Maybe, they will have more luck then my buddies.

 

[matab14]

My brother in law has a 2000 eclipse GT and daily drives the living crap out of it! Its got over 120k on the clock and runs perfectly fine (even after missing an oil change...once or twice lol). They seem like a decently reliable car to me but his is the only interaction I've had with an eclipse.

Good luck to ya!

This. My sister has 06 GS that she has literally put through hell and back (Ie overdue oil changes, beat on something fierce, flooded the motor in water)....Bet it has around 140k miles on it. Over half of that is in town city driving, used to deliver pizzas with it. They just took it half way across the country on vacation and the thing did fine. Blows my mind!

 

[mjs1012]

I had a 2nd gen and it was a great car. The only issue I had was it overheated once and had to replace an idler pulley other than that it was reliable . Id get another one, but a 3rd gen...no shot in hell id ever get in one.