Used 1997 Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder Convertible Consumer Reviews
Used Eclipse Spyder for sale
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love this car
Pete and Judy, 07/30/2016
1997 Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder GS 2dr Convertible
2 of 2 people found this review helpful
I bought this car from a good friend who was the original owner. He always took the car to the dealer to get serviced. It is a red convertible with gray interior and black rag top. normally aspirated 2.5 liter and auto trans. When I first bought it , I had to do all 4 brakes completely (rotors, drums, pads, slave cylinders, master cylinder, and bleeding). They worked flawlessly after that for about 6 or 7 years, and then I just had to turn the rotors and install new pads. A couple of years ago I replaced a broken alternator belt. Then a few months ago I replaced the original water pump. And of course I did the timing belt and balance shaft belt at the same time, which were still in relatively good condition. And a new battery. And that is all the maintenance I have to do in the 9 years that I have owned it. Basically just a few normal wearing parts. Oh yeah, the original owner replaced the transmission with a brand new one a couple of years before he sold it to me. He had no other issues whatsoever. Enjoyable to drive, and something I wasn't expecting: in the summertime with top down it is a great chick magnet! That particular series of Eclipse has a much sexier look than any other series that was built before or after it. Pros: fun to drive, very reliable, and very affordable to own. Cons: the rag top was leaky and no good to drive in the rain. But I'm told that could have been avoided if the original owner had used a conditioner on it every few years, and garaged the car more often. And the front end body work is very close to the ground. You must always tap the brakes and unload the suspension before driving over any bumps or dips, and enter or exit steep driveways very slowly and at angle. If you like this style of car and can find one that has been well maintained over the past 2 decades, buy it!
- Safety
- Technology
- Performance
- Interior
- Comfort
- Reliability
- Value
Fun to Drive
test@test.com, 02/22/2002
1997 Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder GS 2dr Convertible
0 of 0 people found this review helpful
The Spyder is a fabulous driving machine, it feels great on the road, moves well. Biggest problem is that the nose hangs too low and scrapes everything. After 5 years with no issues, the convertible motor died and needed to be replaced. Otherwise A+
Adequate
Jeffenwulf, 09/14/2003
1997 Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder GS 2dr Convertible
0 of 0 people found this review helpful
The car is is severely underpowered for a sports car. The 2.4 4G64 engine doesn't provide the performance that I would expect. I love the enclosed feel of the interior, but the materials are cheap and prone to chipping. The convertible top leaks heavily in rainstorms. I had this problem with the original top and a newly installed top. The automatic transmission is horrible. It doesn't shift crisply and solidly as desired. Already completely rebuilt at under 50,000 miles. The trunk is merely there to hold the spare tire and a gym bag.
sweet ride
JayEm, 06/01/2002
1997 Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder GS 2dr Convertible
0 of 0 people found this review helpful
I bought mine from a friend who had bought it at an insurance auction. Despite a shady history I have not had a single problem with my Eclipse. It drives great, and looks even better. I'm up in Canada now, and the fact the Mitsu was never sold up here (and its starring role in Fast&theFurious didn't hurt) means I get a lot of attention with my ride. I definitely recommend it to anyone looking for style at a reasonable price. The drop top is easy to operate and flawless. The only problem is under heavy rain the roof leaks (Dealer fix: $2000 US). The Eclipse is an awesome ride-the only car where the OLD model looks better and outperforms the current one!
Convertibles issues
Rachel, 01/17/2009
1997 Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder GS 2dr Convertible
0 of 0 people found this review helpful
The convertible top on my car leaked every time we had a bad rain. It was horrible driving with the rain pouring in from all different places. My car also had an engine problem where it was burning oil and I'd have to put a quart of oil in it almost every week. And when it was raining and I drove over a lot of water in the road, it would cause the car to shake horribly and I would have to pull over and wait and rev the engine to dry it out. But, despite all its issues it never actually broke down on me. The engine was strong, and I will definitely purchase another Mitsubishi in the future. If I had it to do over the only thing I would change would be to get the hatchback instead. Ha.
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