2003 Mitsubishi Eclipse consumer reviews

This is hands down the greatest car I have owned. The performance is phenominal, yet limits you at city street speeds and ensures safety.

The GTS model really has a lot more quickness to it then you would think. Overall comfort, handling and performance are great for the price.

Got my 2003 Eclipse gt at 83000 miles and it's now at 193000 and still goin strong, very reliable car and considering getting a newer model, the only down side is the interior is a little small, but it's not an SUV so you should already expect that

I have been fortunate to find a mint condition 15 year old Spyder GTS traded in by a 70 year old gentleman. What a fun fun fun car. Get one.

Searched for three years to find something I felt safe putting my daughters in. And this proved to save her life. It is definatley a girl's type of sports car. Fun to drive and dependable if you take care of them

I've had mine for 9.5 years. I had a 2001 for 3 years, then switched to the Pearl White 2003 RS. I have had it since Dec 2005. It is now May 2015.... Talk about a love affair. It has had it's issues... radiator, hoses, fans, motor mounts, clock wheel replacement, A/C fixes, idle "O" ring issues and thermostat housing issues. I have to say, you really have to pay attention to the noises and condition of the engine. BUT this car is currently at 190,000 miles.... (pretty good!) LOVE is the only word I can think of. It was my dream car for this entire time. I look at it and am proud of it, despite the dings and engine repairs. I recently rear ended someone and I guess it's time for it to go, since I can't even pop the hood and it will be considered totaled by insurance. I will CRY my eyes out the day they take it. This car was absolutely wonderful and I wouldn't take back a moment of owning it. Great driving experience and superb handling. My little sportscar made my 20s awesome. Absolutely in love with this car.

I bought my 03 Mitsubishi Eclipse GS in June of 2011. Make sure if you get one used that you have it thoroughly checked out. Have the mechanic inspect every single inch of it before you purchase it. I was completely ecstatic about getting mine and I was in love with it. That quickly changed. Over the course of the last 3 years I have had so many repairs. The fuel gauge and temperature gauge are inaccurate. Two of the valves cracked in the engine after owning for a short period of time. The air conditioning stopped working 1 month after owning the car. I've taken it to the shop numerous times and it still won't blow cold air out. As for the heat, it started going out in Winter of 2012. This past winter was brutal and the heat was completely out. I no longer have heat or air conditioning in the car and none of the repair shops I've taken it to can figure out what is wrong with it. My car zaps batteries like crazy seeing as I've replaced the battery 3 times since I've owned the car. Recently when I pull the car into neutral it dies. I'm not sure what the cause of this is yet. On top of this, I have small issues that pop up left and right. Aesthetically, the exterior of the car is very sharp looking. It's sleek and overall I really love the shape. Be careful of the exterior paint because Eclipses' paint are known to chip. I'm not so much of a fan for the interior. I'm 6'2 and it's very cramped for me. Everything is very compact on the inside. It seats two adults somewhat comfortably. Any more and everyone is uncomfortable. Another thing to watch out for is the dashboard. It's made of plastic and with the sun being on it and the various temperatures though out the seasons causes it to stress and cracked. This is another common issue among Eclipses. The best thing for me about this car is the fuel economy. In the city I average around 22 to 25 mpg. When I have a combination of city and highway I get 25-28 mpg. Strictly highway use I average 28-33 mpg. This is the first and last Mitsubishi I will ever own. This car has been a complete headache when it comes to repairs. If you have money for the repairs and want something small and cute with good gas mileage, get one of these. If not, find something worth your money.

I've had my 2003 eclipse GS for about a year and a half. The thing with this car is that most of the owners of these cars don't seem to maintain them properly. There are few eclipses that have been taken very good care of. Many owners drive them hard. Quickly accelerating and turning fast and braking hard because they think their 4 cylinder with a nice exhaust sound is a true sports car. When I purchased mine, I got it from a high school girl. Big mistake. I assumed her father had maintained it for her but it seems that he just let her drive it and didn't put money into repairs, since he bought her a new car for college. It drove perfectly when I try drove it. I bought it after having my mechanic say it was mechanically sound. Within 6 months the valve covers started leaking oil, two engine mounts needed to be replaced, radiator cracked, and the transmission started slipping. All at 95k miles. If you are thinking of buying an eclipse I would strongly recommend you do a VERY THOROUGH inspection of the car. Some can be amazing and reliable. Many are abused and not maintained well by their owners. I do not expect mine to make it to 170k

The Vehicle is in good Condition. When I was driving it I felt like i was in my old Mitsubishi Eclipse back in CA I just wish the Other would let me get a one....

This a a great vehicle to own as a teen, this is the first car I have bought being 17 and all. But over all it handles very great and the design of the car is sexy. Every time I drive around my high school, both guys and girls openly yell out nice car or even I wish I had that car as I drive by. This is a lovable car but you have to take good care of it in order for it to take care of u. Something the old owner didn't know.