Car Forum World

I'm about to get a 2007 Mitsubishi Spyder GS. Is this a good idea?

1 year ago
Clarification: I am looking for opinions depending on personal experience with Mitsubishi cars, especially the 2006/2007 Eclipse. I am not looking for a copied and pasted review from someplace.

1 year ago
Edit #2: I looked for something sporty in look that still had a back seat if it is not most of one and would not require premium gas. The Spyder looks like the best fit so far. I'd like to know if it stands a good chance at being a dependable car.

buying the 1st production run of anything is a risk. Waiting a year or so let us other people find all the issues and recalls. That said, Mitsubishi has a good repute. The competition for the Spyder could most likely be the Soltice and the Sky, both of which are new also, and maybe the Mustang. I could think of those choices, the Mitsu is the best one.

The GS is not going to be terribly sporty the power/weight percentage is not good. But if you looked only for sport, you would not be looking at the Spyder or most likely the Eclipse anyway.

My only other comment could be that the S2000 is not more, and is surely worth a look.

Have a bad day at work? Did you miss an episode of The Office? Or maybe you had a tiff with your "better half"? Maybe we may help. not many things in life have such an direct and positive effect on one's mood as a convertible. in some way, dropping the top on a gorgeous day melts away minor annoyances and injects a childlike delight into one's spirit. With the warm sun, a nice breeze and "The Big '80s" blasting out of a megawatt sound system — you realize that life ain't so bad after all.

And it is all the better when said drop top has a ripping, 260 horse V6 and six on the floor. something like the 2007 Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder GT V6.

Actually, at our sun drenched 1st drive event in La Jolla, California, near San Diego, we got a preview of both Eclipse Spyders that Mitsubishi will be fielding for 2007: the base GS and the sporty GT.

Top this
Stylewise, this generation of the Eclipse makes a nice transition from coupe to convertible. The increasing beltline and fitted hard tonneau cover preserve the rounded still wedgelike form of the coupe in alfresco mode. The hunkered down top gives the Eclipse the look of a two seat speedster when the top is up.

And that top is a quality part, made of cloth, not vinyl and with three layers to offer a finished look and a calm cabin when raised. Unfortunately, and in keeping with Eclipse tradition, the glass back window is really small, looking more like an opera window from an old Lincoln Mark IV than a rear window. Visibility with the top up is so sketchy that a reverse parking sensor should be optional.

Dropping the top is a cinch. Flip open the header latches, hit the button and the top stows itself under the tonneau cover in 19 seconds, and it goes up just as quickly. as indicated by the Mitsu suits, the top's speedy action makes operation at stoplights an choice.

Another price to pay for open air fun is a small trunk. At 5.2 cubic feet there is about enough space to stow your gym bag, a six pack of move and little else. A Mustang convertible, with 9.7 cubes, has almost double the capacity.

Will that be Charcoal, Gray or…Creamsicle?
The interior is available in three interior color schemes: Techno Sport charcoal, Hi Q Sport gray and Avante Garde terra cotta . We call the last choice the "Creamsicle" scheme caused by its mix of orange and cream colors.

Over the course of our five hours behind the wheel, we found the front buckets comfy and firmly supportive in the lumbar and side bolster regions. Leather is optional, as are seat heaters. We greatly recommend the latter — cruising on a cool day with heated seats is one of driving's simple joys.

The backseat is another story. As with most cars in this class, it is best left to little kids or cargo responsibility. The backrest is about as upright as a church pew and legroom is expectedly tight. luckily, there's toe space under the front seats, so at least your tootsies will not get jammed if you do not win the call for "shotgun."

Open top, open road…
On the road, the GT Spyder felt virtually same to our lasting GT coupe, which is usually a good thing. As with the coupe, the front wheel drive Spyder is fast, handles well and delivers a nice ride that makes it ideal for a long drive up the coast. Well weighted steering, crisp turn in and minimal body roll make for big fun in the canyons, although laying into it coming out of tight corners will reveal some torque steer. Traction control is standard, while stability control isn't available.

When it is time to kick back and devour interstate, the Spyder is equally adept, with the supple suspension swallowing bumps without a trace of harshness. These Eclipses were intended from the ground up as convertibles — in comparison to the last generation, torsional rigidity is up 55 %. Cowl shake was nowhere to be found, when running over broken pavement.

Top up, the ride is calm, with only some slight wind ruffle betraying the lack of a hardtop. a regular 650 watt Rockford Fosgate audio system with six disc CD changer and a subwoofer mounted between the rear seats is prepared to shatter the silence with its clear and powerful sound.

I may have had a V6
As projected, most mechanical specifications are alike to the coupe's, with a minor exemption. caused by a somewhat quieter read: more restrictive exhaust, the burly 3.8 V6 makes some less hp and pound feet of torque. The numbers are 260 hp at 5,750 rpm and the coupe's 263, and 258 lb ft of torque at 4,500 rpm and the coupe's 260.

Mitsubishi's engineers felt that the coupe's extroverted exhaust note may be too much when the convertible's top was down, so they toned it down some. But do not worry, they did not castrate the exhaust. Top down, there's still a muted baritone that growls nicely when you step into it, still it remains unobtrusive when cruising at 70 or so on the freeway.

Mitsubishi claims the 3,700 pound GT V6/six speed manual Spyder will scurry to 60 mph in under seven seconds, which looks about right, given our seat of the pants meter and our numbers for the GT coupe. And like our lasting coupe, the ragtop GT pulls hard right off the line and does not let up as the tach needle flirts with the 6,500 rpm redline. This is a well paired powertrain that does lots to endear one to this car.

Choosing the five speed auto does not kill the performance either, with well paired gearing and fast gear changes making for minimal agreement in the car's character. The "Sportronic" tranny lets manual changing, but like most shiftable automatics, it is fast to shift down but slow to change up when the lever is flicked.

Four wheel discs with ABS clean off the speed and did not seem to be influenced by the car's mass — we observed no fade, just strong, confident braking when pressed.

An Eclipse GS Spyder info the scales at around 3,500 pounds, quite some weight for a four cylinder to haul around. The 2.4 liter's output is respectable 162 hp and 162 lb ft but there is only so much it can do with a car that weighs the same as a Buick LaCrosse. Running with the five speed manual, in general performance is satisfactory. Around town, there is some punch here, but as projected, the pull from higher speeds drops off. With the four speed auto, it is the same story — peppy down low and through the midrange and a little sluggish when booted at highway passing speeds.

I need a new drug…
The Mitsubishi people like to call the 2007 Eclipse Spyder "the attainable exotic." That can be some a stretch, but with its strong performance in GT form and idea car style, it is not as far fetched as you may think.

Set for release this summer, Eclipse Spyder pricing will vary from $25,389 for the GS to $28,269 for the GT. We say spring for the GT, it is chump change for a mood enhancing drug that has no ill side effects. Well, except for a speeding ticket if you are not careful….

It is a bad idea.think twice before you take any action.

They are nothing but trouble. re think this. Mitsubishis suck.. I had a brand new eclipse and got rid of it a month afterward

hello..ok I have a 2001 eclipse..paid 21900 cash for it.wish I had saved my money on something else..I love the way it drives.BUT these cars are made cheap and have a lot of issues particuraly paint issues not just mine but everyones.
also they don’t have resell whatsoever.I have took perfect care of mine and the most I have ever got offered is 3500.....PLEASE save your money and get a honda,nissian,etc.those go forever and have great resell.please don't waste your money like I have.

I agree with most of the other posters. They're made cheap, and don't last. Everyone I know who's had one has had problems with it>