Pretty wild.

From what I see, a lot of you DSM people seem revolted by the 3g Eclipse (my car by the way), that's fine, it's your opinion. All I can say is wait to see what can and will be done with it. Give it a few years and when some real modified ones turn up, I think you'll be surprised. The possibilities are good.
As to the looks, that's all on you, I prefer the new model's style but a lot of people like the 95-99.

Just the same, here are a few Eclipses from my club, club 3g.

1: www.onlineshowoff.com/ima...seside.jpg
www.onlineshowoff.com/ima...terior.jpg

2: q8eclipse.8k.com/Q8eclipse06.JPG

3: www.club3g.com/members/sh...tside6.jpg

4: 13thfloorta.homestead.com...300051.JPG
13thfloorta.homestead.com...300065.JPG


Para

That must be me, hehe!

To be frank, I don't mind the look, it keeps growing on me. I don't mind the car either, as long as you keep everything into perspective. I've heard it's a pretty balanced package....

One thing is certain. It isn't at all the same car as the 1G or 2G ever were... Those were rice rockets right from the factory. They have almost unlimited power potential.

The 3G Eclipse on the other hand is a nice, soft ride, with a good torquey V6 that has some low grunt, perfect match for a slushbox, a car more suited to old ladies or secretaries than to a 110% geek like myself... A great commuter with good looks, I'm sure.

As for power potential, two words, THEY SUCK!

Are they bad cars for that? Hell, no. They're probably better and more reliable cars than the old DSMs ever were. They really do look like good all around performers, as long as you don't have too many expectations about high HP figures.

Will they ever be fast? With ****loads of money, a lawn mower could be made to be fast. So maybe a few of them will be. Will they ever be fast for a reasonable amount of money? Never.

It's definitely a huge leap in a whole different direction from the 1g and 2g, as to why Mitsubishi made that leap, I have no clue.

As to being suited to old ladies or secretaries, I disagree. It doesn't get me to 60mph in 5 seconds, but it's fun to drive nonetheless and so far most everyone who's driven it agrees.

The power potential IS there, at a much much higher cost, I'll give you that. Doug's Dynopower Turbo Bolt On Kit is a disapointment, but it's only the beginning. With MPH unlimited's S/C expecting 330-340hp to the crank being released in a few weeks, and their new work on a Twin Turbo expected sometime after Xmas... we'll see what happens.

I couldn't care less about that though, I bought this car for the styling, originality and creature comforts. I wanted decent power out of the box and I like the torque the V6 brings, as someone who does NYC-MTL a lot, this car fits my needs. However, for someone with the money to burn, the car can and will be a contender. Will you see 3g's smoking 2g's? Prolly not, can't really compete with the AWD, but all the same... don't slam it until you see what turns up.

Para

My Talon takes me to 60MPH in about 3 seconds, not 5. It also takes me to 120MPH in 12 (my trap speed and ET in the quarter). But I'll say that at this level, it's a little rough on the edge. It still took me and a friend to Norwalk Ohio for the DSM shootout in the comfort of AC.

It simply isn't the same car. As to why Mistubishi did that? Easy, it makes a lot more sense from an economic standpoint. It's still based on the Galant platform, but they only have to care about 1 configuration, FWD. They use a truck engine (similar to the V-6 found in the Montero) so it's all off the shelves items for them. They can sell it for cheap and old ladies get much more excited by the word "V-6" than they'll get with the words "turbo and AWD"... From what I've heard, the car is a very good seller!!! Mitsubishi is a company in financial trouble, so they have to build cars that give them a good margin of profit. Also, Billy Bob will have less trouble working on a FWD V-6 than he'll have working on a turbo car, so that means less waranty work.

What made the old DSM special is lost in the newer Eclipse. The new Eclipse is just like another Pontiac GrandAm.

Don't take it personally. All the DSM diehards pretty much think the same. Just ask the Mustang fans what they thought when Ford wanted to replace the Mustang with the Mazda built Probe in the late 80s?

They were pissed, so are we.

Anyone into cars who hears someone insult their car so, would be upset, that's normal. I just can't really disagree with your last post. Im a reasonable, intelligent guy and what you say just flat out makes sense.

The one regret I have is not waiting, they're looking into making a GT-R for 2003 that should be a lot more fun. Rumors are 50 more hp, larger wheels, a 1" drop on new shocks and struts etc.

If I lived in the States, I'd most likely trade my car in, I really really wanted an IS300 but instead of waiting to buy it, I went with what I could buy right then. Being in Montreal where my car is rare as @#%$ is amusing though, and there's the major reason I keep it... the attention is addicting.

Thanks for the intelligent comments, it's refreshing to see.
Feel free to approach me at any show for further discussion =)

Para
Team Redline '01 Silver Eclipse

Hey, you're cool! I've got to say that I was a little too generous in my use of the term "Old lady", to the point of being arrogant. What I really meant (and I'm sure that's what you understood) was "the average buyer". After all, Mitsubishi is in the business of selling cars, not in the business of making them easy to modify!!!

BTW, I love the IS300 too, one of my favorite new car! Too bad it's just not in my price range...

See you around!