VikingDJ

SATURN really nailed it down pretty good. Nice job. This car has such a bad image now, that no matter how good their cars are right now, it's not gonna change most people's one sided mind frame. I found myself saying the same thing when I got my STI instead of an EVO. I thought " STI is the better choice becuse mitubishi is having problems, and has had trouble with reliability in the past. Then I remember all the stuff I read on car forums. Eventually I snapped out of it, and said, most of this stuff is opinionated garbage, so you can't set it as fact. I'm a guy who first bought a mitsubishi back in 1992 (used 87 Starion). Wanna talk about a car ruining my image of mitsubishi regardling reliability. I love that car, and it was one of the hottest machines out there in the 80s, but damn, it was really an annoying and expensive car to own. I still have that car as it sits dead, with no one who can fix it and make it right again. My point is that we tend to use things we have heard, experience of people we know, and all kinds of third party rumors sailing around as facts and justification to call mitsubishi unreliable. That is not a fact. I do know several of the 3g Eclipse owners, and I tell ya, those cars appear to be very reliable and long lasting. One gal I know has 110k on her 2000 eclipse GT, and that thing has been 100% reliable. That too is not a fact that mitsubishi is reliable. I think Mitsubishi has come a long way in reliability, but it's tainted by their reputation, and often ripped without justification. They dont exactly have the best lineup of cars, but I'm starting to see a ton of new eclipses, so they must be selling pretty well. I guess we don't really know, and even reviews of what car company is reliable and what isn't can't tell it all. Someone tell my Dad VW is unreliable, then he'll show you his 2001 Golf that has 120k miles on it and never had one hint of a problem. It's really just a guesstimator, and can swing the odds in your favor of getting a good reliable car. However, you can still get screwed by a Subaru, and have a VW be as durable as a stereotyped subaru.

Rich Rx-8

Mitsu makes awesome cars! I don't know why people don't think they do. I learned how to drive stick on a lancer evo and another lancer ralli. The EVO is scary fast. My buddy has had his mitsu for almost 8 years and has had no significant problems with it, and it still rides awesome. Our Rx-8 might not be half as reliable as some mitsu's. I chose the Rx-8 regardless of how sick the evo and ralli were, cause I hated the mitsu dealership and how they were pressuring me so intensely. Mitsu has awful advertising skills, but their cars are great. Still the EVO def rules and when my warranty is up on my 8, i'm definetly gonna check it out again. I have as much respect for mitsu as I do for honda and mazda.

Rich Rx-8

Forgot to say that most mitsu cars are NOT practical, especially EVO and Ralli. These cars are awesome performers with NO practicality. They don't have the lineup to appeal to a larger demographic like Mazda, Honda, Toyota, and Nissan cars.

cjkim

why do they offer NO practicality? ride may be rough but it IS a true 4 door...

shaolin

Well I don't personally tow...I have no need, although with my motorcycle habit I might start

The problems I've read about are getting the trailer lights to work...

But...then again there are plenty who tow with no problems so I guess we'll see what happens if and when I do tow.

DrDiaboloco

Two problems with the above:

1- The QX was found (not "voted") to be the least reliable JAPANESE-branded vehicle, not the least reliable vehicle overall.

2- Kia isn't a Japanese nameplate.

ucfracerx8

And in other consumer report news this week:
http://money.cnn.com/2006/03/01/Auto...tion/index.htm

The 8 failed to make the list for most satisfying, apparently our demographic was not represented in the survey, we must have been too busy enjoying our cars to participate in another useless survey, or maybe we were all too busy getting gas!

Silly Hybrid's, kiss this

BlueEyes

I wonder if you would have posted that the survey was useless if the Rx-8 made the list?

Umbra

The 3G V6 is a pretty bullet proof engine as long as you do the scheduled maintenance like the timing belt change, etc. It was rated as the most reliable engine in several long term studies (tested in the v6 galant). Assuming it was maintained at 60k it runs as well as it does on the lot new. The car (and mitsu) is hated by the ricer crowd because it isn't a "turbo" and the stock suspension is too soft yet its as fast or faster than the 2nd gen turbo anyway.

On mitsu's you MUST MUST MUST change the timing belt before the schedule maintenance if you don't want to trash the engine. If you have a mitsu you have been warned.