2003 - 2005 Mitsubishi Eclipse Coupe and Spyder Pre-Owned

The Spyder is heavier than the coupe, which is always the case no matter the automaker. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press)

The Spyder is heavier than the coupe, at 1,525 kilos (3,362 lbs) in top-line GT trim, the way most people bought it.

I remember really liking the outgoing Eclipse in both coupe and convertible forms, but also remember being turned off a bit by a driver's door on one of the test cars that didn't line up flush with the rest of the bodywork. It closed tightly and didn't rattle or cause extra wind noise but imperfections like this particularly annoy me. While any body shop could align the door properly making it a minor problem, it still should have never left the factory this way.

In the end, the Eclipse offered something different to sports coupe/convertible buyers than its Celica, RSX and Hyundai Tiburon peers

The Eclipse offered something different; the availability of a powerful V6. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press)

of the era did. The first thing was the ability to buy a convertible, as none of the others offered such. The second was the availability of a powerful V6, with only Hyundai stepping up in this respect.

If you want something in the personal coupe/convertible segment and like the styling and features of the Eclipse, all that's left to know is how it performed, from a reliability and safety standpoint. To address the latter, the Eclipse received a fairly good rating from the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), achieving four stars for driver and front passenger protection in frontal impact tests, plus three stars for side impact protection for front seat occupants. The U.S. agency didn't see a reason to test the car's rear seats for side impact collisions, as the seats were deemed too small to be considered usable - I have to concur.