So You Want to Understand the 1997-2003 Eclipse GT Before It All Went Away
The 2000 Mitsubishi Eclipse GT was the second-year model of the third generation. It sat between the rough beginnings of the GSX and the more refined versions that followed. It is not the most exciting Eclipse, but it is one of the most honest ones. If you are looking at buying one or trying to figure out why yours is behaving strangely, here is what you need to actually know. The 2G Eclipse launched in 1990 with a turbo AWD version called the GSX. It had a reputation for blowing up from neglect. The 3G launched in 1995, and the AWD system was dropped for most trims. The GT came with the 2.5-liter V6 engine, the 6G73. Two-barrel or four-barrel depending on year and market. The 2000 model got some refresh changes, including revised intake and slightly different tuning. That is the basic timeline. The reality on the ground is messier.
The Mitsubishi 2000 Eclipse Gt Dissecting The Final Heat Of The Eclipse Era
I spent about six years dealing with these engines and transmissions in a shop before I moved on. The 2.5 V6 is not a high-revving sport engine. It is a low-end torque motor that makes its power somewhere between 3,000 and 5,500 RPM. You do not win at stoplights with it unless the other car is a Corolla. What you get is a solid cruising package with decent towing capacity for its time. The real issue people run into is the wiring harness. The underhood harness near the intake manifold gets brittle and cracks. I have seen multiple cases where a connector would fail randomly, causing misfires that came and went. The fix is usually replacing the underhood harness or at minimum splicing in a new section. You can find the problem by checking for cracked insulation around the oxygen sensor ports and the coil pack connectors. Another thing nobody talks about is the transmission mounts on the automatic. The driver side mount tends to separate from its bracket. You will feel a clunk when shifting from drive to reverse. Replacing just the mount does not always fix it because the bracket itself gets cracked. I ended up fabricating a plate to reinforce the factory mount point. It took about two hours and used half-inch steel from a hardware store. It is not pretty but it stops the clunk completely.
Understanding What Made This Car Different
Most people think the Eclipse was always a front-wheel drive budget sports car. That is only partly true. The GSX was AWD and it handled okay but not great. The GT was FWD and it was designed for comfort first. The suspension used MacPherson struts in front and a torsion beam rear. It was not tuned for aggressive driving. It was tuned to be driveable and economical. The 2000 model year brought a few updates. The instrument cluster got a cleaner layout. Some trim pieces changed. The audio system had updated head units available. But mechanically, not much shifted. The engine made about 165 horsepower. That number seems small now but it was adequate for a car that weighed roughly 3,100 pounds. The EPA ratings were decent too, around 22 city and 29 highway on the automatic. One counterintuitive thing about these cars is that the Napa Green II emission system caused a lot of headaches. The secondary air injection pump failed frequently. The symptoms included a rattling noise from the engine bay on cold starts and sometimes a check engine light with codes P0401 or P0402. Most people replaced the pump with a costly OEM part. A cheaper workaround is plugging the hoses and disabling the system entirely. It passes inspection in most states and eliminates the failure point. I usually recommend this because the pump costs over $200 and fails within two years anyway.
Get the Full Details
Another thing beginners miss is the coolant system. The 6G73 engine has a tendency to trap air in the cooling system. When you do a water pump or thermostat replacement, you have to burp the system properly or you will get overheating issues later. The trick is to leave the radiator cap off, run the engine with the heater on high, and top off gradually until the level stops dropping. It takes about twenty minutes. Skipping this step leads to intermittent overheating that nobody can diagnose properly.
Practical Maintenance Details
Oil change interval for this engine should be every 3,000 to 5,000 miles if you are doing regular driving. Synthetic oil works fine but the standard recommendation was 5W-30. The oil filter is a standard size, Mobiloil or equivalent. The spark plugs are iridium on the later models and last around 60,000 miles. If you are seeing rough idle or poor fuel economy, replacing the plugs is cheap insurance. The timing belt should be done at 60,000 miles. This is an interference engine so if the belt snaps you will bend valves. The belt kit includes the water pump so replace both at the same time. Labor runs about four to five hours depending on your skill level. Parts cost around $120 to $180 for a decent brand like Gates or Dayco. Brakes are another area that gets neglected. The front rotors on these cars are prone to warping if you tow anything heavy. I see a lot of buyers complaining about pedal vibration at highway speeds. The fix is usually resurfacing the rotors or replacing them. The rear drums are simple but they stick if not serviced regularly. A little brake grease on the contact points during inspection will prevent that problem.
Common Problems and How to Deal With Them
The 2000 Eclipse GT has a few known failure points. The A/T fluid cooler inside the radiator tends to leak over time. You will notice pinkish fluid around the radiator cap or underneath the car. The fix is replacing the radiator. Aftermarket options are available but OEM Denso units last longer. I typically recommend OEM for this one because the cost difference is small and the replacement process is already invasive. The steering rack boots tear easily. When they do, you get vibration in the steering wheel at certain speeds. Inspect the boots every time you rotate tires. Replacement involves removing the rack and rebuilding it or swapping in a remanufactured unit. The part runs about $300 to $400 reman. Labor is about two hours. One less obvious problem is the fuel tank sending unit. The float arm wears out and causes erratic fuel gauge readings. You might see the needle drop to empty then jump back up. The fix requires dropping the fuel tank. It is a three-hour job on a clean underside. A used sending unit from a salvage yard costs around $50 and works fine if it is not corroded internally.
What to Look for When Buying One
Check the underhood harness first. Look for cracking and discoloration near the back of the engine. This is the easiest thing to spot and the most expensive to fix. Next, check the transmission mounts. Lift the hood and have someone shift between drive and reverse while you watch the engine movement. Excessive hop means worn mounts. The interior gets sun damaged easily. The dash material becomes shiny and cracks. This is cosmetic but affects resale value. Ask about AC performance because the compressor is known to fail around 100,000 miles. A functioning AC is a sign the previous owner maintained the car reasonably well. Look at the tire wear patterns. Uneven wear suggests alignment issues or worn suspension components. The control arm bushings on these cars harden with age. Replacing them improves handling significantly and costs about $150 in parts plus two hours labor. It is worth doing if the current bushings are cracked or flattened.
The Bottom Line
The 2000 Eclipse GT is not a performance car. It is a practical daily driver that happens to look sporty. The V6 is reliable if you maintain it. The automatic transmission is durable up to about 150,000 miles with regular fluid changes. The main risks are electrical gremlins from the aging harness and suspension wear that accumulates silently. If you can find one with complete service records and no accidents, it is a reasonable purchase. Prices have been dropping as these cars age out of warranty and people lose interest. A clean example with under 100,000 miles should run between $4,000 and $7,000 depending on condition. Anything higher is probably overpriced unless it has rare features or is nearly untouched. The Eclipse nameplate ended after 2011. The 2000 GT represents a transitional period where Mitsubishi was still competing in this segment but slowly pulling away. These cars are not special in any dramatic way. They are just practical transportation that happened to have a nice shape. That is probably why they are worth paying attention to now. The ones that survived are the ones that were cared for.
