July 15, 2005 78,000 mile update:
Well, I just got my car back from my first major service on my car. The AC started acting up where it wouldn't work about 15-20% of the time. Turns out 4 parts had gone bad and the total repair was $1600 dollars. I had bought the long term 80,000 mile warranty and it covered $1100 of the costs. So I broke even basically with buying the long term warranty at $1200.

I've also noted my hood paint is starting to bubble, I'm taking it in to be looked at by a Mitsubishi paint specialist next week, so I'll try to update this later. I'm a little disappointed in my paint going bad after only 3 years of ownership.

Original Review:
I bought my 2002 Mitsubishi Spyder back in June of 2002. Jet Black with black top. I had recently moved to Houston TX, one of the best environments for a convertible. There were three reasons I wanted to buy this car: 1. It looked great. 2. It was a convertible. 3. Reliable for a sports car according to the reviews.

If I were to judge the car now, after 75,000 miles in less than 3 years, I would say that it passes all those tests with flying colors. It still looks good, the convertible is great in good weather and it has been the most reliable car I've owned with nothing required outside of regular maintenance.

Now how did it do for things I didn't buy it for?

1. Surprisingly good gas mileage for a V6 manual sports car. I did notice the gas mileage went down when the top was down, but only a couple mpg. With top up I get about 25-27 highway, 17-22 city depending on how aggressive I drove.

2. Expensive insurance is a negative. A lot more than I was expecting even with my immaculate driving record.

3. I feel a little unsafe with the top down and no roll bar. I believe this can be added if desired, but not sure.

4. Rear seat is only useful for a few grocery bags or maybe one baby carrier. Not for people, even kids if the driver or front passenger are above small size.

5. Trunk is small, but holds a decent amount of smaller items, bigger items need another car/truck or putting down the top and into the back seat.

6. With the top up the rear/side visibility is TERRIBLE and I'm always triple checking when switching lanes on a busy interstate. With the top down it has GREAT rear/side visibility and you are more aware of cars nearby from the noise. Moving the Top up/down is EASY. Release the two safety latches and press the button and the motors do all the work for you in 10 seconds or less.

7. I can't say enough about the reliability of this car. I've been doing the "regular" maintenance schedule, not the factory/dealer recommended schedule. So 6000 mile oil changes instead of 3000 mile, etc. I've had NO problems with the car at all.

8. As far as handling/performance: The engine is pretty powerful, but since it is a heavy car it does take a little to get momentum going. I feel that 2nd and 3rd gear on the manual provide the most acceleration. 1st gear is mainly to just get the car moving and results in decent off the line pull, not great. Transmission does shift very smoothly, even after 75,000 miles and learning to drive manual again on this car :) Shifting from first to 2nd is a little jerky now, but that is probably from me.

Brakes are outstanding. I had someone cut right in front of me when I was going about 60 and he couldn't have been going faster than 15. I had to slam on the breaks and it stopped in what I thought was excellent time.

I couldn't fit in any other small sports car(I'm 6'4" with wide shoulders) (Honda, Toyota, etc), so I can't compare it to other sports car handling.

From all the negatives above it sounds like I don't like the car, but for the reasons I wanted to buy it, it has been a fabulous car and fun to drive! I'm glad I got my convertible while I was young and would recommend this car to a single guy/girl. Once the family comes along, this is a car to avoid, not practical and not as safe to be in as an SUV or sedan.
Amount Paid (US$): 29000
Condition: New
Model Year: 2002
Model and Options: GTS