Are they good cars? No, or not the Mitsubishi cars built in Australia. Also, my friend doesn't recommend his Lancer. People generally tend to be happy with their purchases, and would recommending something they own, as long as they weren't entirely displeased with it. Everything has it's tiny quirks, so it's OK. My friend wouldn't recommend his car, and he has been driving it for around 5 years.
i had a '95 eclipse and i loved it and the only major thing i need to have fixed was the head gasket after 6 1'2 years of ownership
I have not one, not two but three friends who all owned Mitsubishi's (2 Eclipses and one Evo) and all had no end of troubles with them. Different years, different locations, different problems too (clutch, engine, electrical, etc.). That's all I have to go on in terms of personal experience and feedback, so as a result I can never really recommend them and would probably never buy one myself. That being said, as with anything, due your due diligence and try and find as much information you can to form an accurate conclusion. Not everyone has the same experiences and there will never be 100% good or 100% bad reviews on something.
If the Mitsubishi had their own automatic in it, I'd run quick to another car brand (without the Mitsu unit) -- unless you plan on getting rid of it before the warranty is up.
I am starting to have my doubts. Mitsubishi was never popular in the US, which made me post this question, but I am sick of seeing Hondas, Toyotas and Nissans everywhere. They all are very boring cars.
have you considered a xterra? it's not that popular anymore and it's pretty awesome if you go off road. i've been toying with the idea of getting a xterra off road v6 manual or a toy taco 4wd v6 manual with the '01-'04 body style.
Last one we had started burning oil like crazy at 50k. Went through several CV joints. Computer fried at 80k. It cost $1200 to replace the computer so we traded it for a new Ford. They gave us a fair amount on it too. Go figure...
I couldn't be PAID to drive a smitsubishi. Can't stand them. And as for Honda, they are so overrated it's pathetic. I would however, own an S2000 if it was't for the fact that I'm 6'2" and couldn't even climb inside it.