questions about the talon

i was considering a 2g eclipse, but i read reviews on carsurvey.org and they seem to have a lot of problems, especially tranny problems. first of all, are they really that unreliable? i mean i knwo you have to take care of them yourself, but a bad transmission would cost me too much to fix. my friend has a 91 talon tsi he would sell me. my questions about the talon are:

1. can i follow the tech guide on dsmtuners to upgrade it?
2. is the car really mechanically identical to the eclipse?
3. i knwo that parts from an evo would fit on an eclipse. would they also fit on a talon? i wanted to get an evo hood for the car.

thats really all id like to know. if the car is identical to an eclipse and i can do all the same things to it as i could to an eclipse, then im gonan go check it out.

1. Yes. As long as you do a major tune up first. Things like the timing belt, worn hoses, tranny/coolant fluids, spark plugs and wires, gaskets, cylinder compression. Basically make sure your car is reliable even without mods.
2. The car is mecahnically identical. The only difference is body style.
3. I know nothing about EVO's besides the EVO316g turbo, which is a direct bolt on. Since the Eclipse/Talon/Laser are all mechanically identical, then if it fits the eclipse, it will fit the talon/laser. They share the same engine also. If you are referring to the EVO VIII hood, highly, highly doubtful.

I know nothing about EVO's besides the EVO316g turbo, which is a direct bolt on.

It's a direct bolt on for a 1g, but requires small adjustments to fit a 2g (jpipe, different oil lines).

Body parts from eclipses/talons/lasers don't mix and match with the Evo8 at all (or any other Evo I know of). Engine parts sometimes work (like the Evo3 turbo), but the Evo8s have reversed the positions of the i/e cams compared to ours, so many parts won't work.

You can ask any dsm owner...dsm's definately have their share of issues.

Yes, the talon tranny tends to go. Particualy the 2nd gear syncro. On my old talon, it was starting to do this and I used some good quality synthetic oil and it really slowed the process. In my new one I am using it as well and there is no signs of issues and the tanny as 225,000 kms on it. Just be sure to take care of it.

DSM's do have the reputation to be "unrealiable". In my opinon I would not call my car unreliable, but there are definately things that go wrong. I am not sure where a list would be but basically at certain mileages you are almost guaranteed for something to break. For example, you MUST have your timing belt replaced every 160,000 (correct me if I am wrong guys) or else you are basically screwed...that kind of thing.

All cars have issues, some say dsm's more than most. But the impotant thing is how you take care of your car and make sure you keep up to date on all the regular dsm issues.

I really like my car and there is not a single time that I regret buying a dsm...especially because they have SO MUCH POTENTIAL :-)

As for evo parts...as the other two replies...highly doubtful. And yes, the cars are mechanically the same. Look at a Haynes Manual or Chilton Manual, they all say on them that they are for "Mitsubishi Eclipse, Eagle Talon, and Plymouth Laser"

Hope this helps.

For example, you MUST have your timing belt replaced every 160,000


It's about every 60,000. At 160 you are about to do your 3rd timing belt change.