4 years/ 100k miles and still a great car

I'm not going to go into the basic details since there are several other posts that already describe the car but since there isn't a review from someone who has owned it & driven it for a while, I thought I'd give a review from the perspective of having driven one for 4+ years and 100,000 miles.

I bought the car used with 3800 miles on it- someone's big loss and my gain. It was traded in at a Nissan dealership for a Nissan Z which had just come out. Not sure why the owner would do this except that he had money to blow. But in any case, again, this was my gain.

I really wanted a convertible when I was looking but this car was perfect and the price was great so I gave up my convertible dreams for a little hot-rod with a sunroof. I got the fully-loaded GTS for about $6000 less than sticker price.

What I love: the looks. Not a huge fan of the front-end with the big gaping "mouth" but other than that, it's sleek from the side and mean from the rear (mine has the rear spoiler as well). The rear standard lights look like the aftermarket kits but they don't look as cheap. The engine is very quiet and it's a pretty smooth ride (depending on the tires you buy) especially considering you're all of about 9 inches above the asphalt.

The interior is very nice and the leather has held up wonderfully even with my son climbing in and out of it (and two big dogs on occasion too). It still gets great gas mileage (26-28 mpg) and I've had no repairs other than standard maintenance since I've owned it. I just rolled over 100k miles. Definitly find a good mechanic who isn't afraid of imports though b/c the Mitsubishi dealers will kill you on price, even for standard maintenance.

The stock rims aren't flashy but they're nice and at 17" they give the car plenty of stability. A new set of tires will run about $650. I just put a new set on and I was back to hugging the turns. I have the 5-speed manual transmission and love the control it gives me in acceleration and road handling. Just about everything is standard in this model except the alarm system (not that I wanted it anyway). I don't live in a high-crime area and I normally hate car alarms since they only go off when nothing is happening anyway.

The sunroof is one of my favorite features of course since I didn't get the convertible. The nice part is that even on the days that aren't really warm enough to have the windows down, I can open the sunroof and enjoy some fresh air without getting blown away.

The Infitiy sound system is nice with a 6-disc changer & 5 speakers. I've finally blown the center speaker and was recommended not to replace it but to just disconnect it. I think that's actually the first thing to really break on my car. The only other thing that I'm starting to have some trouble with is the lift-arms on the hatchback. They seem to have turned to an awkward angle so the hatchback doesn't want to lift up as freely as it used to. I can't imagine that they're very expsensive though so I'll probably have our mechanic replace them the next time I take the car in.

The backseat is only made for small children and your weekend bags. My son who is now 12 and not that big doesn't like to sit back there even on short trips. So my husband's truck has become our family car. That's OK with me though since I typically drive alone or just with my son as the passenger.

Be warned that the backseat does not fit a rear-facing infant seat real well. There are only 2 seat belts in the back (no center one) so you pretty much have to put it behind the passenger seat. Most infant seats are so big that you have to push the passenger seat up pretty close to the dash for it to sit properly. Since I don't have an infant and don't plan on having one, I don't particularly care but I did find this out when I had a friend's baby with me. Front-facing seats are not a problem except that you have climb in to get the kid buckled up in the back. So, not exactly a family-friendly vehicle but that's fine with me (I am not a minivan kinda mom!)

I haven't had any issues with the original paint but I do park in a garage. I was in a wreck when the car was about a year old and the hood had to be replaced. The paint on it isn't as strong as the factory paint and I've got several rock chips in it now. When I got in the wreck I found out that the airbags do work. Unfortunately I think they work too well. I rear-ended a guy in 1st gear and they went off. The mechanics tell me it has more to do with where you hit (it was a truck so his bumper hit high on my car) versus the speed or impact. I wasn't too happy about that since replacing the airbags was 3/4 of the total cost of repairs (thank goodness for insurance).

The trunk is actually very spacious and both rear seats fold down for long items (you would not believe some of the stuff I have managed to get into this car!)

The only other thing that has caused some issues is one fuse blows about once a year. I now carry extras with me since it's the fuse that controls the radio and display and the a/c. Not sure why it's just this one but I've replaced it at least 4 times now (at a whopping cost of $2.50).

Things that aren't so great or annoying: cup holders!! There is only one cup holder that is accessible unless you flip open the armrest and this can get annoying in a 5 speed since they're right in front of the gear shifter.

You have to use premium fuel. Good thing it gets good gas mileage but at $3+ a gallon, that extra 20 cents per gallon annoys me.

The steering-wheel radio controls can be testy. This is probably due to me using them so much since I'm a channel surfer and I'm constantly changing the station.