1997 Eagle Talon Reviews, Pricing & Specs

Love the way it looks, but would love it better if she was wet sanded again. Amazing handling on dry pavement but tn the snow she is okay. There are some minor repairs that were needed but now are fixed. The only things that make funny noises are the windows where it meets the top of the roof and the radar against the rear view mirror, but that's fixable. The Exterior is finished in a House of Kolors Black Diamond Metallic, and the interior is painted in a black, or the panels are fitted with black crushed velvet. Gas mileage is wonderful, at 23 in the city and 28 on the highway. Overall the Vehicle is amazing.Dec 09, 2010

Excellent performance on all turbo models with the Mitsubishi 4G63T engine, but avoid non-turbo models with their 420a Dodge Neon engine. Build quality is good, but the age of the car should be considered too, and the car's previous owners. These cars are popular now with 16-21 year olds and as such, are usually poorly cared for, beat on excessively and generally in much need of good maintenance. Typical rust points are on the strut towers, rocker panels, radiator core support and inside of the rear fenders. You can't beat the appearance of a 97-98 Eagle Talon, IMO the best looking DSM ever made. Gas mileage is very dependent on how heavy footed you drive, I averaged ~24 mpg with lots of city driving. The most fun to drive car I've owned. Manual transmission AWD models are rarer, but they're very tough to beat for budget performance and go-anywhere-in-any-weather ability.Jun 25, 2010

There is a bit of turbo lag that takes some getting used to. Stock automatic transmission and/or stock engine power doesn't allow for a burnout :( But car is sporty and fun to drive. Driver's seat is a little tight and the back seat is useless for people. She has a surprisingly large trunk and a bottomless windshield washer fluid reservoir. Seriously, I've tried to fill it up but gave up at 6 gallons!!!Aug 16, 2009

looks and fuel economy are the strongest points about the car.. build quality and performance and the weaknesses.. the car is still fun to drive because its really light.. maintenance is really cheap because its pretty much american.. this is also the fastest all wheel drive car in the world due to the amount of aftermarket products you can do and get for the top of the line model.. i would definetly reccomend this car especially for new drivers.. as its really cheap second handSep 24, 2008

although its a bit on the heavy side this four cylinder can really haul ! even though my dsm is not equipped with the sooo popular AWD option this car has to be hands down the fastest FWD car i have driven , if your in the market for a sports car without the sports car price tag this car is for you . when shopping for your own , skip the lower base and Esi models and go for the Fully loaded tsi models . With either the front wheel drive or all wheel drive configurations this car is no slouch in the break neck department . the reliabilty of these cars isn't their strong point especially from 1995+ they are prone to crankwalk and transfer case issues(where applicable). the only other downside i can think of would be the its thirst for premium fuel. if the speed factor isn't really a concern the base and esi models aren't too bad of an option with 150 hp from the factory many more of these models have survived unmolested into this decade , more so than the turbo models. which brings another point, beware of buying someone else's hack job many of these cars have led hard lives at rally courses and dragways . As for interior the front two seats are good even for six footers(such as myself) to sit comfortably although legroom is a bit confined due to the wide center console , speaking of legroom dont even try to put anyone over the age of 6 in the back , with the car fully loaded its a tight fit with almost no legroom to speak of. overall interior fit and finish is slightly above average in the tsi models with supportive seats and good ergonomics. the base models hover somewhere between average and substandard with cloth seats and manual windows and locks(power features are optional) Mar 12, 2008