Used Eagle Summit Buying Guide: 1989-96 Sedan, Hatch and Summit Wagon

A used Eagle Summit is a rebadged Mitsubishi, sold by Eagle dealers from 1989 to 1996, and the name covers two very different cars: a small Mirage-based sedan, coupe or hatchback, and the tall, sliding-door Summit Wagon from 1992 on. The small cars are simple and cheap to keep running. The wagon is the more useful one, and the AWD version carries a transfer case recall you need to confirm by VIN before you hand over cash.

On Oct 20, 2026 I read Car and Driver's 1989 Summit LX test, Old Cars Weekly's history of the early cars, Consumer Guide's used-car file for the 1993-96 Mitsubishi Mirage and its 1994 Summit Wagon feature, and NHTSA's recall data for every Summit model year. Nobody keeps a Summit-only trouble list, so the Mirage notes below are borrowed from the twin, and I've labeled them that way.

The small Summits, 1989-1996

Car and Driver called the original Summit "wholly designed and built by Mitsubishi." Eagle got the four-door version of the Mirage; Dodge and Plymouth sold the three-door as the Colt. The standard engine was an 81-hp 1.5-liter four, and the LX could be ordered with a twin-cam 1.6 making 113 hp, available only with a five-speed manual. C&D's DOHC test car stickered at $14,297 and ran 0-60 in 9.6 seconds, and the magazine's main complaint was price, not the car.

Old Cars Weekly says Eagle expanded the range to base, D/L, LX and ES for 1990, then added a three-door hatchback for 1991 with a 92-hp 1.5 that used three valves per cylinder. That hatchback was sold only for 1991 and 1992. A new generation followed for 1993. Consumer Guide's Mirage file, which notes that "Eagle dealers sold a similar car as the Summit," describes a sedan plus a new two-door coupe, a 92-hp 1.5 and a 113-hp 1.8, a five-speed manual standard, and three- or four-speed automatics depending on model. On the Mirage, a driver airbag arrived for 1994 and a passenger airbag for 1995, ending motorized belts; check the Summit you're looking at rather than assuming the timing matched.

The Mirage trouble list for 1993-95 is mostly small stuff: a clogged in-tank fuel filter that can starve the engine, a park/neutral switch out of adjustment so the car won't start in Park or will start in Drive, idle vibration from badly installed radiator brackets, a 1995 heater control lever that turns without changing the temperature, and front springs popping in their seats. Test the start-in-Park thing yourself. It takes ten seconds.

The Summit Wagon, 1992-1996

Consumer Guide's blog says the Mitsubishi Chariot started arriving for the 1992 model year and was sold here as the Eagle Summit Wagon, Plymouth Colt Vista and Mitsubishi Expo, all built in Japan. Its 1994 spec sheet: a three-door hatchback wagon with one sliding door on the passenger side only, 169 inches long, 69 cubic feet of cargo room, and DL, LX and AWD trims at $13,544, $14,770 and $15,448. The DL had a 113-hp 1.8 that Consumer Guide called anemic, but buyers could get the 136-hp 2.4 for $181, and the LX and AWD got the 2.4 as standard. If you're buying one to haul things, find a 2.4.

The AWD wagon is the one to inspect hardest. NHTSA doesn't list a separate "Summit Wagon" model; the API returned errors for that name every year, and the AWD transfer case recall is filed under plain SUMMIT.

Recalls NHTSA lists under EAGLE SUMMIT

• 98V168 (1992-96, all-wheel-drive vehicles): the transfer case can lock up from insufficient lubrication, which can cause loss of control. Dealers were to check oil volume, leaks and wear. This is the first thing I'd ask about on an AWD wagon.
• 97V073 (1992-93): the driver's motorized belt guide rail cable can wear and drop out of its channel, leaving the shoulder belt anchorage stuck.
• 97V063 (1992-93): excess grease can deform the door latch switch cover, so the motorized shoulder belt stays at the A-pillar when the door closes.
• 95V103 (1989-91): the red plastic front belt buckle release buttons can break, and pieces can jam the buckle.

Thirty-year-old belt recalls are easy to ignore and miserable to discover after a crash. Our Eagle recall check by VIN explains how to see whether a specific car's campaigns were closed, and because this is a Mitsubishi underneath, the Mitsubishi recall lookup is worth running too. The Eagle VIN decoder helps confirm the engine and body you're being sold.

Price, parts and the history check

Consumer Guide's 2014 good-condition range for the 1993-96 Mirage was $1,000 to $1,700, and I would expect a Summit to land near that, though that is my inference rather than a published Summit price. Wagon parts are the harder hunt; Eagle-specific trim even more so. If you want a modern small Mitsubishi instead, our used Mitsubishi Mirage guide covers the current car, a completely different machine.

Cheap cars attract curbstoners and odometer games, and a car this old may have passed through a dozen owners and several states. Run the VIN through NMVTIS for salvage and junk brands, then get a CARFAX or AutoCheck report and see whether the mileage climbs in a straight line.

About our prices: CarVins is a licensed CARFAX and AutoCheck reseller with no affiliation to CARFAX, AutoCheck, Experian, Stellantis or Mitsubishi. In late October 2026 a guest report cost about $5.50, a member report about $4.50 and the CARFAX-plus-AutoCheck bundle about $6.75, while retail sits around $39.99 to $44.99. Confirm the final figure at checkout; it can move.

Sources

• Car and Driver: 1989 Eagle Summit LX archive test
• Old Cars Weekly: Seeking the Summit
• Consumer Guide: 1993-96 Mitsubishi Mirage and 1994 Eagle Summit Wagon feature (Tom Appel, 2017)
• NHTSA recalls, EAGLE SUMMIT, checked Oct. 20, 2026, e.g. 1994 Summit