Mitsubishi Repair: 4 alternators in 6 months?!?, 2000 mitsubishi mirage, mitsubishi mirage

Question
I have a 2000 Mitsubishi Mirage Automatic. I broke down on the side of the road 3 years ago. I had the alternator replaced by my brother in law. It worked fine for about 2 more years. Then about 8 months ago it wouldn't start. I got another new alternator. After another month, it happened again and again, the last one lasted less than 2 weeks. I've replaced the battery 4 times & the alternator 5 times. I really love my car but I am unable to drive it anymore because it won't start. I can tell the cars about to break down in stages. First the electric locks stop working. Then the radio. Then the electric windows start rolling really slow. Then the lights (headlights & dash)dim to nonexistent. If I turn off the AC I might be able to get the radio back on, but not if my wipers or headlights are on. Then I can't start the car. I'll jump it and it might work for a few days, or less than a mile. It used to take a few months from getting it fixed to the symptoms starting but now it's less than 2 weeks. Can my first and only car be saved? We've been together for 220,000 miles. If you have any ideas I'd really appreciate them. Thanks

Answer
Alison,
It sounds like there is a poor electrical ground or short in the charging system.  If you haven't had a dealership mechanic inspect the car at this point, you probably should if you want to keep the car.  It may even be a faulty relay or bad fusible link.  The only way to really diagnosis the cause is to have a mechanic do a complete trace on the charging system to find with the excessive electrical draw is occurring.
Good luck!