Mitsubishi Repair: 1998 Eclipse GS Slow Acceleration, eclipse gs, loose hose

Question
I just bought a 98 Eclipse GS from a dealer. The car has 48000 miles on it with a clean Carfax. The second day I found out that the gears weren't shifting into the 3rd one but doing only 2nd. It was doing like 5500 rpms at 60 mph. I took it back to the dealer who told me that it was a relay wiring problem or something like that. I also had to get the alternator fixed. After i drove the car for 2 days I noticed that the car is not accelerating it is supposed to. Takes about 1.5 to 2 seconds to reach the required rpms to get the normal pickup speed. I am not sure but a friend told me that it might be some hose that is not clean that is causing the car to pick up slowly. I have no idea what might be causing the problem. Other than that the transmission is smooth and the gear switching problem is fixed.

Answer
Lavya,
Slow acceleration is commonly caused by air intake problem (clogged air filter or loose hose), leak in the exhaust (typically a hole near the muffler), clogged fuel filter, fouled spark plugs, or possible timing issue.

Items like air filter, fuel filter, and spark plugs should be replaced every 3 years/36,000 miles.  Those are common tune-up items.  Your timing should also be checked, and your timing belt replaced every 45k-60k miles.  If the normal tune-up items do not help, then you should have the transmission re-inspected to be sure the torque converter is functioning properly.
Good luck!