A friend has a 1997 Diamante LS for sale with 66000 miles. I know the history of this car and he has had zero problems with it.
What is the track record for this vehicle at this mileage going forward? I can buy it for wholesale price...is it a worthwhile purchase?
I think that they are fantastic vehicles and I couldn't advise you better than to snap it up immediately. Once you start driving it you'll see how fine it really is; from it's comfort to it's handling. For a full size sedan it's one of the ultimate sleepers with an effortless top speed of almost 135 mph (personal experience in a 1992 ES). 66,000 miles for a 7 year old car with a clean history and in probable good physical condition makes this one a gem. If it's under $6,000.00 it's a steal.
Bob Walker
I have a 1997 Magna here in Australia which is similar to the Diamante.
The only problem I have had with it was a slight electrical problem with the headlights. It's now fixed and working fine. My car has 222,000 KM.
How much will a timing belt cost me? Also, at 66000 miles, what other work (tranny flush?) should be done? I read about a heater core problem that is common....should I be concerned?
Alldata says 3.6 hrs of labor. Belt is 80 bucks. You should probably do tensioner and water pump too. The labor for that is the same as the timing belt (you have to take off the timing belt to get to the waterpump). The pump isn't cheap, ~$130. I'd say about 500-600 for the whole thing.
If you don't go to the dealer (i.e. save some money), buy the tensioner tool for them. Most shops don't have it and will just grenade your engine in a month or so. That's because they will ghetto rig a tensioner tool and do it wrong. The tool is only 20 bucks and you can get it here:
I'm not sure what a timing belt would cost there. I had my 180,000 KM service done on 04/04/2003 which included a timing belt. I've just checked on my invoice and they did the following:
Engine Flush Oil Filter Oil (Pennzoil) Coolant/anti freeze Brake Fluid
3 X Spark Plugs (non platinum type) Timing Belt ($140.00) Fuel Filter Total: $601.25 (Australian)They didn't seem keen on replacing the water pump until it needed it.
Since this service I have also had the transmission flushed and the fluid/filter changed.
I don't go to the Mitsubishi dealer, I go to a privately owned garage.
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