Thanks....
You should walk away from that car.
Why exactly? Can you be specific?
Bhagat provides comic relief for this newsgroup with his anti-Mitsu troll impersonations. He appears to have a wickedly dry sense of humour though, so there IS hope for him yet.
Moving on ...
If you can get a service history of the car, it will give you an idea if the car is worth considering. Get the CarFax report too in case its a flood damage car. At 61K, its in the sweet spot for reliability. Anything that might have gone wrong will have, and you should not expect anything major for until about 100K.
Have the mechanical report include checking the plugs and compression for excess oil consumption. The timing belt is due for replacement about now. If its not been done as evidenced by an invoice or similar, get a quote for the job. This MIGHT be why the owner wants to sell. Have the ECU checked for any error codes as well as an emissions check.
Replacement parts are easily available at reasonable prices. If there's still warranty, get work done by the dealer. Otherwise find a local Mitsu expert.
regards Stewart DIBBS
Well engineered engines would not have to be opened until 200K. Really good engines, like those made by Volvo and SAAB will often go for 400K without anything more than an oil seal or two, pulley bearings and alternator bushes needing replacement. But you're right, with that 'shiti engine, major failure is only a mere 39K away.
Also, make sure that the car has been garaged out of the sunlight, otherwise you will have to factor in the likely cost of a respray since 'shiti clear coats do fail prematurely. There has been legal action taken against 'shiti for that. The problem is not just in the US, 'shiti clear coats fail prematurely in all parts of the world that have high UV.
Check that all of the interior trim is in place and undamaged.
Get the coolant analysed for exhaust gases, and likewise the engine oil should be analysed for coolant. Get the cooling system pressure tested.
Make sure that the transmission is working properly. Mitsubishi have had big problems with their automatic transmissions in the past.
There are plenty of abandoned Mitsubishi's on the roadsides, so you should never have to walk too far for find parts from a donor car. If you carry a decent tool kit, you can enjoy motoring the 'shiti way.
Bhagat, I think you're funny, but I actually need real advice here. All joking aside, is "major engine failure" realistic at 100K or not? I have to get a car this week so what do you REALLY think? Reliability is extremely important. Thanks, Jeff
Make sure the timing belt was changed, get a cooling system pressure test (these cars are notorious for heater core leaks which are expensive to fix). If the timing belt is the original you are up for $500 replacement. If you don't replace the belt then one day when you least expect it, your pistons will smash into your valves. At 60K, things like wheel bearings and CVJs will have some wear on them. They should be checked. The dampers at 60K are also ripe for replacement, likewise brake rotors.
If you are interested in having a reliable Japanese car, then choose a Toyota or Nissan. A 2002 Camry would be a safer proposition than a
2002 Diamanturd. As well, Toyota engines don't self destruct when the timing belt breaks.If you do decide to get the Diamanturd, make sure that you flush and replace the power steering, brake and transmission fluids.
In the 90's Mitsubishi changed manufacturing on the 2.0 engine and it led to about 6% of the engines developing "crank walk" - that hurt thier reputation. I have owned two of these "un-reliable" cars and have not had a single problem. In fact I am putting some major effort into my second to turn it into a 400 hp AWD convertible. The first one had 125k with no problems. The second has 130K and still going strong!
I hope you and those 400 horses have a good time together.
In the early 90's Mitsubishi was selling one of the worst Jap engines ever seen here. It was called the 2.0 or 2.6 Astron and the car it powered was called a Magna (Diamante). The Astron engine suffered from head gasket failure, excessive bore wear, valve stem seal leaks, crankshaft problems, excessive fuel consumption, excessive oil consumption, camshaft wear, timing chain problems, water pump problems, it was noisy and breathless. The Astron engine is infamous in Australia.
My kids like to play spot the stinky Mitsubishi when are out driving. You can usually smell an Astron engine before you are in visual range. On the few odd times it isn't a 'shiti it will be a Mazda.
I won't even mention the infamous automatic transmissions.
No, its not. My 93 Summit wagon was at 224,000km when I rebuilt it, not because the valve stem seals and exhaust guides were worn (they were) but because the teeth finally wore off the flywheel. So I pulled the lot, rebuilt the engine and put in a new clutch. Should be good for the remaining life of the body.
All that will really happen after 100K or so is the oil consumption will start to increase. Or maybe it won't till 160K. It really depends on what happened in the first 60K.
regards Stewart DIBBS
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