Mitsubishi Galant

jlimk · January 2003

Hello, I am looking at a 99 ES V6 Galant which is selling at $9825. As I have never own a Mitsubishi before, I don't know how reliable is this car. Would you classify it with the Hondas and Toyotas (cars that run forever) or is it like a Mazda ([non-permissible content removed] make but is really a ford)? Any advise will be great. Thanks.

sebring95 · January 2003

Reliability wise, it's sort of in-between a domestic and a honda/toyota IMHO. Which makes it a good deal on the resale market because it depreciates as fast as the domestics. $9825 for a '99 though seems kinda high. I just sold my '01 ES V6 with 9,700 miles and every single option available for $13,000. And I had to work to get that. Market sucks right now if you're selling, but it puts you in a good position.

btw, Mazda is actually pretty good and in most cases Mazda provides goods to Ford but not the other way around. The Ranger is associated with the Mazda pickup and the old Probes had some Mazda parts but I don't think it goes much deeper than that. Chrysler and Mitsubishi are similarly joined at a factory in IL. When I bought my Sebring it was built in the same factory as the Eclipse and shared a lot of parts.

jlimk · January 2003

The Galant has 48k miles on it. Has standard options. What would be a reasonable price for the car? I am thinking of bargaining it down to $10k (car, sales tax, titles, fees etc included).

My experience with Toyotas and Hondas has been great. However, my Mazda MX6 almost fell apart. Thus, my prejudice against Mazda.

sebring95 · January 2003

private sale price is a good indicator to market value. Their retail price is crazy. Private sale price on a '99 ES V6 with 50K miles is around $8300. I sold mine for $1000 less than KBB private sale which was the only offer I got on the car in two months. But if you're satisfied with the car and willing to pay their price then it's a good deal. Willing buyer/willing seller is how it works! Good luck!

bbf65 · January 2003

personally, i have had 2 mitsubishi galants
('96 S and '01 ES-V6).
they never let me down.
as reliable as my sister's honda (civic) and my other sister's toyota (camry).
my parents also have a lancer and prior to that, 2 previous generation lancers which they kept for at least 5 years.
no major problems.

so from our experience, mitsus are just as reliable as other japanese makes.

jlimk · January 2003

Thanks for all your advice. I will be test driving the car this weekend.
Thanks again!!

nikiblue1 · January 2003

I had the unfortunate experience trying to deal with Mitsubishi dealership. My aunt's car did not start, after a quick run to the store. So, I had the car towed to the dealership. The car is on a 5 year lease with only 35k miles. I was sure it was the battery, but I thought it was under warranty and should be replaced for free. That is a beauty of leasing, you don't have to worry about things like that (except of course maintenance work).
Bottom line, she took the car in. The dealer wanted to charge her $70 to look at the car, and additional $90+ tax for the battery. I complained, talked to the Service manager, but they stated the battery only has 3 year warranty. It is not covered under warranty.
Usually if I go to the mechanic, they would take the diagnostic charge and apply it towards the repair. But no, not this dealership. Anyway, after complaining for about 1 hour, the cut the bill $35.
I have owned several new cars, and I have never been charged during my first 36K miles for anything that made my car non-operational.
Just with that experience I would never own a mitsubishi vehicle. I have dealt with jeep, toyota, nissan, ford. No problems with customer service. Of course the jeep always stated, "normal for jeep" for every problem.
Just wanted some of prospective buyers know about my "bad apple" experience.

y338 · January 2003

My car always stalls after the engine was started in the first 15 mins when the trans is in the Drive mode. (It doesn not stall if it is in the park mode)It usually happens when I step on the brake and stop in front of traffic lights. I therefore brought the car to the dealer and the technician advised me to replace the Idle speed control motor. The tech. also suggested to do a major tune-up for the car but I only decided to replace the speed control units. However, after the part was replaced, the problem still exists. The car is still in the dealer shop now. Does anyone have any idea what causes the problem? Is it because of the transmission? Thanks!

lngtonge18 · January 2003

I had a 93 Diamante that went through the same exact problem. Have your throttle body cleaned (simple process of spraying throttle body cleaner into it and taking a rag on a pole and wiping out all the gunk). More than likely, the throttle body is all gunked up with carbon deposits and it is blocking the air flow through 2 small pinholes when the throttle is in the closed position (aka, at idle). If these pinholes are blocked, the car starves for air and stalls. The car will tend to stall when in drive and stay running in park because while in drive, the engine is under load and idles lower than it does while in park. I can't guarantee this will fix your problem, but it fixed mine without having to replace the expensive idle speed control motor. I had to do it once a year on my car. Poor quality gas tends to gunk up the throttle body faster, so you might want to look at what kind of gas you are putting in it.

whale76 · February 2003

Hey has anyone out there heard of metallic flip. I just got back my 2001 Galant from a reputable body shop and when you look at it from a certain angle in the sun it looks horrible. The car is dark metallic red, and when looking at it from behind the parts that were re-painted look pink and have no reflective qualities at all. If I look at it from the front it looks all right. Needless to say I took it back and told them to fix it. The service advisor said he had seen this before and called it metallic flip. So what I am wondering is this really a term or did he make it up to cover up a bad paint job.

prabakarp · February 2003

Please help me find the web sites for 2002
inventory. I am looking for a bargain price on
new old models.
Thanks

malango · February 2003

I have a 42 months old '99 Galant DE with 35k miles on it. The lease (balloon actually) is due to expire in a couple of weeks. I already acquired it's replacement, so I had no interest in keeping the vehicle until my dad the other day mentioned that if the price was right he could use it as a second vehicle. The buyout payment on the car is $9,200, KBB retail is $7,500 and trade in is $5,600. I called MMCA (Mitsubishi Motors Credit of America) to ask about if the buyout payment was negotiable and the agent flat out said no. I decided not the push it any further and finished the call. With the above numbers it would be a very, very bad financial decision to buy the car, as you will be $1,7000 upside down from the beginning. I was wondering if any of you have had any luck negotiating the buyout payment. Some leasing companies have their buyout payments insured (that's what I've heard), so maybe that's the reason they didn't want to negotiate. So please share your experiences and recommendations.

bluluv · February 2003

I have 1995 Galant with 170,000 miles on it and it's runs like a new car. I purchased the car with 32,000 miles on it in 1998. The car has never had any major work on it thank god. One thing I am noticing is that when I go start it sometimes it doesn't do anything but eventually it catches. It doesn't do it all the time but sometimes. When I say it doesn't do anyhting it doesn't. Can anyone give me advice on what they think the problem is? And is it true that if you havn'e changed your transmission fluid/filter etc.. you shouldn't because it might mess up the transmission? e- mail back at n2gape@msn.com
Thanks!

alpha01 · February 2003

Wow! $2500 cash incentives are available in my area, and after checking dealer inventory, there are quite a few V6 models around... This means that, if you can negotiate down to invoice, you can get a great V6 Galant for more than $3500 OFF sticker. That price makes a decent car great. And although reliability isnt what it once was, these savings leave alot in the budget for an extra warranty! If there were prices like this when we got our Camry in Dec 2001, the choice would have been ALOT harder.
~alpha

victoris · February 2003

01 ES V6, 27k miles
After unplugging the battery mileage for city driving dropped from 21-22 mpg to about 17-18 mpg (using same 89 gas, 10% ethanol in CA). Anybody had experienced similar problems? BTW my highway mileage has not been much better than the city mileage. Great car otherwise, bought used one year ago with 20k on it.

carguy58 · February 2003

This is the last year for this body style of Galant so thats why there are good deals. I think the new body style comes out in September for the 04 model year. The Galant is a good bang for the buck.

maxamillion1 · February 2003

Then every midsize will be redesigned by then.

wgr · February 2003

When is the redesigned 04 model going to be at dealers ? Does anyone have any site for pictures ?

maxamillion1 · March 2003

It looks like the Camry a lot from the sides, but then again, it was disguised. I cannot wait to see it in person!

lngtonge18 · March 2003

What we can guess is the new Galant should have a 2.4 liter SOHC 16 valve 4 cylinder with MIVECS (Mitsu's version of Honda's VTEC variable valve timing system). This engine produces 160 hp, so the Galant is finally on equal terms hp wise with the Accord, Camry, and Mazda 6. This engine will also power the 04 Lancer Ralliart. The Lancer ought to be tranformed into one sweet pocket rocket with this engine! If the Galant stays on the lighter end of the scale, it should be pretty quick too.

maxamillion1 · March 2003

I doubt it, especailly considering that the current Galant isn't avaialble with a 5spd manual.

wgr · March 2003

What's the hp for the available 6 cyl ?

anonymousposts · March 2003

195HP.

wgr · March 2003

That is MUCH lower than the competition ! Is this correct ? What are they thinking ?

carguy58 · March 2003

The current Camry V6 is 190HP. The Camry is still the Number 1 selling car. So whats horsepower got to do with it?

alpha01 · March 2003

You're off by 30. The current Camry (as of Jan 03) has variable valve timing, and is up to 210hp and 220 lb. ft. of torque.

~alpha

wgr · March 2003

That is the hp of the current top of the line Galant. I gotta believe the 2004 will have more like 220 or more. It is a bigger car than the current models. Mitsubishi is being very secretive about it. If they gave out more info, it might encourage some people to delay their purchase.

maxamillion1 · March 2003

From PopMec magazine. They claim that the Galant wants to beat the Altima and Accord.

havingfun29 · March 2003

I have a 2000 Galant. Ever since I've owned it, I've noticed that after driving on the highway, the engine/compressor/or fan seems to make so much noise. When you are outside the car, it seems that whatever is running when the car is parked, is unusually loud. Has anyone else noticed this??

lngtonge18 · March 2003

Yes, I have noticed that too. All Galants have unusually loud radiator fans. My Lancer also has a loud high pitched fan. Thankfully, Mitsu has isolated the loud fan noise to the outside of the car.

havingfun29 · March 2003

thanks for getting back to me! after a leak in the firewall, cracking paint, a horn that often fused out....i was beginning to think i bought a real lemon!

im glad to hear this is 'common'!

thanks!

rlemo · March 2003

My 02 galant has 40k on it. The tail pipe to the rear of the muffler came apart. The garage went ahead and welded it together without replacing any thing. He said this is common with this car. Any one else had this problem. Driven in non salt environment.

fushigi · March 2003

My 99 LS with 73K miles is still on its original exhaust; never been touched.

Over my 4 years of ownership:

- Tires. Now running Michelin Energy but they don't seem to be any better than the Goodyears it came with.
- Regular brake jobs. Rears @ 60K, fronts @ 66K miles.
- Battery. Just died all of a sudden last summer. I left the office to go out for lunch & it wouldn't start. No big deal; just surprised at the lack if warning.
- A couple of the rear light bulbs. I don't recall replacing either headlight yet.
- Exterior drivers side trim that runs from the bottom of the windshield over the roof to the bottom of the rear glass. Came loose & was replaced. I think it was snagged by the cloth in a car wash. This is really the only abnormal thing I've had to fix.

I'd like to get the hood repainted as there are a few minor chips in the paint. Since the car is "Barcelona Red" (burgundy) they don't really show but it does need to be addressed at some point before rust sets in.

There is an occasional light dash rattle which I haven't been able to isolate. But it doesn't happen very often so it has not really been a concern. Ditto for a minor squeak coming from somewhere around the front passenger compartment, but not the glove box.

I've stayed with premium for the V6 although I have given serious consideration to dropping to midgrade from time to time. Mileage runs 23-24 in mixed driving; as low as 20 if I lead-foot a lot; as high as 30 for a straight highway trip once (most highway trips averages about 27-28). There's still plenty of power, enough that I don't really understand why the Accord, Altima, etc. are jumping to the 240+HP range.

Everything else just works. I've few complaints about the car and would so far consider another Mitsu when the time comes to replace this one.

ultratech · March 2003

My 2000 ES I-4 is 3yrs old and 24,000 miles... MY complains are always glove box rattle and squeking brakes ...

--------------------
www.thegalantcenter.com

vectorz · April 2003

I have a 99 Galant DE and no major problems as of yet. 90,000 miles and I neglect this car like crazy

It's reliable and looks good. Only problem is lack of 3rd party mods for it.

lawman1967 · April 2003

I've had a few more problems with my 02 ES 4cyl. First, the brakes have been very troublesome. At 12K they started grinding and the dealer, after pulling off the left front wheel told me I needed new pads in front. I insisted he take off the right and guess what he found? 90% of the pad remained. Seems the caliper was stuck, and was replaced under warrenty.

Problems continued, however, as Mitsu refused to replace the rotor. At 20K the brakes would pulsate badly whenever I touched the pedal (non-ABS car). I had to fight tooth and nail with the regional representative to get them to finally replace my rotors, as the left (where the stuck caliper was) was badly warped while the right was fine.

Brakes are finally taken care of, but now the car is getting noisey. Had it back at the dealer and they found that some compound in the doors that keeps the panels from ratling and seals out road noise has broken down in BOTH fronts.

To make matters worse, I'm still only averaging 20MPG in mixed driving, 24MPG on highway trips (admittedly at 80MPH). My wife's Saturn L200 gets 8MPG better in a car of the same size and weight with an engine almost as large. Actually, the Ford Crown Victoria I drive at work gets the same mileage as my Galant 4 Cyl, and that car has a 4.6 liter V8.

alpha01 · April 2003

I'm glad your Galant has served you well- but dont be PROUD of neglecting your car!
~alpha

lawman1967 · April 2003

the car is still a delight to drive. Now that the doors are resealed it is once again VERY quiet, and the 4 cylinder engine is easily as smooth as the eight I drive at work.

cbnearla · April 2003

You referred to "some compound in the doors that keeps the panels from ratling and seals out road noise". Do you know what exactly they call that? I have a rattle that sounds like it's coming from the front passenger door, and want to be able to give them as much info as possible.

lawman1967 · April 2003

I just know that there is an impact beam in each door, and some sort of foam or rubber-like stuff that bonds the outer sheetmetal to it.

2002gtz · April 2003

This is my first time post here, but I've enjoyed reading some of the postings. I have a 2002 GTZ and want to lower it with some Eibrich Springs. Will this void out my warranty?

I have been to thegalantcenter.com but am unable to find anything pertaining to ground effects there. Does anybody know of a good website to look at for ground effects or am I just blind and didn't see it at thegalantcenter.com?

2002gtz · April 2003

I know I said Eibrich, but I meant Eibach. I don't know what was going through my head.

chromegalant · April 2003

If you need info on bodykits or suspension, drop me a line. I just installed an aftermarket hood, front end and coilovers.

anviez · April 2003

where can I find bodykits and mods for this vehicle ?

cxshortie · April 2003

Check out thegalantcenter.com there is plenty of information on mods and bodykits and everything galant.

lngtonge18 · April 2003

You mean no one in here is discussing the all new 04 Galant now that pictures and info have been released?? What are current owners thoughts on increasing the engine size from 3.0 to 3.8? The Galant is also substantially bigger. Are people happy or disappointed in that? Come on folks, lets get this forum buzzing with opinions!

anonymousposts · April 2003

Personally I think it's lame Mitsu put their truck engine in a car. Doesn't make sense. MPG will probably suffer as a result.

marcin · April 2003

Where are the pics and updated info? All I've seen are spy pics and some "maybe" shots.

lngtonge18 · April 2003

How is it lame? Doesn't GM use a 3.8 in their midside sedans? Mitsu had to do something with their V6 or risk being left in the dust by the Accord and Altima. I think mileage will be about 1 mpg lower than the 3.0 in the real world because the large amount of torque available low in the rpm range will mean there will be less of a need to rev the engine high or floor it, thus using less gas. I think 1 mpg is worth the extra 35 hp and class leading torque.

lngtonge18 · April 2003

Check out www.autoweek.com or edmunds.com under the New York auto show link to see pics and info on the new 04 Galant.

Mitsubishi Galant

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