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Comments
I have a 99 Galant LS, bought in Feb '99, that just passed 55,000 miles. I have replaced the tires but that's due to nails and other debris and really has nothing to do with the car itself. The original Goodyear Eagle LS tires are OK but I opted for Michelin Energys to provide a little better grip.
There have been a couple of recalls, but they were minor and were taken care of with absolutely no fuss at the dealer (Max Madsen in Downers Grove, IL). Dealer service has been great and they'll even shuttle you to work if all you're doing is getting an oil change.
I replaced the air filter with a K&N. More for lifetime savings than a performance boost. It and other routine service items are all easy to do yourself.
No other non-standard repairs so far. Still on the original brakes, muffler, etc. No significant wear & tear to the interior. The leather seats have some light wrinkles in them (like shoes get after being worn) but there's no signs of cracking or discoloration.
The exterior has a couple of pits in the paint but again, that's not Mitsu's fault. Trucks on highways around here love to throw rocks from their trailors. Also, Chicago winters are notoriously bad on any car's exterior.
Everything works as advertised and I still get around 24 MPG from the V6.
Gripes: It could use a little more rear set leg room and front seat travel. I'd prefer gas struts vs. the elbow arms that support the trunk lid not to mention a real 60/40 rear seat. Heated seats would be nice; the heated outside mirros are a blessing. Traction control would've been good as well as a trunk opener on the fob. Overall, these are minor complaints and some have already been addressed by the newer Galants.
Right now, I plan on keeping my Galant for at least a couple more years and maybe looking at the 2004 redesign.
I originally bought mine on a 0.5% interest for 2 years so it's already paid for. After adding a 100K mile warranty, the Galant's purchase price was about $8,000 less than the Acura 3.2TL I was comparing it to.
One thing that I have found on my car that is a bit annoying (2002 ES 4-cylinder) is that the drivers seat has a hard point on the right side that hits me mid-thigh. The actual metal frame is shaped in such as way taht the padding is a bit less in this one area. I weigh under 200lbs, so I don't think I am putting any undo stress on it, just could use either denser foam or a better-shaped seat pan.
In the welcome discoveries collumn though, Ijust love the desing of the radio. A proper dial for tuning stations or adjusting base/treble/balance/fader settings is so much better than the buttons almost everyone else uses, and get this, when listening to a CD, that dial also allows movement within a song - very handy for replaying a favorite portion of a song.
So far I am very pleased with my car, and while the 1999~2000 chrome grill did look a lot better than the graphite treatment on my 2002, I wouldn't trade the larger brakes and tasteful faux-titanium interior trim for the chroms gille, small brakes and hideous fake wood on the older models. I also like the new for 2002 remote trunk release and the new Titanium Pearl (dark gray) exterior is gorgeous.
My 99 ESV6 is turning 32000 and everything is just fine. HAve a tire noise at low speed which the dealer said is a tire problem and should be taken to a tire shop for prorated replacement. Sine the tread on the tires is still decent I'm in no hurry to incur the expense. Other than that car has been pretty reliable with a few minor problems fixed under warranty the first time around.
Mileage is about 22-23 in a mix of city-highway. Get around 29 in straight highway driving.
While I'm not in love with the fake wood, I wouldn't exactly call it atrocious especially with my beige leather interior.
My lease is up in Nov. 2002 and for a time I contemplated buying the car off-lease.
Now I think I may go for something new. But don't think I'll get a better value anywhere than the Galant. For roughly 20000, great looks, performance, mileage and reliability.
My shopping list for next time:
1. 2003 Mazda 6 (wagon or sedan)
2. Infiniti G35 (if I'm willing to spend in the low 30's)
3. Jag X-type (same as #2)
4. Mitsubishi Crossover (Airtrek) (Like the stylish interior)
5. Saturn Vue (if the interior isn't as cheap as it appears in pictures)
I saw a preproduction Vue at the LA autoshow and was impressed. Not sure what the final production model will be like, but the mechanicals are almost straight lifts from the L-series cars, which have been reliable.
I bought an L-200 for my wife last year and it has been very reliable in the 18,000 miles we've put on it, with the only trouble thus far a broken piece of trim plastic (the chrome button for the shifter). Expect large exterior panel gaps on a Saturn, which I'm told is because the plastic body panels expand and contract more than metal ones do (makes sense).
I can say from experience though that those plastic panels are great at ignoring parking lot door dings. My wife is a student and drove a 1998 Nissan 200SX before we bought the Saturn, and after only three years, that car looked terrible with all of the door dings, but the Saturn still looks new.
Performance is about the same as the Japanese, with the L200 and my Galant being very competitive. Just like when I bought my Galant, I tried both the four and six with Saturn, and both engines (which are the same to be fitted in the Vue) are excellent. The six is more powerful than its 180-something horsepower would suggest, and the four is very smooth and quite peppy as well.
Personally I don't care for SUVs much, so my money would be for the Mazda 6.
Glad to hear about your Galant.
Happy, Safe Driving!
(and Happy New Year)
~alpha
In the course of that 1080 miles I really got a feel for the Camry, especially the seats. The seats on my Galant are a bit thinly padded in one area (about mid-thigh) where the seat frame can be felt by pressing strongly on the cushion. I imagine that in 22 hourse, that would have been majorly uncomfortable, but in my longest Galant stint (3 hours) it was not at all uncomfortable.
The Camry wasn't any quieter than my Galant, although the car I drove had 22,000 miles on it, instead of the 680 now on my Galant, but both cars are remarkably quiet at speed, with the Goodyear tires on my car perhaps a tad quieter than the Dunlops on the rented Camry, at least on some road surfaces.
The Galant has a slightly firmer ride and also has firmer steering. On long lat pieces of I-5 the Carmy felt great, but when the road got twisty in the mountains in Southern Oregon/Northern California, the car did not enjoy going fast. I have driven my Galant on the twisty Angeles Crest Highway and while it is no sport sedan (ES four cylinder - didn't get the GTZ), it felt more capable than the Camry did. Perhaps the Camry's tires or suspension was worn, but at 22K I think it was just set up softer. That said, the Galant ride and the Camry ride are actually quite close in feel, the Galant's edge in the twisties a slight one and the Camry's edge in the straight and dull also very slight.
The Camry really did feel well put together, with every single control and button of extremely high quality, however there were a few annoyances. The clock on the dashboard is BRIGHT, and no adjustment to the panel lighting would dim it. On an empty interstate at 2:00 AM, I ended up sticking a kleenex over it to mute it, and when it still shone through (did I say it is bright?), I replaced it with a piece of previously owned chewing gum.
The big one was engine power. The Camry makes good horsepower from the four cylinder, but felt weak in either torque or gearing. The car just did not like climbing at high speed, forcing me to turn off the overdrive (a silly button instead of shifting down to three). Even limitted to third gear, I had trouble climbing the grapevine into LA, and at times had to shift down to second.
I have done the same climb in my Galant, at least the part from Gorman south to LA, and even just leaving the transmission in Drive, it went right up at whatever speed I wanted, the tranny be smart enough to stay in third, and never needing second, even at 75 MPH +, and this with a (slightly larger) four cylinder. I think the Camry is a bit quicker at high RPM, but the Galant has more power where it is really needed - down low.
I honestly did come away very impressed with the 2001 Camry, which I had test driven, but really lived in. I think that the Camry is a bit better put together than the Galant, but at around $2500 more, it should be. That said, the difference is slight, with the Galant feeling much better built than the 1997 Nissan Sentra I traded in for it. While the Sentra is from a lower class, it was a car that I drove (hard) for almost five years and never once gave me any trouble, so being equal in build quality is a compliment.
The best part getting into my Galant after dropping off the Camry was the appearance. While the interior of the Camry was of exceptional quality, it was dreadfully boring. The Galant isn't a BMW or Lexus, but it does have an airier cabin and more pleasing shapes and textures. While the fake titanium accents don't quite look real, they are better than the sea of gray and black plastic that the Camry presented (a mid-level LE model, not the base CE). I also really prefer the high-contrast gage illumination on the Galant over the all-green on the Camry. The 2002 Galant has orange/red needles over soft blue/white number against a black background when lit, the area with the numbers on it a slightly lighter shade of gray. In the daytime, the difference is just as dramatic, with the Camry standard (and very clear) white on black, while the Galant has a sort of blue/gray for the cluster, with a darker gray where the numerals are, and the same nice orange needles. The Camry cluster had a bit of glare in the late afternoon direct light, something I have yet to notice in my Galant, which I have driven iin bright sunllight on twisty roads in the afternoon.
In all, I think that the Camry is a fantastic car, likely even better in its new generation. It is a small step up from the Galant, commensurate with its higher price, and since it commands a better resale, is probably a better purchase for those who can afford it. However, with the special financing of the Galant and lower price, it made the actual shopping decision not between the Galant and Accord/Camry, but rather I shopped against Civic and Corolla, the larger Honda/Toyota cars costing more than the $17,000 ceiling I had and lacking the aggressive financing. In that comparison, Galant was a no-brainer.
//marcin
'99 Glant ES 4cyl
58750mi+
I will put my review on epinions after I have it for a year.
You are so right about the green instrument lighting in the Camry... I'm really glad that Toyota switched to the bluish-white background with orange pointers in the 2002 LE/XLE models... they're like mock Lexus gauges.
my .02
~alpha
First they went to three new cars on the lot to see before ordering me a new seat if they were all the same (they were), and since it is common to the design, sent my car to a local upholstery shop where the seat padding is being augmented to correct the problem.
Oh, the car has 1100 miles on it, since I had to wait four hours, they changed the oil and even bought me lunch - now that is great service.
On Monday morning, I parked my car in the parking lot at work and when I went back late afternoon, someone had hit my car knocking the driver side rear view mirror off! I was PISSED!
No damage to the car, but it was dark (so i couldnt see much) and the mirror was hanging by the wire.
My fiance took it to the dealer the next morning and since he is such a big guy, they said they didnt want to see him mad so they agreed to cover it under warranty! They told him the part would be in tomorrow meaning today.
Today I went to drop off the car and as we were leaving two of the salesman came up to us and asked how we were doing and if we were ok and everything.
They are just so nice and polite.
When we bought the car the salesman gave us two pairs of sunglasses (so what they were cheap), two disposable cameras and a certificate for some free gas.....so I have been overly happy with Mitsubishi (after all, this is my second one, I am also the proud owner of a 94 mirage).
I'd appreciate your feedback on 3 years with the Galant.
Last month I drove my brother's 1993 Honda Accord EX (4 cylinder) with 87K on the clock, and except for some transmission slip it still handled like new. There wereno squeeks or rattles, though there was a lot of wind and road noise, probably attributable to the weatherstripping getting old and brittle.
I plan on keeping mine for at least 8 years or 150,000 miles, whichever comes first, so hearing good reliability reports is encouraging.
It is a very nice car, a real trade up from the Sentra I had before. Good luck on your next 61K
Occasional squeak from the dash in cold weather when the car first warms up but that's about it. Have only done regular oil changes and tire rotations.
I'm leasing so the car will probably be gone with about 44000 on the clock. Can't recommend the car highly enough.
It sure looks a lot better than an Accord or Camry too.
I wish I got 22/29, my four cylinder so far (only 1300 miles on it) is getting 22 in mixed driving, though to give it credit, the highway portions are at 80~85mph, and I do have a heavy right foot in town.
I get 29 on road trips.
In cold weather there is sometimes a minor dash rattle. Thanks to the rocks on Chicago highways there are a few minor chips in the hood paint; I'm thinking of having it repainted this spring. I've replaced the tires because I had a run of having my driver front tire get nailed - literally.
Gripes: The trunk lid arms come down too far; struts would be much nicer. The driver's seat needs to move back just a little more (it's not bad but could be a little better). Rear leg room is OK but should be improved. Premium gas for the V6. No trunk opener on the fob. No traction control in 99 models (that V6 easily overpowers the tires on anything other than sticky dry pavement). No heat for the leather seats. Wimpy trunk pass-thru.
Kudos: Engine power; moderate if you don't mash the pedal but comes on very strong if you do. Mileage is usually around 24 in mixed driving; lower in winter; has hit 31 on a highway trip but usually gets ~28 on straight highway runs. Style details, both inside and out; this is not a boring Camry/Accord. Auto-off lights so you can have daytime running lights if you want them and not if you don't. Heated mirrors.
My dealer's service dept. has been pretty good. Prices are what you expect from a dealer but they are nice and don't seem to be trying to rip you off. They'll shuttle you to work even if all you're having done is an oil change.
I bought it with 0.5% interest on a 2 year loan so it's been paid for for almost a year already. I plan on keeping the car for at least another 3 to 4 years while I use my money for other things. So far, I would be willing to consider another Galant as a replacement, especially with the re-do in '04 making it larger.
- Fushigi
At 50k I've replaced my original Eagle tires with Yokohama Avid Touring from TireRack.com The ride has improved tremendously. But if you look at the miles I got from Goodyears, it was 5k more than warranty covered. So it was not that bad. New Avids are rated at 80k mi! And the price could not be beat - $47. Plus $8 mount and lifetime balance at Costco - just the best bargain I could get.
My dashboard has 2 burned out illumination bulbs (the first one happened around 40k I think), but I can still see my display at night. If I loose one more bulb then I will start worrying more, although I am not very happy with the way it looks now. And why did it happend so soon?
Right now I'm getting prices from online dealers on original Mitsu parts for my 60k timing belt replacement. The best deal you can get is from mitsupartsdirect.com with free shipping for new customers. I will replace all belts at once (4 altogether, timing belt, ac, power steering, and counterbalancing belt - all for $77.19). Local dealer wanted twice as much. But the biggest expense is the labor. One Mitsu dealer (IL) wanted $495, local (IN) wants $300. I think that's a lot of $ and I would like to put this repair off as far as possible. I don't understand why in the manual states like CA, Connecticut, and Massachusetts require the change at 100k, not 60k.
So, if I would move to one of these states could I drive another 40k before replacement?
You are lucky your tranny hasn't given you any problems; mine went at about 52,000 mi, about 4 months after the warranty expired. I have about 72,000 now, and hope to keep until I drive it into the ground! I haven't had great luck with this car; it's been hit 4 times as well - so I doubt I will be buying another mitsubishi of any kind.
Just curious - did you change the tranny fluid at 30K with Mitsu fluid? How much did it cost to replace? Was it at the dealer? New or rebuilt? Sorry you haven't had luck with yours. I don't think I'll buy another Mitsu either.
I would have to look and see what fluid I used at 30K, I don't remember off the top of my head. Probably not, since I don't take it to the dealer, but my own mechanic. Does that really make a difference? When I took it to the dealer initially, he told me that was why I had problems, but I wasn't sure I believed him.
I didn't actually have the whole thing rebuilt; both my mechanic and the dealer wanted $3000, (I'm in NJ, so it may be higher than in other areas). I ended up going to a national trannsmission chain, and they said they could do it for about $1900 (which included a three year warranty)and only rebuild the major components.
I had to take it back a couple of times, and once it died while I was in upstate NY (but according to them it was because I was rear ended, and somehow screwed up something), but they paid to have it towed, and for my rental while it was being fixed. So aside from the initial cost; it hasn't cost me anything more.
I also made sure to ask what happened if they only rebuilt part of it, and while under warranty, the whole thing died and needed to be rebuilt, and they said it would be covered. At the time; I could barely afford that, so I had to go with the cheapest option.
It still isn't the same as before all the problems, but if I can get it to last another 2-3 years, until about 100,000 mi without any major problems, I will be happy.
To begin with the timing belt is the same on both California and non-california models. The issue is that, according to some weird California law, if the manufacturer recommends you to replace timing belt under 90 000 they have to pay for it. There's some other laws that do not allow the car companies to rip the consumer off. Mitsubishi knows that it's generally a good idea to replace the belt after 60K, however they want YOU to take the risk and find out whether it will break or not. By the time it breaks the car won't be under warranty anyway, so you'll have to pay for repairing excessive engine damage yourself. The bottom line is: once you've bought a Mitsubishi, you're screwed one way or another. Either you pay for replacing the belt (expensive, because you have to disassemble half of the damn engine to do it - typical moronic mitsubishi engineering) or you pay for repairing the engine (big buck$). I would strongly recommend ditching your car right arounf 60K, however it won't be worth much - it's a mitsubishi. I owned a '99 Galant ES V6, and I will never even come close to another piece of automotive junk named Mitsubishi.
Mitsubishi is just a looser company, the have never built anything right. They have built: airplanes that don't fly (the only ones that did, had the Nakajima engines), tanks that the Japanese army considered "totally useless for any combat operation, and even training" and ships that LLoyd wouldn't insure. In general I consider Mitsubishi a disgrace of the Japanese industry.
My family has owned five Mitsubishis and they all have been excellent cars.
Mr. Vivona
Mpevzner is shopping for a Porshe according to his profile, so he'll love the labor rates and mechanical problems that go along with that. Everytime I think I want a little sports car I just read some articles and quickly change my mind. I was pretty hot and heavy for a boxster a year or so ago. Car and driver long-termed one and spent like a grand on scheduled maintenance in 40K, had to take it to the shop five or six times for repairs, and then lost the clutch around the 40K mark which I believe cost them well over a grand to fix. I just can't justify dropping 50K on something and then constanly fight with problems. Just not into european sports cars I guess.
Now, how about sparc plug replacement on V6 Galant? Don'tcha love tose 3 sparc plugs nicely buried under the intake manifold? I reckon it's gonna take you quite a while to take care of 'em ? You'll probably need some gaskets and silicone sealant too. BTW how about the idling motor for $600, or replacing the wheel bearings and shocks every 40K miles? For some reason Honda, Toyota, Nissan and Subru don't have this problem. I personally think that Mitsubishi is a Japanese yugo.
It cost me $250 at a DEALER for a timing belt change. Not cheap, but not much more than it would cost on nearly any vehicle. Idling motor for $600? What are you talking about? Replacing the wheel bearings and shocks every 40K miles? My '94 (100K+ miles) has original shocks and bearings and rides like new. I wouldn't buy another Mitsu, but I wouldn't rank it with the Yugo.
Mitsu's service intervals are just like many other brands.
Since the 99 was an all-new year, I opted for a 5 yr 100K warranty. I've yet to make use of it. The only things fixed under factory warranty were a steering vibration and a loose center console. Yawn.
The car is on its third Chicago winter and has had no significant problems. So far, I will give consideration to buying the '04 Galant if I like the next redesign.
I was struck, however, by the amount of heat the engine generates. I compare it to my old Mazda 626, where I could touch any part of the hot engine, except for the cylinder bloc and the exhaust shield. In the Galant I can't touch most of the parts, including hoses and plastic covers. Is it the same with you, guys, or mine indeed runs too hot?
On a side note. I notice whenever someone contradicts Mp... whatever his name is. There almost never a rebuttal from him/her. Go figure!
My Galant is smooth, quiet, comfortable, and displays higher build quality than almost anything with a Domestic nameplate. I get a very heft employee discount from GM, but even that couldn't persuade me to buy a Malibu or Impala (ugly) over the Galant.
Honda Accord and Toyota Camry are arguably better cars, but they cost a lot more and are quite boring to look at.
My only complain thus far is that my fuel economy has been less than expected (20MPG for the 4 cylinder). My last tank averaged 22, but was mostly highway. The current tank so-far looks to be dwindling a bit slower, so perhaps it was a simple matter of break-in, but with almost 3,000 miles on the car I thought it would be fully broken-in by now.
Other than that, the car is a delight. I have had 1 cars over the years, and this one ranks right behind a 1993 Honda Accord EX as the very best of them. Just because you got a lemon, doesn't make the model in any way crappy, it just means that you got a lemon.
I bought a new Corolla in 1997 that was so bad Toyota ended up refunding my money six months later (didn't even have to go to arbitration, they just looked at the mile-long warantee repair history). My opinion remains that the Toyota Corolla in any generation is one of the very best cars on the market, I just got a (very rare) lemon.
I truly enjoy sitting in the driver's seat of my Galant. It's a wonderful car. The V6 is smooth and responsive, the side air bags provide extra safety protection, the stereo is wonderful, and the rear pass through works like a charm.
I wonder what Mitsubishi's plans are for the '04 Galant.
Continue charging ahead Mitsubishi.
Mitsubishis are not bad cars. Mitsu is a second-tier Japanese manufacturer, which like Subaru and Mazda lacks the advertising budget of Toyota/Honda/Nissan, and as a result, has to sell its cars a bit cheaper.
I have complaints about some of Mitsubishi's cars, but none of them are quality related. I find the Eclipse to be way overstyled (Japanese Pontiac) and the Montero quite funny-looking, but both are still excellent vehicles that will provide years of reliable service. My Galant will also provide years of reliable service, and it was great peace of mind that I bought it. My goal with this car is 8 years and 160,000 miles, very reasonable service-life for a high-quality car like the Galant.
When my wife was shopping, we went to three Toyota dealers in search of a new Camry, but after being completely disgusted by A-hole dealers, we started shopping for something else. I had read all the complaints about Mitusu's, including terrible dealers. The dealership I went to was an Audi/Mitusubishi/Suburu dealer and it was by far THE best buying experience I've ever had. And I've bought approx. 15 new vehicles in the last ten years both personally and through my business. And in all those vehicles I've bought, not one was really a bad vehicle. Some had a few problems here and there, but by far the griping/whining on these forums is out of context. If in fact the ratio of complaints vs satisfied owners on these forums was truly reflected in the real world, you'd see stacks of vehicles lining the berms waiting on roll-backs.
I will also add that IMHO, the quality of the Galants are very close to the Camry/Accord crowd, and much better than most domestics. The build quality on ours was very tight, no flaws, no delivery issues (unlike the last camry we ordered). We're coming up on a year and my wife is still very pleased with the car and has had no problems. I had to put a new car in the company fleet several months ago and offered to buy her a new car and move the Galant over to the business. No dice, still completely satisfied.