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~alpha
Funny thing, I filled up my Galant today after a tank of mostly mixed driving, and it gave me 24MPG, up from 22 on the last tankful. Perhaps it really is a breaking in issue.
I do plan on addressing the mileage at my 3000 mile oil change though, which should be next weekend, unless it tops 25MPG before then.
For comparison, my last car was a 1997 Nissan Sentra with a 5-speed manual transmission and a 1.6 liter engine. That car, which also weighed almost 1,000 lbs less, typically gave me 24 to 27MPG, though on occasion dropped as low as 22MPG. The car was impeccably maintained, passed smog with flying colors, never leaked any oil, etc, etc. I think my 80-85MPH freeway cruising speed is more to blame than anything else.
As for dealers, Browning Mitsu in Cerritos, CA has been delightful, ESPECIALLY THE SERVICE DEPT. My wife owns a Saturn, and as the one who takes both cars for service, I've actually been coddled far more by the Mitsu dealer. They even have desks in the customer lounge with phone jacks so that customers with laptop computers can connect to the internet.
The service itself is also top notch. When I complained about a hard point in the driver's seat, they compared it to the new cars on the lot, and finding all of them the same, declared it defective anyway so that they could send it to a local upholstery shop to have a higher density foam put it. I doubt even Lexus would do that.
I'll keep everyone posted on the fuel economy.
Overall, great car. We got the low finance rate, and bought this car as we came back to the US from overseas (we are military). For the money, this car can't be beat!
It rides nice and smooth, even for the GTZ. The power in the V-6 is great, although I wish it had a manual tranny.
The quality is adequate for a $25k car (we gave 0 down). No complaints about fit or finish. The sound system is awesome, although I'd like to have a changer. The leather seats are very comfortable, even on those 1700 mile trips from TX to CO. I think the fake wood trim looks kind of gaudy, but my wife likes it.
The only problem we've had is a recurring SRS light. The first time we had it "fixed" was at a dealership other than the one we bought it at. They said it was a faulty sensor behind the steering wheel. Well, it's on again. My personal opinion is that it's related to the side airbags since it seems to come on an off when we adjust the driver's seat.
Like I said, overall, it's a great car. And except for the grill, much improved in the 2002 model.
madman
I know, nobody will agree. Actually when I bought the car I thought the old grill was better, but 3 months of looking at it every single day has changed my mind.
Has anyone recently purchased a used Galant, like a 1999 or 2000 model? Any thoughts on it?
Anyway, 3 years & 57K miles and no engine problems so far.
Does any one know how to program a new keyless entry key fob for a 99 galant, I have a new transmitter and I don't know how to prgram it.
also, does any one have a front cover/mask/bra that fits a 99 galant and want to sell it for a fair price, if so please let me know.
Now, these 2002 models... I am not sure if I like them as much as my 2000 model. The body style changed a little and I didn't like the change. Options didn't seem as flexible as 2000 model.
I think my 2000 model ES-V6 is one of the best Galants and I am very happy with it! My sister is looking for a car and I would like to suggest Galant, except that these new models have changed the front look and they don't look as good as my 2000 model! But if you like the new look, go for it!
Oh, the 02 while not quite as classy from the front, is much cleaner-looking in back, with that chrome strip on the decklid now body color, and the red Mitsu logo just chrome. Overall, I think the 2002 model is gorgeous, even when parked next to the 2001.
Right now, I am heading up to 12K miles, having owned this car since September, I would say this has been a nice 6 months. When shopping for a vehicle I did all the research possible, I had my eye on the since January of 2000 so every piece of Mitsu related information I saw, I read it. I checked the service bulletins, the problems people complained about and several other items, someone mentioned before that "People do not check (and I'm a woman)." You always get what you pay for and I am very happy with this vehicle.
Unlike many dealers, my dealer located in South Jersey is EXCELLENT! The only problem I have had with this car has been a slight door rattle.
In January, upon returning to my workplace parking lot, I became enraged to see some fool had knocked my drivers side rear view mirror off the car and it was hanging by a wire. This would have cost me 250 dollars to fix, but they said they would fix it under warranty, because they would rather have me as a happy customer!
This is my second Mitsu and I am very happy with my Galant.
It's a lease car so I have to make a decision by November. I'm honestly considering buying the car when it goes off lease.
As for the looks of the 99-01 versus 02, I have to say that while I don't find the 02 front end repulsive I do think it is less attractive than the 99-01. I still think that the car is very BMW like from a styling point of view and with a powerful V6 and leather seats it's better than a BMW for my purposes. I've got 85% of what a BMW has (looks, power, leather) at about half the price of the similarly sized 5 Series.
My next car if don't buy the Galant at lease end?
Well, the Infiniti G35 looks like a great buy at around 30K and if you don't mind a discontinued model the Mazda Millenia (2002 is final model year) is a great buy with huge discounts putting this good looking, loaded and reliable car in the 21-22K price range even though it stickers around 30k.
Glad to hear your car's been reliable. Mine has been excellent so far as well, except for the fuel economy, which is still underwhelming.
Oh well, it is a VERY attractive, and so serene and quiet that it feels much more expensive than it was.
Yes, the 2002 model looks more agressive while 2000 model looks more "elegant/classy". 2000 model does have the BMW look, but that's not why I like it. I don't want my car to be a copy-cat of a fancier car. But the point is what you like and don't like really depends on your taste and style. I don't think we need to argue any further about this!
Very appreciated for your advice ,guys.
The 1996 Corolla today enjoys one of the best reliability ratings for 1996 used cars, and tons of them are on the road looking every bit as good as they did when new. I know two people with that generation of Corolla, one a 96 with 110,000 miles and the other a 94 with a very-low 140,000 miles. Both cars are cherry, and are still solid and dependable.
Mine, on the other hand, was a lemon. It was in and out of the shop constantly for silly things like wind noise (poorly sealed windshield), a plethora of rattles (four distinct ones from tha dashboard alone), and my favorite, interior and instrument lights with their own oppinions as to when they should work (the radio was on the same schedule). Eventually, 7 months after purchase, Toyota finally decided that it would be cheaper to take the car back than to keep servicing it.
The irony is that on my way to the dealership to give it back, a full-size GMC pickup crossed the center divider and hit me head-on at a combined speed of 85MPH, totalling the car. This collision, however, demonstrated Toyota quality far better than my niggling problems did, as the driver of that pickup (1994, air bag equipped) broke his wrist and collarbone, while I walked away with a scrape on my forehead (the airbag), bent frames on my glasses, and minor abrasions on the insides of my arms (airbag again). The passenger cabin of that Corolla wasn't at all deformed, despite the car being more than 2 feet shorter than it was minutes before.
I didn't buy another Toyota, but that was only based on thier lack of rebates at the time. I know that despite my getting a rare lemon, it is a fantastic car.
Likewise, Mitsubishi makes a pretty good product as well. I know this from experience, having owned a 1988 Mitsubishi that never missed a beat. My 2002 Galant so far has had such catastrophic problems as a squeek in the drivers seat 9to be fixed at my next oil change) and poor fuel economy, which has improved significantly since I hit 5,000 miles (went from 19 up to 25 MPG).
I also own a mid-sized Saturn L200, and used to have a Honda Accord (1993), and this Galant is not only the nicest of the lot, but also the most solid-feeling. Its not perfect (small back seat, below average fuel economy), but for the price it is very competitive and a quality product.
I'm sorry you got a bad one, but it is just that, a bad ONE.
No matter how much you hate your vehicle, the name or whatever, there is always someone that loves their vehicle (that carries the same nameplate) and is faithful to that brand.
I am on my second Mitsu, the first i had to replace a 02 sensor, that was all the unscheduled maintenance in 7 years.
Now, my 2nd mitsu has 13K miles on it at 7 months old. So far....so good.
Both power mirrors were dead due to a blown fuse; one of the bulbs for the turning signal was burnt; the dealer replaced the bulb and the fuse, but then found out that the wiper washer pump and the horn are dead... I'm wondering if there might be a common source for all this, or if Mitsubishis are prone to electrical problems. I'd hate to be chasing a short behind the dash for the next 5 years. Also, is premium fuel required for the V6?
Thanks,
Marc.
I own a 99 and have had no electrical problems in 36000 miles.
As for insurance I have been dissapointed in constant rate increases over the past 3 years of ownership. My car is 3 model years old and I pay more than when it was new and that is with no claims. I live in Michigan and have changed companies with only a slight reduction from the increases of the presecessor. I did check with Progressive.com and they quoted me a much lower rate but I've been too busy to deal with changing again.
Then again, since my Blue Cross payment has gone up over 100% in just 3 years I'm shell shocked and don't react the way I should.
Has anybody installed an aftermarket CD player/changer that has worked well at a reasonable price? I actually would be happy with a single in-dash player - I'm mostly concerned about quality, price and potential damage to the car during installation.
BTW, my insurance went up $8/year from my 99 Camry V6...
Thanks,
Marc B.
The stereo on the 2002 is a gem, with an honest to goodness rotary knob to control the volume (and most other things) and get this, it plays not only CDs, but also CDR and CDRW disks you record on your computer, and actually sounds good as well.
A better upgrade would be some premium speakers and sticking to your stock head unit (25 watts X 4 is plenty - my last car had 10).
Still, the sound is excellent at moderate vollume levels, good enough that I won't bother changing them.
The number of speakers doesn't always relate to the quality of the sound. I had a 1996 Toyota Corolla with 4 speakers and 40 watts. The speakers were 6.5 inch rounds in the rear (the rears on my Galant are 6X9) and 5 1/4 inch rounds in front.
What was amazing was that stereo in the corolla, a base Toyota system with a cassette and four speakers, sounded better than my Galant's does (and the Galant system is very nice - no complaints). In fact, it sounded better than the excellent system in my wife's Saturn L200 (100 watts, 8 speakers) or the Toyota Camry I rented over the holidays (also 8 speakers).
The system in that Corolla got so lout, without distorting base or any vibration, that it was intollerable to test its limits (ear-splitting!!!).
Get a good set of speakers and you will have audio bliss, even with "only" four.
The only time I have felt a yaw motion is when I drive over the grated steel bridges leading in to downtown Chicago. But the nature of the road surface is causing that; it has little to do with the car itself.
My LS has been pretty much problem-free and I hope to keep it until it has well over 100K miles.