Edmunds dealer partner, Bayway Leasing, is now offering transparent lease deals via these forums. Click here to see the latest vehicles!
Popular New Cars
Popular Used Sedans
Popular Used SUVs
Popular Used Pickup Trucks
Popular Used Hatchbacks
Popular Used Minivans
Popular Used Coupes
Popular Used Wagons
Comments
The Galant sigma and Tredia actually were ok cars. They were distinctive looing from Honda, Toyota's, Nissan's and Mazda's at that time.
I personally hated the horrible rear visibility, questioned the quality of the interior, and the high initial price. You should also consider the slowly but surely disappearing dealer network and the expensive "timing belt/water pump/some other belt" service every 60K miles. I'm not completely positive here but I believe Camry's engine has the chain. The cost of this necessary service does add up if you drive a lot and/or keep your cars for a long time.
If you can get some nice discounts right now or wait for them to inevitably appear in a couple of months, it's definitely a nice car to consider.
The biggest plus for this car and any other 2004 Mitsubishi right now is the super-long powertrain warranty (10/100K). I considered a Diamante once but the lack of side airbags to me is unacceptable. Outlanders are nice, sell cheap, and got more HPs this year.
I'd like to check out 2004 Montero LTDs whenever they come to the States (if at all) - those things are bulletproof, though VERY thirsty, and if they can sell for ~$28K like the 2003s, I will go for one myself.
As far as other Mitsu sedans, you might want to look into a Diamante, if you can find one. They are quite scarce (only 10k sold a year, which leads to exclusivity and is one of the attractions of the car). The Diamante is more a traditional luxury car whereas the Galant is a sporty car. Rebates on the 03 models was 4k, which brings a 29k fully equipped car down to 25k without even haggling. It's definitely a nice riding, quiet, powerful car, but is a completely different flavor from the Galant.
Galant is attractive as its larger, has full frame windows, and more room and power.
The Diamante is a nice alternative to the domestic midsizers and for those who want a car like A Camry Accord but don't want one specifically.
But its way dated.....it is what it is. I get compliments on my Diamante as being nice and elegant even if it is a dinosaur. It comes off classier than the bottom feeder products available from others (insert largest mfr here) for the same or less money.
Galant is competitive in every way with the others out there. Styling's a bit dull and back seat don't fold but otherwise it makes a car like the Mali-fish look like bad news.
CK
Really, I lost a degree of respect for Mitsubishi, given the clear lack of parity. Show me a Camry XLE V6 vs a Galant LS V6, or show me a GTS V6 vs a Camry SE V6.
Im not saying the Camry is a sports sedan or that its right for everybody, I'm just saying the adverstising should be fair.
~alpha
PS- and what about the Altima 3.5SE, the Accord EX V6, etc. I guess the Galant wasnt up to that task, just as it seems Mitsu didnt want to risk running with the Camry SE................
But in answer to your question, I feel the Galant gives up a significant amount in terms of resale, safety features, efficiency, and convenience items (no folding rear seat in the family segment???!!). If you're looking for something different, the Galant is a good find. If you're looking for the best in class, I dont think this Galant is it.
~alpha
PS- the difference between the Galant GTS V6 and a Camry SE V6 with the exact same equipment (and stability control to boot!) is $1200 MSRP, not the $3000 to $5000 you cite. (Id recommend checking out the recent edmunds.com comparo if you dont believe me about pricing).
you can say i'm quite loyal to mitsu and that's because i saw value and i went beyond the usual reliability recommendations and i can tell you that when i had those mitsubishi's, i was truly pleased.
the cars were solid, smooth and dead reliable.
they're just as dependable as the other japanese nameplates.
and they're not 1 out of every 4 cars out there.
sure i have heard horror stories about other mitsu owners...but i have heard the same for other honda/toyota owners.
i have friends who had problematic toyotas and hondas. (and of all other carmakes...)
i had a rental 03 camry just two days ago and my friend drives an 03 altima which i get to ride quite often too.
i can tell you that they are all in the same league.
with camry, you get nice(er) materials inside, and that vaunted toyota reputation.
but the drive is well, not fun, a little boring if you ask me. (isolated, numb, detached feeling -which should be perfect for some)
and while driving that car, every third or fourth car i encountered was well, a camry - it's the best selling car after all.
you decide if that's worth the price difference.
and i didn't feel it was as well put together as the previous generation camry which my sister has.
the altima has the VQ V6 engine that's voted one of the best engines in the world.
the interior however leaves a lot to be desired.
materials and fit and finish in the interior
were better in previous nissans.
the ride is stiff if you get the V6.
(what my friend has).
it's a nice looking car though.
what the galant seems to lack is the enviable reputation for fit and finish that toyotas and hondas have. but the galant is solid nonetheless.
i even think the materials inside the galant
are better than that in the altima's.
(and if you ask me which japanese car has the best interior - it would be the honda accord, but i digress).
good luck.
Yes, its called the SE. Different suspension calibrations, strut tower brace, wider tires, larger discs, etc.
~alpha
It also looks like you will really be happy with the new Subaru Legacy/Outback that was just introduced in Chicago. Maybe it's worth waiting a few months to check it out. I know I will :-)
P.S. Update on Carmax "the largest Mitsubishi dealership in the SouthEast". They sold one LS on Friday I believe (the first Galant in two weeks) - nothing during the weekend - probably too busy playing football.
p.s. A Camry SE wouldn't have made much of a difference. The car still leans heavily and is more tuned for comfort then anything else. Witness the GTS's clear advantage over the Camry SE (and even more so, the Accord) in the slalom in Edmund's own comparison test.
Mitsubishi can try as it might to use sensational advertising to spark sales of this car. Its not going to change the fact that as an overall vehicle, it is not as well executed as the Camcords, not as agressive looking or interesting as the Altima, and not as sporting as the 6. The Galant is a nice car. But its 2004 and there are a lot of "nice" cars.
~alpha
The people that Mitsubishi said they wouldn't appeal to but they're doing it anyway through this commercial (the younger crowd) won't really look at the Camry. They'll look at the Altima or Mazda6 as possible hip alternatives and this is where Galant comes up a little bit short (marginally better braking and accelaration doesn't sell family cars).
Just stick to advertising its own fresh face and family-oriented virtues. I can't imagine a housewife or a daddy with a couple of kids getting revved up about Galant watching this crap... and it shows in sales so far 'cause that's who should be buying it... and it's sad because they could have done so much better with their very limited marketing funds :-(
I would reasonably expect a nice little peak in Galant sales for the first couple of months but I strongly suspect (don't quote me on it yet) that the actual sales of the new Galant will be MUCH LOWER than the old one last year in the same period... only time (and Yahoo! news) will tell.
~alpha
...and how long do they have to beat that dead horse of the commercial all over the place before they figure out it's not working. Yes, it did cost a lot of money but they got perfect feedback from the superbowl audience, dammit, and sometimes you have to eat the expense and go back to the cheap one with that song that was so nice or do some other one in the similar family-oriented style.
...and am I the only one missing something about the whathappensnext.com conclusion??? Ok, the guy in the Toyota pulls over to the side of the road 'cause he can't outmaneuver the Galant - oh, wow - what a startling end to the story...
Brakes on the 99-03 Galant's seem to be an issue from what I have seen on this particular board.
You don't only have to change it often on Mitsubishis but it's super expensive too. And it's not like they're too cautious with the recommendation either. One day I felt that there was something wrong with my engine (I had the belt go to 67K miles), I drove to the nearby station, and the t-belt was half-broken - I got really lucky that day :-)
First impressions: (We traded 2000 D for this car) Road noise level is higher than the D's perhaps due to sport suspension. I think that the D's are as quite a car as I have been in. Wind noise in the Galant is louder above 75mph.
Build quality at this early stage of our relationship seems to be better than the D's.
The Galant GTS has many more bells and whistles
than the D'. It gives up power passenger seat and driver seat memory. You gain 6 disc CD, compass, outside temp is always on display, more power, better headlight fog light system. The Galant trunk is smaller but the hinges due not go into the trunk space which helps.
As for the premium fuel, its a recommendation for the "best" performance, not a requirement. I have an 03 Diamante. It recommends premium but I run 89 octane. No noticeable performance difference and it gets 19 mpg in the city, even though its only rated for 17. The only place where you might see a difference in running premium is on the race track. So with that in mind, it would be a little silly to take a car off the list solely because of that "recommend premium" label.
oh yeah formally car guy 58. The new format with the e-mail address and password took my Car Guy 58 title off. I will leave my e-mail open so one of the hosts can maybe get my user name and my newer passord in-line. I don't want to use 2 passwords and confuse people. I miss this board if I'm off it for 2-3 days.
I'm sure they'll help you get everything straightened out.
i value torque (because i don't like whining), comfy seats (because i have soft sensitive buns), and lots of shoulder room (because i'm built like a superhero). oh yeah, and i have a really fat...head. help me out here, puh-leez!
1. Better looking front grille
2. Better suppression of noise from engine and outside
3. Full side curtain airbags
4. Folding rear seat
That can propel the sales of this car to the very top of its class.
Also I read in another forum that the Galant does not have a light in the glove compartment. I did not verify this myself.
Small things. But attention to detail can make this car a really great one. I hope they fix these in the next model year. This car deserves so much better.
Febrauary: 4781 units old
Note: not all Mitsu dealers a supply of 04 Galants for January.
About the grille aren't there aftermarket grilles to fix that I think if you need to? Maybe Mitsu can offer some kind of optional sport grille in the future at Mitsu dealers. I would look in aftermarket car mags to see if they are aftermarket grille's for the Galant. I think its too though early in the Galants production for Mitsu to be offering aftermarket products like that.
By pointing Mitsubishi's attention to the small shortcomings in the present model I am only helping them to make an even better car next year.
Enjoy your Galant. I used to own one from 95 to 99 and may get one next year.