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Mitsubishi Galant

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Comments

  • fushigifushigi Member Posts: 1,459
    Just my 2 cents ..

    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.
    2017 Infiniti QX60 (me), 2012 Hyundai Elantra (wife)
  • lawman1967lawman1967 Member Posts: 314
    Fushigi, glad to hear about your reliable car, hope mine does as well. I live in Los Angeles, where with minimal washing a car can look new almost forever. You are correct about some of the problems with the 99 being addressed on newer ones. Front brakes are larger on the 4-cylinder cars, which were a sore point with many owners on this board. The remote now does open the trunk, something I have really come to love on my wife's Saturn L200. Alas, the rear seat is still not a proper 60/40 folding design.

    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.
  • cayennered1cayennered1 Member Posts: 193
    Nice to see you're enjoying your 2002.

    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)
  • lawman1967lawman1967 Member Posts: 314
    Cayennerad1,

    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.
  • printzprintz Member Posts: 70
    What's the web address of it???.....Your salesman wasn't Frankie Rodriguez was it??......I'm thinking about buying a Galant & would like to e-mail them a price & see if they accept it...Thanks!!!!
  • alpha01alpha01 Member Posts: 4,747
    To everyone who offered advice and knowledge on the 02Galant and the 0-0-0 Mitsubishi offer. Although my family did not choose a Galant, gaining all of your input certainly earned the car serious consideration.
    Happy, Safe Driving!
    (and Happy New Year)
    ~alpha
  • lawman1967lawman1967 Member Posts: 314
    Just drove a 4-cylinder Camry LE (2001 - old model) from Seattle to Los Angeles in one grueling 21-hour stint, and after dropping it off at the rental place, drove the 40 miles to my house in my 2002 Galant.

    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.
  • marcinmarcin Member Posts: 64
    very nice review!

    //marcin
    '99 Glant ES 4cyl
    58750mi+
  • lawman1967lawman1967 Member Posts: 314
    How's your Galant holding up with almost 60K on the clock?
  • cxshortiecxshortie Member Posts: 15
    Pretty cool! MY 02 has 7500 miles on it with three months of ownership. I love the car, no problems, the dealership is very friendly!

    I will put my review on epinions after I have it for a year.
  • regalaregala Member Posts: 45
    I have been lurking around with this board for quite some time now just reading how people like very much their galants. I have a 99 galant and loved it very much from the start except recently,after 29000 miles, with the heavy rains, i noticed that the entire drivers side floorboard is soaking wet. It reached all the way to the drivers side in the back seat. I've been trying to trace the leak for weeks now and finally found that the leak is coming from the driver's side A-pillar. Did anybody had this same problem with theirs?
  • lawman1967lawman1967 Member Posts: 314
    My 97 Sentra had the same problem, the weatherstripping on the in the doorframe got brittle, a $15 replacement with some generic weatherstripping and epoxy not only fixed the leak, but but was better than new. I did all four doors, and the then-three-year-old car regained solid door closures (thunk) and the ride magically returned to new-car quiet.
  • alpha01alpha01 Member Posts: 4,747
    What an on target and well written review of the Galant and previous generation Camry!
    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
  • lawman1967lawman1967 Member Posts: 314
    I've read many complaints about Mitsubishi service, but am sitting now in the service dept. of my dealer (Browning in Ceritos, CA, about 25 miles So. of Los Angeles) where they have taken my complaint of a hard spot on the driver seat (thin padding over the seat frame) and given me the royal treatment to correct it.

    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.
  • sebring95sebring95 Member Posts: 3,241
    Cool! Glad they are working with you. I've luckily never had to deal with them, but the dealer where we bought is an Audi/Mitsu combo so hopefully they are good. The only dealing I've had with them was for a free detail they owed me since I bought the car so late at night. They gave me new Audi A6 to drive for the day while they cleaned it. I had mentioned to the salesman when we bought the wifes Galant I might come back to look at an A6 so I have a feeling that's why we were given that over a normal loaner. Hopefully I won't need them on this car. My wife doesn't drive much, maybe 7K per year so she'll probably be bored with it before it wears out.
  • cxshortiecxshortie Member Posts: 15
    Our salesman was very nice, I started looking at an Eclipse sometime in late July or early August, even though he got my payments way down to where I wanted them, I told him i would be back and walked out....then I went back on September 1st and test drove my Galant and loved it. Our salesman went over everything on the car with us and talked to us for ever, but he was just being nice. Whenever we go back he notices us by our first names. The service people are very friendly. They go over everything with you, very nice, offered me drinks and snacks were i waited for my car to be service and the service was done in a timely manner.

    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).
  • lawman1967lawman1967 Member Posts: 314
    Got the car back at around 1PM yesterday and must say the new seat padding is a revelation. I though (except for the one hard point) that the seat was comfortable before, but now it is properly firm (at my request), has no hard points, is just a lot more comfortable. I will get the address for this upholstery shop and take my wife's Saturn L200 there to have the driver seat similarly firmed-up. That car also is pretty comfortable from the factory, but we like it firm.
  • kimjimleekimjimlee Member Posts: 3
    I own a '99 Galant ES with 61K miles. I wanted to know if there is anyone out there with this kind of mileage and what kind of repair problems you might have had.
  • lawman1967lawman1967 Member Posts: 314
    How's your car holding up with 61K? Is it tight and quiet like when it was new, or have the rattles moved in?

    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.
  • kimjimleekimjimlee Member Posts: 3
    My car is holding up fine after 61K. I've had no major problems. It still runs like new, but I've kept up with all of the scheduled maintenance, except, I didn't have the timing belt replaced at 60K. The dealer tells me that I am living on borrowed time. My mechanic friend tells me that all is well and should be for another 5-7K. I am still very pleased with my Galant. I have no rattles or squeaks. Wind noise has not become a factor.
  • lawman1967lawman1967 Member Posts: 314
    That's great, just what a new owner like me wants to hear.

    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
  • cayennered1cayennered1 Member Posts: 193
    32000 miles on my V6 99 Galant and everything is fine. 22 City, 29 Highway.

    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.
  • lawman1967lawman1967 Member Posts: 314
    I agree, much better looking, even then the new Camry.

    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.
  • cayennered1cayennered1 Member Posts: 193
    To be fair I actually am getting 22 in mixed city-highway driving. But it never falls below that.

    I get 29 on road trips.
  • fushigifushigi Member Posts: 1,459
    I think I posted this above a few weeks ago, but I've got a 99 LS with 55K on it. No major problems. I follow the maintenance schedule pretty religously. My only 'mod' is a K&N air filter which I really bought more for cost savings than increased performance. Over the life of the car it will save $300 or more vs. buying new filters twice a year.

    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
    2017 Infiniti QX60 (me), 2012 Hyundai Elantra (wife)
  • cajun626cajun626 Member Posts: 54
    My '94 ES has 106K miles with mainly just routine maintenance (bought new). The car still runs like new and gets 24 city/29 hwy. Paint has faded on roof in a few spots (my fault for getting black). Warped rotor at 100K. Power window motor replaced at 80K. Power Antenna died about a year ago (screw it, the radio still works). Oxygen sensor replaced around 90K. Water pump at 100K. Extremely pleased with car but holding my breath for first big repair (probably the notorious Galant tranny).
  • marcinmarcin Member Posts: 64
    Well, I will hit the 60k mark probably this week. Car runs great although it doesn't exactly feel like new from the lot. But it's just my personal driving habit. My cruising speed is between 80 and 85mi/hr. (hi lawnman1967!) Gas consumption is around 24/25. I put in about 60 hwy miles a day, plus local driving. I'm a firefighter too, so this car has been thru a lot of fast stop-n-go while answering to calls. Around 40k I've replaced original brakes with new ceramic brakes (supposedly last longer, and they don't leave this metallic deposit on your rims).
    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? :)
  • lawman1967lawman1967 Member Posts: 314
    It might be because we have to pay for "Calilfornia Emissions", which perhaps include a longer-life timing belt in order to satisfy our emissions standards (though better control of timing?), who knows. Mine is a CA car, so I'll enjoy the added time before this very costly repair.
  • ern35ern35 Member Posts: 11
    I have a 95 ES, and if you don't mind me asking, what did it cost you for the window motor, repair etc.? My front passenger window has malfunctioned, and so far i just haven't used it, but was curious in case that's the problem and I decide to fix it. It goes down, but requires pushing and pulling to get it up, and sounds like a machine gun being fired.

    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.
  • kimjimleekimjimlee Member Posts: 3
    Thanks for all of the information about repairs. I did replace my original tires at 61K with Michelins; I didn't want to do the patch thing any more. I've had some challenges with road debris. I do a great deal of highway driving to Alabama and Florida. I am still so very pleased with my gas mileage, 25/32. I haven't had any bulbs replaced or anything like that. I did get a couple of chips in the paint due to all of the road construction taking place in Georgia. After reading the previous postings, I am determined to reamin positive. I still believe that the Galant is a great car.
  • cajun626cajun626 Member Posts: 54
    If I remember correctly the dealer charged $149 installed. When your window is stuck half-down it's hard to think about shopping for prices. The dealer told me that the window motors on my year (and probably yours) stink. The machine gun you hear is the cheap plastic being ground down. It will probably die out soon, so you may want to get it fixed.
    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.
  • ern35ern35 Member Posts: 11
    Thanks, that's not as bad as I thought, but since it's been broken since May, I'm not in any rush to get it fixed! Maybe sometime over the summer. Fortunately I was able to get it back up, so like I said before, I just don't use that window. My understanding is that a lot of parts of the mid 90's are not made as well as they should have been.

    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.
  • mpevznermpevzner Member Posts: 41
    Hi All,
    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.
  • vivonavivona Member Posts: 410
    The amount of engine disassembly required for a timing belt replacement on a Mitsubishi engine is no more extensive than on any other traverse-mounted front wheel drive engine. In fact, work accessability is better on a Mitsubishi than on most other makes. Next time you are at an auto show, just look at the clearance between the timing belt cover and the fender wall and you will find most cars are much tighter than a Mitsubishi. This was a specific thing I looked at since I do my own timing belt replacements and overall I gave the best rating to Mitsubishi for providing excellent underhood accessibility.

    My family has owned five Mitsubishis and they all have been excellent cars.

    Mr. Vivona
  • sebring95sebring95 Member Posts: 3,241
    Agree with Mr. Vivona. The underhood of the our Galant V6 is very roomy compared to other FWD's i've worked around. When we bought ours, dealer said timing belt replacement was around $250 which is right on-par with the Camrys & Hondas. Oil change is a breeze, easier than Camry V6.

    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.
  • mpevznermpevzner Member Posts: 41
    Sorry, forgot to update my profile. Actually my Porsche has never given me any trouble. A used porsche that was taken good care of is the most reliable used car money can buy. And it's not just my oppinion - it's statistics.
    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.
  • cajun626cajun626 Member Posts: 54
    I HATE to defend the Galant, but...
    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.
  • fushigifushigi Member Posts: 1,459
    Replace wheel bearings and shocks every 40K miles? Why? My 99 LS has 56K miles and has needed none of the repairs you mentioned. I change the oil every 3K and have done the scheduled 15K, 30K, and 45K services. No, I'm not looking forward to the cost of the 60K service, but I believe in proper preventive maintenance.

    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.
    2017 Infiniti QX60 (me), 2012 Hyundai Elantra (wife)
  • mpevznermpevzner Member Posts: 41
    The idling motor is an electric gadget that controls the idling RPM of your engine. It can be found only in Mitsubishi vehicles, for what I know, and it fails quite often. It's just bad design - that's why no other manufacturer does it this way. As for shocks and wheel bearings - it's a common failure for 99+ model.
  • lngtonge18lngtonge18 Member Posts: 2,228
    Boy, you sure like to pretend to know a lot about ALL Mitsus just because you had ONE bad experience. I'm sorry, but I don't believe Mitsus are anywhere near as bad as you say they are. And you are misleading people. Mitsu is not the only company that has used an idling motor and they do not fail often. VW used them on many of their cars. Every car uses some sort of electronic gadget to control idling. They may not be called idling motors or may do it in a different way, but every car can encounter a failure of this part. I can speak from long term experience that these idling motors are quite capable of lasting a long time as are the bearings and shocks. I used to own a 93 Diamante that had 173k when I sold it and it's still running strong today at 184k. Everything was original on that car when I sold it and it all worked. The only electronic part that failed was the interior fan motor and the relay that controls it, which was replaced for $90. The idling motor never needed replacing nor did the bearings or shocks. The shocks were on their last legs, but that's to be expected after that many miles. Even the AC system was completely original and still pumped out frigid air (oh the days of good old R12). The only real problems I encountered were poor quality front brake rotors that warped a bit too easily (seems to be a problem with some Galants as well) and a distributor cap that would last a year before cracking due to the high heat stress from its poor location (no longer a problem with the new distributor-less ignitions). Other then that, the car was very reliable and never left me stranded. In contrast, my mom's 92 Accord encountered a few serious mechanical malfunctions under the same mileage and needed to be towed 3 times. My good experience with that car led me to buy a new 02 Lancer which has been flawless after 4,300 miles. So, in my experience, Mitsu builds some very reliable solid cars. So I guess you got a lemon. Sorry you did, but don't try to generalize and falsely claim that all Mitsus are as bad as yours was.
  • lngtonge18lngtonge18 Member Posts: 2,228
    Sorry to burst your bubble mpevzner, but a lot of V6 engines nowadays require you to remove the intake manifold to get at the back 3 spark plugs. The Camry comes to mind, as does the Taurus, and many GM V6s (3.1, 3.3, 3.8). You just about have to get an inline 6 or a V6 mounted longitudinally to get easy access to all spark plugs, so I think your complaint is a bit misguided. Sure it sucks, but it's not a Mitsu only design flaw. Hmm...I sense someone doesn't really know too much about cars and is overexaggerating in order to misrepresent Mitsu. Oh, and since when has a Porsche been easy to work on? You can't even access a Boxster's engine except from underneath the car on a lift, and the 911 has such a cramped engine bay that little can be accomplished without pulling the whole engine out of the car. If taking the intake manifold off to access spark plugs bothers you that much on the Mitsu, I have to wonder why on earth you don't find such a problem with doing any repairs or maintenance on a Porsche.
  • sebring95sebring95 Member Posts: 3,241
    According to his post above anyway. I've never heard anywhere that statics prove a Porshe is "the most reliable vehicle you can buy". In fact everything I've read and spoken to those that have them is the complete opposite. Usually the wording is "they are great performers and worth trouble". And that's probably true. We've had many Camrys in the past and their maintenance regimes are nearly identical to the Galant, as are many component designs and engine layout. The Galant however has alot more character than the Honda/Toyota crowd which was "worth" any minor problems we might encounter. That was our thought when we bought it, however so far it's been flawless.
  • vadim_stvadim_st Member Posts: 13
    I suspect that most of us who own a Galant knew at the time of purchase that the Consumer Reports rated it as just average. Nevertheless, we have bought it. So far, my expectations have been met (01 ES 4-cyl.)
    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?
  • vac23vac23 Member Posts: 118
    Mine engine's the same way. It seems to cool down relatively quickly on cool days though.

    On a side note. I notice whenever someone contradicts Mp... whatever his name is. There almost never a rebuttal from him/her. Go figure!
  • mpevznermpevzner Member Posts: 41
    I actually had good luck with old Mitsubishi diesel SUVs. The old Pajero was a very reliable car, it would even start in -35 degrees Celsius, I know that for a fact. However, all those cars were built in Japan and FOR JAPANESE MARKED (RHD). I guess Mitsubishi manufactures substandard vehicles for US and Europe. Harshly speaking, these cars are cheapo junk. As for cars that are "worth the trouble" - Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution. I raced these cars, they are very fast, neither reliable, nor supposed to be that way. As for used Porsche, some german magazine ranked it the most reliable used car, obviously it only applies to well maintained ones. I used to do maintenance myself - the only problem I had with Porshe were special tools. If you want to work on a 911 engine - just drop it out of the car and don't complain about tight engine compartment. And I never liked the boxters because these cars are underpowered and do not deserve Porsche badge. VW would suit them just fine.
  • lawman1967lawman1967 Member Posts: 314
    Cheapo junk? What are you smoking?

    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.
  • mpevznermpevzner Member Posts: 41
    If you read this conference, as well as a couple of others, you'll see a lot of complaints. So chances are that Galant is bad car, because too many people complain about it. And if it's cheap - there's a reason for it. I think that a used Camry or Accord is a better buy than a brand new Galant. It's gonna cost less last longer. Mitsubishi has very bad customer service, their dealers are totally useless. At least Honda and Toyota buy their lemons back. Mitsubishi leaves you out in the cold. So these cars are poorly engineered, poorly built, poorly supported. They WERE cheap - but not any more... I guess Koreans will drive them out of business sooner or later
  • 4u24u2 Member Posts: 17
    My Galant ES V6 is approaching 16,000 miles, and I have encountered no problems. I am also happy to read that most of the Galant message board members have had enjoyable driving experiences with their Galants, too.

    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.
  • lawman1967lawman1967 Member Posts: 314
    Read any forum, even the Honda Accord's, and you will find griping. It is the very nature of automotive forums that most people who are satisfied with their cars don't seek an avenue to talk about them, while those with problems desperately search out places to vent.

    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.
  • sebring95sebring95 Member Posts: 3,241
    I frequent quite a few forums here because of other vehicles I own/have owned/considering. Dodge Ram, Dakota, A6, Impala, Malibu, Camry, Cherokee, Jetta, Accord, Tacoma, Sebring etc. There are people on every one of those that have had both minor and major problems. I also see people say their dealers are the worst or best. I've seen people say Toyota/Honda/GM/Dodge/?? bought their lemon back without arbitration, and I've seen people fight them to the last death and still get stuck with a POS vehicle.

    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.
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