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OT Question about a car for our broke married daughter

SweetFeet

SweetFeet

Well-known Member
Just looking for "helpful" information guys...please no arguments about foreign vs. domestic... Please don't get it poo-fed, need info quickly. (We have owned everything from Ford, Chevy, Dodge to Nissan and Toyota).

THE REAL QUESION IS: Is a Mitsubishi Gallant a decent car? Saw one... have not driven it yet. Was thinking of it for your young/broke married daughter with a baby. They could use a second vehicle - BUT IT REALLY NEEDS TO BE RELIABLE. Money is always very tight for them.
 
my daughter has driven both a gallant and currently a mirage,both turned out to be pretty good cars for her and she does "0" upkeep on them. if one was actually taken care of properly it should be a good car. one note: most dodge cars say mitsubishi all over them
 
Hi, Sweets. SIL had one, an Eclipse. Good little set of wheels. From the same fine folks who brought us the Yapanese 'Zero'......
 
I'd be kinda leary of it. The ones they built for Dodge were duds !
In our fleet the Honda CRV from 1999 to 2001 have been darn near bullet proof. We have 3 of them. The 2008 ? I think may have enough miles on it now to be bullet proof classed too. Niece has it. Mom has a 2010 ? with not many miles time will tell.
 
Some Mits cars are a bit short-lived as far as engines go. Seems they have oil-control (smoking) problems at 100 K or less miles.
 
In a former life I was a fully certified auto mechanic for 26 years. I noticed that the used Mitsubishi was about one of the most expensive to maintain. Just my 2 cents.
 
Here in Maryland every car and pickup has to be safety inspected when the title is transferred. It can be sold as is, but if the vehicle has been inspected here, there will be no cracked or broken glass, good tires
without any cracks & has good tread, brakes are inspected also the drums and rotors measured for wear. Plus wiper blades. The steering is also inspected for any worn parts. If the vehicle is well maintained there's usually no problems and still cost you about $100.00 for the inspection. Could be higher now. That doesn't cover the engine and transmission. You should have a good mechanic to check any car you may want to buy. Car Fax usually goes over a vehicle before they buy it. If it needs a lot of repairs they may buy it and send it to the auction. They will offer a warranty on most of the cars they sell. I use to buy cars that needed minor work and Troy Bilt tillers. I must of had 30 of those tillers. Still worked full time usually 7 days a week. Hal
 
Our receptionist bought one new 10 years ago and drove it a little over 100K with no problems. She/her husband just bought another one. I can say they are happy with a Gallant.
 
jackinok,

So are you saying Mitsubishi built engines or parts for Dodge? I was not aware of that - but there is much in the world that I am unaware of. LOL.

(Was not overly fond of our little Dodge pickup as it threw a rod when it was not that high on miles.) Thanks for your reply.
 
Hey Don,
Thanks for the info!

It is being sold by a local guy who lives a few farms from us - and we do business with him too. So I hope he would be honest.

Test drove it on my way home and it seems to run and handle nice. Had our son look at it (but he is still a young pup)- husband still at work. After driving it, I think I will tell our daughter about the car.
Thanks again, Sweet
 
(quoted from post at 15:39:34 01/18/13) jackinok,

So are you saying Mitsubishi built engines or parts for Dodge? I was not aware of that - but there is much in the world that I am unaware of. LOL.

(Was not overly fond of our little Dodge pickup as it threw a rod when it was not that high on miles.) Thanks for your reply.
Click to expand...


LOL they built the whole darn car for some of the and just the drive train for others.

RIck
 
Mike M,
Thanks for the info. As I said to jackinok, I did not know Mitsubishi built anything for Dodge.
Will have to do a little research. Thanks for your reply.
 
Davis SC,
Thanks for your reply. Good info to know. If daughter is interested, she should have it checked out by our mechanic prior to purchasing.
 
Mike M,
AMEN to that! Bummed us out as a "new" vehicle to us - is one that has anyware from 100-140k on it. We only buy ones that are in good shape and we drive 'em until they die. We do not like car payments, we would rather put money in the bank instead of into a car... and our daughter and SIL cannot afford much for car payments.
 
JT in CT,

Thanks, that is a good thought to consider. We have had domestic and foreign... and YES, you are right - they are more expensive to maintain since the parts cost a lot more.
 
Auto mechanic for 15 years and my OPINION is I would run away very fast. You could not give me one if you tried. Hondas are the most trouble free cars I see (as long as you put timimg belts in them when required). A lot of classic gm platforms are pretty good too.

Casey in SD
 
Hal,
Thanks for your reply. We do not have inspection for cars/pickups in MN...so that part will not be a help here.
Thanks again!
 
bobl1958,
Thanks for the info. This one is older - it is 11 years old, but looks in good shape.
Thanks again for your reply.
 
Gene,
She can't afford one of those. They live on the penny pinchin' side of life. Young, broke and a baby. Going to take them a few years to catch up.
 
Casey,
Thanks for your input. Will take that under advisement (below I already replied that I would tell our daughter about it... but not sure).
 
Ande,
I agree, that is what we do usually. But dealers typically want more money. But thanks for your response - will take that into consideration too.
 
That is one brand I would run from. BTDT and had a Mitsubishi small truck and all I ever had was trouble from it. Talked to a few people about then at the parts store and a guy who has shop and they all said the same thing trouble from the get go
 
Guess I should have also added. I my self love Toyota's. I have a pair of Corolla's and both get up to 42MPG on the hwy and both I payed less then $1000 for each. One has 165XXX miles on it but has 3 and 4th out of the transmission but that has been that way since I got it but with that engine and a 5 speed no need for the other 2 gears
 
Corolla or Camry are both good cars. Only trouble I had with our Camry was the timing belt went out at 185K miles. It was changed at 100K and I think you're supposed to replace it every 80K...oh, and there was a deer that tried to commit suicide...
 
Sweet,

This is what I hear all the time:

Toyota: very reliable

Honda: very reliable

Mitsubishi: do not touch - junk

USA stuff: improved in the last 10 years. But if you want a reliable USA car for CHEAP, it will need to be more than 10 years old, and then it will be iffy.

Here"s what i would do if I wanted to find a reliable car at a low price, if I didn"t place much emphasis on what it looks like. Find a Toyota or a Honda that seems to be mechanically well kept, but it"s a rust bucket. Or better yet, one that has some dents. Or one that has the headliner falling down, which can be replaced fairly cheap. These defects turn off a lot of potential buyers and force the seller to sell low, but they have no bearing on reliability.
 
In the early 80s the Dodge Challenger was built by Mitsubishi. Wife bought one new; spiffy-looking little car.
 
Guess I have had good luck where I live,there are still people that care,but I respect your idea also thou,as many places the customer becomes a number.
 
Sweetfeet,
The Galant is a nice car. My brothers FIL had one for sometime he bought new. He sold it, said it was not as reliable as he thought it would be.

Find a 97-99 Camry. These, the 4th generation Camry"s are almost indestructible. I had a "97 I bought with 143K on it. Took it to 256K and SOLD IT. Saw it 2 years later for sale with 285K on it.
I just paid $2800 for a 98 Camry LE(Has ABS) automatic, 134K, for my 17yr old son. Car did need tires and does need a master cylinder. Put it runs like a top. My current 2000 Camry, paid $4300 for it 2 yrs ago when it had 104K on it, at 175K now.
The 97, 98"s come up for sale around here with over 200K on the often.
Pete
 
My daughter has a '95 Geo Prizm, aka. Toyota Corolla. Sold by Chevrolet but basically a Toyota Corolla. Her sister bought it new and it has over 350,000 miles on the original engine and trans. Only problem is, you don't find very many for sale around here, but they are good little cars. And as someone mentioned, If you can find, (whatever brand it may be) one that needs cosmetic attention, you can get it for a lot less.
 
I don't have anything against Honda-Toyota-Mit., but, we've had very good life with Dodge Intrepids, Chrysler Concordes, and Eagle Visions, all with the 3.3 V-6. They are all out-of-production now, but still see several on AUTOTRADER.
Got a good dealer or independent garage nearby to check out any used car they look at?

Best Wishes!
John

(I think we were all broke with 1st baby, weren't we??? Somehow we made it!!)
 
John, I will agree with that. I have a 93 Intrepid with over 180,000 miles and still going strong. I would prefer the 3.3 engine because they had a timing chain instead of belt.
 
If I was looking for a cheap / reliable car, I would be looking for an old GM (probably buick) with the 3800 motor. If cared for they run a long time and get pretty good mileage too...talking 1990s.
Reaver
 

sweet feet;
how about a nice 87 Mercury Grand Marquis LS
It only has 108000 actual miles and no body rust.
It will be coming up at Auction Sat. Jan 26,2013
at Russiaville IN If interested I can get a picture and give you further information.My email is open
 
Neon = mitsu Lancer
Eagles were rebadgded Mistu's.
I think the cloud cars (Cirrus/late Sebring, Stratus, Breeze) were the same car as the Gallant.
Chrysler 4 cylinders have been re-badged Mistu motors at least since 94-95 or so. I think the LX-platform (Intrepid, 300M, etc) might have been built on Mitsu chassis.

The newer, smaller Sebring, 200, caliber, are built on Kia platforms.
 
ShadetreeRet,
I drive a Geo with a Toyota drive train. Fabulous little car. Mine is still in pretty nice shape and has 105K - expect we will put about another 100K on it.
 
PetetheRookie,

We had a Toyota pickup we bought when first married. I drove it for years until we had kids and needed a car. Then my husband drove it until it had about 250K on it and was just rusting apart. Great little pickup!
 
Dave in GA,

Never had a Honda, but have heard good things. Had a great Toyota. But they seem to be higher priced... and are more expensive to fix.
Thanks for your reply.
 
Reaver,
Thanks for your reply. We always buy used, usually over 100K. But it does make one nervous - though overall we have been pretty successful with our choices.
 
old,
Thanks for the input. The longer I think about it today... the less likely I am inclined. Don't want to end up with bad feelings between neighbors and he belongs to an organization that I work for - so kinda leaning toward a no-go.
 
Jerry S.,
Thanks for the info. Makes me nervous - cuz, I would feel bad if I recommend the kids look at it and if they bought it and had problems with it I woud feel terrible. So just not sure.
 
Jerry S.,
Thanks for the info. Makes me nervous - cuz, I would feel bad if I recommend the kids look at it and if they bought it and had problems with it I woud feel terrible. So just not sure.
 
SweetFeet, I would steer clear of the Mitsubishi unless the "price is right". They don't have a very good reputation. If you want a cheap and pretty reliable beater for a young lady with a kid, my recommendation is a early 2000s Dodge Grand Caravan / Chrysler Town&Country with a 3.8L (and AWD if you can find one). They're pretty cheap and what scraps them out most often (here in MN) is rusting out too bad which is about the highest sign of a achievement for any production vehicle.
 
Reaver is rite about a G M car with the 3800 engine . We have a 85 Le Sabre with the 3800 eng. that has 337,500+ miles on it and the wife puts on over 100 miles a day , going to her job. A "daily driver". The engine has never been touched and still doesn t use a drop of oil. If we were ready to get rid of it , we would make you a good deal , but not ready to sell it yet. clint
 
I had a repair shop owner tell me this week that when somebody asks him which cars are most reliable, he tells them Toyota or Honda. He also tells them that Honda parts are more expensive than Toyota parts now.

I've owned Toyota vehicles since 1990 after I got thoroughly disgusted with US made vehicles. I only drove a Mitsubishi Galant once (rental car) - didn't like it at all; certainly wouldn't buy one.
 
Well, I gotta say that for my money, which isn"t much, I"d buy a Ford Taurus. They have a reputation as a fleet car and that has kept prices low. There"s a lot of them on the road and that keeps parts prices low, but the biggest thing is this---We bought our 1996 back in 2000 and other than a two new batteries, tires and oil changes, we"ve done NOTHING but drive it--it lacks 1000 miles being at 250,000. No timing belts, water pumps, fuel pumps. It goes and goes right. My parents bought Chrysler products and it seemed after about three years there were annoying little things going wrong on a monthly basis; steer clear of Chrysler/Dodge.
 
Any used car is going to need repairs. The only thing you could do it take the Gallant to a mechanic and have them check it out before you buy it so you will know what you are getting into.
 
I would test drive it to a mechanic and have them look it over for a fee like a state safety inspection. That could limit some unnecessary surprises.
 
That’s a trick question...
You did not supply enough info to answer it....
Start over and supply as much info as you can about that car,,, year, mileage, engine size, transmission and any maintenance info that has been preformed...

It does not matter who made the car if it was rode hard and put up wet it could be a dud… If it were not properly maintained are is in need of serious maintenance it could be dud…

A reliable car is one I don’t have to spend any money on no matter who made it I think that is your question… I don’t think there is one out their used unless the previous owner cared for it very well and can prove it to me… There are a few I will not waist my time looking at they were a dud from the get go…

What I look for when one is presented to me for a inspection…

Take a good test drive and make sure every thing functions except the RADIO
Put it on a lift and make sure it has not been hit by a freight train…
This includes looking around the wheel wells under the bumpers and the floor pan were the car could have been sectioned (a clip added)
Look for any previous repairs
Look for any needed repairs
Give a money figure on needed possible repairs needed under the car now and in the near future…
Lower the car
Open all doors and trunk,,, operated all windows door locks etc…
Inspect under hood check all fluids hoses and belts cooling system heating and AC etc…
Try and get as much info (maintenance records ) as I can see are by observation… I don’t take anyone’s word for it…

Stand back and discuss the car with the owner,,, Look at the body lines and roof from a distance,,, I have missed a few salvage vehicles but caught them this way… This does not kill the deal if they were repaired correctly but does devalue the vehicle… So a title inspection should be added to this list before you get started talking with the owner….

Thiers more this is just a general I.D. of my process… If a customer does not have time nor can find the time were its convenient for me to inspect it then my opinion is useless to both of us….

Mits,,, as a general rule I see more Mits that are duds mostly because the owners did not maintain the car…

For the record a 3.0 Mits engine is as good a engine as I have ever seen they are bullet proof… I have had a few and still own one (Mits 3.0 in a Chrysler mini van)… Timing belts, water pump, valve cover repairs are expensive tho…. As far as a Mits car it would be near the bottom of my list unless it passed all of the above and the price was right….
 
I would try to find a Toyota like the Corolla. As I said we have a pair of them. The older one has 260^%$ miles on it and ya it has a few odd problems but it is a 1990 and has been totaled by the insurance company twice now but still drives just fine. One problem it has is it does not like cold weather so I keep a light bulb under the hood and it starts right up
 
Some of the small Mitsubishi engines with a timing chain have a "Change the chain at ??? km"
on them. I think it is 100000 km on a friend's diesel.
 
That 3800 in an 85 might be different than the 3800 in a 98 but cannot keep it from using antifreeze, runs good but cannot keep coolant in, had all the internals replaced but did not stop the problem.
 
the 3800 has an antifreeze problem, cant get it stoped. The 3100 in my estimation was a better engine but the 3800 gets better milage.
 
(quoted from post at 11:21:45 01/19/13) Well, I gotta say that for my money, which isn"t much, I"d buy a Ford Taurus. They have a reputation as a fleet car and that has kept prices low. There"s a lot of them on the road and that keeps parts prices low, but the biggest thing is this---We bought our 1996 back in 2000 and other than a two new batteries, tires and oil changes, we"ve done NOTHING but drive it--it lacks 1000 miles being at 250,000. No timing belts, water pumps, fuel pumps. It goes and goes right. My parents bought Chrysler products and it seemed after about three years there were annoying little things going wrong on a monthly basis; steer clear of Chrysler/Dodge.
Click to expand...
As I read through all the replies I kept wondering if anyone was going to mention the Ford Taurus? It's not uncommon for someone to rack up 300,000+ miles on a Taurus.
 
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