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Mitsubishi Galant

2502 messages,  Last post on Nov 24, 2012 at 8:04 PM

You are in the Mitsubishi Galant Forum.

What is this discussion about? Mitsubishi Galant, Sedan

Messages Page 133 of 251

#1321 of 2502 Resale and the Galant by lawman1967

Nov 23, 2003 (2:42 pm)

My Galant has had many problems over the two years I owned it. The brakes were the only one that was directly related to safety or performance (the low MPG was caused by brake friction). The car also had many rattles, had problems with the driver's door skin separating from the impact beam (repaired twice under waranty and very loud when broken) and the dashboard moved visibly when pushed. Four dealers insisted that these problems were normal for my car's age, but I've owned many cars, and NEVER has one felt this loose after only 38,700 miles.
 
As for resale on the Protege, well had I bought a Protege in 2001 that car would have been worth $900 more than my Galant was, at a $2000 lower purchase price. The low resale on this Protege is something I simly can't avoid as the hit I took on the Galant meant that I couldn't spend more than $12,000 on a car, and I didn't want to buy used.
 
Finally, I'll be getting the $1000 back from Mitsubishi in small claims court. This was an issue from day one with the Galant, and by failing to repair it, Mitsubishi violated the terms of the warranty.
 
Mazda does things differently. I had a 1994 Mazda 323, and after 60,000 miles the AC stopped working; bad condensor. The car was 10,000 miles out of warranty, but the dealer made a quick phone call and then the Mazda area rep simply stated "Our cars don't do that" and performed the repair at Mazda's expense. I kept that an additional 24,000 miles and when I sold it, it was as tight, rattle-free and solid as the day I bought it.

#1322 of 2502 Brake Problems-Lawman1967 by rtolentino2

Nov 25, 2003 (5:08 pm)

To lawman1967 - just like to ask regarding your 2002 ES Galant. I just bought a 2002 ES Galant(certified pre-owned) 4 mths. ago from a reliable car dealer-at Cerritos Nissan, ....I am also experiencing some brake problems on my right front wheels. When it gets hot, there's a squeeling sound but my mechanic told me brake pads are still 50%good & adviced me to replace them w/ a ceramic pads which will cost around $90.00 per pair for the front brakes. Rotors are not to be resurfaced since this will only cause a major problem in the future,better replace them rather resurfacing them. My total mileage now is 31,000 and do you think I will also exprerience the same problems that you had before?? Or maybe it depends on the road conditions you're driving?? Am residing here in Orange county and actually, my '02 ES Galant drives fast at 110 mph & powertrain is so strong. I'm also planning to trade in my '02 sometime next year for an '04 Galant LS or GTS since this V6 3.8L 230hp has a positive review as compared to the DE & ES models. My second option is Nissan Maxima and 3rd is Honda Accord Coupe and last-Camry V6 XLE. The Mivec engines on '04 Galant DE & ES models are so noisy even at idle position - maybe bec. of the support pads under the car hood - which is less thinner than the previous models BUT acc. to their salesman, it is "fire proof" as protection to your engine.
What can you say on this?? Please give me some insights too !!!

#1323 of 2502 instead by alpha01

Nov 25, 2003 (5:15 pm)

of the XLE V6 Camry, you should look at the SE V6.
The cars you are looking at are very different in nature- the Accord coupe, a 30K Nissan, and the very vanilla XLE V6 Camry? If you knew youd want the 04 Galant why did you purchase an 02? I'm afraid you might take a hit on such a transaction.
 
~alpha

#1324 of 2502 I am sorry, but by lawman1967

Nov 25, 2003 (5:29 pm)

after my Galant experience, I cannot in any way, shape or form recommend another Mitsubishi product. Its not the car itself, even Mercedes can make a lemon, but rather the way the company handled it. I made them aware, in writing, of my brake problems and VERY poor MPG from the beginning, and even after four sets of pads and two sets of rotors, with all wear only on the right side, they still insisted nothing was wrong wiht my car. That is inexcuseable, and they have lost my business forever.
 
rtolentino2, I like new cars, so I'd cross off the Maxima right away. The Maxima is a class above the other cars you mentioned, and if you are comfortable buying use I have little doubt that you will enjoy driving it more than the others. For my money, I'd get either the Accord or the Camry. I'd check out Subaru too, and if the Mazda 6 has been reliable (haven't really looked into it) I'd put that on my list as well. At least with Accord and Camry, you KNOW you are buying top quality, and when you do eventually trade, you won't get hosed on th resale value.
 
As for your 02 Galant, I'd have the dealer run the car's service history. If the pads are worn and making noise at 30K and they are the original pads, I'd say you are doing fine. Mine wore out at 7K, which is a very different story.
 
I had no complaints about how the Galant went down the road. I too found the car (4 cylinder ES) fast, VERY quiet, comfortable and stable, and like many here, I also considered it one of the best-looking cars on the road when I bought it. I drive a lot of miles (38,700 in 23 months) and except for the hassles of frequent trips to the dealer, they were very comfortable miles. My friend has a 2003 Toyota Avalon, and honestly, my Galant was every bit as smooth and quiet as his car. I got rid of it because I just couldn't stand worrying about how expensive the next problem would be now that the warranty had expired, I still liked the car itself, though I had come to hate my particular (lemony) example.
 
By the way, the Protege is quite a blast to drive. Its nowhere near as luxurious (crank windows even), but it feels much better screwed together (in Japan, by Japanese workers using 97% Japanese parts).

#1325 of 2502 Edmunds Road Test by pat

Nov 26, 2003 (9:27 am)

See what Edmunds thinks of the 2004 Galant. Read the article in the Helpful Links box on the left side of the page.

#1326 of 2502 lawman1967 by lngtonge18

Nov 26, 2003 (10:02 am)

I can understand your disgust. I just don't know whether I would have gone about it the same way. The Protege's resale has tumbled rapidly, especially since all the rebates kicked in. Mazda's resale isn't any better then Mitsubishi's, except for the Miata. And then you went from a well equipped car to a car with manual everything?? The DX model takes the hardest hit at resale time. If your motive was cheaper payments due to financial troubles, I could understand. But three years down the road, you will be in just as bad of shape come trade in time once you are tired of the loud firm highway ride and lack of amenities. I would have kept the Galant and got my money's worth out of the solid reliable powertrain. There is no doubt in my mind it would have got you to and from work reliably for at least 150k.
 
p.s. Experiences like yours do make me pause in considering Mitsu cars built in Normal, Illinois. There build quality just doesn't seem as good as the Japanese built ones. My 02 Lancer has over 30k and is tight, solid, and rattle free. No dealer repairs at all and mine was bought after the car was only on the market for 2 months tops. Mine was built in Japan like the Protege.

#1327 of 2502 Resale by lawman1967

Nov 26, 2003 (10:36 am)

is actually irrelevant on this car purchase. I bought the car so cheaply with the rebates that the difference between trade in and post-rebate purchase price was less than $6,000, and that is AFTER all taxes and license. The purchase price of the car was only $11,200 after rebates, so even if resale value went into the toilet, I still won't lose much.
 
It is also not an issue because by the time I move overseas in two years, the car will already have close to 40,000 miles on it. Even a Civic with 40,000 miles will take a hit, and while resale would be much better, purchase price would also be $4,000 higher.
 
Finally, if the car is reliable, which based on my past Mazda experience and Edmunds I suspect it will be, then I won't trade it in so quickly. I actually like this size of car best. When I win the lottery I'll probably buy a 3 series BMW, rather than a 7, because its just more my kind of ride.
 
The Lancer would have been on my list as it too has decent rebates and a good reputation, but my taste for Mitsubishi just won't allow it now.

#1328 of 2502 Galant ES vs. Protege DX Resale by lawman1967

Nov 26, 2003 (11:51 am)

Resale values if purchased at same time and driven same amount. Invoice price is using 2003 models, as 2002 data is no longer posted on Edmunds. If The 2003 invoice on the Galant doesn't look appreciably different than it did last year, perhaps $200 higher. I looked at LX model Proteges last year as well, and those invoices are also only up by about $100 or $200 for 2003.
 
Both cars are priced invoice + destination charges on Edmunds equipped as I bought them (no options on the fully-loaded Galant ES, and the 6-disc CD, AC and cargo net on the Protege DX), and are figured exactly the same way on Kelly Blue Book for trade-in value. Not coincidentally, for 2003 models, they both have the same customer and dealer incentives as also coincidentally, both are being replaced by all-new models for 2004.
 
Finally, both cars are computer on Kelly Blue Book in "Good" condition for the Los Angeles, CA area "Trade In" value.
 
Invoice Price including destination charge:
2003 Mitsubishi Galant ES 4 Cylinder
$17,834
*Mitsubishi offers a $2500 customer and a $1500 dealer rebate which reduces price to $13,834*
 
2003 Mazda Protege DX w/ 6-disc CD, AC, Cargo net
$15,160
*Mazda offers a $2500 customer, $500 dealer and $500 graduate student rebates (I got all three), which reduces price to $11,660
 
Purchase price as equipped is $2,200 cheaper for the Protege than the Galant, based on $3,500 Mazda rebates and $4,000 Mitsubishi rebates. My actual purchase equations were different. There was no rebate on the Galant in late 2001 and $1,500 on the Protege, making my purchase price differential closer to $6,500.
 
Trade-In Value in "Good" condition.
 
2002 Mitsubishi Galant ES with 38,700 miles $6,590
2002 Mazda Protege DX with 38,700 miles $6,506
 
2003 Mitsubishi Galant ES with 19,350 miles $8,835
2003 Mazda Protege DX with 19,350 miles $7,855
 
Had I bought a Protege last year instead of a Galant, my resale would only have been $84 less, but my purchase price would have been $6,500 less had I bought a Protege in December 2001. More importantly, it was the way Mitsubishi refused to honor their warranty that made me sell my car, so trade-in would have been a non-issue.
 
Even if buying today, the Galant costs $2,200 more and only retains $1,000 more value.
 
This is just a mathematical analysis. This time around, I wanted to get rid of my lemon and pay as little out of my pocket as possible. The choices weren't which is the best car at a given price, but rather what was the absolute cheapest new car that I could tollerate driving for the next 3 years. Had I wanted to finance, I would have just bought an Accord or Camry, or if I was willing to lease, a BMW 325i. I wanted to just write a check, so the choices were, after all incentives were figured out, Hyundai Accent, Kia Rio, Toyota Echo and Mazda Protege. It was an easy choice.

#1329 of 2502 More Galant and Protege resale by lawman1967

Nov 26, 2003 (11:59 am)

Selling a car after only two years is something I try very hard NOT to do. I kept my last car, a 1997 Nissan Sentra, for 5 years, and my car before that, a 1994 Mazda 323, for four years (wife drove after I bought the Sentra). Here is the resale value on 1999 model Galants and Proteges, equipped as close to my cars as possible, with 80,000 miles, which is about where my cars are after five years. Both again listed in "Good" condition for the Los Angeles, CA area in Kelly Blue Book.
 
1999 Mitsubishi Galant ES, 80K miles $3,865
1999 Mazda Protege DX, 80K miles $3,945
 
Funny how an economy car can consistently be so close in value to a much more expensive mid-size come resale time.

#1330 of 2502 99 GTZ Center Channel Speaker by asiancarfan

Nov 28, 2003 (8:54 pm)

#1296 of 1296 99 GTZ Center Channel Speaker by japcarfan Nov 01, 2003 (12:06 am)
 
Does anyone know what speaker can replace the center channel speaker and where to buy one? right now my stock infinity speaker is buzzing and needs to be replaced.
 
I went to a car audio place and they said only the dealer could get it because it's a "euro mount".
 
Is this true? who can help? I'm tired of distortion.

Messages Page 133 of 251

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