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Sedans Mitsubishi Diamante Mitsubishi Diamante
1467 messages, Last post on May 24, 2009 at 2:15 PM
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Replying to: lngtonge18 (Aug 13, 2004 11:10 am) July 28, 2004 - 5:34PM Exports of the Adelaide-built Mitsubishi Magna to the United States have been axed. The decision from Mitsubishi America is another blow to the Australian carmaker which has already announced the shutdown next year of its engine plant in Adelaide and the loss of about 350 jobs at its nearby assembly line. It also comes as sales of the Magna continue to struggle on the local market, falling 35 per cent this year. The last shipment of about 600 cars for the US, badged and sold there as the Diamante, left South Australia last month. They will continue to be sold by US dealers for the rest of 2004 or until stocks are exhausted. The Diamante's demise in the US has been linked to both the age of the current model and the more recent release of the new Galant, a car similar in size. The Galant will also provide the basis for the Magna replacement in the Australian market which is currently under development in Adelaide and is due for release next year. Mitsubishi Australia managing director Tom Phillips said the decision from Mitsubishi America was not unexpected and would not impact on the company's plans for the future. Company spokesman Charles Iles said it stemmed from a move in the US to focus on particular models. "They looked at their overall strategy and decided to concentre on what they consider to be their core models," he said. Mitsubishi said it would continue to export cars to the Middle East and New Zealand and expected total overseas sales this year to reach about 6,000, down from about 10,000 last year. When exports began to the United States in 1992 it was viewed as a major coup for the Adelaide factory. Since then almost 95,000 cars have been shipped to the US, with 2002 the company's best year when about 18,000 were sent. But demand fell away to about 6,000 last year and was not expected to top 2,000 this year. http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/07/28/1090694019558.html?o- neclick=true |
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Please visit http://128.242.141.111/pub/technical/4514T.cfm and note that on a typical car imbalance should not exceed .3 oz. Also note that at 70MPH, a road force variation (RFV) of 30 pounds created a vibration equal to an imbalance of .75oz which is 2 1/2 times the tolerance. (the text on the web page has a typo and says "1 1/2 times". Now, divide the .75oz by the 30 pounds and you get a ounces per pound of RFV of .025. That would put the tolerance of .3oz at 12 pounds of RFV. However, that is for 70mph. For 50mph, the amount of imbalance from 30 pounds of RFV is 1.5oz, or 5 times the limit. Dividing 1.5 oz by 30 pounds gives you .05oz of imbalance per pound of RFV. In this case the .3oz limit happens at 6 pounds. So, Hunter's web site says 6 pounds of RFV is the limit for 50mph. The Mitsubishi Training Instructor recommending 9 pounds is actually a higher value than the Hunter test implies. Any time tires are balanced on a GSP9700 they should check the wheel radial and lateral runout and match mount the tires for the lowest RFV. If your wheels were out of tolerance, it should have shown up in the balancing process. All of mine at 35000 miles were below .010 and that is fine. Notice, also that on the Hunter page at http://128.242.141.111/pub/technical/limits.cfm it says: Every vehicle platform has a different sensitivity level and tolerance to RFV and imbalance. Known sensitive vehicles may require lower limits to resolve ride disturbance issues. For example, in some cases, an extremely sensitive vehicle may be affected when the tire/wheel assembly is above 15 pounds RFM. A setting of 26 lbs for P Tires and P/SUV Tires is often used as a “middle of the road” limit and does a reasonable job of identifying tires or wheels that may cause a problem. As to tire warranty, most tire manufacturers will honor a warranty replacement if the tire fails to provide a satisfactory ride. They usually limit the guarantee to the first 30 days. I don't know if that is the case for your tires. A good case in point is that the vibration did decrease when they rebalanced the tires, indicating that the problem was caused by RFV and not something else. Mr. Vivona |
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Yes, it is indeed sad to hear that the Diamante will be discontinued. It was actually amazing that the Diamante sold at all with the total lack of advertising and press coverage. Mitsubishi never featured it in its advertising, even when they listed the product line. I don't find the new Galant anywhere near a suitable replacement. The carbon fiber trimmed angular interior may appeal to a young tuner, but it has no appeal for me. I like the Diamante's luxury wood and leather look. And since the early 90's when Galant shifted production from Japan to America, its reliability has not been the same. Honestly, I do not have a second choice in mind. I expect to run my Diamante at least five more years and will have to look at what is available at that time to decide. Nothing else in the near luxury field appeals to me. ES330 is butt-ugly. Acura TL is an expensive V6 Accord. I don't like the stuff from Infinity either. And forget the German cars. Horrible reliability, strange interiors and awful underhood service accessibility. I check out all makes each year at the International Auto Show and always drive away in my Diamante with a big smile. Long live my Diamante. Mr. Vivona |
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Hmmm... I hate to take advantage of the situation but I am wondering if the 2004 D will drastically drop in price, and if so, I wonder by how much? It is still a very good car in my opinion. I do hate the front headlights compared to the original 1997 style. The engine power though now lower rated by todays standard (240HP+) is still very good performer. It is unfortunate the car reviewers here at Edmunds saw it a different way which didn't help promote the car in good or at least neutral light. I sincerely cannot relate to their views of the car. It seems that they came to the review already prejudiced that the car was already 'bad' and cannot compare at all with the 'elite' lines from other manufacturers. All of my workmates still look at my '99 diamante and admire the looks both inside and out. I's d say if the leftover 2004 Diamante LS gets down to $18-20,000, I'd trade in my old '99 D. for it. - |
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I like these cars but why in the world wouldn't they put side airbags and a 5-speed automatic in this car if they are available in Australia? http://www.mitsubishi-motors.com.au/mitssite/jsp/pages/vehicles/s- pecs/specs.jsp?groupId=3 No wonder they lost the most important market by purposely cheapening the car... |
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Mitsu is finally giving in... Add the $3000 loyalty rebate and one of these babies will be mine 
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I was checking the price of the 2004 VR-X w/ leather and 44 miles at my local Carmax.com and it kept going down each day. I finally decided to pull the trigger this past weekend at $19,999 minus the $1,000 bonus rebate minus the $500 education edge rebate but someone from NC snatched it right before I got there. I saw this Diamante up close for the first time that day and it looked so good, especially in black. In a way I'm happy because I don't really need a new car right now and have other loans to take care of... but you have to admit that it was a deal of the year
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| Carmax in Atlanta has an 04 silver LS for $21378, not including the extra $1k carmax rebate. I believe Mitsu is offering a $500 loyalty rebate, but I'm not sure. The LS isn't as nice looking as the VRX but this particular LS is the fully equipped model with the seat heater/traction control option. An excellent value if you ask me. It does tick me off though considering I still owe way more then that on my 03 LS even after making 8 payments! UGGHHH.... | |
Yeah, it's not as nice looking as the VR-X and I think that its wood trim looks a bit tacky plus it's more expensive  Sorry that you owe more on your '03 but you can always argue that you have the last of the best looking Diamantes. After seeing a '04 up close I would not say that myself though
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Replying to: L8_Apex (Aug 25, 2000 2:42 am) |
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