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Sedans Mitsubishi Diamante Mitsubishi Diamante
1467 messages, Last post on May 24, 2009 at 2:15 PM
You are in the Mitsubishi Diamante Forum. Your Hosts are pat & karens
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My '98 Diamante ES was recently totaled at 97,000 miles and I chose to replace it with an '05 Honda Accord. I liked my Diamante but it was more expensive to own than I realized it would be when I bought it. Despite a $7,300 discount at purchase, and an insurance settlement $2,500 higher than trade-in value at the end of the car's life, my Diamante still cost me a total of $37,200 to own for six years ($0.38/mile). A more typical owner would have spent closer to $47,000 over six years (or $0.49/mile). Major issues; a ridiculous transmission that seldom did what I wanted, when I wanted it. Also, I had several problems with failed engine seals causing various oil leaks (see below). The Diamante's 3.5 liter V-6 is known to wear out front crankshaft seals at around 55,000 miles. Knowing this in advance, I got mine fixed under the 5/60 powertrain warranty and paid $144 to have all my belts replaced (including the cam timing belt which is expensive if done separately). The accessory belt idler pulley failed two different times causing a growling noise off-idle. The first time, it was replaced under warranty at 19,158 miles. Unexpectedly, both camshaft oil seals failed and had to be replaced under warranty at 41,961 miles. I replaced the front brake pads four times, the front rotors twice, and finally the front calipers at 82,575 miles. Additionally, I had to replace a front wheel bearing at 92,871 miles. I suffered for a couple of years with a squeaky ventilation blower until I finally took it out to see what the problem was. Taking the motor completely apart, I found that lubrication pads and grease cups were all BONE dry. Thanks Mitsubishi! I added a small amount of lubrication and the fan squeak finally went away (should have fixed that one sooner). That was my third and last Mitsubishi auto. My impression over the years is that Mitsubishi doesn't have good relations with it's dealers and that Mitsubishi dealers, in turn, often don't do right by their customers. With 2004 U.S. sales running 35% below the bad sales numbers from last year, the dealership picture isn't getting any brighter. Factor in breathtaking parts prices (and as a consequence higher than average insurance rates) and it's hard to see the value and wisdom today in buying any new Mitsubishi product in my opinion. Obviously, your personal experience and opinion may differ. |
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I can't believe my luck! My friend hooked me up with a nurse she works with that is selling her 1997 Diamante LS with 82k miles for $4,900, I'm going to offer her $4,000. I hope she takes it. She is the only owner and the sole reason she's selling it is because she's in the military and has orders to Germany this Jan, and its really expensive to get parts for foreign cars over there. I've test driven it for about an hour with a mechanic friend of mine who gave me his blessing to purchase it. There were no funny brake sounds, brake job 4 months ago. The interior/exterior is immaculate except for the broken antennae. And replaced the tires last winter. I'm thoroughly impressed by how this car looks and drives. But from reading about the problems people have been having on this forum i'm kind of hesitant to jump on this deal. I OH SO want this car to be reliable! It would be a step up from my junky 93 sunbird gt. I originally planned to trade the sundbird in for a used sedan. Plus the car makes my wife jealous of me  (she has a 2003 hyundai elantra). What do you think guys? ps the color or the car is champagne
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Replying to: flipexed (Dec 18, 2004 3:24 pm) There are only two really serious issues I'd worry about on the late-model Diamante. First, the fuzzy-logic transmission has some poor learning habits. Like when you're easing through stop-and-go traffic late to work and the "smart" transmission learns that you want to take it easy. Then a gap in traffic opens up, you floor the gas, and the transmission says, "Huh? You're sure? Really? Well, okay then!" and you're left red-faced and swearing while the truck now on your rear bumper beeps and flashes his lights. Been there, done that, many times and I never got used to it because it's random. The other issue is a higher-than-average reported number of heater-core failures. That's a seriously expensive repair but "higher-than-average" is still probably pretty rare so the actual risk may not be that high.
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Replying to: ktnr (Dec 18, 2004 7:03 pm) I've taken my 1990 ford tempo to 230,000 miles, my wifes 1995 sportage 140,000 miles, and this 1993 pontiac sunbird gt *eyesore is the nick name i give it* now to 130,000 miles all with 5k oil changes and routine manufacturer reccomended servicing. To my surprise no major mechanical failures in each vehicle. I think i'm sold already but just wanting some good sound advise from you car aficianados. I'm truly stoked to bring in the new year with a new baby in my garage. Oooh did i mentioned the car has those factory 16" chrome rims? Yes i'm drooling right now
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I am so ecstatic! I did all the haggling i could, she was pretty much attatched to the thing and would'nt budge any lower than 4,600. It drives like a dream, i like it better than my mothers 03 accord. There is a 1 inch tear in the leather driver seat but thats really no biggie. The power is amazing especially when passing other cars. I did not notice anything out of the ordinary like the brake pulsation that that other people have posted, but i am still going to purchase a torque wrench at sears next weekend just to make sure the lugnuts are at the proper level. My wife absolutely loves it also, she's greener than moldy ham The car certainly does not look like it has 80,000 miles on it and i'm fairly certain it will double that.
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Congrats on joining the elite Diamante group. You should enjoy many miles of reliable service from her. The Diamante's main weak point is the front rotors. As long as you try not to let an air wrench touch the car and you make sure the lug nuts are properly torqued, you shouldn't run into this problem. The tranny also needs to be serviced every 30k and you should only use Mitsu tranny fluid to avoid tranny failure. Otherwise, they are reliable long lasting cars.
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Replying to: lngtonge18 (Jan 03, 2005 7:44 pm) I drove a '97 Diamante from new up until two months ago and I never felt anything "elite" about owning the only car in North America imported from Australia. It was an okay car, even above average in some respects, but there are many reasons why it was never popular in the USA and why it's discontinued now. |
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I've probably seen one 2004 on the road so far. The VR-X looks great and I was sooo close to getting the last new one in my area on Christmas Eve for $20K out-the-door. What a beautiful car but the payment was still too high, timing belt changes are expensive, has iffy warranty and non-existent dealer network, and repairs on the discontinued foreign car could break the budget... Instead, I got an offer for another AUSTRALIAN-made car, 2004 Pontiac GTO for $22K out-the-door. As good as the offer sounded, I went for the unbelievable $3K two-year lease on it instead. The best deal of the decade: http://www.cracovian.com/flight/gto.htm |
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I meant elite as in unique. Diamantes aren't seen around every corner like most other sedans. It's a relatively rare car and thus makes you feel a bit special.
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Replying to: lngtonge18 (Jan 04, 2005 12:52 pm) However, six years of uniqueness had it's downsides. Searching for tips, information, service bulletins, aftermarket parts, discounted new parts, used OEM parts, whatever - there's just not much out there for the Diamante. After the Diamante, I swore I'd never buy a unique car again. I dare you to visit a Honda dealer for a hassle-free test drive of an EX-V6 Accord. In fact, I double-dare ya. 8-) |
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