Any 1998 Mitsubishi Galant owners out there?

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For those of you who don't know, I'm a 19 year old college student. My current (only) means of transportation is a 1996 Honda Accord that is, contrary to popular opinion, falling apart at 100k miles. As I really cannot afford to sink any more money into the car, I am considering getting rid of it for something else. Right now, an ad that caught my eye is a 1998 Mitsubishi Galant.

The question I have for you, is have any of you owned one of these? Online reviews seem to show they are, for the most part, reliable, but what do you guys think? Any areas I should watch out for? Thanks for your advice.
 
How could a '96 Accord be falling apart at 100k miles? Did you even take care of it? As for the '98 Galant, i've heard a lot of mixed reviews on it, more bad than good.
 
I have a '97 Galant (for daughter) that is identical to the '98. It has 130K miles and runs pretty well, but I've done some minor tuning up... new NGK plug/wires, OEM distributor cap/rotor, throttle body clean, A-Rx, fuel filter, Techron every 3K mi, and changed out all fluids.

There are two main areas to pay special attention to: the auto tranny and noisy lifters. The tranny can be a problem ($$$) if not properly maintained with regular fluid changes with Mitsubishi Diamond SPIII atf, as directed by owners' manual. The lifters are more annoying than problematic and is due to small passages in the original lifters. There is an upgraded lifter set, but I believe it's more likely due to improper/infrequent oil changes. I am currently on the rinse phase of A-Rx (700 mi) and the lifter noise has decreased. I plan on another round and then getting UOA's to find an oil the car really likes. Also, take a look and feel out the front suspension. Ours is a little loose and may need some items replaced.

Hopefully the car will last several more years without putting too much money in, but I only paid $1500 for it and the body is in pretty darn good shape. If you can buy it right and it passes your or your mechanics inspection, I'd say go for it.

BTW, it is a fun car to drive and it's my favorite style of Galant. You can go to mitsubishiparts.com for OEM parts and info (great prices and very helpful). I also found a copy of the factory service manual online that I can try and dig up the link to, if needed.
wink.gif
 
Quote:


if the honda wasnt maintained it well can be a piece of junk at 100k.



I bought it used with no apparent problems around 90k, things started going wrong about 5k later. On a side note, though, my mom has a 2002 Corolla that she's owned since new, done all the reccommended maintenance at the dealer, and it's still a POS at just under 100k. Engine knocks like a hammer (never run out of oil), front end squeaks, interior is falling apart, etc. Did she get a lemon? Probably, but even Toyota is capable of putting them out.
 
Mitsu's are pretty reliable, and have low resale. They may not be as reliable as Toyota/Honda, but they are a much better value (used). Is it a V6 or a 4 cylinder. The V6's tend to burn oil after a while. However, if you use cheap dino in it, it is not such a big deal.
 
Have a 98 Galant, agree with what wagsg indicates.

I do have 139000 trouble free miles on it. Just standard tune-up, oil changes, transfluid changes, etc. Still original transmission and everything else, aging well.
Main concern would be state of the transmission, any slipping, harsh shifting and I would pass on it. Otherwise you will be sinking money soon.

The biggest problem IMO is lack of transmission fluid changes and the special trans fluid requirements (SPIII) and how fluid level needs to be checked.(has to be checked hot (after torque conv. reaches lock) and neutral w/engine running after shifting through all gears)

There are too many places servicing these vehicles with Dexron III fluid causing the clutches to prematurely wear. Also they will check fluid level in Park (incorrect!) and severely overfill.

This causes bad reputation for these transmissions, have seen no particular problems for properly maintaned w/SPIII transmissions but the challenge is finding if that was the case for the vehicle you are interested in.

I have seen 1st hand Mitsu. dealers lie to customer's faces about DexIII=SPIII and service these transmissions with whatever they have in stock.

On the other hand these cards are easy to service. Transmission has 2 drain plugs one where diferential other on the trans. pan. So it's very easy to pull the plugs at every oil change and replenish 3-4 quarts frequently.

Transmission-wise;
If the transmission shifts well for all gears (try when kicking down a gear too.. 2-1 shifts) I would make a go for it, full fluid change is very easy to do through the cooler line method too. I would drop the pan, replace the filter doa full fluid exchange through cooler lines for fresh SPIII. Then I would pull the trans plug every oil change and replenish the 3-4 quarts everytime.
 
I forgot to mention... per the factory service manual.

- the '97/'98 Galants only came with the 2.4L SOHC, 16-valve 4-cyl engine
- the engine model is 4G64
- the transaxle (auto tansmission) model is F4A23

Just FYI
 
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