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pauleyman

DSM Wiseman
9,298
3,541
Nov 19, 2011
oklahoma city, Oklahoma
my teenagers are getting to that age. I like the idea of them having some sort of mitsubishi kia or hyundai because i can work on them almost blindfolded. With one exception. Automatic transmissions. My twins all but refuse to own a manual. My older child got a manual by protest and bow he wouldn't have it any other way.
Comments? Thoughts? I'm a little scared of higher mileage autos. Anything in my price range will likely have 125k to 150k
 
You are right in thinking the newer mitsu autis suck as they mostly do. The outlanders have spring issues and burn plates up and something else but i cannot remember it.

The airtrek has the evo 7 gta trans and it also has its issues and weaknesses.

Have you considered a proton? They are pretty much all mitus anyway but proton did some of their own bits so may be linked to trannys and be stronger/reliable?

Or a lancer (not evo) the lancers seem to have a good reputation for being good boxes, the cars also seem decent and i also am considering a lancer for a daily (manual) but in general they are half decent looking cars, (im actually looking at the estate version) more practical and does look nicer on the rear end
 
You are right in thinking the newer mitsu autis suck as they mostly do. The outlanders have spring issues and burn plates up and something else but i cannot remember it.

The airtrek has the evo 7 gta trans and it also has its issues and weaknesses.

Have you considered a proton? They are pretty much all mitus anyway but proton did some of their own bits so may be linked to trannys and be stronger/reliable?

Or a lancer (not evo) the lancers seem to have a good reputation for being good boxes, the cars also seem decent and i also am considering a lancer for a daily (manual) but in general they are half decent looking cars, (im actually looking at the estate version) more practical and does look nicer on the rear end
I'm in the US. No proton here. My older son has a 2006 lancer ralliart 5spd.
 
I'm in the US. No proton here. My older son has a 2006 lancer ralliart 5spd.
I thought protons got everythere LOL. They like the plague and find their way around everywhere haha.
That style lancer but the wagon/estate version which i find is nicer to look at myself. But in general they are pretty good reliable motors and i bekieve their boxes (auto) are decent.

All autos have issues for the most part. Keep them serviced and they tend to be good
 
The 8th gen Galant is quite nice. My brother owned 2 and they are great daily drivers and long distance cruisers with comfortable space for 5 adults and some luggage. However, I believe the 8th gen Galants you guys got in the US is somewhat different to the rest of the world. It has a completely different interior and dashboard (way uglier), and the external bumpers are different too. However, you did get the option to have it with the 6G72 3.0L V6 auto with like, 200 hp I think? Slap some DOHC heads and twin 14B turbos and you've got a sleeper. Also, the suspension is slightly different this time compared to the Eclipses. Or just import an actual VR-4 (EC5W) in a few years. But all these cars I'm mentioning are old, so I don't know how well they'd be received by your kids. That said, I think we all know that nothing after 2004/5 made by Mitsubishi is any good, save for maybe an EVO or an SUV. :(
 
Or a lancer (not evo) the lancers seem to have a good reputation for being good boxes, the cars also seem decent and i also am considering a lancer for a daily (manual) but in general they are half decent looking cars...

+1 on the Lancer. My oldest son had a 2007 with the 2.4L n/a and the auto cvt. He did the regular maintenance, which included transmission flushes, twice, in the 120k miles he owned it. I drove it a few times and the shifts were solid and consistent. He just sold it with 190k miles, and it was still running and shifting strong.

You’ll probably want to make fluid inspection part of your decision making. Hopefully you can find a Lancer with about 120k on the clock.
 
With all these replies I'm probably headed elsewhere. I'm not interested in performance. Just reliability. I want a corolla but even older they're just too expensive for something they will probably wreck. I got lucky with the ralliart. It was a timing belt victim we got for cheap and had it running in two weekends. Difficult to find nice older mitsus unless its a performance based. There are quite a few 4th gen eclipse but she doesn't like those. Wants a 4dr. Weird.
 
How about a Mazda 6 then? I've got a couple freinds that rock them and they've been pretty solid for them. Both are auto/6 cylinders, and I haven't heard of them having trans problems yet.

Nissan Sentra, Altima or Maxima also are pretty good, though past the early 2k mark they're generally kinda spendy.
 
How about a Mazda 6 then? I've got a couple freinds that rock them and they've been pretty solid for them. Both are auto/6 cylinders, and I haven't heard of them having trans problems yet.

Nissan Sentra, Altima or Maxima also are pretty good, though past the early 2k mark they're generally kinda spendy.
No mazda 6! They eat brakes and warp rotors so bad

If you can find a lancer do it. At least you know the engine if its 2.0 (4g63) or 2.4 4g93. They are reliable as a whole, every car has its issues, my almera has known issues but i have not really delt with the main one yet just the small one. (Gearbox swap) but every single car has known faults prone to said car but people find nee ways everyday to mess it up LOL.

If you want good reliability get a honda, i know it sucks being a honda but im looking at them for a new daily myself. I want something faster but reliable and thats where it led me
 
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I love dsms as much as the next member but I would never stick a family member in a Mitsubishi product. Just so much better options out there for daily drivers.
I agree....for most people. Now my children that I know I will have to fix them im ok with it. My adult brothers and sisters that are not car people? No way.
 
I will say from experience do not get a vehicle with a cvt from nissan or mitsubishi. I have replaced idk how many cvt transmissions at the mitsubishi dealer i work at. But both company's use the same trans so id advise to stay away from them. And at the dealer they dont fix them we only replace the it. Trust me they are not cheap at all.
 
I will say from experience do not get a vehicle with a cvt from nissan or mitsubishi. I have replaced idk how many cvt transmissions at the mitsubishi dealer i work at. But both company's use the same trans so id advise to stay away from them. And at the dealer they dont fix them we only replace the it. Trust me they are not cheap at all.
Good to know. Ever since cvts were introduced ive been skeptical. Ive never owned one. Even the manual in my sons lancer isn't without issue. For whatever dumb reason they have a ball bearing on the input shaft instead of a roller. Its a known issue. I replaced it because it was noisy. Major fretting on most of the bearing at about 130k at the time. Cheap fix but out of the scope of most DIY. But of course I attended the school of DSM so no big deal.
 
I will say from experience do not get a vehicle with a cvt from nissan or mitsubishi. I have replaced idk how many cvt transmissions at the mitsubishi dealer i work at. But both company's use the same trans so id advise to stay away from them. And at the dealer they dont fix them we only replace the it. Trust me they are not cheap at all.

I would be willing to bet that most, if not all of the cvt’s that had trouble, never had a fluid flush and if you look at the rear bumper, you’d probably find a trailer hitch.

It’s like generalizing that all DSMs are unreliable. It all depends on how they were taken care of.
 
I would be willing to bet that most, if not all of the cvt’s that had trouble, never had a fluid flush and if you look at the rear bumper, you’d probably find a trailer hitch.

It’s like generalizing that all DSMs are unreliable. It all depends on how they were taken care of.
I agree with the maintenance part, that most would survive a longer time. But I have been with mitsubishi as a tech for 6 years now and none of them had a hitch that came to me with trans issues. I have seen to many issues with the chain belt grenading and the pumps giving out on low mile units that has a maintenance record. Its just not worth a 13k repair bill for a transmission thats going to do it again overtime.
 
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Stay far away from Subaru, Vw Jetta after 2005 are reliable, most Toyota are reliable as heck as are Honda but Toyota and Honda have rust issues as does Mazda, Nissan is pretty much bankrupt and the junk yards are full of them so that tells me to stay away from them. Remember that the Chevy Prism is a Toyota Corolla in disguise and can be had for cheaper sometimes.
 
I guess it depends on how new of a car were talking.

Personally I'd own a 2000-2009 Subaru. I don't like them at all, but they're cheap and easy to work on, and overall cost isn't too bad if you look at the right years/models. Yes, head gaskets are an issue on some models, but if this is a daily car, I can say that I know of 8 2.5 powered Subarus that all have over 250k on the factory engine that's never been cracked. One of which is my parents former 06 outback XT that I personally railed on for a couple years, and they put over 175k on after getting it. Was it perfect? No, but it worked great and gave almost no issues other than CV axles twice in it's life.

I wouldn't own a German car if I was paid to. They have some nice stuff, but maintenance cost is ridiculous, and after working on Jettas and Golfs, I'll never dip back into them.

Newer Nissan's are definitely iffy, but around here there's hardly any in the yards. Early to mid 2000s ones are decent and easy to pick up for a song. I'm not a fan of their electrical systems, but for an everyday car that's maintained decent, I see no issue. Easiest airbag light reset in the world though :thumb:

Wasn't really aware Mazdas had a brake issue, I have a few friends with 3s and 6s and haven't ever heard a complaint with them, other than the newer ones with CVTs, which I agree with staying away from like the plague.

Honda is generally an all around solid choice, you just end up paying for them through the nose.

There's always mid 2000 Ford fusions, but their auto transmissions aren't the most reputable either. And ugh, the look of them till you get to 2013+...

Wouldn't touch a Chevy myself, unless it's before 1974. Anything 2000+ I've seen so many horror stories from and bad personal experiences, I'd just as soon crush one. Not to mention, interior quality is crap on all but luxury models, and still it's not as good as some imports. The list goes on, but I can't stand em.

Let's not even go to Dodge/Chrysler/Fiat or whatever they're called now (Stellantis?) Haha.

Idk, there's alot of choices and you'll have to compromise in some way no matter what.
 
I second Toyota. Pretty easy to work on, run for miles with maintenance and can be had pretty cheap.
i pickled up my Wagon super cheap, it would start 4 days out of 5 but the 5th day it was dead. I had that car for 6 months just because the ladys "kids" were going to have it towed off (what kind of kid has their moms car towed off?). One day I put a very used battery in it from our Honda Accord (kids school car) and the Camry has started every time ever since. Has 205000 on the clock and I would take it anywhere. They are easy to work on if you get an older model, I can vouch for that. The 89 Honda Accord was a great kids car too and 4 doors.
Can't you just see the twins in this........:ohdamn:
But really, its a easy car to work on and very reliable. Get them a sedan. This is super handy though.
https://oklahomacity.craigslist.org/search/cto?auto_make_model=toyota+camry
Marty
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Is that a flattened cooler I see under those gas cans?:idontknow: there is probably ubbm i n the spare tire well too right?ROFL
 
+1 for Honda Accord. I own an 08 2.4l automatic, never has it done me wrong. Though I bought it as a certified pre-owned from a Toyota dealer, (Toyota sells other brand cars for cheaper fyi.) I'm pushing 160k and I got it with 70k. Has started everytime. It's practically a DSM with a timing chain and VTEC. Speaking on VTech the VVT actuator will give some problems eventually and make a distinct noise. That's about it super reliable.
 
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