Test Drive

[T-uNiT]

Hey guys,

Gonna be test driving a GSX very soon =)

Anyways, I realize some of you guys are on your 4th or 5th DSM and I was wondering if you could let me know every little problem area that I should look for?

Thanks!

 

[MYnameISgarrett]

Well these cars are notorious for transfer case lock up.....basically the gears, over time, wear out the lubrication and decide to lock up ater going over about 60 or 70 mph.....Luckly there is a recall and a Mitsubishi will fix it for no cost at all.......so test it out and go about 70 or something and see if the car locks up...it will feel like all the breaks are locked and your tires will sqeel and all that good stuff....

 

[markGSX]

Well these cars are notorious for transfer case lock up.....basically the gears, over time, wear out the lubrication and decide to lock up ater going over about 60 or 70 mph.....Luckly there is a recall and a Mitsubishi will fix it for no cost at all.......so test it out and go about 70 or something and see if the car locks up...it will feel like all the breaks are locked and your tires will sqeel and all that good stuff....

rofl... yeah, there is a transfer case recall, and it may be leaking (covered by the dealer) but it's a fairly uncommon thing to have it lock up completely... and what are the chances it would happen on his 5 minute test drive? yea... test drive it up to 70 mph and see if the wheels lock up and you crash and die. if you die, the transfer case was bad.

seriously though, the things i'd check for are what you'd look for with any new car. run a carfax on it. before even starting it up, look underneath the car for oil drips on the ground. if you can, with the buyer's permission, bring the car to a mechanic and have a compression check done on the motor. this is something you could do yourself, but most seller's aren't trusting enough to let you monkey with it. you didn't specify 1G or 2G, but each have their own quirks. is it a manual? check for the 2nd gear grind... replacing synchros is pricey. Does the clutch slip? what kind of mileage is on it? 60,000 and 120,000 are major service points (timing belt), so if it's at one of these marks, they might be selling it to avoid the high cost of replacing the timing belt/water pump/tensioner/etc. If it's turbo, does it smoke under boost?
Anything you can find wrong with it can be used to bargain the price down. Some things (low compression motor, blown head gasket, bad transmission) are pricey and bothersome enough to make you reconsider for a car in better shape.

Just ask questions. ask what known problems the car has. most people are honest (I like to think). tell the buyer you want to have the car brought to a shop for a "used car inspection". I think we used to do this when I worked at pep boys for like $30.

good luck! don't fall in love with the first car you see, either. Good deals are always popping up and go quick, so check craigslist often.

 

[T-uNiT]

Thanks Mark

Im looking at 2 GSX's

One has only 2,500 miles on a new engine (body only has 75,000 on it)

And the other has around 85,000 miles on it.

Both are automatic.