I am new here, just about to purchase a 2.5 Sport

[habbers]

Hi there

Looks like my search is coming to an end. I have been looking for a car to replace my Civic VTI 1.8 Aerodeck (180bhp VTEC model) that sadly, i wrote off in Dec.

I have had may Jap cars over the years including an MY99 Impreza Turbo UK spec but running around 260BHP which i had for two years and dearly loved.

Anyway i now have one child and one on the way and i have been looking for something to replace the Civic. Criteria have been fun to drive, reasonably economical, good looking, reliable and cheap(ish).

Tha does not leave many cars really, i did not want a BM or Audi, etc as whilst i appreciate the build quality everyone has them which is fine just not for me.

I looked at Saabs, Honda Accord 2.0L Sport execs even Mondeo st24 Alfa 156 (scary feedback on reliability issues) and such like but to get one for under 4.5k with lowish miles and not driven to death was proving difficult.

I saw an ad in Autotrader for a Galant Sport and it rekindled my interest in them. I had not really given them a thought but suddenty this car fitted all of the critera or at least seems to.

Anyway without boring you anymore
a few questions
I am looking at a UK 2.5 24v Sport Saloon MY00 on an w plate. It has done 80K but with FMSH - TBH i do not think this is a lot of miles on this sort of car.

It is the following spec (taken from the ad)

2000 (W) Mitsubishi Galant V6 Sport 2.5 Saloon 4d, metallic silver, 80,000 miles, Sunroof, , 6 x CD autochanger, Climate Control, Momo Steering Wheel, power boot release, power steering, Remote Central Locking, Power Folding Mirrors, Sport Pack Interior, steering wheel adjustable in height, Twin Front Airbags, ABS, chairs adjustable in height, Alloy wheels, Electric mirrors, Front armrest, Folding rear seats, Rear armrest, Rear headrests. Very rare and desirable Car.

Is there anything i should ask or look for on this car.
Does the sport have stiffer suspension that a stock Galant or is it an option?
What is the performance like 0-60, top end and real world overtaking.
What sort of MPG can i expect around town and overall, hoping for around 30 MPG overall but not a deal-breaker. I plan to do around 15K per year.

Anything else i have not though of?

Many thanks in advance.

Nice site BTW easy to navigate and a friendly feel to the threads/posts. I moderate on SN but think i may be spending more and more time over here in future.

[Big Ian]

Hi and welcome
check the disc's (service history should keep them in line) but they are a weak spot,also ask if it has been back to Mitsubishi for any recall work, again if it's full mitsy history they should take care of any recall work at it's service?
power steering pulley and crank-shaft pulley's have came up alot on the forum's of late,(worth a check) most noticable thing is the power steering belt has a slightly fraid edge,which may mean it's got a wobble from a pulley?
hope this help's and good luck

[adam_shaw]

Hiya and welcome.

Mileage isn't a problem so long as the services are all done. The car will be due another at 81K - so worth haggling over, if not just done.

As far as I know the suspension is the same, but the 17z on the sport do make it feel a good deal harder.

As for specs, I couldn't tell you off the top of my head, but the 2.5 is a nice car, and well able on the roads.

I don't know the price but main dealers tend to want 7-8K, private should be a good deal cheaper.

I'm sure someone will be along to answer all the tough questions soon.

Be good,

A

[Spirit]

These sound about right:

0-60 mph: 7.9 s
Power Output: 161 bhp
Valves: 24
Torque: 223 Nm
Torque: 164 lb/ft
Top Speed: 140 mph
MPG: 29
Insurance Group: 15
Euro Emissions Standard: 3
CO2 Emissions: 227 g/km
HC+NOx Emissions: 0.176 g/km

Be wary on the price though.....Parker's valuation for this car is:

With Average mileage: 40,000 miles !!
Cost New ('00)
£ 18995
Dealer Retail
£ 5540
Private Good
£ 4645
Private Poor
£ 2895
Part Exchange
£ 3610

Hope this is some help

Pete

[ritch_w]

welcome!!!

Full Mitsi service history is a must

suspension is sh1te - a set of eibach springs transforms it like you would not believe

go for the invecs II auto / tip box

mpg averages between 25 and 35 depending on driving, conditions, style etc etc

get it HPi'd, get a warranty etc

great car, i'd still have mine till it died, if it wasnt for those pesky VR4s!!!!

[Nick Mann]

Very good cars. They can be had cheap, but often need a bit of attention! A looked after car will keep going for millennia! The real price is often no-where near Parkers price, as the V6 Sport model is often more difficult to find than VR4's!!

The suspension is soft. ritch_w is not the only person to shout about Eibachs, although I never got round to doing that. Check the wheels for buckling on the inside edge - the 17" alloys don't cope with potholes very well.

The worst place for rust appears to be the rear wheel arches, so check those out. Not saying any car will be perfect at 4-5 years old, but at least you can look at the bad bits first!

Good luck!

[Jimbo]

Only one more thing I can offer in advice to the excellent notes above is to do with the manual gearbox, if that's what this one is.

If you take it for a test drive from cold you will quite probably find it snatches (or probably a better word would be "crunches"!) when changing from 1st to 2nd.....don't worry about it! It scared the hell out of me on my first test drive of one, but the 2 other cars I tested did the same thing. As soon as it warms through it's fine and it's a wildly reported oddity that isn't anything to worry about even though it feels like your shearing cogs when it does it.

In practice you'll learn to push the clutch to the carpet and gingerly make that first change, and then it's fine.

Excellent car the V6, but I recommend the suspension upgrade as it's very floaty on standard trim albeit very cosy and comfy on a straight road, but the very best bit is the engine. Bomb proof, smooth as silk (even for a V6), and very grunty - the best V I've ever owned or driven - I wish I'd kept it for a 2nd car!

Best of luck with your search, and welcome to the club!

[Kieran]

Welcome to the club.... :idea: I think it's about time for a V6 Sport Buyer's guide....

Lots of excellent advice here - As you see, many people on here used to own V6 Galants and there's still a number of us (myself, ColV6Sport and others) who have the pleasure of these excellent cars.

To me, the Sport's main weaknesses have already been highlighted - they are the unsettled, fidgety ride (Did someone say Eibachs?!), the delicate alloys and the brakes.

I achieved the 0-60 time that Pete's quoted at Santa Pod from a standing start, with no clutch dumping or other action (mainly because the V6 does like to spin it's tyres!).

For me, the best MPG I've recorded is 32ish, on a not-very-gentle jaunt to Dumfries with Derek and Dave! :-b drive more steadily and on a stretch, 35 MPG would be within your grasp. Drive it like it encourages you to and you'll see between 24-27, depending on the amount of traffic!! :$

Real world overtaking.... Let me point you to this thread, in particular Derek (Interlec)'s comments on the 6th post. The episode he's talking about was when we were after a Skyline - About 60~65ish, changing down into third and flooring it! evil5:

http://www.clubvr4.com/forum/showthread.php?t=4980

In real terms, a standard VR-4 will demolish a Sport from a standing start, as BDA handily demonstrated to me on one occasion when I tried it on! :$ But that's against a VR-4.... In most situations,, the V6 will pull away from most other traffic impressively (particularly those berks who try it on in their Golf GT TDI 130sevil5:, and unlike a lot of cars, it will still pull like a train when you get to 60-70ish and 3rd/4th gear - Whilst at the same time being able to tootle along in 5th at just over 30mph with no tantrums. I think really I'm saying the same as Jimbo here.... The cars few vices (which are all fairly minor in reality) are put in the shade by a simply wonderful V6 engine.

Hope this helps!

[Big Ian]

ozey: also...dont under estimate the power of thee GLS

[habbers]

Thanks for all the advice and replies. Makes good reading and i can go 'armed' to the test drive.

The car is up for £ 4295.00 but i recon just under 4K is where i want to be with the miles it has.

I have spoken with Tyres Northampton who have quoted me £ 300.00 for Eibachs - fitted which seems pretty good, what do you think price wise???

I anm looking at the car Saturday morning and hopefully if it is up to it then i will be taking it home same day, it lives 120 miles away so i do not want to be going backwards and forwards + i have a hire car at the mo which is costing me.

Again many thanks and i loook forward to spending more and more time on this board.

[Nick Mann]

Have a look here:

http://www.clubvr4.com/forum/showthread.php?t=4758