1991 Mitsubishi Magna TR sedan review from Australia and New Zealand

Right outer CV joint replaced twice.

Alternator replaced at 180000km.

Welch plug replaced at 180000 and 226000km.

Disc brake rotors warped, need machining.

Gum used to seal rear quarter windows has remained sticky and the kids love to touch it, putting black sticky patches over the window and upholstery.

Remote boot release cable snapped at 200000km.

Driver's internal door handle snapped at 210000km.

Clutch replaced at 150000km.

Paint is seriously fading, despite being kept in a carport.

In general, the car has been highly reliable, with only a few minor faults.

The car handles quite well, cruises along the highway with ease, doesn't use a great deal of fuel (7.5l/100km on the highway, 9 or 10 around town). The manual gearbox is smooth to shift and the clutch not too light, so that there is some good feel to the clutch.

The only real problem is that the standard stereo is appallingly bad. The speakers rattle and buzz at anything more than a whisper. A quick trip to the local car radio shop and a bit of fiddling to install new speakers soon sorted this out.

The twin headlights are like a stream of bat's piss- that is they stand out like a shaft of gold when all around is darkness-brilliant (Sorry about the Monty Python quote there!).

My wife and I recently bought a KIA Carnival (to transport our four kids around in) and have kept the Magna as MY car- no trade-in value to speak of. Current second-hand value of about $2500-$3000 makes it a very inexpensive well-built car. If the Magna could seat six in as much comfort as it seats five, I would definitely have bought a nearer-to-new one.