1983 Mitsubishi Galant GL review from Philippines

It's 2nd hand denso compressor had a leak (and still has one). This happened at around 2173445 kmh.

Side mouldings are starting wear out.

Some panel covers are missing.

The carpeting of the car's interior is very old and is really smelling bad.

Due to age, the meter cluster's lighting has faded and it's very hard to see the information critical to your trip especially during noon time or at night.

The car is designated as the lowest model in the Galants class during it's time. Thus, it is equipped with more basic features and functions. An example is a lack of a tachometer. The Super Saloon counterpart using the same body and production year has a digital clock and tachometer in it's meter cluster.

My dad has had this car since 1982 and until now, it performs pretty well.

For it's seemingly long body, the car is equipped with a 4G32 SOHC 1.6L (SATURN) engine which provides sufficient power in different terrain along and surrounding Metro Manila (Philippines.)

Even with it's big body and lack of a power steering system, it's quite easy to handle compared to other cars of it's class and era.

It's cabin provides ample space for passengers, so far, no one has ever complained about any discomfort caused by lack of space.

The car's dashboard is pretty standard for a basic-model car. The car has no tachometer due to it's "lower model" designation and instead has a very classic-looking analogue clock in it's place.

Shifting is based on engine roar because of it's lack of a tachometer. I also use a system of reading the car's speedometer to ensure proper shifting (provided I'm on a straight path and not travelling upwards.) At 25 kmh, I shift into 2nd gear. At 35, I go into 3rd gear and at 45 I get into fourth. Provided I am able to and depending on the engine's possible rpm, I try to keep my speed at 60 kph in 5th gear to maximize gas consumption.

For it's age, it still offers quite a comfortable ride though due to newer and better maintained cars out on the road now, is already quite subpar.

It's suspension has surprisingly lasted through all these years with a little maintenance (shocks for the rear were already replaced). This has been a blessing in disguise for us, because it saved us a lot of cash.

I had the rims replaced with that of an 83' Lancer GSR to provide a very oldschool look. These rims are 13" and give me good handling to complement the car's weight and length. For sound management, it's old and wrecked stereo casette was dropped in favor of a newer, 2004 model Pioneer DEH-1650 in-dash CD/Radio (which fits PERFECTLY and BEAUTIFULLY into the slot!) with two 3-way 6x9 speakers mounted at the rear for balanced clarity and bass. At 18+ volume level (without any fancy stuff like an amplifier or subs) I can get a significantly deep bass sound because the car's large enough for it to make at least the rear part vibrate. I also got one of those cheap non-branded imitation powerflow muffler things for a deeper roaring sound (and also for me to perform accurate shifts.) The rest is virtually stock. Oh and yes, I have a new paintjob on it and have recently had a keyless entry/alarm system installed for convinience.

The whole interior has been refurbished. All four doors have new fiberglass sidings, and the ceiling has been cleaned and fixed. The rear reading lamps have been also fixed.

It's A/C system works wonders. The evaporator still works well even after a decade of service, it's blower is very powerful and only requires regular cleaning in order to ensure optimum cooling performance. However, it's compressor isn't that well off at the moment, and I have yet to get a new one (which would most likely be a brand new SANDEN) to restore it's A/C system to it's full performance.

I love this car, and believe me, I won't give it up for the lot of Civics out there. It reminds me of our humble beginnings and something to reflect on whenever I drive our other cars.