1999 Mitsubishi Galant Super Saloon review from Philippines

Sometime in 2003, after honking the car horn, it did not stop honking. It kept on honking and honking. For almost 3 years the car did not have a horn. It only had a horn again when we fixed the alternator and the engine of the car.

On December 22, 2003 when we were on our way to Baguio for our Christmas vacation, we tried to play CDs on the radio, but it did not play. At first we thought the quality of the stereo was good, but after that we said the quality was not that good. We wished the stereo was Pioneer and not Clarion.

On July 7, 2005 we experienced overheating problems with the car. We had it fixed right away.

On April 12, 2006 we were just 4 days out of the country on a 7 week vacation and we received a call from our family chauffeur telling us that the alternator of the car broke down. We had it fixed in June and was in the garage for 2 weeks. It is not just the alternator, but there was a problem in the engine as well.

Sometime the antenna was not working anymore and later on it broke. It happened in Glorietta (a popular shopping in the commercial area of Manila which is Makati) and so my dad blamed on the security guards for breaking the antenna.

On December 18, 2006 the alternator of the car broke again in very heavy traffic. The car got towed and brought to the shop once again. It was such a hassle!

Sometime in 2007 the left rear power window was not working anymore. Were just going to waste money if we still have it fixed.

On July 8, 2008 we just arrived home and I noticed that the lights didn't go off when the ignition was turned off. Ah electrical problems! The car was the shop for a week.

Earlier this year we had problems with the brakes and the steering of the car. The car was in the shop for 3 weeks.

One week after its release from the shop, when steering the car, I noticed a very strange noise. We had it fixed right away.

The car had an accident two times. Once in March 21, 2005 when it rear ended in the parking lot of Glorietta. Good thing the front left signal light was only damaged.

On March 23, 2009 I was practicing driving around the Metro. I was about to make a U-turn when suddenly a car crashed onto the front right signal light of my car. They say I was to blame, but the good thing was the driver of that car was kind and did not charge me anything. Another good thing was that there were no police around.

On June 14, 2009 on the way home from my dad's friend, it rained and the wiper broke. We replaced it with Bosch wipers.

This car has been with us for about 8 years now when this passed on to my dad from my grandfather who died July 19, 2001.

My dad says he likes driving this car, even though it's kinda old and has dents and dings in it. It is because the engine is powerful and spurs like a tiger, therefore the car is fast and blast to drive. He has been for 48 years now and so this car has always been running fast, done a lot of overtaking on slowpokes and even on the newer, the more in and cooler cars of today.

I'm 16 years of age, turning 17 in November and a junior high school student. I have been driving this car for about 8 months now, and I'll be driving this car for years. I'm still driving the car with my driver or with dad because I only have a student license. I'm getting my license come November.

Honestly it's really a love and hate relationship I have on this car. I love driving the car every time, and there are times when I like riding in the car. There are also times when I hate this car. Honestly when I go to a dinner party, a special occasion, a hotel, an exclusive place, or even just the mall, my feeling is that I feel lagging behind others because this car blends with the newer, the cooler, and the more luxurious cars of today. If we bring our V8 SUV or our 2004 Camry to these places, I feel fine, but not with our 10 year Galant. This car may be fast but looks old, outdated, bland, and boring.

If I'm the one driving it's okay because I have no choice, this is the only car I can drive aside from our Camry, which I drive on Fridays and weekends.

The car has survived little road skirmishes, minor accidents, monstrous traffic, and scenarios when times is precious and everything should be done in a hurry.

Unfortunately I had bad memories in this car. I can still remember many times when my dad scolded me inside this car. But I also had happy and funny memories in this car, and the good memories are set to rise in the near future.

When I get my license I'll be using this car often to go to school, the parties I'll be attending and my other personal trips. Until 4th year high school I'll be keeping this car stock and then when I reach college I'll be customizing this car and this car will stand out in the crowd once again!

For the meantime the only things I'll changing in this car are the following:

1. Replace the stock car stereo with a USB and iPod compatible one.

2. Replace the rear view mirror with an aftermarket one.

My plans are plain simple but I can impress my friends, my classmates, and even my future girlfriend!

Again I have a love and hate relationship with this car.

Honestly we might not buy Mitsubishi cars anymore, even though the quality of their cars have improved because we believe the cars of Toyota are still the best, no matter what the surveys in the magazine say, and the service at Toyota is good and they are found nationwide like Mitsubishi too. It looks like this is our last Mitsubishi we will have.