| Year of manufacture | 1988 |
| First year of ownership | 1989 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2004 |
| Engine and transmission | 2.6ltr carburetter Automatic |
| Performance marks | 8 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 10 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 7 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | 10 / 10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 7 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) |
8.4 / 10
|
| Distance when acquired | 0 kilometres |
| Most recent distance | 76637 kilometres |
Summary:
Bullet like performance and reliability to match
Faults:
Minor rust problems with the doors, front tires replace twice as much as back, air-con stopped working at 65000ks and the roof padding has fallen off.
General Comments:
This might be an old beast, but you put your foot to the floor and your stuck in the seat.
Lack of power steering makes it harder to turn, but its still easy at speed.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 29th August, 2004
| Year of manufacture | 1988 |
| First year of ownership | 1997 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2003 |
| Engine and transmission | 2.6 Automatic |
| Performance marks | 8 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 8 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 8 / 10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 9 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) |
8.3 / 10
|
| Distance when acquired | 84000 kilometres |
| Most recent distance | 153000 kilometres |
| Previous car | Mitsubishi Magna |
Summary:
A bargain for cheap motoring
Faults:
Had this car for 6 years now, very comfortable and reliable vehicle. Have had the odd maintenance issues such as replace brake pads, tyres, battery flat, but in the time I have had it she has been a fabulous car to drive. However at the 151k mark which she is currently there are engine oil leaks developing, radiator leaks, and perhaps an engine crack, looking at a grand to repair it all,
General Comments:
The grand old lady is showing her age. But great first car for a bargain!
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 20th October, 2003
| Year of manufacture | 1988 |
| First year of ownership | 1995 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2003 |
| Engine and transmission | 2.6 litres petrol Automatic |
| Performance marks | 6 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 6 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 7 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | 5 / 10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 6 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) |
6.0 / 10
|
| Distance when acquired | 165000 kilometres |
| Most recent distance | 420000 kilometres |
| Previous car | Ford Econoline |
Summary:
Choose a used 1 very carefully and service regulary
Faults:
Automatic transmission was a disaster-car has used 4 gearboxes about 1 every 100000 kilos. Expensive to fix $1000 approx. each time. Had reconditioned engine at 220000 kilos-cost $2000.
Head gasket replaced at 300000 kilos. New radiator at 250000 kilos.
General Comments:
Car had electrical fault and was rectified by new ignition module. Had 2 new rear shock absorbers fitted at 200000 kilos. Car is comfortable,handles well, but poor fuel economy. Rust in all doors at bottom.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 23rd February, 2003
| Year of manufacture | 1988 |
| First year of ownership | 2002 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2002 |
| Engine and transmission | 2.6L Astron Manual |
| Performance marks | 9 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 8 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 10 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | 6 / 10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 6 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) |
7.8 / 10
|
| Distance when acquired | 143000 kilometres |
| Most recent distance | 147600 kilometres |
Summary:
Not bad considering it has a sigma motor!
Faults:
Tape deck gave up and was replaced with a pioneer head unit.
Front speakers were shot. Disconnected and 2 x 6" speakers put in the rear of the car.
Radiator sprung a leak. Still not sure where it is leaking from, but I'm sure ill find it sooner or later.
General Comments:
Being a 5 speed manual, this car lacks no overall power, but is a little slow off the line.
A good week for petrol for me is $60, although I get around 400k's from this tank and I am not a granny driver.
A nice smooth ride, smooth braking. Overall, I highly recommend this "LOW COST" car for anyone that can't afford a more recent car.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 9th November, 2002
| Year of manufacture | 1988 |
| First year of ownership | 1999 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2002 |
| Engine and transmission | 2.6 EFI petrol Manual |
| Performance marks | 6 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 8 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 8 / 10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 7 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) |
7.3 / 10
|
| Distance when acquired | 234000 kilometres |
| Most recent distance | 274000 kilometres |
| Previous car | Mitsubishi Colt |
Summary:
A cheap reliable bargain
Faults:
The Magna was in need of a bit of TLC (Tender Loving Care) when first purchased. This included...
New Monroe Sensa-Trac shock absorbers front and rear.
Full tune-up and clean of EFI system.
New stem seals for valves.
New hydraulic lifters to stop tappit noise.
Later came...
Leaking rear brake caliper (caused by the way the handbrake works on these cars).
Clutch arm snapped, taking out slave cylinder with it. Whole clutch was replaced as was almost worn out anyway.
Starter motor died.
Clutch cable snapped.
General Comments:
The above list may seem like the car is a nightmare this is not so.
Performance is not quickest, but happily cruises at 110km/h.
The SE is well optioned, power windows, power steering (a must have), cruise control, map light front and rear, radio cassette and comfy seats.
This TN Magna is a wagon and with rear seats down gives you a lot of space to play with.
It is also very quiet on the road, quieter than a lot of sedans.
Converted the car to LPG in 2000.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 4th August, 2002
We owned one of these cars from new, it was very well equipped, and very reliable. However there are a couple of points.
1. The 2.6L Astron 2 fuel injected engine balked on Australian low quality low octane unleaded and was designed with high octanes in mind hence the EFI systems tended to gunge up.
2. Like most Australian built cars of the mid-late 80's rust was a problem, ours started to rust after 3 years around the tailgate and it was kept garaged and nowhere near the ocean.
3. These engines suffered from noisy tappets fairly early in life and prematurely wearing valve stem seals. Though beautifully quiet from new they became ratchety at startup and operation around 80,000km and started to smoke under heavy acceleration and when cold.
4. Some had issues with automatic transmission failure, but mostly on the wagons and much later in life.