Very little at all. The car has had an intermittent squeal from the rear discs when reversing since new. No one has been able to entirely eliminate that I also had the previous model Galant GSR bought 12 months old. It had a timing belt bearing failure while at the dealer's workshop waiting for the bearing, the entire cost of which Mitsubishi and the dealer shared. Good back-up. The first owner hauled a horse float!
The car has been exposed to Australian sun - still looks great.
Still gets "nice car, what is it?" comments after all these years.
Upholstery, (woven fabric) is in good shape and the hatchback is excellent.
Handles well, goes very well on premium and shows no sign of engine wear.
I have to agree with the author. I also have a Galant GSR 1989 model - I am its second owner. The car was bought new by some guy in Benalla in country Victoria - I bought it when it had 50,000km on the clock, back in 1995. The car now has 204,000km and still looks great. The engine still loves to rev to 7,000rpm.
Problems:
- ECS (electronic suspension) packed it in at 201,000km...worn shock absorbers resulting in scrubbed rear tyres. Replaced ECS with normal suspension (as per the normal SE model)
- had to replace brake pads and rotors twice (could be my driving style...)
- CV joints replaced @ 180,000km
- new clutch @ 120,000km
- rocker cover gasket @ 195,000km.
Inside is still in mint condition, given the car is a daily driver. Fuel economy is pretty good for a 14-year old car... about 7.4l/100 highway cycle, 9.5 city cycle.
About to put in sports suspension and strut braces...
Why did Mitsubishi Motors ever drop this car? Whatever happened to the legendary DOHC engines? I love my new Lancer, but I have kept the Galant.
I'm a big fan of the Galant. I have a 1989 four-door with the SOHC engine. Mitsubishi did not sell in Canada until 2002, however Chrysler sold selected models through its dealers. The Galant was known here as the 2000 GTX. Clever, huh? Every time it goes for service, they always ask for the model. When I tell them, they say: "I thought you said it was a 1989." And so on.
Mechanically, the car has been very good - except for one persistent problem. The engine is always dripping oil from some orifice. The car presently has 215,000 km. The bottoms of all the doors are starting to rust, finally. Body integrity has been excellent, compared to similar Honda and Toyota models of the same vintage. Just had the CV axles changed.
The SOHC engine only makes 102 hp, but the 5-speed wrings every pony out of it. I run premium Pirellis (I learned a long time ago not scrimp on rubber). The factory alloys still look good.
The Galant, particularly this generation (1989-93), was a very well-engineered car. I STILL can't justify replacing it with a newer model. What am I going to get? A Primera? It's too small by comparison. Most 4-cyl cars are. That's what I like about the Galant: it's big where it counts, and is still cheap to run. I've got two more years to enjoy it until the environmental cops haul me in at renewal time. Mark.
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