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Subaru and Mitsubishi
Posted: Wed Apr 04, 2007 10:35 pm
by shane_c
I've never looked into either make very much. How reliable are they?
Re: Subaru and Mitsubishi (shane_c)
Posted: Wed Apr 04, 2007 11:16 pm
by Whelan
Subaru Mitsubishi DSM I was never a fan of Mitsu, they always seemed tinny and just lacking in a lot of things. Not to mention they are in a big whole right now since they keep dropping models from the lineup and are struggling to make profit. The Evo/Lancer is the only one that sells somewhat well, but Evos are not very high profit margins for them. The new Galant was a bomb as was the Eclipse for some reason. The Montero does ok but its still not of the caliber of many other SUVs.Subie on the other hand has pretty good reliability nowadays. A few years back they were pretty bad, especially with the outback wagons. The engines got really noisy and had issues left and right after so many miles. But fit and quality have come a long way, plus AWD full time is an awesome thing!IMO stick with Subaru, for me I just cant get past the fact that their doors do not have any kind of metal on the top part. i.e. its all window, which means over the years the insulation that the window holds to can wear and cause leaking/wind noise/etc.
Re: Subaru and Mitsubishi (Whelan)
Posted: Thu Apr 05, 2007 1:32 am
by Mavrik
Quote, originally posted by Whelan »Subaru Mitsubishi DSM I was never a fan of Mitsu, they always seemed tinny and just lacking in a lot of things. Not to mention they are in a big whole right now since they keep dropping models from the lineup and are struggling to make profit. The Evo/Lancer is the only one that sells somewhat well, but Evos are not very high profit margins for them. The new Galant was a bomb as was the Eclipse for some reason. The Montero does ok but its still not of the caliber of many other SUVs.Subie on the other hand has pretty good reliability nowadays. A few years back they were pretty bad, especially with the outback wagons. The engines got really noisy and had issues left and right after so many miles. But fit and quality have come a long way, plus AWD full time is an awesome thing!IMO stick with Subaru, for me I just cant get past the fact that their doors do not have any kind of metal on the top part. i.e. its all window, which means over the years the insulation that the window holds to can wear and cause leaking/wind noise/etc.as an employee for a subaru dealership and proud owner of a legacy and soon to be arriving STi... I'll agree with most of what you said. I have customers with 10-23 year old subarus and none of them are complaining of wind noise because of the door windows not having a frame. Those are sealed very well and the windows themselves have many adjustable points to keep them that way. Some issues though the old ones had were headgaskets on 98-03 legacy 2.5. wheel bearings on 98-00 foresters. the impreza has been very reliable. Subaru has a 3 year 36,000 mile new car warranty with 5 year 60,000 mile powertrain warranty. All have a 5 star crash rating.
Posted: Thu Apr 05, 2007 1:55 am
by Atomb
it was the 3 year 36,000 that convinced my in-laws to buy the MDX over the Tribeca just last week.
Re: (Atomb)
Posted: Thu Apr 05, 2007 2:54 am
by Mavrik
Quote, originally posted by Atomb »it was the 3 year 36,000 that convinced my in-laws to buy the MDX over the Tribeca just last week.and the looks had nothing to do with that decision? lol
Posted: Thu Apr 05, 2007 3:17 am
by AKLGT
mitsu has never been known for reliability. that is one of the biggest reasons i never went with one. i really like the look of the eclipse, especially the spider, but would still not buy it due to the reliability factor and the dealership here is horrible for service. our subie club has a lot of the DSM folks in it and they always complain about how bad the dealer service dept and the dealer in general is, how they are treated, etc. not only that, we see a lot of them in the shop for various problems, so that tells me to stay away. as for warranty, almost all manuf have 36/36K warranty. except hyundai/Kia, Volvo, Saab, or some of the higher end brands who want you to feel that your $$$$ is a good investment. LOL
Re: (AKLGT)
Posted: Thu Apr 05, 2007 3:26 am
by Atomb
Quote, originally posted by AKLGT »as for warranty, almost all manuf have 36/36K warranty. except hyundai/Kia, Volvo, Saab, or some of the higher end brands who want you to feel that your $$$$ is a good investment. LOLfirst time i've ever seen anybody argue that less warranty is better...whatever makes you feel better!
Re: (Atomb)
Posted: Thu Apr 05, 2007 3:31 am
by Whelan
Im glad to hear about the window issue. It was more a personal opinion about it but what you say makes sense.The new MDX is teh hotness over the B9. Im curious to see what the redesign will look like. The Imprezas have always been in my fan club. I was looking at WRX's prior to the Matrix. pre-owned. But dealers here were still asking $20k+ for the cars when they really weren't worth that much with the mileage and condition some were in.
Re: (Atomb)
Posted: Thu Apr 05, 2007 3:46 am
by AKLGT
Quote, originally posted by Atomb »first time i've ever seen anybody argue that less warranty is better...whatever makes you feel better! never said less warranty is better. however, as someone who purposely does modifications to my car, warranty is mute except the first 36K miles to me (or first 2 years). warranty to me is just a gimmick. either it's an excuse for the manufacturer to charge you an arm and leg for the vehicle, or it's something to entice otherwise would be consumers to buy a lower end vehicle (or convince you their vehicles are improving due to the insanely long warranty they now offer). it is better to do the research on the car itself, what others have experienced with that make, model or engine type, check out consumer reporting agencies, etc before buying a car/vehicle than basing it solely on the warranty. the LGT is my 8th vehicle purchased/owned since 1998. It currently is the ONLY vehicle I am planning to keep past 2 years and most likely til i kill it (which could happen sooner than later, but hopefully not). It also is the most heavily modified vehicle i have owned (not the most money dumped into as that record is still held by my 01 Ivan Steward Tundra). Phil's STI will be vehicle #9 with my name on the title and the next vehicle for my business will be #10. Reliability, fun, smiles right out the gate so I don't have to do much to the car (since I will always do something to it), and resale are my biggest concerns. otherwise, warranty is not. next car for me will be another subie, most likely the new STI hatch that will be released next winter. but then again, i may change my mind to something a little bigger.... like the new Tribeca (so much better), only time will tell. before i bought my Vibe GT in 03, i waited over 6 months doing the research and making sure it was what i wanted (how I found these forums). it was a toyota at heart and i didn't care for the look of the matrix. the only draw back was the resale value which did end up biting me in the (removed) when i traded her in. before I bought the LGT, I also did a lot of research, making sure it would make me happy. Silverawd had pointed me in that direction well before i ever bought it, then i had that brief moment of insanity where I wanted to buy a USED 04 STI (so glad i didn't!) and ended up with my new 05 LGT as originally planned. sure I wish it could fly to the moon and back, but who doesn't want the next best thing? besides, we're adding phil's 07 STI within 2 weeks to the garage, so I can get my STI kicks every once in a while when I get bored of my auto. am I worried about the warranty? no. i doubt that anything Phil does to the car will void it or cause it to go bad (he's extremely careful and rather picky). Take care of the car, make sure you do it's regular mantenance, and usually you can't go too wrong (unless you're are just unlucky and get a lemon like CP did w/ his Vibe).
Posted: Thu Apr 05, 2007 4:03 am
by Atomb
obviously you're in a unique boat w.r.t warranty and your requirements. that being said, the average person will always benefit from a longer warranty...no matter why you think some manufacturers offer it.just because the manufacturer you obviously have a jimmy over doesn't offer it doesn't necessarily mean that those that do offer long warranties are in the wrong.oh...and thanks for telling me about your past and future plans...i'm not sure i asked about it, but hey...killed a few minutes before i leave work for the long weekend.taking care of your car is a given...no matter what the warranty coverage is offered.
Re: (Mavrik)
Posted: Thu Apr 05, 2007 4:04 am
by Atomb
Quote, originally posted by Mavrik »and the looks had nothing to do with that decision? lolbelieve it or not...but not everybody is out there trying to impress the world with the looks of their vehicle! some are more concerned about other factors!but ya...the tribeca isn't the best looking rabbit in the forest.
Re: (Atomb)
Posted: Thu Apr 05, 2007 4:12 am
by drunkenmaxx
i agree atomb. even the most reliable cars have crap go wrong sometimes. look at CP's vibe and all the junk he went through. anyone willing to offer a 100k mile warranty is obviously willing to stand by their product. if it was a total piece of crap, they wouldn't offer that, knowing everyone who buys one will need tons of fix-its by the time 100k is up.
Re: (Atomb)
Posted: Thu Apr 05, 2007 4:12 am
by AKLGT
Quote, originally posted by Atomb »obviously you're in a unique boat w.r.t warranty and your requirements. that being said, the average person will always benefit from a longer warranty...no matter why you think some manufacturers offer it.just because the manufacturer you obviously have a jimmy over doesn't offer it doesn't necessarily mean that those that do offer long warranties are in the wrong.oh...and thanks for telling me about your past and future plans...i'm not sure i asked about it, but hey...killed a few minutes before i leave work for the long weekend.taking care of your car is a given...no matter what the warranty coverage is offered.wow, someone must have woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning, Atomb! sheesh!just saying that if someone only basis their car buying on warranty only, then buy a Hyundai! They have the best warranty out there! but as we all know (or I assume this) a vehicle purchase isn't always based on that alone, but on the function, reliability, resale value of a car, value of the purchase, etc. afterall, isn't that what ORIGINAL POST asks? Quote, originally posted by shane_cSubaru and Mitsubishi5:35 AM 4/5/2007 »I've never looked into either make very much. How reliable are they?
Re: (AKLGT)
Posted: Thu Apr 05, 2007 5:43 am
by Mavrik
I've only owned three cars, neither were bought because of the warranty... though 2 of them were out of warranty by the time I bought them lol.And appearance is a big factor for me in a car purchase.
Re: Subaru and Mitsubishi (shane_c)
Posted: Thu Apr 05, 2007 5:51 am
by MAVibe
Never heard anyone rave about their Mitsu---except for those that own the old Monteros.... I think sub is the way to go---just look at the autocross scene. I had an '84 Subaru wagon that I loved! Even modded it a bit. I'll have to find a pic---- owned it before the age of the internet.
Re: (Mavrik)
Posted: Thu Apr 05, 2007 7:02 am
by Psychobroker
Quote, originally posted by Mavrik »and the looks had nothing to do with that decision? lollol
Re: (AKLGT)
Posted: Thu Apr 05, 2007 7:15 am
by ColonelPanic
Quote, originally posted by AKLGT »warranty to me is just a gimmick. LOL, you haven't had the rotten luck yet.... To me, warranty was a means to keep me from going bankrupt. Quote »Take care of the car, make sure you do it's regular mantenance, and usually you can't go too wrong (unless you're are just unlucky and get a lemon like CP did w/ his Vibe).hehehe, yeah, that poor *******.
Re: (ColonelPanic)
Posted: Thu Apr 05, 2007 11:35 am
by AKLGT
Quote, originally posted by ColonelPanic »LOL, you haven't had the rotten luck yet.... To me, warranty was a means to keep me from going bankrupt. i have. i got it fixed and promptly sold it. warranty denied. it was called a 1992 Chevy S-10 Blazeralso had a Kia that I owned for 2 months and also sold that. Had warped rotors with 2K miles on the car. but it sat on our bank lot for 6 mos in the winter, so not a surprise... fixed under warranty before I sold the car.*edit* just too longif a manufacturer wants to give a long term warranty, great! good for them. however, i do not see how length of warranty directly relates to the reliability of a vehicle. you can always get a lemon, or you can always get that one perfect car while everyone else has problems. going back to the topic on hand, the OP is asking about reliability between Mitsubishi and Subaru. I am wondering what models? because each model is different, some are more reliable than others. When people compare the 2 together, they usually are talking STI vs EVO. EVO is a little faster in the straights, but 2 yrs down the road, the STI will still be running flawlessly (unless you're an idiot) while the EVO usually has problems (this is based off the number of EVO owners that both Mav and I personally know vs STI owners). Subaru is the AWD specialists. If you want something other than AWD, then... well, there are a lot of cars out there with good quality, resale value and reliability like Toyota, Mazda, Honda, etc.