Hey guys so im a 1st time buyer and I found a 2003 Mitsubishi Lancer, its clean inside and outside, the car has 67k on it but the engine was changed the original one had was 230k, are cars still good after you replace the engine like that? and is this a good deal for a first time buyer like me? There asking 2400 for the car. and with the new engine would this car last me a long time, with no engine problems? with the fact that it only has 67k now?
Well, the first thing to figure is that the car does not have 67K on it. Only the engine does. Consider at least three things. One, over the period of owning a car, the engine almost never costs any money (unless it totally dies, of course). What adds up is fixing other things - suspension and steering components, tires, fuel pumps, radiators, etc. How many of those things have 230K on them? Second, if only the engine was changed out then you have a transmission with 230K on it. Who knows what that means. Is it an automatic? Third, you probably don’t actually know a thing about that engine, or the salvage yard it came from, or who installed it. And I’m quite sure that any minimal warranty that might have come with it for whomever had it installed will not apply to you.
So - do not think of it as a car with 67K on it. Think of it as a big 230K question mark.
If you don’t know much about cars but are interested in owning this one, ask a reputable local mechanic that you can trust to check it out for you. It will cost you a little money, but stand to save you a bundle over the long haul.
Agree! Take a pass on this one!
Yup!
Too many unknowns, with potentially VERY expensive consequences.
Used cars are like commuter buses.
If you don’t take this one (PLEASE don’t!), another one will be along shortly.
I don’t understand why people make the correlation that another engine means the rest of the car is in an equal condition. You state this car had 230k miles when the engine was changed and it has 67k miles on it. I read that as the car now has a total of almost 300k miles.
That means every part of the car more than likely has a well-worn 300k miles; just not the motor.
It’s overpriced as it sits. About 10 years ago my daughter was seriously thinking about buying one of those brand new and I talked her out of it after I looked it over and drove it. The car just felt too tinny and cheap even when new.
I agree with the others, $2400 is just too much. It’s just 10 years old, so that’s it got that going for it. But at 300K you pretty much have to expect other problems will be cropping up, transmission, clutch (if manual), wheel bearings, brakes, cat and exhaust system, suspension components, etc.
I’m not saying this car shouldn’t be considered, but only at a hefty discount from the asking price. I’d be hesitant to pay more than $1000-$1200.
The other problem is that this car didn’t sell in much volume did it? If you want to risk buying a high mileage car, you’d be better off finding one that sold in huge volumes. Easier to find a local inde mechanic who has the knowledge and skills and experience to make the repairs, and access to replacement parts.
Well, now I’m confused. At 230K, did it have a rebuilt engine in it that has now been driven for 67K? Or does the odometer say about 230K and the engine in it has 67K on it?
No matter, I suppose. It wouldn’t change by answer. It’s a $700 car at most.
There’s also the possibility that the engine that was installed is a used one and at 67k miles there’s also the issue of the timing belt on an interference fit engine.
I’m leaning more towards that $700 dollar figure unless the seller pulls out some receipts and even then it’s still not a 2400 dollar car.
Walk
The seller’s not going to take $700
Look at other cars
I’d stay away from Mitsubishi. I suspect they’ll soon pull out of the US market, as things are not going very well for them. They have almost no market presence anymore.
“I’d stay away from Mitsubishi. I suspect they’ll soon pull out of the US market, as things are not going very well for them. They have almost no market presence anymore.”
Exactly!
At this point, Mitsubishi of America has one foot in the grave and the other one on a banana peel. They may be doing okay in other parts of the world, but in The US their sales figures are extremely low…and dropping.
A few weeks ago, I actually saw two fairly-new Mitsubishis in the same week, which was extremely rare. In my neck of the woods, they are far outnumbered by a few low-volume makes, which tells you a lot about their appeal to buyers nowadays. On a regular basis, I see more new-ish Porsches and Maseratis than I see new-ish Mitsubishis, and that is very revealing regarding their sales figures over the past few years.
If Mitsu pulls out of the US marketplace, the value of that already-overpriced Lancer will drop like a rock and the parts availability will become…not so good.
http://www.autonews.com/article/20130929/OEM04/309309973/u.s.-has-become--a-backwater-for-mitsubishi
Their new model for the USA is expected to sell 7000 cars per year. If that’s the best Mitsubishi can do for the US, the end is near.
I’m a mechanic and I wouldn’t buy any car with over 200,000 miles on it. Too many things to go wrong, the rest of the car is just plain worn out. It doesn’t matter how many miles the engine has on it, the rest of the car is done.
I just read that article, and it seems they still have the wrong game plan, as far as the US market goes
It would be humorous, if at some point in time, Mitsubishi stops selling cars in the US, yet still has plants in the US, which build cars for export . . .
LOL