Two weeks ago I purchased a really clean 2009 Mitsubishi Eclipse GS with 21,000 miles. It has two and a half years/39,000 miles left on the manuf. warranty. I am happy with my car, but I didn’t have a mechanic check it out before I purchased it. For peace of mind, I would like a professional mechanic to look at it. Should I take it to the Mitsubishi dealership or another mechanic just to get a professional opinion? The oil was changed and the tires rotated just before I purchased the car. The salesman said that nothing needed to be done until the next oil change/tire rotation. The car seems to ride nicely. I traded my 2001 Eclipse to get this vehicle and never had any issues with that car. Your professionalism is appreciated.
By all means bring it to a dealer and have it inspected. While it’s there have the oil changed.
Also get the CarFax for the car online if you didn’t do before you bought the car. In my state any car identified as totalled in an accident that is later reconditioned must be titled as a “salvage” vehicle, and the dealer must inform you at the time of purchase that the car has been so titled. But I don’t know if that is true in your state.
I think though that if the warranty is still in force, nothing is wrong with your one year old, low-mileage car. How you care for it in the future is most important.
Thanks for your reply. The dealer provided me with the CarFax at the time I purchased the car. The CarFax showed no previous major issues with the car. I’ll take the car to the Mitsu dealer tomorrow.
There’s not too much that can go wrong after 21000 miles. It would be much less expensive to check the oil and change it if it is dark (not the amber color of new oil). The dealer might come up with several hundred dollars of work if you give them a chance to. If found in the last 40 years of driving that the more the dealer saw of a car, the more repairs it needed.
Thanks for answering. I actually took my car to a non-dealership mechanic this morning. He drove the car into his garage, drove it out 5 minutes later, handed me the key, and said that the car was immaculate inside and out. That’s what my gut told me when I was purchasing the car, but I, not being a professional, began to doubt myself. I am meticulous about routine maintenance and I just have to go on believing that the car has been properly maintained. Thanks again.