hi all,

i currently drive my 89 tp 5 speed wagon around as a daily drive and love the thing. it 100% reliable and very comfy to drive, but, there is a but, with third gens looking so cheap in thinking about buying one for the sake of it. i wouldnt get rid of the tp because its too good of a car, and next year she is club plate material. i think ide keep it full reg and use it to drive to the train station anyway. it gets about 9.5 l/100 around town so its cheap motoring.

but what im wondering is in current conditions what would you pay for a white 3rd gen wagon with preferably under 200,000k on it. i want the 3.5 as ide tow a little with it and like a little punch anyway. manual or auto dosnt worry me, although im lazy. 5 speed auto would be nice but im not fussed. are there any major issues i should be looking to avoid?

what should i look out for on gen 3's?

are the post 03 ones really worth the extra, they are meant to be safer and thats the other half the reason i want to upgrade (or downgrade as it may be). with all the propaganda around these days it makes you feel unsafe driving around in anything thats not 5 stars and seeing as i do a bit of driving it would be nice if it were safer.

would i expect to pay allot more for a post 03 one? i would like at least electric windows and cruise control so its up to the spec of the tp.

will anyone be thinking of selling something like what i want in the next year or so? i might wait it out another 18 months until the later ones drop down a bit.

thanks,
jay

I went from a TN Elite Wagon to a TH Altera Wagon.

There are times I still miss the old Elite, little things like adjustable headrests, split rear seats or the dash light to tell me when I blew a stop light and the space, 1st gen wagons I think have more usable room inside too. But my Altera's been great with none of the issues I had with the Elite and the power from the 3.5 ..... OMG.

You're probably looking at a range of about $3K for a TE/TF and around $7K for a TL/TW, and I guess upwards from there for VR-X, Ralliart etc. I bought my TJII Advance wagon (white, coincidentally!) with the 4 speed tiptronic auto, climate control, cruise, fast glass etc. about 4 or 5 years ago for $7K, it was ex-fleet with quite a lot of country kilometres on the clock but was otherwise pristine. Not any more... the nasty hailstorm in Melbourne in Feb 2010 has rendered it's surface somewhat golfball-like, but it's still a great chariot (the little dents on a golf ball make it go faster, right?). It's my third Magna, going through a TN and a TP, and compared to previously-owned non-Mitsubishis I find them well engineered and very reliable. I was always impressed with the power of the 2600 Astron in my 1st Gen cars, always had plenty left for overtaking even with a full load of camping gear etc., but the stock 3.5l is a truly great engine as prowler testifies!

There's not much to look out for, other than a good service history (timing belt changed at 100,000, regular gearbox services, etc) and apparently the 5 speed autos are a bit more prone to failure than the 4 speeds. I guess like always, look for the newest, lowest kms, best service history car with the features you want that's in your price range.

this one is about what im looking for http://www.carsales.com.au/dealer/details/mitsubishi-magna-2003-14762753?base=1216&vertical=Car&cr=1&eapi=2&__N=1216%201246%201247%201252%201282%204294766524% 204294964597%204294964374%204294680280&find=3.5%7cCarAll&silo=Stock&num=15&sort=default

looks clean enough for a car that you would probably pay $3,500 for by the time you bat them down. are k's an issue for these cars? is there really going to be much difference between a 170,000 car and a 250,000 car. obviously you could get a 100,000 car that has been thrashed or a 400,000 car that is in better nick and has been looked after.

when do the transmission problems start showing their heads? are manual's available for conversion, as after i converted my gen one it has been a great car, very reliable and it gets its fair share of welly.

honestly ide probably prefer the earlier shape but if there is that much of a safety difference then its worth the extra ide imagine

regards,
jay

TL/TW series got a 3.5 safety rating due to their side airbags and strengthened body.

Even so, when the te came out in 96 it was one of the safest cars on the road.

That ones not bad with the 3yr 100,000km warranty if it covers driveline stuff.

Check for service records to make sure the belts have been done and services are up to date.

YOU TRAITOR how many cars do you want lol
finding a gen 3 manual conversion would be as hard as finding a sixteen year old virgin . check left hand floor for signs the heater core is leaking and as above timing belt age