I've spoken to a few Magna owners in the past couple of years. Some were reticent to buy a Magna after all the auto transmission problems of the first gens. However most loved their second, third and 380 gens. My question to all of you is simple:

Which Mitsubishi car model do you think was built to the best level of quality to suit Australian conditions?

Fire away...

Any model/year car not built on a Monday (hangover day) or on a day before a long weekend.

Seriously, though, the later models have better heating/cooling and should be more reliable and cost less to keep on the road simply because they are younger and are more likely to have fewer km on them.

Any model/year car not built on a Monday (hangover day) or on a day before a long weekend.

Seriously, though, the later models have better heating/cooling and should be more reliable and cost less to keep on the road simply because they are younger and are more likely to have fewer km on them.

Lol! "Friday built" cars... I know a bloke who made sure the Commodore he bought new ( a VS) did NOT come down the line on a Friday!

Some folks say the TS/TR were the models most engineered for Australian conditions. They would say the body structure was tighter and stronger.

I think the TL/TW were the best built for Australian conditions. My reasons for this is simple: I've never driven a TJ or 380 or any other Magna. The only other Aussie made car I've driven is mum's VE Calais sportswagon (but that's not a choice from you list)

Call me biased seeing as I own a TW but hey, you did ask! :)

I would say the TR/TS Magna KR/KS Verada, Ive had 6 first gens 5 second gens and 2 3rd gens, my brother still own the TS V6 Advance I had, you shut the doors on it and it has a good quality sound, the 3rd gens the drivers window tends to rattle when you shut the door if it wound down a bit, plus I find the TR/TS V6 is a quieter motor then the one in the 3rd gens, but the 3rd gens V6 has more power and runs good on E10. The TS still has a good quality feel to it and its 20 years old now. Plus with the experience I have had I find the paint quality to be the worst on the 3rd gens, meaning how it tends to fade. That's just with the cars I have owned though.

I would say the last of the KF early TH cars.

The KF got all the nice jap wiring stuff and the ECU's and the early TH got a bit more tech.

After 1999, the cost cutting began.

Mike

well i have owned a 2001 TJ executive fwd bought it with 130.....ks at 140..... the gear box crap it self it was bought from a dealer as well.
so i now own 2005 TW AWD VRX series 2 and the missus a 2003 TJ sport AWD and i think the TL TW AWD-FWD TJ AWD are made better :)

Oh and i think over all the 380's might be the best in terms of quality

I would say the last of the KF early TH cars.

The KF got all the nice jap wiring stuff and the ECU's and the early TH got a bit more tech.

After 1999, the cost cutting began.

Mike

I concur with Mike,
The KF is a very well put together car!

Given it some thought . . .
The two TSs I owned years ago seemed better quality in the interior plastics and seat construction and materials, TL and TJ seem to have those in poorer quality. Then again the later models are mechanically better/more sophisticated.

The third gen frameless windows/doors can give problems when the rubber seals start to deteriorate.

Paint wise, any solid colour seems to stand up to the Sun better than metallic & clearcoat. White seems to last the best.

No idea how a 380 stacks up against the second and third gens quality wise though.

My TF is still going hard! Hardly any problems with it. Build quality seems good compared to other models out there as well. It's the small things.

.My first was a TS advance auto sedan, still running well at 380000+, then a TS verada wagon which I traded in on a young in mileage TS Advance sedan which brought home to me why I fell in love with the 1'st advance. I've got two wrecks as well for parts. What I like about the Magna sedans I've got is it's smooth, gutsy, great cruiser, and it's not hard for a non-mechanic like myself to keep on the road. One of the advances is a backup for the other so I've always got wheels while fixing the other. I've hit a few roos and sheep and a concrete pole with the 380000, seems indestructible. I just like it. Perhaps its lasting is a testament to qualiy. However, I think liking it enough to want to keep it going helps.
Cheers.

I've owned one of all 3 gen magnas (all wagons), the first series was terrible - but actually in comparison at the time so were most cars, the TR and TS were rock solid cars - they felt well built and the 3.0L V6 was a sweet engine. The TH I had was next to unkillable - It had 2 major hits and insurance welded a new rear section on, and replaced the whole left side and it still felt solid. when shopping for the replacement for the TH I did notice that there seemed to be an abnormal number of TL & TW cars with failing clear coats and headliners falling down, Not sure if the TL/TW also coincided with change to painting solvents being removed from paint but it seems the TH and TJ series have generally better paint and the headliner *seems* thicker in the later cars but fails sooner?

Having said that if you only want a sedan I think the 380 is a great evolution (it is really a Mk4 Magna) has a heap more poke, more modern creature comforts and are still cheap.

Id say my tf as the tj missed out on lots of small things that I have noticed. T

I've had a TN Elite, TH Altera and now a KL all wagons.

Once I got the TN worted it was great and compared to the VL or XF of the time it was miles ahead.
The TH just went and went until a little over 400,000 mostly courier(hard) miles.
The KL seems ok but not as much of an advance on the TH as the TH was on the TN.
The first gen was bigger inside and the elite still looks classy it's a pity it did have many issues.

Funny about the door sound on the previous page. My KF has an extremely nice door close sound, particularly the rears. At 165,000km it feels very solid, paintwork is immaculate, no rattles. Slight bit of wind noise at 100kph so maybe it needs new seals? (no window rattles or anything though)

Only problem is crap fuel economy for no apparent reason

Not reliability related but the TL/TW has aged because its butt ugly, and those big headlights fade because they are plastic. I find most of the Boulay styled magnas on the roads are quite rough looking. Provided the paint hasn't faded, I find a tidy TE-TJ still looks nice, those lines haven't aged at all. The lighter beige interior on the TJs turned me off some cars I was looking at as they automatically look dirty. Luckily I found a grey interior on my wagon with blue trim.

I thought that the TR SE that my brother had was a pretty solid car. Felt good to drive, well screwed together, no rattles or squeaks although the Astron was rough. I'd say that a 2nd gen Verada would have been a nicely built car in its day.

As for the 3rd gens, maybe the TH? They appeared to be well put together and had some nice touches that were deleted for the TJ. On my TJ, the gap between the driver's side air vent and the dashboard is a little off as is the gap where the centre console meets the dashboard beside the gear lever. Aside from those however it's pretty well screwed together with no squeaks or rattles. I've noticed on the TLs with fabric seats that they've almost always come away from the seat base and has wrinkled, and the gap where the rear bumper meets the boot lid is sometimes uneven.

Hmm...It's a pity the forum doesn't have a poll setting as in many other forums. Looks like the TR/TS series is out in front followed by the TH.

I must admit that my TS wagon really felt sold and well put together. The doors had a satisfying "clunk" when they shut. The TJs I have now also seem well put together but the idle is just a little rougher than the very sweet 3L V6 in the TS. In terms of outright grunt the TJs win hands down. If you floor the pedal you get pressed into the seat back!:eek2:

Such a pity that flooring it means starring in a photo you DIDN'T want taken! Sigh!:happy:

Sad to say, no matter what year, make or model you have, sooner or later you need to work on it beyond the standard oil and filter change. Its just the different models give you different jobs.

Current jobs lined up:
TL - polish plastic headlights.
Retrim front seats. (got to find suitable material first)

TJ - headliner (again)
Rebuild passenger seat (again)

Both will be due for new CV joint boots and and rack boots in the next year or two, I shouldn't wonder. lol

(Of course, the alternative - to let problems accumulate to the point you want to junk the car(s) - is unacceptable! lol)

Sad to say, no matter what year, make or model you have, sooner or later you need to work on it beyond the standard oil and filter change. Its just the different models give you different jobs.

Current jobs lined up:
TL - polish plastic headlights.
Retrim front seats. (got to find suitable material first)

TJ - headliner (again)
Rebuild passenger seat (again)

Both will be due for new CV joint boots and and rack boots in the next year or two, I shouldn't wonder. lol

(Of course, the alternative - to let problems accumulate to the point you want to junk the car(s) - is unacceptable! lol)

What happens with the headliner? Does it drop? And how do you fix it?
I know the best way to polish the plastic headlights...just use standard toothpaste and mix it with some bicarb soda and then buff with that compound.

Couple of things I do miss from the Gen1.

Tail Light blown globe alert.
Adjustable head rests.

Haha, i notice the definition of "quality" in this discussion varies from reliability to esthetics to maintenance, but for me its more about the build quality of the body and interior since mechanically they got better as they went along IMO.
I do notice little differences between my KH and KL; like the sound proofing is much better in the KH. Looks like they removed the underlay felt stuff from the KL's boot and cabin area. I think the panel alignment/gaps are slightly better in the KH and i also suspect the paint is slightly thicker too.

Having said that, the KL has more features such as higher rigidity, better steering, extra side airbags, additional intrusion bars, EBD, 6 speed auto, in dash CD stacker and so on.

the autos never made the cut- on any generation

sorry forum
EDIT
opps I better not start something

automatics are great really

Fixing the first gen autos nearly did me in
the faulty wave springs another
Failing tranny computer modules
triptronic mania

the autos never made the cut- on any generation

Oh, don't start THAT again!

the autos never made the cut- on any generation

At the risk of igniting something I don't want to....

I genuinely don't understand why people ever want a manual in anything other than a track car or a motorbike? Day to day an auto is always going to be easier to live with and get around in
If you go sideways every corner then sure get a manual, if you just want to pop down the shops why make it harder than it has to be? why not just walk or jog there? and don't wear shoes either so you get that 'direct connection to and control over whats going on'
I've always had manuals in that for the longest time I rode bikes, not interested in cars. And figured it would be the same in a car, until I actually drove a car with a half decent auto transmission (and the magna/verada's box is fine) then I was like pffft you can stuff your manual it's just rubbish in anything other than a scenario where you are driving it really hard
Of course there are some cars with incredibly annoying auto transmissions that can't make up their mind as to what gear to use, and are very jerky between shifts. The magna/verada transmission is none of that, it's predictable smooth and comfortably responsive

Oh, don't start THAT again!

Which part of this statement didn't you understand?

lol?

Horses for courses - ie personal preference.

Manuals are fine until the clutch wears out.
Autos are fine until they stuff up.

End of story.

Heh, I grew up on manuals, loved a "three in the tree" and a "four on the floor", but fell in love with the auto first week i drove one in peak traffic. Clutch work is really a PITA in that situation. Haven't driven a manual for ages but its like riding a bike, you never lose it.

the autos never made the cut- on any generation

sorry forum
EDIT
opps I better not start something

automatics are great really

Fixing the first gen autos nearly did me in
the faulty wave springs another
Failing tranny computer modules
triptronic mania

I only had trouble with my first Magna's auto a TM executive, only other auto I had to replace was a KR Verada with 293,000 k's, currently a KH with 268,000 auto fine (original tranny) , TF Advance 290,000 auto fine, not sure if its the original one

I've had a TN, TP and the current TJ, and I reckon they were all made pretty well. I've never noticed anything on any of my Mitsubishis that I could call bad build quality, though there are some things that I would consider to be bad design. For example, the position of the fuel line connector to the fuel rail on the 2.6 making it bloody near impossible to get the thermostat housing off, and I remain unconvinced about the design of the 3rd gen's throttle body (seems designed to collect gunge). I won't mention the often-quoted problems with the heater and the dreaded wave-spr... oops, nearly mentioned it... as I believe they are overblown (touching wood).

Overall I reckon the Magnas are pretty well made really, at least compared to similar-vintage Holdens and Fords.

I had a 2001 TJ Advance for just on a year (got it as a "pay the rego and you can have it" deal), and it was a damned good car. Close to 300,000 on the clock, but most of them were gentle freeway K's, and the (original) engine was smooth enough (except for the usual occasional rough idle at traffic lights), tranny was fine, and so on. Comfortable, stylish, and ultra-reliable.

Sold it to a work-mate, who's rapt with it.

I'd had a '96 VS Berlina for about eight years, and the TJ was a definite step up. So much so that, when a friend blew the motor in his Holden Combo, I bought him a TJ Exec to keep him mobile (he's on a disability pension, no way he could ever afford to replace the car himself).

Nine months down the track, he still has it - loves it, and reckons it's one of the best cars he's ever had. Likewise, another friend has just been given a TJ Exec by his daughter (who's traded up) - same thing: says it's fabulous.

I'd happily recommend TJ's to anyone...

well the old girl (TL sedan) has done 248K, no rattles, plastics are still great, all electrics perfect, transmission is faultless, engine purrs like a kitten and is a joy to drive. i bought this for the misses brand new and have ended up with it to drive to work for the past 5 years. Only thing it does is drop a bit of oil from the head gasket. Just cant part with the old girl.

My Grandma had a 1st gen and owned it from new till about 2002, never had an issue except some rust on the boot lid. The Grandfather had a KF Verada, his was good too until the heater core spewed coolant on the ECU. My KJ has been great so far, all the usual stuff that was wrong got fixed like a blowing cat and failing solenoids.

At the risk of igniting something I don't want to....

I genuinely don't understand why people ever want a manual in anything other than a track car or a motorbike? Day to day an auto is always going to be easier to live with and get around in
If you go sideways every corner then sure get a manual, if you just want to pop down the shops why make it harder than it has to be? why not just walk or jog there? and don't wear shoes either so you get that 'direct connection to and control over whats going on'
I've always had manuals in that for the longest time I rode bikes, not interested in cars. And figured it would be the same in a car, until I actually drove a car with a half decent auto transmission (and the magna/verada's box is fine) then I was like pffft you can stuff your manual it's just rubbish in anything other than a scenario where you are driving it really hard
Of course there are some cars with incredibly annoying auto transmissions that can't make up their mind as to what gear to use, and are very jerky between shifts. The magna/verada transmission is none of that, it's predictable smooth and comfortably responsive

There's just something about a manual car, I've owned a NL Fairlane, ZC Vectra, AU XR6 and a KJ GTV and my favourite car has always been my falcon as it's manual. There's nothing like driving around holding the gear stick and downshifting to hear a nice exhaust burble. For me it makes every journey a little more special, however car parks are a pain but the reality is I don't use my reverse gear 99% of the time driving. Bikes are different I guess, I rode a 2012 CBR250R for a few months as my daily commuter and I would never have that as an auto, the sequential manual gearbox made that thing fun, however I would still consider a automatic bike.

In most situations in oz if you have a rac card a mobile and don't venture too far off the grid, enjoy the automatic, keep it serviced, when you inherit problems and don't take preventative steps it's a bit dodgy in situations where a manual will be the solution.

In most situations in oz if you have a rac card a mobile and don't venture too far off the grid, enjoy the automatic, keep it serviced, when you inherit problems and don't take preventative steps it's a bit dodgy in situations where a manual will be the solution.

Pretty much bang on there

Is such an open question but if you disregard the age of the car and compare each as they were new the KF or TF was when Mits really got it right, after that they started to cut corners. We see this a lot in the cars we wreck here. TL onwards were very cheap builds and this is very clear when we dismantle the cars

Is such an open question but if you disregard the age of the car and compare each as they were new the KF or TF was when Mits really got it right, after that they started to cut corners. We see this a lot in the cars we wreck here. TL onwards were very cheap builds and this is very clear when we dismantle the cars

What are some of the cheap builds areas on the TL compared to say a KF?

TJ's are good. When I drove from Port Melb to Gosford I only used around 88ltrs of petrol according to the computer

The quality when it comes to interiors has also been far superior to that of Holden or Ford, I must say. Everything stays a bit tighter in a 10 year old Magna, compared to an EL or a VX these days.