I know I asked a while ago the difference between the TE and TF, and there were a few notable differences (no cup holders in the TE for instance), and these differences are consistent with the Ei KE.

However, in looking at a 1997 KE Xi and 1998 KF Xi I cannot find a single difference between the two, apart from the full chrome door handles+surrounds on the KE vs chrome handles only on the KF. Both appear to have the same leather trim, same wheels, same options, same stereo, same woodgrain dash and so on.

Are there any valid differences between the two?

Something I'm also a little confused on is insurance, I know nothing much can be done about it, but a 97 KE Xi and 98 KF Xi cost $623 per year to insure. The KE is insured for $6200 and the KF is insured for $9300....what the? :doubt:

Thanks guys :D

KE has clock, no cupholders and chrome surronnds for handles.

KF has speed alert, cupholders and crappy surrounds.

Apart from that there is SFA, nohing mechnically except the KE has one extra pulley that was removed from the KF as it made noise and served no purpose.

KE Xi does have cup holders, already noticed that from photos, isn't speed alert part of the tripmeter? or am I getting that confused with something else.

From carsales research, the only difference I can note is the KE is 55kg lighter than the KF :nuts:

Is the extra pully something to worry about? From the two I'm looking at, they are both spec'd exactly the same (both white, both with optional sunroof and so on), the KE is going to be about $500-800 less. KE has spoiler, KF doesn't, only visible difference I've noted.

SFA?

KE Xi does have cup holders, already noticed that from photos, isn't speed alert part of the tripmeter? or am I getting that confused with something else.

Sorry, forgot it was an XI, yes both have cupholders under the lid in the console.

KE/KF do not have tripmeter/computer. KE has a clock above the airvents, KF has the speed alert (and maybe a clock aswell?, havent been in a KF)




Is the extra pully something to worry about?

Nope, if it gets noisy take it off and tighten the belt. Thats if it hasnt already been taken off.

KE/KF do not have tripmeter/computer. KE has a clock above the airvents, KF has the speed alert (and maybe a clock aswell?, havent been in a KF)
Well on carsales research under both the KE Xi and KF Xi:

Tripmeter - Standard
Digital Clock - Standard


Speed alert is separate? I know in the TH the speed alert is part of that comp, supposed to be the same deal in the TF, TE doesn't have it I know, thought maybe the $50k KE might :( ah well, not like I use it anyway :P

So what exactly does the Pully do? Surely it was there for a reason?

all the dif was 6 disc cd stacker in the boot and sun roof too

KE/KF do not have tripmeter/computer. KE has a clock above the airvents, KF has the speed alert (and maybe a clock aswell?, havent been in a KF)


KF's have a clock and speed alarm instead of the trip computer.

all the dif was 6 disc cd stacker in the boot and sun roof too
Please be more specific? Different to which model? So far as I can tell, both the KE Xi and KF Xi have a 10 disc stacker and both have the sunroof fitted (these are the vehicles I'm looking at, I know the sunroof was optional and afaik the stacker was stock standard on the Xi).

I'm presuming people are taking guesses with most of this like myself, because atm I'm getting contradicting information.lol

I have a KE Xi and a mate has a KF. He has a speed alert, different surrounds of the interior door handles, and a badge on the engine cover that says Mitsubishi 3.5 or something like that. They're the only discernable differences between our cars. Sunroofs were options on both models and both came standard with woodgrain, steering wheel audio controls and a 10stacker in the boot.

What is the pully? where is it? what is it for? can it be removed?

Top stuff Horsimus, thats what I wanted to hear. Between yourself and Gas_Hed we've listed the differences as:


KE with clock vs. VF with speed alert+clock
KE with Chrome Surrounds on handles vs. KF with chrome handles only
KE has extra pully not required
Engine cover varies.


Otherwise identical vehicles correct?

Given speed alert is useless (everyone sets it above 100hm/h that I know), the pully does nothing, the engine cover does nothing at the door handle surrounds are purely for looks, all I need to do is decide which car is in better nick :D

Speaking of which, any advice on deciding between a KF Xi with 150k's odd on the clock and no service history, vs a KE Xi with 195k's odd but with a full service history. For the record the KE should be about $500-700 cheaper I've worked out.

Thanks guys.

Speaking of which, any advice on deciding between a KF Xi with 150k's odd on the clock and no service history, vs a KE Xi with 195k's odd but with a full service history. For the record the KE should be about $500-700 cheaper I've worked out.

Bear in mind that the KE will need a timing belt replaced as soon as you pick it up unless it's already been done and that will set you back the price difference. 195k is pretty scary. How much total price are we talking if you dont mind me asking?

Bear in mind that the KE will need a timing belt replaced as soon as you pick it up unless it's already been done and that will set you back the price difference. 195k is pretty scary. How much total price are we talking if you dont mind me asking?
Estimates are ~$5.5k vs a touch over $6k. I figured the timing belt will need doing soon, unless of course it was done early for whatever reason, which the service history should tell me.

Edit: Timing belt is 200k yes? I doubt very much it will hit 200k before next year if I have it so thats not too much of a worry.

timing belt and 200,000k service will negate the price difference between the 2 ;) just see which is in better nick, which drives better. the KF mightve been kept and driven fine, just they havent bothered to keep receipts (which is fair enuff, probly onto its 3rd owner atleast). double check rust/engine noise, and even maybe colour choice

and just because its 5000k's off getting the timing belt done doesnt mean it shouldnt be done anyway :P

timing belt and 200,000k service will negate the price difference between the 2 ;) just see which is in better nick, which drives better. the KF mightve been kept and driven fine, just they havent bothered to keep receipts (which is fair enuff, probly onto its 3rd owner atleast). double check rust/engine noise, and even maybe colour choice

and just because its 5000k's off getting the timing belt done doesnt mean it shouldnt be done anyway :P
Too well said, regardless of which one I buy it'll be serviced as soon as I have the $$$ to do so, including transmission, as that seems to be let go. The owner of the KE said they can provide a service history, so I'm hoping its on its first or second owner, as unlike the KF, they didn't specify how far back, although obviously they don't have to.

I need to have a look at both and take both for a spin, so its hard to make up my mind obviously before that takes place (also relies on other circumstances, current car for instance).

As to colour choice, both are white, both are stock standard, KE has a spoiler, both have sunroof, so theres no factors really there on which to buy.

Based on my experience having just bought a KF Xi myself, things you might want to look out for are:
Oil leaks onto / near the belts on the drivers side of the engine. (likely coming from the crank casing)
Oil seepage from the sump.

Paint lustre fading / clearcoat stripping on rear bumper or roof (if it's been parked in the sun for much of its life this is a possibility, going to be significantly less noticeable in white tho')

Look out closely for transmission trouble in both vehicles. Make a very careful and clear count of the fact that they use all 4 gears. KE may well have transmission issues (KF could as well, but slightly less likely).

Check for engine compression (stick it in first, run it to 50, release accelerator, make sure it can bring you back down).

Check ABS functionality (60 [or 80 if possible] to 0 as hard as you can)

Run the air-conditioner in both vehicles on both manual mode and also in climate control mode. Listen to the fan motor at low speeds (located behind the glove box) fan motor can destabilise producing an annoying noise (can also get leaves and crud into it).

Have a good feel of all the leather, make sure it all has the same soft texture and no cracks and doesn't feel oily, weather damage and wear over time can be exacerbated if the owner(s) have used armor all (etc) on their trim.

Check that all 4 door sensors function correctly and turn on their respective lights.
Each drivers door should have rear facing red lights in the lower panel and ground facing curtesy lights on the underside.
Each rear door should activate the rear pillar spotlights.
Sometimes the rear pillar switches can fail partly or fully.

I think that's about all I learned from when I was looking at, buying and later reviewing my KF. :)

Thanks mjd26 :thumbsup:

Its gonna be fun testing a couple of those things with the owner in the back hhahaha, "about to test ABS, put your seatbelt on" :cool:

Might be able to go down this weekend to have a squiz if all goes to plan :D

I bought my KE for $6500 with full history (serviced every 7,000KM .. overdone!) 4 months ago (it has only done 115k so far too) and it was divine, well until I wrecked it so now have to spend another $7k. May have as well bought a 2k4 Verada for the cost that I've incurred :(.

So your getting full comp insurance this time zedovski? You better not say no.

My only concern with these cars at the moment is because they're so cheap for what they are (most still seem to sit in the $8+ region) could they have been involved in accidents at some point in their life? I suppose thats something to look out for when I check em out aye :)

Magnet test, are you familiar with it?

Get yourself a decent sized, solid magnet (generally fridge magnets aren't good enough).
Wrap it in thin material (a handkerchief does the trick). Try to stick it to bits of paneling where it should be metal and where you suspect may have had dodgy repair work done.
If they have bogged a panel due to rust / accident damage (etc) (bog = dodgy repair!!) then your magnet won't stick.

Look out for subtle differences in paint shade from one panel to another.

Normally these ones apply to older cars but if the owner is trying to pull a fast one over you, this can catch them out.
Consider also what redbook says for the KF Xi:

Prices based on km 150,000 - 250,000
Trade in price guide* $2,600 - $4,000
National average price - private sale* $4,600 - $6,100

Then consider how much I was both concerned and delighted when I scored mine from a dealer for $4700 on road. :)

Then consider how much I was both concerned and delighted when I scored mine from a dealer for $4700 on road. :)
I have no idea how you managed that, I'd happily pay a bit more to get it from a reputable dealership, for the warranty and so on. Can't believe you got it so cheap, how many k's if you don't mind me asking?

I have no idea how you managed that, I'd happily pay a bit more to get it from a reputable dealership, for the warranty and so on. Can't believe you got it so cheap, how many k's if you don't mind me asking?

I'm still not quite sure how I managed it either, but there were some trade-offs which make it more likely. :)
It's still early days and I'm still not 100% certain that a hidden problem isn't going to jump up and bite me in the a$$, but so far so good.

It had 247,000K's on the clock.
This was (for me at least) partly mitigated by the fact that the owner lived in murray bridge and frequently commuted to Adelaide.

The good bits:
It had the sound system fully done (DVD player, cd stacker, amp, after market splits etc.)
It had the exhaust done (including full extractors to tip 2.5" system)
It had been lowered.
It had the mags done already and had brand new 235/45/17's
Mechanically, seems to be in brilliant condition. There is some slight oil seepage from the sump but it hasn't actually dropped a single drip of oil since I've owned it. All oil is a nice colour in the system so it's not getting burned.
Trans works flawlessly.

The bad bits:
The 247k's.
The leather interior had not been looked after. The leather was largely hardened and in some places has started to crack. It has rejuvenated nicely after some love and care with about half a dozen layers of maguires leather conditioner.
The sound system install had been done at cost of the interior. The trim was missing from the back (inside the boot) of the back seats. (not an issue as there's a gas tank hiding that now)
The carpet has a few smallish cuts / holes. Mostly in non-visible areas and you don't notice until you're looking for them.
There is some weather damage to the trimming on the inside of the b-pillar. Looks like it's been rained on. Best guess given the trim damage on the drivers side is that it got rained on... possibly heavily, with the window down.
The paint is showing signs of some fairly bad sun damage on the roof (where a sun-roof would be were it present) and on the rear bumper. (quote for respray = $800 - $1500 depending on who you ask)

So, all in all its interior has been treated poorly. He's given it a good sound system but other than that he's trashed it a bit. Externally most of it is good with the exception of rear bumper and roof. Mechanically it's brilliant (so far).

All that added up to me to still make the car a bargain at $4700 on road. :)

Hmm...see this is something that I like about these cars, they can be treated with quite little respect and they keep going, a 2nd gen would break haha.... I've actually noticed theres a lot of the 3.5L variant of the magnas going around with heaps of k's on them, many getting close to 300k's, and they still run fine being serviced on time. Thats why I'm not too worried about the 195k's on the KE. If the rest of the car is in good nick, and its been serviced regularly, there's nothing to say it's likely to break and stop in the next say 20k's.

The way I see it, I'll probably put 50-80k's on the car which ever one I get before I update (obviously that depends on my future, but thats the estimate), and I'm a bit anal about making sure things are cared for, so it'll get serviced on time (even if it makes me broke), so I'm hoping I've nothing to worry about mechanically if its good when I buy it.

Anyone know what an RACV check costs? I've been told around $50, apparently its something I should do before I buy :)

I'm so eager to go out and buy one now, its getting irritating getting everything else that has to be sorted first sorted out haha.

One little thing that escaped my attention when buying my verada was a buggered 'o' ring somewhere in the cams, can't remember specifics, but if not replaced was going to end up with a valve hitting the side of the cylinder (i.e. the part without the hole) like a mis-time or something. Cost a pretty penny to fix because it involved half the engine being pulled out and put back in.

All for one piece of rubber.