The TR is a lovely car, but the front suspension, well, let's just say it isn't suspending very well..

A local tyre/suspension specialist today quoted me;
Left outer CV boot @$110
Front struts @550 including wheel align
Ball joints @$220
Lower control arm bushes @$360
Strut mounts extra (if needed)
Total including labour between $1,200 and $1,400

Now the car only cost $1,600 to begin, but everything else about it is terrific, I've replaced the battery, the electrics of the ignition switch and had the air-con regassed, so I'm loath to get rid of it, but then again....

So does this quote seem a tad excessive (I have bought struts twice before on eBay for $240 frieght free for a set, including bump stops)???

get a second opinion from a different workshop?

The CV boot soinds expensive, I think entire shafts costing $125,
The struts I dont think are cheap but if Mal can do a full set of suspension on a 3rd gen for $500ish, then you should be able to find 2nd gen fronts cheaper, wheel alignment = $40ish? I think this needs to be done if you take the struts out.
Ball joints, bushes and strut mounts can't comment, labour is expensive. Buisnesses charging $70-100/hr for labour and the mechanic doing it is paid a lot less, since his work needs to pay for office staff and workshop rental etc for the rest of the business, backyard mechanics arent always bad, some are just mechanics that want to be their own boss and still just charge just hourly rate they would otherwise get.
Does the car seem to drive alright? My 2nd gen has worn out suspension and bushes etc, but for me its just a cheap car as transport that I fix as parts break. If I replaced everything as it started to wear out, it wouldnt be a cheap car, so it might come down to what you want the car for, to be a great condition 2nd gen worth about the same as all the rest, or just to get from A to B. The more work you can do yourself helps as well.

From what I've seen from friends, it is not excessive but just a fact of life - repairs are expensive when paying someone to do the work for you. It's probably the reason why there are so many cars on the road which are in pretty bad condition. Whether they are unsafe is open to question but usually people drive them with regard to this. If it was me, and I didn't want to spend too much $$$, I'd just fix the worst first....maybe the CV boot?...

Total including labour between $1,200 and $1,400


Unfortunately front wheel drive cars with lots of Km on them do this, the front end carries a lot of weight and does the steering, drive and most of the braking. Kudos to Mitsu for making the front end last as long as it does.

Most of these jobs are ok for a competent person as a DIY exercise, but you would need a workshop to press in new ball joints and control arm bushes. Price up the parts before you decide, the price difference will be for labour as those are time consuming jobs. Top strut mounts should be changed too, probably dry and rusty by now. lol Good time to check rotors and pads, as well as wheel bearings too.

thanks for the advice, folks, I'll have a chat with another mechanic tomorrow and see if I can 'stage' the repairs

I must agree about durability, however, no car I owned back in the 70s would have GOT to 240,000 kms, much less have needed only a front suspension rebuild

aside, last tank of fuel was 50.28 litres for 543 kms, not bad for a V6 manual, eh?

thanks for the advice, folks, I'll have a chat with another mechanic tomorrow and see if I can 'stage' the repairs

I must agree about durability, however, no car I owned back in the 70s would have GOT to 240,000 kms, much less have needed only a front suspension rebuild

aside, last tank of fuel was 50.28 litres for 543 kms, not bad for a V6 manual, eh?

lol My TS V6 is at 241,500 and in need of the same work.

there's nothing like shared pain, is there? :lol:

In relation to your PM

I have some of these items already listed in the MitsFix site, drive shafts I do as a complete shaft assy, I dont do just boots and bushes are a little hard as all I can get is poly pushes, I prefer the genuine rubber personally