Hows your Ralliart engine guys? Does it have the durability and the strength to take on the years? PAST MITSU OWNERS PLEASE GIVE ME YOUR INSIGHT!

 

I think it is durable. My car is leased for 3 years so it makes no difference to me.

 

honda/acura/toyota durable?

 

Probably not up to Toyota standards, but close to Honda. Honda actually isn't that amazing in terms of build quality. Toyota far surpasses any other Japanese maker. Mitsubishi has always been known to be lower on the list (of Jap makers) but compare a 2004 Ralliart to a 2004 Cavalier. There is no comparison. Pretty much any 2004 car will last a good long while without many problems. Cars DESIGNED in the last few years (like the Lancer) will always be better than ones designed a decade ago (AKA Cavalier). The ENGINE in the ralliarts is quite durable. Mitsu didn't cheap out on anything internally. I always worry about aluminum head on cast iron block, but I don't think it will be a big concern in the ralliarts.

 

this car has great internals and a 100k warrenty. the car will be running long after I'm done with it.

 

hope its good, what do you think the rank is between all these japanese builders?
1. Toyota
2. Honda/Acura
3. Mitsubishi?

any other jap builders that comes between these 3?

 

subaru's run forever

 

You got the order right. The gap between Toyota and Honda is larger than the one between Honda and Mitsu, IMO. Nissan and Mazda are probably below Toyota and depending on the car, may be above or below Honda. Here is how I would rank them

1. Toyota
2. Honda
3. Mazda
4. Mitsu
5. Nissan

Now for the domestic makes muwah hah hah...

1. GM
2. Ford
3. Chrysler

However the SRT-4 is pretty much the only domestic car that caught my eye. I would go for it. Wouldn't consider anything from Ford (just can't get over how the Focus looks). GM has nothing right now (the Chevy Cobalt may be on to something.) But I am tired of Cavaliers/Sunfires as far as the eye can see and that Aveo is just

 

I haven't inputted us builders at all in my decision of any car, but sure

 

The ralliart motor is a beautiful motor and very well designed/put together. I think it is the new wave of mitsu motor standards and it's a great thing. The MIVEC is a step above all other setups and the motor layout is really intricate. If you ever get the chance to see one broken down or look at the breakdown in the shop manuel you will see what i'm saying. Great motor/tranny in these cars... can't over stress how impressed with it i am!

 

I agree with you for the most part, but the new Ecotec engine in the Cavs/Sunfires is a work of engineering art. That motor is a brand new design, and CANNOT be killed.

But I'm just talking motors here. If we're talking overall build quality, then yea I agree with you 100%. The old Cav Z24 motor was guaranteed to die at 100,000 miles. Rod #3 would always die. As an ex-cavalier owner, I heard that story time and time again.

This motor is fantastic. As long as it's taken care of, it will be a powerhouse for years to come.

 

My car will have died, been resurrected, died again, risen again as undead, and then finally died a horrible, nasty death before I'm done with it.

One of my goals with any car is to have it go 500k. A bit unrealistic, to be sure, but what would be the point in only wanting 100k?

 

I'm going to chiropractic school in a year and I bought this car to last untill I'm a couple years into my practice. Then I want to buy my dream car. So I need it to last about seven years. I'll probably own the car longer then the warrenty with the amount of driving I do.

 

Yeah, I was mostly talking about the general build quality. In terms of engines, the ecotec IS amazing. GM just needs to put it in a fresh chassis. Domestic makers have gotten their general build quality up quite a few notches lately. GM still has bland/cheap interiors. But they are getting better as the new models come out.

 

2 words: Nissan SR20DET