1993 Mitsubishi Expo LRV

Summary:

Fantastic!

Faults:

Absolutely nothing!

General Comments:

I love this car! As a diminutive female, it fits me well, allowing me to see the road conditions at a greater height than my previous car.

It handles extremely well; specifically, in an ice storm in NY, I hit a patch of ice on the highway and the wheels just seemed to grab the road, allowing me to stay on the road when all other vehicles were sliding and spinning out of control! My insurance is less expensive as well, due to all the safety features that are standard, the car is 12 years old, drives like a dream and has had only regular maintenance, like oil changes every 3000 miles, new spark plugs, etc. I have just changed out the battery for the first time. I hope this car lasts forever!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 5th September, 2005

11th Sep 2006, 15:53

Change that transmission fluid!

Automatic transmission fluid usually only lasts about 100,000 miles. I'd get the service done professionally, either at a trustworthy dealer or a professional mechanic that services Japanese cars (a Lexus technician would be perfect, I think).

Get the transmission flushed, the fluid and filter changed, and your Expo *should* last forever! :)

24th Oct 2008, 19:19

If you flush the transaxle fluid and replace with new, there is a chance of transaxle failure and transmission burnout... even Mitsubishi reps at the dealer admit that... as that just happened to me and my 1993 Expo LRV... and it cost me 3000 dollars to repair. They claim that the old becomes much thicker, and when you flush and put in the new, it is much thinner and the transmission freaks and fries out after a little usage.

1992 Mitsubishi Expo LRV 1.8L gasoline 4 cylinder (4G93)

Summary:

A reliable power loaf, ahead of it's time

Faults:

A/C doesn't work. Hasn't worked "for a while."

Occasionally takes two turns of the key to start. Don't know why.

Cruise control doesn't like hills.

Can no longer adjust the instrument panel brightness.

Idle needed adjusting.

Replaced burned-out bulbs around the car.

Tightened up loose battery terminals.

Previous owner and mechanic had replaced a lot of expensive things before we got it (front suspension, head gasket, tie rods, ECU, distributor).

Cleaned a stain on the driver's seat pan.

General Comments:

Awesome car! It was the harbinger of the loaf-shaped-car movement (Toyota Matrix, Nissan Axxess, PT Cruiser, etc.) way before it's time!

Love the flip-up seat, sliding side door and extra driver's-side HVAC vents.

I've been so impressed by the performance of this mini-minivan that I've taken a completely different view of Mitsubishi cars on a whole.

The engine is a little rough at idle (until warmed up) and it's noisy (esp. on the highway). But it goes like heck and is very tight and responsive in turns, even though the driver's seat is Way Up High (I'm almost eye-level with Jeep Cherokees and Ford Explorers).

Gas mileage is between 28 and 34 mpg.

The seats are uncomfortable for me, but my wife likes them. It's her car, so that's fine. :)

The manual transmission shifting is buttery-smooth, nearly as smooth as a new BMW.

I'll be very very sad to see this excellent car go. Hopefully it will be sticking around for a long time. It sure feels that way.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 8th October, 2004

10th Sep 2006, 07:53

This is the owner and author of this review. I have further comments to add, now that my wife and I have owned this car for nearly 40,000 miles.

A/C simply needed to be recharged. We elected to have the system converted to r134a.

Main ignition key lock cylinder has become loose, which is why it took two turns of the key to start the car. I simply bridged the ignition wires to a button, and now the car is push-button-start. Works like a charm.

Cruise control on our car is aftermarket, and has stopped functioning. I can't comment on the factory-supplied cruise; ours just doesn't have it.

Since the previous review, we've needed to replace the following:

- Main alternator fuse and +B fuse (it blew them during the winter, we don't know why -- hasn't had a problem since; possibly old fuses)

- All four tires were awful. Not a fault of the car, as the previous owner bought the cheapest tires available.

- Several front-driver's-side suspension components, due to one of the previously mentioned cheap tires becoming out-of-balance and wearing out the suspension on that side.

- Water pump and timing belt were replaced at 174,000 miles, since the water pump had failed and was leaking copious amounts of fluid from the bottom of the engine.

- Clutch slave cylinder replaced at 176,000 miles. About time.

- Changed out old transmission fluid for new, synthetic fluid at around 179,000. (I think that was the first time it was changed; it was nasty!)

Good things that have happened with this car:

- Except for the clutch slave cylinder incident and the fuse very early on, this car has never failed to get us where we're going. We both love it so much that we're buying another!

- The engine and the ride are very, very smooth. I'm quite impressed.

- On a recent trip from Madison, WI to Green Bay, WI, we achieved 37 MPG.

- The car is very easy to work on so far. I've easily changed the transmission fluid, the instrument console (traded out with one with a tach!), the center console armrest and all four speakers.

16th Sep 2006, 12:12

Need to find a place to get a main alternator fuse for a 3000 gt 1991.

17th Nov 2006, 14:21

A reliable power loaf, ahead of it's time.

What is a power loaf? It sounds like a power crap!

In reply to 10th Sep 2006, 07:53

26th Jun 2011, 22:46

Hi. I'm torn between a 1993 Expo 5-speed with 57000 original miles, and a 1998 Mazda MPV with 66000 original miles. Have you ever owned an MPV to make a direct comparison from the ownership viewpoint? Thanks.