2002 Mitsubishi Diamante VRX 3.5 from North America

Summary:

Ctouch of class

Faults:

Heater core on 2002... rear wheel hubs... struts...

General Comments:

Great car love it had one before it... now don't know what I'm gonna do cause they don't make them any more... only downfall is the resale value is poor... good if your buying, but not if your selling...

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 9th April, 2006

2002 Mitsubishi Diamante SE from North America

Summary:

A big noisey, uncomfortable care

Faults:

This is the 2nd Diamante I have owned. The first one was a 2000, and the service engine light would not go off and I had to replace brakes at 17,000. The dealer gave me a good deal on the 2002 because we could not remedy the 2000. My 2nd Diamante has had the rotors go bad, new brakes at 18k and now at 38,000 the heater core has gone bad. It is a rough ride and noisy. I will not buy another.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 27th February, 2006

1st Mar 2006, 03:21

Big?

If you think this car is big, what would you make of a proper car, like the Lincoln Town Car or Mercury Grand Marquis?

This Mitsubishi is a dopey little car for people who know nothing about cars.

2002 Mitsubishi Diamante LS 3.0 from North America

Summary:

Good Car, but Overrated

Faults:

Replaced rotors at 24,000 Miles.

CV Joint needs to be replaced.

General Comments:

Overall, my experience with this car has been positive. It looks good, handles well, and has plenty of power. My one complaint is the car seems to rev too high during hard acceleration. I know of another Diamante owner and he made the same comment.

Though I am generally happy with this car, my research into this vehicle has given me some evidence of reviewer bias when it comes to Japanese cars. The generally excellent reviews on the Diamante referred to the excellent performance, handling, amenities and so on. My wife has a 1999 Mercury Grand Marquis and that car received mediocre reviews from the automotive press. However, in the opinion of this reviewer and someone who has driven both cars regularly, in almost every category, the Marquis is a better car. It is more comfortable, has nearly as much power as the Diamante, has traction control which the Diamante does not, a much better tuned transmission, and a host of other nice little features such as a compass that the Diamante lacks. The only category that the Diamante might win out is handling, but that is not by much. The point is, if you are considering buying this car or any Japanese cars, read the reviews from the automotive press with a small dose of skepticism. They are certainly good cars, but, I think the declared differences in quality and performance between the Japanese cars and others is sometimes exaggerated.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 29th December, 2005

29th Dec 2005, 23:37

The Diamante was built and designed in Australia (Mitsubishi Magna). Some were also manufactured in Japan, but the American export models are Australian.

24th Jan 2006, 13:13

I totally agree with your comment about reviewer bias when it comes to Japanese-made cars. We have owned several very good Japanese makes, including Mazda, Toyota, and Mitsubishi, but we have also had some excellent American cars, especially Ford products, which did not get fantastic reviews, but have been great vehicles. For example, my 1997 Ford Expedition has gone 150 miles with nothing, but regular maintenance and one new alternator. My husband's Crown Vic went 160K+ miles and was a dandy until a huge deer jumped in his path, practically totalling the vehicle. We were glad that he was not driving a little Toyota or Mazda when that happened!

2002 Mitsubishi Diamante LS 3.5 SOHC from North America

Summary:

It's a really nice car, if only Mitsubishi would back them up better

Faults:

The infamous heater core problem.

New breaks all around.

Check engine light comes on and sometimes has problems shifting. However, this could be a side effect of the heater core because when they leak they leak on to the computer.

General Comments:

Overall a really nice car. Has great performance and is rather comfortable.

Mitsubishi really needs to address the heater core problem. It is far to common and far to expensive a problem for them to ignore.

Also parts are hard to find due to the limited production of the car.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 21st May, 2005

14th Mar 2006, 20:35

I have a 2002 Mitsubishi Diamante LS with 33,900 miles on it as of March 14, 2006, four months past the 36-month warranty. This is the second time the heater has had a problem. The first problem was the warning light would come on. A few months later the heater/air-condition control lever would change the airflow from the floor to the defroster and the windows would steam up. The Mitsubishi dealer fixed the warning light without any force. The control lever repair took a little more time to encourage them to fix it. Now that the heater core has a leak they said the repair would cost about $1,400.00 dollars. I told them that Mitsubishi should recall the cars that have this problem and make the repair due to the fact that it is a default rather then wear and tear. They agreed to pay fifty percent of the cost, but I would have to say that I was happy with them doing that or they would not pay anything. I felt that this was like a dictator, “Adolf Hitler” I will not buy anything from Mitsubishi again. They are not responsible.

Melvin Hoke

Laurel, Maryland.