26th May 2021, 17:31

** Update - Original owner. Currently 185,000kms (115,000 miles, roughly) on the clock. Years of ownership: 8 years

Work done since ownership (all of which I would consider normal wear/maintenance items):

- Fluid changes.

- Timing belt service (a bit spendy, but necessary).

- Brake pads and rotors.

- Both lower control arms (ball joints worn).

- Both outer tie rod ends.

- Spark plugs.

- Probably 6 light bulbs.

- Rustproofing annually.

Notable outstanding issues:

- Muffler has developed a couple holes. Probably be replaced this year.

- Reverse camera stopped working a while ago but I have not bothered to fix it (mirror works just fine).

- The headlight lenses have frosted over a bit. I'd say that's normal for a vehicle of this age. I'll probably do the restoration kit this summer.

- This is an odd gripe but worth noting, I guess: The leading edge of the dog legs (rear wheel arches) are stone chip magnets. The rest of the paint looks mint but the paint on the leading edge of the dog legs are just wrecked. I touch them up twice a year to keep the bare metal sealed. Not a deal breaker for me, but a bit annoying.

The Mitsubishi is now a year older than the vehicle I traded for it was at the time.

Considering the condition of that vehicle when I traded it, I would say the Mitsubishi is holding up very very well. Far exceeding my expectations. Still runs like and drives like new. No rattles or squeaks. No leaks or major issues. Everything still looks and operates as it should (aside from the backup camera).

13th Sep 2021, 13:25

I figured I would do a final update on the Mitsubishi Outlander. I've owned it since the summer of 2013 and have recently replaced it.

To be clear, I did not replace it because I did not like/trust the vehicle anymore. I did it because a family member was in need of a reliable vehicle and was not in a financial position to finance. So I sold it to them for what I would have gotten on trade and purchased a new Honda CR-V EX-L.

Over 8 years of ownership, my list of likes and dislikes still stand true. Overall it was a very reliable vehicle and there wasn't much to complain about. Outside of normal wear items (brakes and suspension parts) I've had zero issues with it. With that said, it was starting to feel a bit dated, but to be fair, it was pushing 10 years old.

The the question everyone is going to ask is: If it was so great, why did you not replace it with a new Mitsubishi? Well, from a build quality and reliability standpoint, I would have zero issue getting a new Mitsubishi. However, vehicle selection in light of COVID is slim to begin with. Also, the current (2022) model being the first model year made me a bit hesitant. As well, the 3rd row seat was kind of a deal breaker. I don't need a 3rd row seat and if given the choice I'd rather have below floor storage. Resale value was also a consideration. I do keep my vehicles a long time so it wasn't a major consideration, but if I said I did not take it into consideration at all I'd be lying.

So, what would I recommend for someone considering a Mitsubishi Outlander? If you are likely to trade it in in 3-5 years, I'd pass. Resale on Mitsubishi is not great.

If you intend on keeping the vehicle until the wheels fall off or you don't care about resale, I'd say, buy used (1 or 2 years old) so as to avoid the initial hit on resale. Outside of that, not much to say. Mitsubishi seems to build a solid, well made, reliable product. I got 8 good years out of mine and I'm confident that my family member who is now driving it is going to get another 8 with ease.

14th Sep 2021, 12:11

It appears that your Mitsubishi experience is very similar to mine with an ASX - http://www.carsurvey.org/reviews/mitsubishi/asx/ (the German review) - good, solid cars which do the job they are made for. Thanks for such an in-depth review!