Help buying Ralliart

[josh11]

Hi all,

I'm looking to purchase a ralliart sedan, hoping to spend no more than $13,000. There have been quite a few listing in the $12k range all with 100-150,000 KMs on the odometer.

What are some key things to look out for when checking out a ralliart, especially when test driving, I've heard a lot about making sure the SST is working fine but I'm not exactly sure how I'm supposed to do that

I don't want to mess this up and end up with a bad transmission or anything so any tips would be appreciated, thanks.

[fearfulmaster2]

Even if the test drive is fine, you need to have $4k in your back pocket for repairs (clutch or timing chain). You don't need that only if you can wait to save up without a car when the triangle light up on the dash.

[Quismiff]

Pre purchase checks by the regional auto club also, RACV, RACQ etc, should go a long way to finding any gremlins, I'm not sure if they have scanning tools available. If you're happy to lose $500 in a deposit maybe even asking them to take it in to a Mitsi dealer of your choosing to have them plug it in and get you a report.

[Lancer1993]

$13k for a RA seems a bit cheap, even for an early one.

I'd get it checked but RACQ or someone if its not covered by some dealer warranty.

Maybe bank on spending a little more for something newer or from a dealer?

You just never know, it could be a good car and last years without issue, but you could spend more and get a lemon.

[josh11]

Even if the test drive is fine, you need to have $4k in your back pocket for repairs (clutch or timing chain). You don't need that only if you can wait to save up without a car when the triangle light up on the dash.

Are these things known for being unreliable or something? Seems like a lot of people talk about the timing chain stretching. Didn't think I would need to have so much extra straight away

[josh11]

$13k for a RA seems a bit cheap, even for an early one.

I'd get it checked but RACQ or someone if its not covered by some dealer warranty.

Maybe bank on spending a little more for something newer or from a dealer?

You just never know, it could be a good car and last years without issue, but you could spend more and get a lemon.

I'm looking at private sales, I can't find many dealers that have the sedan, for whatever reason there seems to be a lot of the hatchbacks floating around. I see a lot of RAs going for around the $13k mark, seems like a lot hover anywhere from $12.5k-$17k and then theres a few that are in the $20k range.

I've got alerts set up for a few websites for dealer listings so hopefully there will be some sedans rather than hatchs

[Lancer1993]

Don't think its a case of being unreliable as such, but depending on the previous owner, service history and such. If it was a little old lady who drove it occasionally to the shops then okay. As long as it had time to warm up, frequent short trips can be a car killer, especially a turbo. But if it was used enthusiastically and not serviced correctly it could be a bag of bolts.

Just keep in mind that if the SST or engine fails its an expensive repair and unlikely to be covered by any warranty, even most used car warranties only go so far with this kind of cover.

Its one reason I haven't made the step up to a Ralliart from my VRX. Right now my 125kw FWD does all I need. That said if I get the chance I'll do it but with a late model RA.

[josh11]

Don't think its a case of being unreliable as such, but depending on the previous owner, service history and such. If it was a little old lady who drove it occasionally to the shops then okay. As long as it had time to warm up, frequent short trips can be a car killer, especially a turbo. But if it was used enthusiastically and not serviced correctly it could be a bag of bolts.

Just keep in mind that if the SST or engine fails its an expensive repair and unlikely to be covered by any warranty, even most used car warranties only go so far with this kind of cover.

Its one reason I haven't made the step up to a Ralliart from my VRX. Right now my 125kw FWD does all I need. That said if I get the chance I'll do it but with a late model RA.

Yeah I'm going to be rigorous about the service history especially with the SST fluid, sounds like an absolute nightmare is the SST fails, a very expensive one. With the warming up thing, how long is required for warm up usually? I've seen people say you can just drive around below 3k for a few minutes and its fine and others say to idle it for a bit before driving. With my current vehicle I've never had to worry about any sort of warming up so it's certainly a new concept for me

Edit: also are there any advantages to the later models? Or is it just minor changes, I believes I saw something about the timing chain being not too good on some of the earliest models?

[Lancer1993]

I'm not an expert on the RA but from what I've seen here the later models were better.

As for warming up, in general its not the speed to do but the time. I don't mean its okay to do a cold start and immediately thrash it or get up to HWY speeds. But most people live in areas where they have lower speed limits so you usually have a couple of kays going slow before you get onto the main road. Generally for the engine when the temp gauge is in the normal range you're good to go. But mine is a manual so maybe not comparable to the SST.

I do know on the cool down any turbo should not be shut off right after a long or hard drive, this can kill the turbo.

Again other here know loads more than me.

Also my Headunit has a app so I can tap into the cars ECU and get a dial with the exact temp if I want.

[rusko110]

@Lancer1993, the RA market sucks. They're really under valued because of the reputation of the SST and they're not well known in comparison to their main competitor, the WRX.

OP, where are you looking for them? I'd recommend taking it to a local SST specialist to have it checked over. Also check this one out https://www.wtftuned.com/pages/sst-dos-and-donts

[Lancer1993]

Shhh.... don't tell anyone for the next few years until I'm ready to buy one

[josh11]

@Lancer1993, the RA market sucks. They're really under valued because of the reputation of the SST and they're not well known in comparison to their main competitor, the WRX.

OP, where are you looking for them? I'd recommend taking it to a local SST specialist to have it checked over. Also check this one out https://www.wtftuned.com/pages/sst-dos-and-donts

thank you very much for that resource, it helped a lot! I know of a few places that specialize in the SST nearby, hopefully it won't cost too much to get it checked over if I end up having to have multiple cars checked!

[Lancer1993]

Yeah I read the list also, for future reference. My biggest issues is you can't tow even a small trailer with the Ralliart, that sucks. Maybe I need to save up for an EVO X with a 'proper' manual transmission

As for warming up in my VRX I usually start then almost right away slowly pull out of the garage so I can shut it while the car is warming up, then its a couple of minutes at slow speeds in local streets before the main road. By the time I get there its up to normal temps in the engine of about 80-85°C. Guess the process is a little longer in a SST?

Really wish Mitsubishi had released a Ralliart with a manual transmission, guess they didn't to keep costs down?

[fearfulmaster2]

Even if the test drive is fine, you need to have $4k in your back pocket for repairs (clutch or timing chain). You don't need that only if you can wait to save up without a car when the triangle light up on the dash.

Are these things known for being unreliable or something? Seems like a lot of people talk about the timing chain stretching. Didn't think I would need to have so much extra straight away

Clutch is a wear item, just like in a manual. Ball park around $2.5K + labour. Timing chain stretch will depend on usage. May never happen or can happen a week after car was purchased. A member paid $4k when pistons hit valves after a week. Without engine damage, it is around $1K - $1.5K (viewtopic.php?t=17188).

Timing chain updated on MY11. One less thing to worry about if you can afford it. Transmission update on MY10 and MY11.

[rusko110]

Manual RA probably would've affected Evo sales too much