another thing to consider is serviceability. I'm fairly good with a wrench and my father is even better. I am fortunate enough to be able to do all service on this vehicle so far. I'm at 183k miles and the last time it saw a dealership bay was back around 48k miles for a faulty speed sensor on a wheel.

I'd research another vehicle that can be serviced at a local mechanic's shop.

I recently attempted a diff oil change in my Subaru and mis-read the service manual and ended up dumping gear oil in the CVT transmission. On a sunday (no dealerships open) I had to drive another vehicle 30 minutes to another town that had parts stores open to buy some Valvoline compatible CVT fluid. I had to go to 3 different auto parts stores and cleaned them all out. Having a vehicle that uses easily obtainable fluids has value...

 

I would take the offer of full trade value and use truecar.com as a price reference for the New Mitsubishi you want. Keep in mind Mitsubishi new car warranties are one of the best in the industry. Give it a shot negotiatiating and see if the numbers work. I believe they have 0% for 72 months.

I believe what happened in your case was a one of a kind issue. My family and I have had 5 Mitsubishi with zero issues.

 

Ditto that...I've had 4 Lancers and my current 15 Outlander...zero problems as well...here in Canada we get all the weather we can handle...these cars are rugged...I drive 40,000 km a year on average. I know my vehicle is reliable.

 

I would also suggest going for the trade in at this point.
Couple small points....Timing chains need changed too, at least mine will, due to stretch.
8/80000 I thought meant 8 years OR 80000 whichever comes first so you may not be just out of warranty.
Never hurts to contact higher ups, I was 200 kms out of warranty (still 6 months on time left) and initially claim was denied but when I went higher up the part was replaced.

 

Yes, eventually a timing chain will need to be replaced...usually at very high mileage.
essentially they are made to last a very long time. How many KM are on your vehicle to have it stretched?..I'm curious...I put 240km on my 09 Lancer when I traded it in to the Dealer..it was as quiet as the day I bought it...even tho these MIVEC engines are a bit noisey from day one...that little tick tick sound is just how they are.


I totally agree with going up the ladder..you never get what you don't ask for.

 

Sorry I did not intend to mean it was getting changed now it was in reference to one of the posts that seemed to be saying that belts needed to be changed but chains didn't. Hopefully only getting the ayc pump changed tomorrow. The car is a 2014 so it should not have issues as the pre 2011's did.

 

Usually when a chain needs replaced, it's not the chain itself that's the issue. Normally it's the associated pulleys and guides that go bad. My dads xterra timing chain needed replaced at 120k miles. It was really loud as one of the pulley bearings went out. And a girlfriends parents have a suzuki with a timing chain guide that went out. The chain slaps like crazy but it still runs.

Really if you plan on putting over 200k miles on a car, you're going to have to put money into it either way. A timing belt is a known almost fixed cost. Timing chain systems can cost much more if they need to be replaced.

 

Yes..time catches up to all vehicles. I can totally agree with your comments.
I just have a "feel good factor"(read I'm old) when I'm driving a vehicle with a chain. Firebuck..you have had a nice collection of Mitsu's so far huh? I'm drooling over that 14 MR...verrry nice...got to drive one at a local Mitsu meet last year....loved it...wanted one the next day...lol..no surprise the wife was not so excited at the prospect.... Happy Motoring to you guys.

 

My brother has a 2008 EVO GSR. It's a timeless classic, and because it's the last EVO for the known future, the resale value is incredibly high. He bought it brand new in 2008 for $32k, and the dealer was still willing to give him $18k for trade with about 60k miles on it. They said they could probably turn around and sell it for a profit because it's in mint condition and the electron blue color which is in high demand.

If i bought an evo, it would have to be a weekend car, i couldn't stand the thought of putting more than 5k miles a year on it. I'm half tempted to trade my outlander for one, but i need the utility of the outlander. I already have another car as my daily commuter.

 

I am happy to report that this saga has reached a more than satisfactory conclusion. After more than a week of back and forth with my insurance company, they finally agreed to "make a one time exception" and approve the claim for lightning damage. In their own words, they could not prove it was not lightning damage and they had to take the word of the expert technicians at the Mitsubishi dealership.

They decided to consider it a total loss because of the potential for unforeseen additional electrical repairs. So, the claim payout is $7,165. Quite a bit more than I expected and $2,600-$4,100 more than the dealership was willing to offer for trade-in. [They made an offer of $3,000-$4,500 "depending on car selected".]

Needless to say, I'm very relieved and ecstatic with the final outcome. I had an amazingly helpful service manager. He was instrumental in convincing the claim representative and her manager to approve the claim. And yes, I'm going to provide him with a very nice token of my appreciation.

Again, thank you all for the great information and advice. Best wishes to you all.