My wife and I are on the verge of buying a loaded 2010 XLS with S-AWC that has 53,500 miles (86,000 km) on it, so it still has a fair bit of "bumper to bumper" on it.

The problem is that the vehicle is over 3 hours away. (We are in Edmonton. The seller in Calgary.) The seller has agreed to meet us in Red Deer -- a city half way between us.

To expedite matters and reduce the possiblity of a failed transaction and a wasted trip, the seller has sent us high-resolution photos of all the flaws on the vehicle and the vehicle looks acceptable to us.

The seller has had all services performed at a single Mitsubishi dealer in Calgary and I have called the place and determined that only routine things are been done.

We have run a full CarProof on the vehicle and the vehicle has never had a collision and there is no lien.

The questions I have for the forum are simple.

1. Is a pre-purchase inspection of the vehicle really necessary? (Doing an inspection means at least a two week delay in getting the vehicle and a possible loss of the vehicle to another buyer in Calgary, although that potential buyer does not yet exist.)

2. Are shocks and struts and other suspension components covered under the 5-year/100,000 km warranty?

Thanks for any advice.

 

I would investigate the warranty. When I reviewed the warranty when I bought mine(new) I noticed the warranty is much shorter for anyone other than the original purchaser.

IE, instead of being 5 years it may only be 2 in which case it would already be out of warranty.

 

Actually, go here:

https://www.mitsubishicars.com/MMNA/...te/warranty.do

That vehicle is only covered for about 6,000 more miles of any warranty (besides corrosion)

I wouldnt let that make my decision though. Having a warranty wont make the car a better car, just help balance future risk.

 

That is true. But let's say that we buy the vehicle and immediately take it to Mit for an inspection here in Edmonton. Whatever it is that MIGHT have been found in a pre-purchase inspection at least SHOULD be found in a post-purchase inspection. And since there is still "bumper to bumper" remaining, those items should be taken care of under warranty, correct?

Again, are shocks struts and suspension parts covered under bumper to bumper?

Thanks.

 

The warrant in Canada is different. It is not like the US warranty where only the original owner has a special warranty.

Shocks and struts are wear and tear items on all cars. You should call Mitsubishi Canada to confirm, they may have a special warranty like the stereo for example.

 

IMO, if a vehicle has proper maintenance and it has the miles you say it has, it is probably good. Most of the stuff that would break prematurely due to defects would have broken. You will always have wear & tear items like struts/brakes/tires.

I'd drive it around listening for clunks/clicks/creaks/knocks. Check out the HVAC for smells and temps. Check the fluids that you can check easily...see if they are close to the right color (oil isn't like tar, tranny fluid isn't brown/burnt, coolant isn't brownish/cloudy). Pop the hood looking for leaks. See if you can swing it past an auto parts shop that lets you use a code reader, just to see if there are any pending codes.

I've kept up on my maintenance and not much has really broken. I'm starting to see some wear & tear items.

 

Unlike in the US, the Canadian Outlander's warranty is fully transferrable from the original owner to the next owner and even the next, etc., as long as the limits of the powertrain warranty are not exceeded.

I called the Mitsubishi dealer again and the service rep confirmed that while brake pads, rotors, serpentine belt, oil changes, etc. are not covered by warranty, the shocks, struts and other suspension parts are indeed covered by the bumper to bumper. For example, should a post-purchase inspection reveal a leaking strut or shock, that will be replaced under warranty. The woman I spoke to even recommended having an inspection done at a local Mit dealer shortly after by the vehicle so that any issues can be repaired under warranty. That's nice.

I'll be doing perfunctory fluid and leak checks when we see the vehicle, but before committing to buy, I'll make sure the AC and all the myriad of bells and whistles work as they should.......... as many as I can think of, anyway.

BTW, the tenative buy date in Red Deer is set for this coming Saturday. I'm getting a bit excited over the prospect of the first Outlander coming into our lives.

Thanks for the advice, guys.