Posting on a couple of boards because I'll need answers fairly soon-

Venting first- Grrr...I had tracked down probably every California-emissions-compliant new 2008 AWD XLS with Sun and Sound and Nav in the entire U.S., expecting that there would be a big, juicy incentive on them come April 1st when the last round of incentives expired. And then-April Fools!- apparently Mitsu removed the incentives on 2008s completely. Fie on you, Mitsu, now I'm back to buying a used car and you won't sell me a new one!

So, there's a 2007 AWD LS at a non-Mitsu dealer in my area. I wasn't looking for an LS, but this one's equipped like an XLS- Sun and Sound, Nav, and even the DVD player! Didn't know you could do that to the LS (and yes, I checked the VIN and it is an LS.) I am hoping to look at it tomorrow.

I'll have a mechanic check it out if we like it. Are there any issues specific to the 2007 that I should really be keeping my eye out for? Anything to specifically try out on a test drive? As I mentioned, this is a non-Mitsu dealership, so I don't expect they will be able to answer many specific questions on the car.

 

I compared an 07 LS and XLS before I bought my XLS. Here is what I remember..

- LS Nav may not have the Sirus option
- Don't think the LS has the "no key" option thing
- Different size tires
- Maybe no leather?
- No seven pass seating

Hope this helps. Also about a 2K diff on KBB prices between XLS and LS which should work to your advantage...good luck

 

Check for the paint chips on the hood, front fenders, bottom of the doors and rear door bulge. When you test drive, take a 90 degree turn left and right and listen for a popping sound (this issue was on the cars built before January 2007 IIRC). Another thing is a firmware upgrade for throttle hesitation issue that was present on some early 2007 models (built before July 1, 2007 IIRC). The cars built before February 2007 had some wind noise (easy DIY fix).

 

I might be wrong but I believe the XLS came with the bluetooth module installed already whereas the LS model have the wiring and buttons but the module had to be purchased and installed separately. I learned that one the hard way (as I think many people have).