Primera or Mirage?

Looking at getting a new car and have our eye on either a 92 Nissen Primera 4 door or a 96 Mitzy Mirage coupe but dont know which 1 to pick. Both have around 140 k on them. Which 1 in your opinion would you go for and why! Any problems in either make should I look out for!

I've personally had a good run with primera's. The mirage is a good car though with parts abundant

the mitsi's of that age are generally regarded as CRAP.
the primeras can be ok but have thier issues too

well do you need a 4 door or can you make do with a coupe! The Mirage is in a smaller size bracket than the Primera and the Primera feels more solid and heavier to drive (which is a good thing in my opinion).

The primera will be chain driven so no cam belt to worry about replacing, whereas the Mirage has a cam belt which needs to be done every 100,000kms or 10 years, whichever comes first.

The Mirage is likely to have ABS brakes and air bags while the Primera wouldn't - but the safety of the two would probably be very similar to each other and that would be worse than average or about average at best.

If the Mitsi is tiptronic the torque converter lock up clutch is prone to wear if not serviced at specified intervals or the fluid has been replaced with the incorrect fluid and will result in a shudder from the driveline at higher speed. Most of the time it can be fixed with correct fluid and an additive. The Mirage can have a multitude of engines ranging from a simple and basic SOHC 12V 1.3L through to a performance orientated DOHC MIVEC 1.6L so hard to talk about the reliability unless you specify which engine. Most of the engines will prove to be reliable anyway.

The Primera has either a 1.8 or 2.0 DOHC engine which can be prone to cam shafts wearing out because of oil supply starvation to the cams as a result of infrequent oil changes. You can usually tell by listening to the motor while running - if it sounds rough or noisy from the top end then walk away. Transmissions seem to be OK but have heard of the occasional failing. Biggest issue I've found with the P10 is the front suspension arm bushes can get clunky or squeaky and often fail WOFs - because it's a more complicated multi link setup, there are quite a few bushes in the front suspension. I've found fitting generic aftermarket bushes is just asking for them to fail again shortly - and genuine items are expensive.

I would probably go with the Mitsi because it's newer, but having said that both of them are getting old these days.

very nice it looks like the Super Saloon model. A guy here by the name 'tuttyclan' has an '82 Sigma GLX 1.6 and it too is in really tidy condition. I happen to have a 1980 Mitsubishi Eterna GSR which is basically the 2-door version of the Sigma sedan.

It looked like this when I first got it in 2007 - http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l230/te71se/Eterna/Nats2.jpg Now looks like this - http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l230/te71se/Eterna/DSCF1304.jpg

But will be changing yet again some time in the future - the joys of a long term project car I suppose.

I think you should hang onto the Sigma and keep it as a second car perhaps - just place the rego on hold if you don't want to register two vehicles. In the current market your Sigma would be worth perhaps $1500-2000 but I'm sure in years to come it will be worth more.

also if you wanted power steering for the Sigma parts for them do turn up every now and then - all you would need is the steering column shaft, power steering box itself with pitman arm, and the power steering pump and lines. You can use items from a Starion or a Sapporo/Eterna/Galant/Scorpion-
coupe like mine - they are all the same.

That old sigma wil hold its value better now than either of the other two because of its age now and is in good condition. Very simple car to keep on the road. basic. Good cars.

Needs some modgie cuz

I did 100,000 trouble free kms in my 1984 Mitsi Sigma Super Saloon (last of RWD). Sold it at 170,000 kms still going strong. Mate had one that did over 300k until it died in an accident.

I would go for the primera epecially if it is2l injected and only 140k, the only problem I had with mine is airflow meter but manage to find one on TM for $25, do your oil and filter EVERY 5000kms and run it on 98, Lotsof second hand parts around for these also, If you ever decide to sell at a later date it will sell very quickly and for probably the same price you paid for it, people just love the early primera's

I think you should hang onto the Sigma and keep it as a second car perhaps - just place the rego on hold if you don't want to register two vehicles. In the current market your Sigma would be worth perhaps $1500-2000 but I'm sure in years to come it will be worth more.[/quote]

+1 retrofit powersteering and enjoy another 22 years

you guys are DREAMING if you think a mid 90slancer/mirage will be as relaible as an early 80's sigma.lets face it whenever anyone wants a small car here, the 90s mitsis are the last car offered up

yeah the Primera was a nice car at the time but these days they are just mediocre. I did like the nice handling of the P10 right out of the box, and felt the P11 was softened somewhat over the P10. I can't see them being worth more than $2000-2500 for a good example, and I'm talking the 5spd manual 2.0 TE model too.

Bullsh*t that 96-00 shape Lancer and Mirage on the whole is a good car - the problems arise from the tiptronics not being serviced. None of that shape has GDI to worry about and that shape isn't prone to roof rust or busted ECU's either. The 1.3L SOHC, 1.5L SOHC, and 1.6L SOHC engines are all just about bullet proof so long as you change the cam belt (which is no different to the Sigma engine). The 1.6L DOHC MIVEC isn't really much more maintenance prone either, however given it's nature it probably would have been thrashed by a previous owner.