Tokyo Express (now featuring recon torque convertor)

[Hawkeyethenoo]

Has landed - set off with my son this afternoon to view a 1997, Mitsubushi Legnum 4wd ST Wagon. Car was on evilbay but local enough and having had a Google, quite a rare sight on UK roads.
Arrived at sellers home with the car waiting glinting in the bright sunlight, I noticed the aggressive front end which still looks fresh today some 17 years on. Car presented very well matching the description very well. Only rear arches are just starting to flake, but that will be a straightforward job.
This Tokyo Express was exported from Japan into the UK in 2007, living in Kent with the same owner from 2008 till 2012, when the man I bought it from brought it north of the border.
Spec is good, climate, 2.5 24v V6 with full time 4wd and triptronic slush box, which works perfectly. Large folder with the car including all old mot's, import paperwork and service history. Recent work includes new front pipe (£300) brake service pads etc and full fluid service. Quite a neat aftermarket cd/minidisc sound system fitted along with a Toad remote alarm immobiliser and two keys and fobs.
Having got the car home I'm well pleased at what a nice bit of business the Tokyo Express has been. It was also great that the seller was a fellow enthusiast and all round, great human being.

More photos when ive had a chance to scrub her up a bit and given that lovely velour a wee shampoo.

Velour and Mini discs. How 1990s!

Phew snaps for now.

[KruJoe]

'Like'

It's not really our centre-ground, but it'll go down well. Welcome to Autoshite!

[Shep Shepherd]

I love the seats. Very velourious

[Jim Bell]

Yes!

 

That's lush.

[Hawkeyethenoo]

I love the seats. Very velourious

I feel it matches with the shiny plastic wood rather well. Only fault I can find is front interiour light isn't working and it needs taxing. Insurance was even reasonable at £160 tpft. Thanks to Google compare and the Post Office. Premium dropped by 50% (from £320) when I added her indoors. More married man discount than I get from the tax man, what! and mega quote of £2500 when my 20yr old son was added. And then removed. Sorry son. Old man says bollocks to that nonsense.

Road tax added it'll be owe me just under a bag inc years insurance. Motd till June next year.

 

I feel a skiing holiday coming on and I don't even ski

[nigel bickle]

I had a low spec Legnum as dog transport/ tool carrier/ workhorse & towcar  for around a year, till it caught fire.

 

It was an excellent tool, highly competent if a little bland. I'd certainly have another. Good luck with it

[overrun]

Digg it :thumbsup:

 

MiniDisc's are still great imo. A perfect media for cars.

I have had a few MD HU's over the years. I still have a separate unit and Walkman, too.

 

Died before their time!

 

Does that 'gathers' HU have the god-awful purple screen? #sojdm

[skattrd]

I've been tempted by these myself a couple of times, as they seem a sensible* alternative to a Stagea/Legacy. Let us know what it's like to live with, it looks like a good buy.

I think Pete-M has a turbo'd Legnum.

[Hawkeyethenoo]

Digg it :thumbsup:

 

MiniDisc's are still great imo. A perfect media for cars.

I have had a few MD HU's over the years. I still have a separate unit and Walkman, too.

 

Died before their time!

 

Does that 'gathers' HU have the god-awful purple screen? #sojdm

Thanks. I'm keeping an eye on e(vil)Bay for pre-recorded discs. HU is pretty good and multi-colour display is okay in all but really bright sunlight. Built in sub' and EQ; AC/DC sound good from the CD, but the radio is a bit weak. Probably due to the built-in airiel which don't work that great up here in the Glens, ken. One neat feature rather than have EQ displayed, you can view the car battery charge level. Which I'm happy to report is healthy looking. I'm pretty bowled away by just how good the car is to drive. It's just so god damn comfy! It turns heads too. WTF is that?

 

Thanks for all the kindly comments. Think this forum is braw and look forward to adding my wee bit to it and hopefully make a few meets.

 

Ride-safe.

 

John.

[CreepingJesus]

I like a big estate myself, and I admire the velour-tasticity of that one. You'll be more than welcome down at the Scotoshite meets (wherever they happen to be, but usually Cumbernauld) with that. Make a change from all those boring Volvos...

[londonm]

Very distinctive, fast becoming a classic I bet. Love the nose on it.

[Hawkeyethenoo]

Mini update.

 

Interiour light fixed just by removing and the refitting the bulbs. Blown rear stop/tail bulb replaced. Interestingly, the R580 bulb was a Denso, which could well be the original bulb? The missing rear wind deflectors was spoiling the look of the car and after closer inspection, I noticed the N/S front passenger yin was well cracked too. Decided to bite the bullet and remove them altogether and replace with a new set of four. I found a set on e(vil)Bay from a company called Towequipe. They're made in Poland by Heko. Having removed the old deflectors and the double sided tape from the window frames, what a PITA that was! I have to say that fitting the Heko's was childs play. Being a more modern design, they fit inside the window channel and are held in place with sticky tabs and then secured with metal clips pushed up inside the channel. The end result is very different to the OEM deflectors, but it's a cleaner more modern look IMHO and they're secure once fitted. Best bit was the price. Just under £30 delivered, as they were in the sale. Normally £70.

 

While I was scraping off the old adhesive.... I used one of those Coma air-con-cleaner-in-a-can things; and I have to say the car is smelling fresher than ever. Which is nice... Next step will be having a set of good quality 15" winter tyres fitted - but I'll wait till early October before doing that. Tyres on the car are okay tread/wear wise, but it's four different no name brands alround which doesn't inspire confidence in the wet.

 

I've been doing a little research on the 4wd set up and it seems it's a viscous centre transfer box with an open rear diff'. Not sure what they mean by open? Other than it's not computer controlled like the later Lancer Evo systems are being fitted with AYC and Traction Control. General consensus is far less to go wrong and therefore stronger in the long term.

 

Also picked up a nice Garmin Nuvi 50 via Halfrauds in their clearance sale. 5" screen and full (East & West) european mapping for £65. This is handy as the car clock is dead and the KPH speedo has been coverted to MPH; but it over reads by approx 10% at anything much over 30mph. I can use the GPS trip to monitor fuel useage accurately as well as speed. Well, I will once I've topped up the tank. The four speed auto gearbox is very good indeed, super slick changes up and down and the triptronic is handy for big balls overtakes - I'm coming through!

 

Regards,

 

John.

[Hawkeyethenoo]

Nothing to see here...

 

Almost a month with the car and it's yer typical boringly reliable Japanese car. Nothing to report other than 27mpg returned. 212 miles from 37L of UNL. That's around the doors and mixed dual carriageway & A road type stuff. With care, 30 should be possibly do-able? The air con cleaner made a really difference to the car as it smelt bad in the morning after being parked up overnight. Since using the AC cleaner that smell has gone. TFfT. Snow tyres going on next. Khumo 205/65/15 Powergrip. Be interesting to see what effect they have on the MPG, if any? Climb any mountain....

 

As you were...

[Pete-M]

I've got a Legnum. Mine's the facelift Ralliart VR-4 Type S job.

 

 

AYC is absolutely brilliant, by the way. I don't think I've ever owned a more surefooted large car. Ok, it's got new Goodyear F1 asymmetrics, but the grip levels from the thing are mental. I sold an Impreza WRX to buy this, and even though this is a large automatic estate car it really is capable of daft cornering feats. 

This won't do anywhere near 30 mpg. Ever.

 

5 speed INVECS-II auto box is bloody great once I worked out how to get along with it, also with this being a UK spec one the speedo is near as dammit spot on.. at 30 mph it reads 28, but above that it's pretty much perfect.

The clock fail is normal in these, take the clock out (it will prise upwards) and then resolder the power connections on the clock PCB. It's not rocket science and the clock will work fine after that. Just be careful when you put the clock back together as the perspex front panel looks like it'd be very easy to break if you're ham-fisted.

 

Instructions on how to fix the clock http://www.wheelsjamaica.com/wheels_forum/index.php?topic=114884.0

[Hawkeyethenoo]

I've got a Legnum. Mine's the facelift Ralliart VR-4 Type S job.

 

 

AYC is absolutely brilliant, by the way. I don't think I've ever owned a more surefooted large car. Ok, it's got new Goodyear F1 asymmetrics, but the grip levels from the thing are mental. I sold an Impreza WRX to buy this, and even though this is a large automatic estate car it really is capable of daft cornering feats. 

 

This won't do anywhere near 30 mpg. Ever.

 

5 speed INVECS-II auto box is bloody great once I worked out how to get along with it, also with this being a UK spec one the speedo is near as dammit spot on.. at 30 mph it reads 28, but above that it's pretty much perfect.

 

The clock fail is normal in these, take the clock out (it will prise upwards) and then resolder the power connections on the clock PCB. It's not rocket science and the clock will work fine after that. Just be careful when you put the clock back together as the perspex front panel looks like it'd be very easy to break if you're ham-fisted.

 

Instructions on how to fix the clock http://www.wheelsjamaica.com/wheels_forum/index.php?topic=114884.0

 

Peter - that is just too fecking cool. You're the man and you must never sell that car.

 

Been a wee while since my last post and as auto shite this car is a total failure. Nothing, I say nothing has broken, fallen off, or given any concern other than the brakes. During the winter the slightly sticky N/S rear caliper acted up and finally thru in the towel seizing solid latterly -- just dead weight rather than a willing and able part of the critical braking system, like what it should be. I/we aren't heavy on the brakes and the cars relaxed styley means it's a cruising machine rather than a point & squirt; so 3 working brakes sufficed.

 

MoT expired on the 28th of June, meaning the cars ticket to ride had been revoked and it sat in the garden ignored and unloved until the other day I'd had enough and took her in for the test.

 

Failed on the rear brake imbalance, natch, but I was more interested in the state of play everything else?

 

Advice was.

 

Corrosion on discs front and rear, slight lip on rear disc. Slight play in rear Anti-Roll-Bar - fully independent suspension UC Slight oil leak from engine. Rear number plate faded on left side.

 

Not bad for a car made in 1997 and with 130,000kms/miles? on the clock.

 

Local indy is dropping the oil and filter and I'll order up a recon caliper from Japarts.co.uk for just under £100 + £25 SC.

 

This Legnum is the second best car I've ever bought and most certainly the best value for money at £700 !

 

It's shyte as auto shite, but I can forgive it that and it costs peanuts to own and run.

 

JDMs totally ROCK!

[Rocket88]

Always liked these.....but.......interiors always look like the design team expended all their efforts on the outside, and when they got "indoors", invited the YTS spod from the Laura Ashley shop next door to have a go...........I know I'm going to get approbrium heaped upon my head......they interiors just look a bit meh......

[dugong]

The radio will struggle because it'll be running a converter to pick up UK frequencies, which are in a different range to Japan.

[AlabamaShrimp]

What's the difference between this and the galant?

[Cavcraft]

Fine looking car outside, but not sure I could easily live with those seats and that wood stuff on the dash.

[Hawkeyethenoo]

Dull, but my god they're worthy. The ride is also super comfy thanks to the 'proper' double wishbone FI suspension. Had to laugh in the recent hot spell when those at work with lesser cars were complaining of shyte air-con. Climate in the Legnum pisses ice cubes, ice ice baby.

 

I'm on the wrong forum here - my cover is well blown...

 

Seriously considering making a £30 offer on my neighbours ruined GTV just to make up for it, honest guv...

[Junkman]

The radio will struggle because it'll be running a converter to pick up UK frequencies, which are in a different range to Japan.

 

You mean it can't pick up Japanese stations, when in the Ununited Kingdom???

What a piece of tosh.

[Hawkeyethenoo]

The radio will struggle because it'll be running a converter to pick up UK frequencies, which are in a different range to Japan.

 

Tis true - it can pick up Radio 2. But Radio 1 doesn't exist in its world so we are now good friends. I have AC/DC on the CD and the Stones on Minidisc, although not both at the same time.

 

Keeps the car period and the quirk is that the clock is stuck on 1997 so everytime I climb in it's - Back to the Timewarp AGAIN!

 

A car so good it can reverse time. lol

 

I have my coat on and I'll try not to let the door hit me on the way out.

[Hawkeyethenoo]

What's the difference between this and the galant?

Badges, full time AWD with Triptronic slushbox. 4x4 Galant wasn't available in the UK in Estate form at least. Engine is 2500cc SOHC / lazy V6. 

[Hawkeyethenoo]

Pish! Legnum broke yesterday. Wifey was driving it at the time so it's deffo her fault... Lost all drive. Think the slushbox is fucked. Checked the box level and it's okay, not burnt smelling and looks clean. Added a few CCs in the hope it would spring back into life, but no it's fucked.

 

Too good to bridge, so will offer up on evilbay and see if I can't get some of my money back. Away to drown my sorrows with beer.

 

Bollocks.

[brickwall]

That's a shame. That car had legs.

[KruJoe]

Gotta be worth checking over and a proper diagnosis..?

It could be something daft like a pin in the gear linkage leaving it stranded in 'N' or summert equally stupid.

 

If it comes to the worst, I bet a replacement box could be sourced.

[Lacquer Peel]

How much is an automatic gearbox rebuild?

[Honey Badger]

How much is an automatic gearbox rebuild?

 

I've been quoted £1800 for a rebuilt Honda Accord V6 transmission, so that's probably a ball park figure.

 

Must be worth chucking it into a auto box specialist for a swift check even if it cost £40 or so, might be something like a solenoid or the selector that's a relatively cheap fix.

[Hawkeyethenoo]

Car's now booked in for next week at Charles Butler's in Forfar. They're slushbox specialists so will be able to identify the 'box fault and estimate repair costs.

 

Will get a quote today for the recovery costs to Forfar. More on this story, later.

 

 

[Hawkeyethenoo]

She's gone, John... Man with a lorry came along weds of last week and gently but firmly pulled her onboard and took her awa' tae a far away land called, Forfar.

 

I haven't summoned up the courage to pick up the device called the telephone and speak to the people in the Forfar lands to find out what it is that is expensive & broken, yet. But I will. I'll try and make sure I'm sitting down with a stiff drink to hand, first.

 

Aye....