Buying a 2018 PHEV GT

[californiaoutlander]

Hi,

Stoked to see this forum and have enjoyed browsing it a bit.

I'm in the process of purchasing a 2018 GT with about 25k miles on it. I haven't seen it in person yet, but it looks to be in pretty good shape.

I was curious of any advice on key checks that I should do before accepting the vehicle. Also, I was curious about the best way to check the battery health, if this is easy enough to do from the vehicle itself or the app, or if I should get the system read at a Mitsubishi dealer or just any good local auto shop with a reader.

I have heard that there are some issues where batteries can report more degradation than they actually have, and that this can be fixed through some modifications/upgrades. Anyone know about this and if there's a way I can check if the vehicle has already been updated? If anyone has any advice on some good tests for me to perform or things to check, outside of the routine checks for buying any car, please let me know.

Lastly, any thoughts on the best modifications and upgrades? I'm thinking to get the OEM hitch installed. Another thing I was trying to figure out is why the UK version lists towing capacity as 1500 kilos (~3300 pounds) whereas the US version lists only 1500lbs. But it does seem that perhaps the UK version ships with a 2.4l engine and the US with a 2.0l engine? Appreciate any insight here.

 

[jaapv]

I would not buy any PHEV without a battery health report by the dealer. In fact, I would not buy outside a dealership; these cars need digital maintenance as well as oil changes, ant that takes factory programs..
Apart from the battery report, just check it the way you would any other used car. Service history, damage history, check tyres for uneven wear, does the state of the ar match the mileage, etc.
The "fix" for a dodgy battery is not uncontroversial. It is likely that it will shorten battery life in the long run, and there are quite a few reports that it is not permanent.
The towing capacity limit is purely legal and varies per country. In fact, I have seen reports of people towing loads far in excess (illegally) up to 4000 kg.

 

[californiaoutlander]

Thanks for the reply. Good point on the uneven wear. I have 7 days during which I can return for a full refund. I’m planning to take it by the local dealer to run a system check. Interesting regarding the battery controversy. As for towing, good to know, though I did think I saw different engine sizes, but not sure.

 

[jaapv]

The engine size was increased in 2016, I think. It does not make too much of a difference in road performance , as the electric motors that mostly drive the car remained the same.

 

[ThudnBlundr]

One electric motor was upgraded in the facelift that included the 2.4l engine. But that's had no effect as the towing weight was also 1500kg before the upgrades.

 

[californiaoutlander]

Interesting. Thx for the replies.