I know nothing about the Mighty Max but I know Mitsubishi and 118,000 miles
is nothing to worry about, especially highway miles. If the physical
condition is as good as you say then it's been treated the same way
mechanically and it will give you tens of thousands of trouble free miles if
you keep up regular maintenance. With that type of care, I would also
supsect that the water pump and the timing belt were changed out around
90,000 miles. It is very likely that the odometer will be turning over at
least once more before it's finished. However, a rusted Chevy Cavalier with
96,000 miles is a recipe for trouble. You can forget regular maintenance at
this stage and concentrate on a routine of regular repairs, towing, downtime
and alternate transportation. The rust you see is only an indication of what
you do not see.....yet. It is also an indication of the care the vehicle has
been given, especially if the two come from the same area. A car shouldn't
rust out in 8 years and if it wasn't looked after then I suspect that there
are other mechanical things that have been left to wear themselves out
rather than get maintained or even repaired once identified as bad. Chevy
parts are somewhat cheaper than Mitsubishi parts but chances are that you'll
be buying a lot more for the Chevy.

Bob Walker