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Mitsubishi Lancer 2007 and earlier
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Comments
2003 us lancer evo vs:
1) 2002 infiniti g35 coupe
2) 2002 nissan 350Z coupe
3) 2003 Impreza WRX
4) 2004 Mazda RX-8
Will Mitsu really bring this car over? It seems they have to offer 0-0-0 to sell everything lately, which means they can't be making much money on deals. I wonder if they can really afford to bring the Evo here.
I am sure it will be a heck of a C&D comparison test between those mentioned above though.
Mitsu is in trouble and they know it or they wouldn't offer deferred payments for 1 year AND 0.0% financing. No other manufacturer is doing that to my knowledge. Not even Hyundai.
I liked the Lancer when I drove it, except for the seat comfort. The maneuverability was pretty good, although I wished for a heavier feeling steering gear and more power (of course).
I used to own a 93 Diamante. Sold it with 173k miles. Everything electronic was original and still worked, including the AC. The car was very reliable and gave only a few problems (it sometimes stalled at idle and had an annoying sputter when acclerating, but I don't consider those reliability problems since they were attributed to a cracked distributor cap and worn out plug wires, which are normal maintenance items). Even at such high mileage, the 3.0 V6 that was known to burn oil due to weak valve guides only burned 1/4 quart every 3k. The car was amazingly solid and rattle free too. I would venture to say it was more reliable than my mom's trusty 92 Honda Accord. I even happened to see the car a year later at a gas station and asked the woman how she liked it and has she had any problems. She told me it hasn't given her any trouble and she loved it. It had 184k!
Past and present experiences leads me to believe Mitsu makes a solid reliable product and I don't see where Honda and Toyota are any better except in resale. I no longer believe in the almighty Honda either, especially after my sister went through a year of hell with her 00 Odyssey and forced them to buy it back and after reading all the complaints of rattles and suspension quality in the current Civic. I don't know which model Eclipse you had, but if you had the RS or GS model, you can blame your engine trouble on Chrysler since the engine was simply a tweaked version of the Neon engine. Mitsu wasn't at fault there. Not sure what problems you had with the Mirage, but that can't be excused since that was a Mitsu design.
I'm sure the 000 deal is helping increase sales. At least they are showing an increase rather than a decrease. If sales were plumeting even while offering the special financing, than Mitsu would be in trouble. You were concerned with how they are making money. I was just showing that despite the shaky economy, Mitsu sales continue to rise.
i had 2 galants personally, and 3 other mitsus within the family. all of them were very reliable and comparable in durability with the toyotas and hondas which we also had in the family.
among my close friends, there are about 10 mitsubishi products - all of them proving to be reliable.
(the earliest of these mitsu's was a '87 lancer/mirage and the latest is an '03 galant).
imo, mitsubishi makes good, reliable, affordable automobiles.
will see the lancer evo at the LA auto show on monday!
happy motoring!
1. Good dash/layout/hues - don't feel like I'm in an econocar - nice wood paneling.
2. Good low end torque - good for city driving.
3. Great transmission (auto) - no lag... unlike my Altima, MPV or previous Civic (95) and Sentra (98). Test drove a Protege before --- the Lancer has better transmission.
4. Great leg room - front and back.
Minuses:
1. Low HP - I need HP as I do mostly freeway driving (95%). It does tend to get noisy on the freeway ---- but my guess is the stock tires is part of the problem. Will upgrade to better tires.
2. Mileage - not as good as the Civic and Corolla but comparable to Protege and Sentra. I am currently getting 29.5, 30, now 31.5 (third fillup). Wish I could get 34 or 35 mpg!
Question :
1. What's a better tire to buy to replace the stock tires ? The stock tires are noisy and offer an unrefined drive.
2. Are the spark plugs platinum tipped ? Meaning I can go between 100,000 before replacement ?
Thanks!
The one thing I hated about the Lancer was the smallish radio controls. I got used to them after driving the car for 3 days though.
Economy: I only got like 26-27 in the Lancer, but I drove it pretty hard as I am used to a 180hp turbo.
Cruise: You can have cruise put in, I have seen systems for $4-500 or so. Check with your dealer.
As for the tires, I would suggest upgrading to a slightly larger tire if you want to stick with the stock wheels. You could upgrade to 195/60 R14 without affecting your speedometer and improve the handling of your car . Good tires would be the Bridgestone RE950, Dunlop SP Sport A2, and Yokohama Avid H4.
I believe the spark plugs are to be replaced every 30k. It may be as long as 60k, but definitely not 100k. Look in your manual and it will tell you.
Again, congrats and give us updates now and than on how your car is doing.
I think if I maintain at 60-65, I could easily reach 35 mpg... the problem in the Bay Area are the bridges... the bridge traffic here can be so horrendous !
I'll also put Mobil1 Synthetic based on schedule. That should help my mileage reach 34-35 mpg.
I still hate the stock tires - will definitely replace them when they are worn out. They are noisy on the freeway ... and on some grades, not stable.
WITH 11800 MILES FOR $10.495
IS THAT A GOOD DEAL ?
AND ARE THESE CARS RELIABLE ?
Secondly, I think that is a pretty good price for a used Lancer. Where are you getting it from though, and think why the person got rid of the car at only 1 year old. Go to www.carfax.com and do a title check on it (you will need the car's VIN# from the base of the windshield). It's $15 (or $20 for unlimited changes - a good value if you're shopping for a used car).
Also, you might check out new Lancers. If you can find a new 02 on the lot, you will get a screaming deal on it. Plus Mitsubishi offers 0-0-0 deals, no finance charges for 5 yrs. if you qualigy, and no payments for the first year.
Good luck!
$10,500 is a pretty good price if it's an automatic. I would try for $9500 for a manual and $10,000 for an automatic.
So, from the above list, what's your pick for the optimal small car?
Thanks.
The Sandman :-)
The Sentra and Focus are also worthy of consideration. You could even make a case for the Elantra GT.....I really don't think the Neon 5 speed or SRT is a bad deal either.
The Lancer compares well, but it may not be first in class in any one thing. Overall it stands up better than more recent Mitsu compacts....Here is some things about Lancer that is good
spacious
attractive dash
good looking in the right color
big trunk
japanese quality
gauges not in center of dash like I*n
can be had for good deals as compared to Civic
I have averaged 29.5, 30.5, 32.5, 33.5 then more recently, 29.5. The higher mileages are due to less traffic (less city driving, bumper to bumper) - plus, little hard driving (75-80+mph). Overall, I am pleased.
I wished I had bigger tires (than the stock which is 185/R14. As soon as the tires go, I'll upgrade to 195/R14 or maybe R15. The R14 tires are noisy on some highway grades.
The stereo controls are too small ... I guess I am so spoiled with the Mazda's (have an MPV and driven Proteges in the past).
Civic: I am a little biased here. But this is the only small car I would buy personally. Roomy, safe, smooth transmission/engines. Only thing I'm not crazy about is the rear-end styling on the sedan.
Lancer: Decent car. I'm not a big fan of the engine though. Low-end torque is good for commuting but at highway speeds the engine will start to feel out of breath.
Protege: Nice driving car but the engine is it's downfall for me. Another engine with low-end torque but it's a pain on the highway. You don't get any more power, just more buzzing from the engine bay. Otherwise it's a terrific car.
Pricing: Civic LX - $14,364, Corolla LE - $14,394, Protege LX - $14,690, Lancer ES - 14,306. All of these prices are at invoice which should be easily attainable on all of them. The Civic is available with 1.9% for 60 months, the Corolla has no incentives, the Protege has 0.0% for 60 months, and the Lancer is 0% up to 36 months or 2.9% for 60. So as you can see the prices are very close with the Lancer having no significant advantage over the Civic or the Protege.
Safety: The Civic and Corolla are the safest cars. The Lancer does well only giving up one category to the Corolla and Civic. The Protege isn't too impressive. And the Neon and Elantra are absolutely horrendous so there is no reason to choose a Neon or Elantra when there are MUCH better choices available right now.
But will almost definitely wait till the '04's are out.
Again, thanks for your help and I will be calling on your counsel when the purchase time gets closer.
The Sandman :-)
The Sandman :-)
they have it on the lot since November and they lowered it from $11,900 to $10,500. I took it for a test drive and i was happy.
they are asking $ 535 plus tax. Is that a good price. 2002 lancer with 11.000 miles
~alpha