Well that all depends on WHEN he wants his speed. If he whats speed on his car immediately than he should go with the OZ, because there are more aftermarket mods and faster turbos for it RIGHT NOW. The key is right now. The RA is a better engine then the standard Lancer and has tons more potential. It is new right now so it will take more time but in the end it will surpass the base Lancer.

 

I had an 2.0 ES.... it was a slug... big diffence goin to an RA... huge difference... Plus it just looks nicer than an OZ imo... better seats, steering wheel, wheels, suspension, engine, evo shifter assembly, full lip kit, the list goes on... or it stops there I'm not sure...

 

well i only have 4k on my lancer now sow i think it would be a good trade

 

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First off, don't think of the swap as being just an engine upgrade. You're not getting the whole picture here... If you want a turbo car that you can still keep on the road, you'd better start with one that has a decent suspension package already bolted on. That's one upgrade you'd have to make sooner or later anyway. Second, when you've got a turbo under the hood, having the ability to stop the car when needed is a nice thing to have... ABS and the EBD let you do that in a controlled manner.

Overall, when going turbo, it's all about building on the best platform possible. If you were to go the logical way with your tuning, these steps I mentionned are normal tuning steps. And if you had to upgrade all that on your OZ on top of the turbo install, I'm quite sure it would be a bit more costly and a lot more effort... and then, you still wouldn't have some of the confort features found in the RA.

Tuning note: the two cars don't come with good enough tires for any real performance application. Plan on getting real tires if you're gonna put serious power to the wheels of either one of these cars... it might save your life.

Happy test drive!

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me too amigo, but i disagree i think its a huge freakin step up! mitsu put $5000 in rebates on them in jan. 05 and i couldnt say no!!!!!!!!!!!!! the cars are def. night and day from an es! i had one with a bunch of rrm parts on it and my ra is WAY better than my es. loved them both but ra all the way!

 

I totally agree - if money isn't a big issue (and by your talk of a turbo, it doesnt seem to be), then the RA is the answer. What I would do is drive a Ralliart and talk to people who have turboed both the OZ and the RA. It's all up to you, but I think you will make up your mind once you drive it. As for your fiance, she won't be disappointed, unless you have really nice lights on your OZ and that's what she likes about it or something.

 

In my opinion, in your case I would go with the RA. It would be something to think about if you had the 02-03 oz because they have better headlights, but since you have the 04 with the new desing there isn't much to think about if you have the extra money to pay to trade for the RA. Lets say it cost you 5K to put a nice turbo on your OZ and make it a lot faster than the RA, but trading for the RA you will get a very nice starter package. With the trade you'll get better suspention, brakes, engine, seats, not to mention the lip kit that comes with the RA, 16" wheels....SO hey you may not get a turbo car but a car that is ready for a Turbo. So like many have said here go test drive and u'll know what to do. Good luck on your decision. Peace

 

According to the 1/4 mile times, a RRM Turbo'd OZ has about the same times as a stock RalliArt. It looks like a drivers race to me.

The RalliArt has better seats, shifter, brakes, suspension, body kit, and most importantly, ENGINE. Wheels and tires suck on both IMO. If you factor in the price of: turbo, brakes, tires, suspension, and shifter for your OZ, maybe a RalliArt upgrade is worth it? Don't forget to throw your warranty on the OZ goodbye after the turbo is put on!

 

A lot of peeps here think the headlights are an issue. To be honest I wasn't too fond of them at first but they really grew on me and now I like them. If you don't like them you can always buy the eyelids and make them look more like the 02-03 OZ.

 

Ralliart all the way.

You'll understand what I mean the day you'll take one for a ride. Its been 10 months since I bought mine and Im still thrilled every morning to go to work cause I know I'll have the ride of my life every single goddam morning. This thing impress me every day , no joke. And the sound is just perfect. Not too loud but still very enjoyable to listen too...I remember my first engine start when I got it... *chill* such a godly sound. People in the streets look at me all the time .. Im serious. And about the girls.... oh...god, they look at me in the eyes every time they see/hear me close by. They lick their lips and rug their... ok I'll stop there.

I think you got the point. Bring your wife for a ride and you'll leave the dealer with a brand new Ralliart and a horny wife. Im serious.

I'll keep mine till the day theyll start sending @#$?%? EVOs to Canada.

 

well it seems i will be upgrading to a RA Wo0t. but people are talking about the lights? umm ok don't care about light its all gonna stay stock body love the 04 on up stock kit and yes all the tune up the RA has would be cheaper just getting a RA it would be best if i just go buy one and i prob will........i need a car to beat my friends DSM"91 eagle talonTSI" so there you have it this is my story for asking a question i really love what everone has wrote and now to ask the OZ page thanks peace

 

I think what Ikeing was thinking was you had an 02-03 Lancer OZ, and yes I agree that their headlights are better. But 04-05 Oz's and ra's have the exact same headlight assembly. And if you are going to go to the oz page, be prepared to hear the exact opposite of what we said. As far as my two cents is concerned, the ra is without a doubt the better buy.

 

take the money that you would lose by trading for the ralliart and buy a turbo.

no, but really, if you don't like your oz, get the ralliart. if i was going to spend that money i would just get a used wrx or a srt4 tho. just my .02

 

^^ my cousin just got a 02 wrx (not sti) with 40k miles on it, with everything stock, for $14k. SO JEALOUS.... but yeah, back on topic... go grab a ra.... but the tail lights are kinda......

 

Unfortunately, the odds are that they were driven hard or abused by their first owners. Grannies and people who drively nicely aren't exactly their target demographic. So if you're buying one second hand, you're looking at putting some additional money into fixing whatever what abused.

Even if you turbo the OZ, it still has a weak 120hp 2.0L engine at the heart. The Ralliart is a more solid platform to build upon. Suspension, transmission, engine, they all factor in. And he'd wouldn't void his warranty.