Mitsu-noob

Hey everyone, thanks for all the input on this matter, I really appreciate it! But jeez, that was such a hard decision for me but in the end I just couldn't pass up on the Ralliart and now that I have it I couldn't be happier, especially after I got the dealership to come down on the price to $20,500. As soon as I drove it off the lot, all my preconceived notions flew right out the RA's windows lol, I absolutely love it. I've even gotten over the RA's automatic transmission which was probably the biggest deciding factor for me; yes if I had the choice I'd still go with a manual but the RA's twin clutch SST transmission is actually very good, any I nvr would've thought that I'd say any automatic was good. Aside from having a clutch and actually being able to shift into each gear slot, it really does feel like I'm driving a manual car. I might even prefer it actually, since where I live in jersey the roads can get very congested and it's nice to be able to throw it in auto when the traffic gets really backed up. Just about all of the other stuff I mentioned in the original post doesn't even matter to me now that I have the car. In fact the only thing I wish it had was a sunroof, and was in white lol, screw all the other stuff. I've already set up an appointment to get tints put on, bought an aftermarket navigation unit as well as everything I need to hook up my 2 12" alpine type-R subs and amp; I'm just waiting on the wiring harness and dash kit to get here and then I'll be setting up the install for all that stuff. Thanks again for all the prompt responses, they were a big help! I absolutely love my new Ralliart, what a car! As someone said on this thread, "the smile you get as the turbo spools up can't be replaced" and ain't that the truth!

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Ok so I have a dilemma, right now I have the option to trade up to a 2013 Ralliart from my 2010 GTS and idk if I should or not. I seriously need some advice on this one from other lancer owners. Most would think this is an easy decision but it's in fact a hellish one and here's why... (Just scroll to the gains/looses paragraphs if you don't want to read the backstory)

So I bought a 2010 Lancer GTS in December and I've really fallen in love with it. It has 61,000 miles now, manual transmission (which I LOVE and almost couldn't do w/o), and it's a nice clean white with full tinted windows which contrast the white, to give you a picture. The thing is also fully loaded in practically every way (sun roof, nav, sound system, fog lights, auto lights/wipers, leather w/ heat). I've become very attached to that car since I bought it, however I had every intention on trading up to a Ralliart after 10 months when my credit was better and could get a better rate. However... Today something really unexpected happened. I was taking my GTS in to the dealer to see if they'd replace my tires bc the ones it came with were practically bald and I've only just now been able to get it in there. They told me there wasn't really much they could do about the tires since they passed inspection before I bought it. Now here's where it gets interesting, they at first told me that I could trade out my 2010 GTS for a NEW 2014 lancer GT that had good tires lol or they'd split the difference with me and pay for 2 of the 4 tires. I said no to the GT bc I was eventually planning on trading up to the Ralliart, and as soon as I said that he tells me that they just got a used Ralliart in yesterday and that I could trade up to for like an additional $60 a month (turned out to be $170 on top of my current $350 payments but it works out). This completely blew me away as I was not at all prepared for something like that to happen. The Ralliart that I was offered is a 2013 with 16,000 miles on it! Apparently the previous owner traded it in to get a new Ralliart and I was told that a used one of them rarely becomes available. Now again, my lancer GTS has 61,000 miles on it and it's a 2010. Also I just went over the 60,000 mile bumper-to-bumper warranty and although I purchased an extended warranty, it's only a systems warranty and not nearly as good as the B2B. Oh and get this, my insurance is actually $100 cheaper with the Ralliart making the payment increase only $70, which I can easily do. Most people I know would jump on a deal like that, but I'm having a tougher time deciding. The Ralliart is almost completely stock and that bothers me. It has fog lights and interior blue LEDs but not much else. No leather, no nav, no subwoofer in the trunk, no sun roof, and it's that ugly dark cosmic blue pearl color they have (my least favorite of their colors) with no tinted windows! I got them to throw in tinted windows, which I have to get installed but they'll reimburse me on but so what? I guess I just feel like I'm loosing out on more then I gain. Yes I will have the much faster RA but that's really all I'm getting, is speed. I loose out on my much sexier white on black GTS that is fully loaded with everything BUT the speed aspect. What would you guys do in my situation? It's already pretty much a done deal, but I could still back out; I go to pick it up tomorrow. Here's a quick summary of what I gain/loose.

GAIN:
If I go through with this deal I will gain a car that usually costs around $12k more then my current model and I know that Ralliarts hold their value much better then a regular lancer over time, since they rarely pop up used and everyone wants an RA or EVO. I gain a car that is 3 years newer with 45,000 miles less than my current lancer which also means 45,000 more miles covered under the bumper-to-bumper warranty. I gain SPEED overall.

LOOSE:
If I go through with the deal I will loose a car that is in my opinion, much better looking inside and out. Normally the RA is a sexier car but in this case, my white with contrasting black tinted windows looks SOOO MUCH better than this gross dark cosmic blue pearl RA with clear windows. The inside of my GTS also looks much nicer with its leather seats, navigation unit/sound system with 10" sub, my sunroof, and the carbon fiber trim. Loose auto headlights and wipers which are very convenient as well as my heated seats. I also loose my beloved manual transmission which is very hard for me to live without. Just compared to what I had, you get in this RA and it just seems so barren with its cloth seats, so many unused button spots, no nav unit, and is so dark and feels so much more enclosed with no sun roofer.

Idk what to do, this is such a hard decision for me! What would you guy do? And please don't tell me it depends on what I wanna do with it, bc I love my cars quick (owned an RSX type-s b4 the GTS, and a wrx b4 that) but I'm in no way a street racer. I care about my car looking sexy with lots of cool and functional features versus a plain speed machine. The only reason I'm leaning towards this Ralliart now is bc of how much newer it is with the b2b warranty, and it being a step up in model. Those are essentially the only "pluses" I see in this particular RA aside from its speed. I'd almost rather wait but how often does this type of opportunity present itself? The dealer said they get a used RA in every 4-6 months and this one being a 2013 with 16k miles for $22,900 is pretty damn good from what I've seen out there so far. What should I do?

danike

Not trolling, but the word "loose" is the opposite of tight. "Lose" is the opposite of win.

If you don't drive a lot in snow, mud, or rain, the RA is probably more than you need. If you don't prefer speed over looks, why downgrade to a less aesthetically pleasing car?

Veronica

iTrader: (2)

If you have to mull it over (i.e. AWD/turbo does not make it a 'no-brainer'... ) then just keep the GTS and maybe turbo it...

Don't buy a car you don't have a passion for. You will look for a reason to sell it (even for a loss)...

my $.02 worth.

Grilla

iTrader: (1)

Even though the RA is objectively a better car, unless you love what you're actually getting you will never be satisfied with it. Color is a deal breaker IMO, especially if you think you're going from the best (WW) to the worst (CB). Going from HID to halogen is also a huge step back.

Just wait for the one you want, it will come. Be vigilant on Autotrader. For reference I got my WW with 11k miles, sunroof, leather+heat, RF, HID for $19k... so you're really not even getting a great deal. For $22.9k like they're asking, I found a TB with 1k miles the same time I purchased mine.

sickOne

iTrader: (1)

it looks like your have more reasons not to trade than to trade for an RA, to me the RA is a awd/turbo charge GTS, if youre more concern about all the bells and whistles that youre GTS has over the RA then you should keep your GTS..my opinion

mxzas

Don't forget to factor in the added fuel costs to your monthly bill as well, 93 + awd is not something negligible. On the plus side you will enjoy driving it. I bought my RA barebone with no nav/sub/subroof/recaro and it doesn't bother me that much, after all I could have more budget for mods. From the points listed by you it sounds like you prefer the "look and feel" more than the pure driving experience, I would vote against getting that car for now and wait for the one you want.

Jay10Ralliart

iTrader: (4)

A couple things Id like to mention here:
1) Being as you are in Jersey, an awd car is going to be a big plus in winter
2) I personally would take a less equipped turbocharged car than a full equipped very slow car. Speed may not be a big thing to you but get a gst tune or custom tune and I bet youd feel completely different
3) You'll be getting your tinted windows for free as you mentioned so instead of black on white, you'll have a more "murdered out" look. Paint or plastidip your wheels and you'll have a much different, better looking car
4) You will most likely run in the acd pump issue with the RA that most of us (including me) have. $700-1500 fix at some point of the cars life (mine went out at 50k miles)
5) Getting into a newer car with less miles (especially a faster one) is a big plus, but I dont think the deal theyre offering is great. I bought my RA fully loaded (Recaros, HIDs, nav, RF stereo w/ sub, etc. for $30,000 so $23,000 for a used not loaded car is not that great.
6) I dunno if they are now but when I was looking to buy my RA, the sun roof wasnt even an option for them.
7) I bought a black RA and at the time it was my least favorite color (I wanted white). I said screw it I want the car anyways. I still to this day hate that I bought a color I didnt want, but Ill tell you, after modding my car and getting some performance things done, its def not a deal breaker!
IMO, Id say you should go for the ralliart and if I did it all over I still would have. The only thing you need to work on is that price. People sell many used parts on her that would be very beneficial to you once you have the car (evo x intercooler and piping, evo x bpv, stock subwoofers, exhaust, wheels, etc) Go for it but get that price down!!

mike594x

I went from an 08 GTS (which I totaled) and moved up to an 09 Ralliart. Greatest car I have ever driven so far. I love it. The AWD/Turbo combo is one you wont forget, especially when its your first time/first car with it. I can honestly say that I definitely have more fun driving this car than any of my previous cars or cars that I've driven. The color thing sucks, but I've never had a car with the exact color I've wanted either. Since I've bought my cars used, you kinda just go with the flow and make the best of what you got. I got lucky and found a white ralliart. And actually, now that I've read a few comments about other used ralliarts and their prices, I feel extremely lucky that I found my 2009 WW Ralliart w/ only 40k miles, for $14k. That's right, only $14K!! That was a REALLY good deal in my opinion.

hamburger_train

Tldr

Edit: for $520/month I could drive a ****ing GTR.

Corrupter

iTrader: (1)

LOL I wish a GTR was possible for 520/month! Even on a 72 month loan with super low interest, you'd be over 1k/mo on a used one


On the original topic, its the classic case of power vs luxury. I'm all for power, and the AWD is awesome too. Rips through snow better than most SUVs IMHO. I have a very basic RA, no leather, no sunroof, no nav. Leather makes you sweat in the summer, you have 4 other windows that can be opened, and you have nav on your phone. The smile that you get when the turbo spools up can't be replaced

hamburger_train

Maybe for you. I don't need to finance 60k+

But I agree with the rest of your post.

StigofSAE

If you need to come to a Ralliart Forum to find people to talk you into the ralliart then it sounds like you don't wan't it. Cars aren't an investment drive what ever you want, maybe you could wait for a ralliart with all the upgrades you are looking for.

mike594x

Cool story bro. Must be nice.