You gotta remember the golden rule that speed = money. For the price, I think my OZ is a good lookin car, fun to drive and has enough pep with the few mods I have done. If I wanted total power I would have waited and got the EVO (assuming I could have afforded one ). Not sure about the Ralliart version, but one other question you have to ask yourself is when do you need the car? If it's right away, then the OZ is probably the right answer, if not until next year, then maybe the Ralliart is the best. It all comes down to what YOU want, not what the rest of us think.

 

The same dealer here in Oregon that's asking $40,000 for the 6 EVO's sittin' on their lot. Ridiculous isn't it?

 

i own a oz, and i'm fine wit it.......but performance wise i would've definitley gone wit the evo

 

I got an OZ Rally and I love it. My twin sister got a Nissan Sentra SE-R and she spanks me up and down the street with it. As the over-all car goes, I find the Lancer to have a much friendlier cockpit and rear-seat leg room. I prefer the way it handles as well, but if you're lookin' at HP, the Sentra's got it all the way (180hp), yet all of the aftermarket parts for the Lancer are hella cheaper than the Sentra's.

If you really shop them both, you'll find them to be about $500-$800 apart in price.

 

If I could've gotten an Evo, I would've. But, that just wasn't going to happen, so i got an OZ. It's a Red '03 Automatic, and it's really a great car. It's got a great feel to it, and I'd recommend it to anyone. However, that doesn't change the fact that I'm going to modify the hell out of it the first chance I get.

 

I agree with the "shop around and test drive theory". I love the way my OZ looks but performancewise, it SUCKS! I will be turboing it very soon. I jumped into mine, and if I would have waited I probally have a Cooper S or 20th aniv. GTI. Don't get me wrong, it's reliable, looks good, and drives nice but I perfer cars with a sporting feel and nostalgia.

 

yea i got a oz i love it...even tho its a bit slow...i think it looks nice =)...but im planning on gettin a new car very soon its probably gonna be a gti or a 6 but ill still keep my lancer =)

 

I have an OZ and I'm fine with it. Mo, it doesn't have a lot of power but neither do many other cars in the same class. I probably would have got an EVO if I could have afforded it, but I go to a damn expensive school and just couldn't swing it. But it really wouldn't matter what I got, I would've modded it anyway. I'd also say test drive whatever's in your price range that you think you might want no matter how remote the possibility is that you'll get it just so you don't regret your decision and wonder if you would have liked another car better after you've already got one. Personally I'd rather have the 03 OZ with less power than the fugly Ralliart when it comes out but that's just my opinion. Like others have said, buy whatever you like and not what someone else does.

 

For 17,500, get a used WRX, a Mazdaspeed Protege or even a Golf 1.8T. All of them are quicker and more fun than a standard Lancer and you don't lose any utility.

 

I agree you need to buy what you like. Shop around and find what you like the best

 

Yea, don't wanna bash on the OZ Lancer too much but the only reason I even got one was because of the 0/0/0 deal they had going on. I needed that extra year to save up money for it (actually I don't start paying until Feb 02, 2004). Seriously just go test drive some other cars. I think a lot of people get the Lancer because they want to be a part of the "Lancer heritage" and also maybe because of special deals like the one I did. The fact that once you mod the car with a turbo and such it can run peppy enough is good enough for me to keep mine. Personally I'd rather build up to get my speed than get it stock. Don't make any rash desicions when buying a car though (I wanted to get a car on the Sunday of the week I got mine and ended up with it in my driveway on that Thursday...waaaayyy too soon and rash thinking).

To sum that up: shop shop shop. Then you will find what you really will love.

 

ok heres just my opinion i think that standard lancers are gay they should only be driven by highschool girls and old ladies. look elsewhere. if thats all your able to spend look for preowned just get something better.

 

Harsh, but true to a point. Of course when you're only 17 and have a job at Wal-Mart your options aren't too various.