hey guys. welcome the newest newbie.

my mom and i have been arguing about which car to get, but finally she approved of the lancer. the only thing about it, is that i want to know if its a reliable car, and what problems any of you had with it?

and... if i get one... which color should i get (it'll be the o-z rally type)?

 

Lancers are pretty reliable. I don't think anyone has had any serious problems. I have about 20,000 miles on mine. So far I have replaced the clutch and brake pads.

Colors-Silver or black. There are too many yellow Lancers around. Although, they do look really good in yellow.

 

and another question..... is this just the front bumper... and if it is just the front bumper... will it fit? http://www.importfan.com/product.asp?3=2538

 

The Evo VII fb needs a lot of fabrication to fit properly. I am in the process of having a whole Evo VII kit put on. You need to get an Evo VII hood and headlights. You might even have to get the fenders too. Its very difficult to do. Three body shops I went to wouldn't even touch it. If you want something simple, I suggest you go to Shark Racing or Kaminari and look at their kits.

 

Oh ya, all the pieces for the Evo VII kit are molded from the Evo VII in Japan. Thats why they don't fit properly.

 

I haven't had ANY problems with my Lancer. Pretty reliable car if you ask me. There's not much of a difference between OZ edition and ES editions, so I would just get an ES.

 

The OZ Rally Edition comes with side skirts, front and rear lips, a spoiler, 15" alluminum rims, white dials, and OZ Racing Rally Edition badges on the floor mats and on the trunk. There are probably some other things too. And if you plan on getting after market suspension and things like that, I suggest sticking with your plan on getting an OZ Rally, because there isn't much that fits on an es or ls. Besides, its a cool name. Mitsubishi Lancer OZ Rally Edition.

I partly agree with pisetup too. There is no difference with the engine or tranny between the two. So performance will be the same.

 

Alright you got the basics but the OZ and LS share the same suspension componentry. However, this whole suspension thing isn't really a big issue. First, if you're going to put on lowering springs, you're going to have to replace the strut and shock hardware since the Lancer's stock equipment just doesn't seem to like aftermarket springs. The best and most economical route to get a suspension that will work and be a good value for the money is RMR's suspension kit which for the ES guys, it seems they package the top strut mounts and correct diameter struts (bringing it in spec with LS/OZ models) and solves and future fitment problems with springs (if you plan on replacing the Eibachs that come from RMR). The next setup which will cost you a bit (read: lot) more is the Tein SS damper kit which completely replaces the suspension hardware from the strut mounts down. It's a fully adjustable (unlike RMR's Ralliart struts and Eibach springs) coilover system and from the one review I've read, works great. Just some things to keep in mind.

 

if i get a sharkracing body kit, what's a good estimate on the paint job and installation of one?

 

although i don't know, body shops i've dealt with take **** off of cars to paint it... if you get them painted before they get put on, esp. if you can have the same shop do it, i wouldn't spect it would be /that/ expensive because the $45/hour labor is cut down a lot by not needing to remove some stuff to paint it

 

20,000 miles and had to replace the clutch already

 

even brakes should last ya longer than that.
my worst thing is gonna be tires. i wear through them horribly cause i drive so crazy when it rains. i fly around.

 

Parts needed for the evo 7 body conversion:
Hood
Front fenders
Headlights
Front bumper
Front jdm bumper bar (probably needed)
Sideskirts
Rear doors
Tailights
Rear bumper
Rear jdm bumper bar (probably needed)
Rear apron
Evo 7 wing
Rear fenders*
New wheels**

*The fenders are part of the unibody so the originals need to be cut of and a set needs to be cut off of an evo 7. Then the new fenders need to be welded on, prepped, and painted

**Wider fenders mean wider wheels or lower offset wheels.