so i've had the for just over a year now, and here's the story

I bought my 2002 OZ-Rally last year w/

28,000 miles

they wanted 14.500 for it

i paid 11,500 out the door.

mods so far:
custom sunroof
wheels/tires
evo shift knob
pioneer speakers all around
amp
new headunit
indigo guages


before i bought the car i read everything i could about it, because when i first saw a Silver Evo i started reading about it and learning about it, then i found EvoM, which i signed up for and have loved since.


Pros

Yellow with the OZ trim, the overall design of the car is great, i never thought i would own a yellow car in my entire life...ever. my favorite color is blue but i didn't want the ES/LS package.

So far tho, the Yellow has saved me countless hours not searching mall and movie parking lots looking for a silver car.

the car itself drives extremely well, the cars heating system is awesome, during the winter it would heat up and start to defrost almost instanstly, faster than my folks more expensive vehicles.

Driving the car is just as fun as the car looks, it takes turns very aggressively and on and off ramps are just not safe anymore!!!

the gas milage is excellent as well, when i first bought it, i paid maybe 14-16 dollars to fill it up and now its anywhere from 22-24 dollars, a large bump in just a year but when you see the price of the guy who filled up before you at 55-60 bucks, you feel better.

the interior makes me think of the evolution, granted no Recaro's and no momo wheel but overall the inside is convient, i am 6ft 3in's tall and everything i need is easily within reach (even in the backseat )

when i let other people drive my car on a long trip and i sit in the back i find i am not uncomfortable, the back seat is roomier than my friends 03 jetta which my head would bump the ceiling and my legs felt cramped. the lancer is roomy and has a more than a decent sized trunk for anything from luggage to custom sub boxes and enclosures!!

i love driving it around town and its a great car for what i paid.

Cons

engine?! seriously.... they love to say "rally heritage" but what rally stage was won with a 120 horses? please... tell me...

the OZ trim should have been offered with a little boost over the es/ls packages competing maybe with the Sentra Type R crowd or the younger "we want hp" crowd.

starting the OZ off at around 150-165 horses would have helped this a lot more.

seats, by far some of the worst seats ever to be put in a car, long trips are your enemy, if you have back problems, hip issues, or anything else i would suggest a different car, its just not that comfortable.

paint, most people get a leather cover, or clear bra their cars, or watch out for rocks and other small flying objects.

lancer owners, don't worry about these things... just leave it parked in your garage, get a beer, sit relax and watch the paint fall off


Overall Rating

i would give the OZ-Rally an overall 7 out of a perfect 10

1st demark for lack of power
2nd for quality of paint
3rd demark for uncomfortable front seats

should get another for massive drop in resale but "oh f***ing well"

the car now has almost 60,000 miles on it in just a year so i put almost 32,000 miles on it.

i've loved the car through every single mile, i plan to keep it til i am done with college or get a design job to support a 03 BBY or an 05 Electric Blue Evo.

so there you have it, a great car and good buy, keep looking out for more info and watch out as 1 day i too will evolve to the next level


enjoy!

 

Good review and opinions. About the front seats though...I've found them more comfortable than other comparable sedans. And the paint job on the front end...well, matbe my car is special. No problems with the paint at all any where on the car (Munich silver). But kudos to you and your observations. Keep modding my friend.

 

Good review, my thoughts exactly.

 

nice review.. its about to be two yrs having my lancer .. may 11. maybe i should make a review.. hahaha.. seriously... i think i will

 

i think the paint job problem is mostly from yellow lancers... my OEM bumper, both front and back and SS have become a darker yellow than the whole car and i think my oz spoiler too. i noticed the faded yellow like 4-5 months after getting my car

 

About the paint, I can say that the Thunder Gray is just as bad. I have had to get both bumpers painted because of bubbling. Also my hood looks like crap even though there have only been little things that hit it and marked up the paint and i cant fix it unless i get it painted. But yea, I do agree with you about everything but especially the freakin paint. I really hope Mitsu. fixes this problem before i even start thinking about paying that much for my next car which I really want to be and Evo.

 

I agree Rob!

 

Nice call on the paint, ive had my 03 for a little over a year now and my hood had several blemishes. on top of that, the paint is black so it really sticks out. also on long drives my back becomes stiff much like yours

 

Nice write up. I would agree 100%. I've got the back car with the spotted front end from all the rock chips (lotta long drives in the winter). The seats are horrible. I'm currently looking at some Ralliart seats or EVO seats which are both a step up from ours. However, I still love the car. Its been 28 months of delight. I've enjoyed slowly getting more power out of the engine and now its more fun to drive than ever.

 

yeah i can't wait this year to start doing some minor engine work, nothing too big, just headers, exhaust, and CAI, with that i should get some decent gains and let the engine breathe a little easier

 

Those will definately help you get more power. I've got the AEM CAI, RRM Header, and a full custom 2.5" Magnaflow exhaust. This summer I hope to add a bored out 4g93 (5th gen Mirage) intake manifold and possibly a bored throttle body. That'll pretty much open up the breathing as much as I can.

 

It's a 5th gen Mirage, not 4th.

Centry - no, I'm not going to let you say f**k. So stop changing it.

 

so its off the 5th gen, thx

hey ben...still got those springs?

 

Yeah, the power thing is a huge downfall on this car, but the seats arent that bad compared to some ive sat in. You dont slide at all and they have adjustable lumber support too. And my paint chipped like crazy too....awesome review man. Iwas in your exact position a year ago, so i know how it feels to drive a lancer when you really want an evo but wait til you drive one!!!!! Its more amazing engine wise than you can imagine! And if you think the O-Z turns good, you will really be blown away

 

Hell naw! I sold them to a guy named Adolfo, but UPS Fd that up and "lost" them and I gotta wait for them to cut me a check to get my money back and then I gotta send him his money back! How do you just lose a box of springs!? Somebody got some free springs on their car now though that is pretty much a fact with a box that weighs almost 22 pounds and was taped up!!!! Sounds a little shady to me! Now that makes me look like crap even though I followed through on my part, but I just gotta give him his money back when the send me that check. Sorry for the whole histiry of BS, but there is yuour answer. If you woulda took them when I was trying to get rid of them for the past 5 months though, you woulda been straight! You'd prolly be better off with H. Techs anyway or some progress springs! You need to get the magnaflow joint though, I have loved mine since I got it on a little bit ago! Sounds good, but not too noisy like some of those other civics around here! Oh yeah did I tell you about the guy that wrecked looking at my car down in Fuquay a few weeks ago?

Ben

Oh yeah I might try to call you this week sometime! And I hate state paydays cause everyone should have direct deposit for real!!!!!