Hello all!

Ok here is the super brief version of my story. Had a Ford Explorer XLT for almost 7 year. Ice storm hit and accident occurred with a tree two years ago.

-Put the truck aside to work on it and get it back into working condition

-Never got around to fixing it.

-started using grandfathers 92 Ford Escourt as a daily driver. Great gas mileage, low miles. Yay.

-got rear ended in December by a non insured driver. Insurance declared it totaled but it still runs.

So now I'm looking at getting into something a bit newer. The problem is that I'm recently 24, still trying to find a way in this crazy life. But I have a decent job and super motivated. Now I'm looking at a few cars. The base Lancer is my number one choice based souly on my endless love of the Evo. Although there are a few other options out there. Mazda 3 hatch, Scion tC, Cobalt SS and a few others. I do have a few things required though:

-must be no more than around 10 or 11k (3k down payment, 8 or 9k loan)

-post 2008

-AC, heat, CD player, power steering, ABS, and radion controls on steering wheel(if possible)

-lowish miles (no more than 90k)


So what do you guys think? Being a Lancer forum, I expect some bias, but be honest with me as well. so is the 2008+ lancer a decent car? What are some specific problems I should be looking for and is one trim/year better than the other. This car is going to be a DD but I want to make it my own too. I want a nice, clean, sexy car! Thanks!!

NOTE: this is not a post looking for a specific car, just trying to gather ideas on what is out there and what people recommend!



One other quick thing: I ADORE the GTS trim, but trying to find one in that price range is a bit difficult. Is it possible to get a DE or ES and ask mitsubishi to add the ground effect(body pieces) to be similar to the GTS and save a little cash?

 

Hi!

I am also 24 and I drive a 2012 lancer gt. like you said before , I am a little biased to Mitsubishi, this Is my second one and I love her! She gets amazing gas mileage, around 400 miles to the tank, give or take, but I do mostly highway driving to and from work and school. She handles well in all of the New England weather conditions I face.

Looking in your price range you'll probably be wanting a used de or es. I'm not sure if a dealership will add the extras you want to give it the gt look on a used vehicle, but I don't see why not. It would most likely have to be from a mitsu dealer though to do that. Have you considered waiting a little longer to save a little more for a new one? (If it is an option.) new cars tend to have better rebates that may help you lower the price of the car.

However since you are open to other options, my first car was a Mazda, and I absolutely loved that car as well. It was very reliable, and the only problems I had with it were self inflicted (things began to have issues following an accident). My Sister drives a Chevy, it is new, but she seems to enjoy it. Obviously since it is new there hasn't been time for it to really develop any problems, but so far so good. Also, my brother in law used to drive a tC...and when I tell you he loved that car, he LOVED that car. It was pretty sweet, I must say, and it was a nice ride. The only reason why he doesn't have it anymore is because a few years ago we had a really bad flood in my area, and the car unfortunately fell victim to it.

I know I did a lot of rambling, but I hope I could help. You should probably start your search by doing some of your own research on the cars you are interested in so that way you can compare and contrast them. Noone really knows but you what you're looking for exactly. Good luck on your search!

 

I own an 08 GTS with the S&S package as well as the nav and 30GB music hard drive, I can honestly say that I love my car. One thing to look out for, at least on the older end of the models, on rare(I mean a couple times, literally) occasions when it gets very cold out the car will not start immediately. After a couple tries it will finally kick in, I guess it has something to do with the ECU and is common for the 08s. My car has just hit the 90k mark and that's the only major issue I've had with it. This is my second car and my second Lancer, when this baby dies I'll be getting another one. I guess this also makes me a little biased to 's though, but it seems I see everyone out there with a tC, Chevy or a Mazda 3. I say stick out in a good way and go with a Lancer.

As far as pricing goes, I agree with Amanda in terms of a pre-owned ES or DE. If you're stuck on an 08+ for 10k or under, I doubt you'll find a GTS in your price range. And if you're purchasing used, there's no way the dealership will take the time to bother installing the body kit and that's just something more you'll have to pay for. New cars can have many great incentives and sometimes it's more affordable in the long run to go with a new car. I say keep that idea in your scopes.