Hey,
I currently own a used 2009 Lancer Ralliart. I love the car, and it's done well for me living in snowy Saskatchewan, Canada, but I'm planning to move to B.C. very soon...

The Mitsubishi dealership is offering me $20,000 for my car as a trade in for a new vehicle.
While moving to a new 2013 Ralliart would be awesome, it doesn't seem wise.
There are a lot of pros to trading it in for a Lesser Lancer considering my move:

-Cheaper insurance
- Better MPG
- Cheaper gas (no longer needing Premium)
- New car warranty
- cheaper engine parts if ever problems
- lower monthly payments
etc.

So I think I might swallow my pride and trade in my amazing car for practical reasons... though it pains me to do so.

My question is whether I should go for a basic Lancer, the 2013 Lancer SE 10th Anniversary edition, or a Lancer GT.

Can anyone speak to which option would be wiser? Or which car would be better?
If I trade to the Lancer GT, my payments will be basically the exact same as I'm paying for my Ralliart right now for the same term, so I'd be losing my sweet car for a new but lesser car that will potentially save me more in the long run. Or the 10th Anv. Edition, which will cost me less in payments but potentially be worse?

 

I had an 08' lancer GTS I just sold.. the biggest pisser about downgrading to ANYTHING less then the car you own is the loss of AWD imo. Especially since you prolly see enough snow to justify the cost. When I "downgraded" I ended up swapping to an older 03' WRX to get AWD and a turbo out of the deal but a cheaper ride. I am still glad I did it even though the mileage is higher. Good luck!

 

You cant go wrong with the 10th, the only benefit of the GT is that it has the Ralliart bumper, leather covered seats and better stereo.

I just picked up the 10th and I traded down from a turbo car to save gas and use regular as well. Let's face it, we spend $1500-$4000 on gas alone each year depending on how far we drive.

If the dealer is giving you 20k for your car I would say just go for the GT (2WD is still the 2.0 unlike the thirsty 2.4 in AWC).

 

I would go with the 2013 Lancer SE 10th Anniversary edition. You might as well get the new Ralliart if you are going to get the GT. Imo, the gas savings & higher price of GT vs the Ralliart wouldn't be worth it.

 

I just picked up a 2013 Lancer 10th Anniversary, we traded my '09 Lancer SE.
I really love the car, its got a few extras that my SE didn't have (Sunroof and leather wrapped steering wheel, shift knob, parking brake and leather door inserts in the front. The chrome exhaust finisher looks nicer now that the exhaust is mounted lenghtwise. I opted for the Cosmic Blue Metallic and it is a very nice color IMHO.

I have had 3 other Lancers (03 Ralliart OZ, an 06 SE and an 09 SE) I have driven a friends 2010 Ralliart and it is a much faster ride without question, and I do think it is pretty far away from the SE or 10th. Having said that, from a purely practical standpoint the 10th is the best bang for the buck and total ownership cost is greatly reduced. I have a collegue that has an 09 EVO and he spends a fortune on his car.

If you want performance you have to have some cash to spend! As a daily driver I'm very pleased with the 10th, It's not a Ralliart or Evo and I dont pretend that it ever will be anything except a good looking family car with a sporty look and low cost operation. If the dealer is going to give you that much on trade your car must be in very excellent condition, I would jump on it! after the initial shock and loss of your Ralliart you will see that practical sometimes is the best way to go.

Best of Luck with everything