Hey guys!

It's always been my dream to own a Lancer Evo one day (since 2000 or so I've loved the Lancer family of vehicles), unfortunately due to the overall costs I'm not going to be able to do that for some time. That being said, I just recently purchased a 2012 Lancer SE AWD for about 15k in great condition.

I love the car! I'm 22 years old and this is actually my first "new car", and every negative review I've heard about it seems like a total crock, it's really a beautiful vehicle and has plenty of power for such a small engine.

As a preface, I have limited automotive experience. Up to this point I was driving an '04 Grand Am, and took her to 225k miles before the fuel pump died, at which point I decided to purchase a Lancer SE for a very good price (only 21k miles). I am planning on using this vehicle to broaden my knowledge of body work, and automotive knowledge in general. I have friends who race in rallies, driving mostly Honda's and Subaru's, and while I'm NOT planning on racing with the car, I'd love to take it to their show's instead of catching rides to look at cars that are better than mine.

Any tips are very appreciated!!!

Questions:

1. Generally, how hard is it to body kit one of these? I like the stock look, but if I could kit it out to look a little more like an Evolution, and still maintain the 33mpg I get on average, I'd be very happy.

2. I've installed a body kit to a friends Scion tC, and that was very easy. However, I'm not sure how installing a body kit on my Lancer will affect the fact of my insurance and financing through my bank. Is it allowed? And where can I find solid body kits for a good price? I've heard bad things, and I've heard that Lancers require extensive mods to get the kits to fit right in most situations, especially the affordable brands like Extreme Dimensions and Duraflex.

2. Where can I find solid accessories for my Lancer interior/exterior, mostly decorative? I've sorted through Amazon, and most of their selection is complete garbage. Call me vain, but I would like to add at least one or two stickers to the body of my Lancer, and I'd like to re-up the interior.

3. How much are the average installation costs of a body kit from a shop, if I find that I cannot do it myself? Like I said, the Scion tC was cake, and it plugged right in as if the parts were OEM.



Eventually I plan on purchasing an EVO, it's my end all be all goal of vehicle ownership. When I was 17, I drove a 798hp (I think) black 2008 Evo X. It was only a cruise, I got up to about 90 on a track, but it made me fall in love with the Lancer family. For now, I just want to get started.

 

IMO. Don't put any money into your lancer to try and make it look like an Evo. Just save $$$ and buy an Evo when you're ready. Because when the time comes to buy an Evo and you need to sell the Lancer, It will make it harder to sell when it isn't stock anymore and it will end up being a waste of money as the money you spent on putting work into the body could have went towards an Evo fund. just my 2cents

 

If you are going to make the SE look Evo, just get the front bumper. rims, and spoiler (big wing or lip). With that setup it will be easy to sell down the road. (You can prob keep the rims if you really like them)

Ebay has been good to me for my nav system and dash kit, various decals, plasti-dip and small car knick knacks(car lining, cables, etc). Your miles may vary

Just don't get those fake brembo brakes that are listed on ebay. Brake fade and you got to stick it on your caliper.