hale

Right now I have an '81 Jeep CJ7 that I bought hoping it would make it through my highschool senior year with little trouble. Well it was exactly the opposite, so I am going to be selling it soon.

And since I'm looking for a new car, and I started looking at the ES's. They are cheap, good gas milage, and if I buy it new, it should easily last through at least 4 years of college!!

What are the up/down-sides of Lancers and ES's in general? I really would like a Ralliart, but the payments would be over $50+ more a month, and I don't think I could afford that.

Is the pickup going to be enough where I can drive it on the interstate everyday with a 5 speed and enjoy it? And be nice enough to drive around town the same way?

thanks guy

and does anybody have an idea when mitsu will start offering end of model year discounts? i would like to pick one up cheaper than 13-14k

pumpdog720

iTrader: (1)

I love my ES! Go for it!

hale

hehe well i would like elaboration on why i should get one...

also i just thought of this one...are the mitsu trannys still weak like they were back in the days of the 3000GT? I always heard of people *****ing that the trannys (manual and autos) were incredibly weak.

imapunkclaimer

iTrader: (29)

My transmission has been fine, but then again i only have about 14k miles. Ive owned both an automatic and a manual lancer and i can say i love the manual more, but the automatic still gets the job done and no problems with that.

I say go all the way and get a ralliart!

Or just go to the dealer and sit inside the Es and the OZ and just get a feel for it. THe only reason i wanted the oz over the es was the darker plastic stuff and the nice little ring around the shifter.

urbanknight

iTrader: (14)

I think you're making a good choice. I bought my Lancer when I was sick of my Trans Am breaking down getting me to college and back every day. These are fairly reliable cars, but you have to be willing to put up with a few rattles and squeaks that one might expect from a car under $20k (more than a few if you lower the car and drive like a bat out of hell )

If you want good pickup, I would suggest the Ralliart. The ES has enough to keep you happy, but the Ralliart is the only trim with the larger motor if that's what you want. If you want the smaller motor, buy the Ralliart and swap with me Anyway, good luck on your choices and feel free to come back with any other questions.

Centrylancer

iTrader: (2)

i just sold my 98 dodge dakota 5 spd last week and i picked up my oz 3 days ago and i promise you it will be the best decision you'll make

i got a used 02 oz with 28k for 10k, i got them to take 2 grand off of it and throw in a free power sunroof, try to find a used 02-03 oz with less than 30k miles

granted it doesn't have the power of my truck, it had a V8 but this car is soooo much fun to drive and i get noticed a lot more as well, funny...had a guy in a yellow mustang give me the thumbs up yesterday

and the gas is freaking incrediable!! instead of 33 bucks to fill my dakota its only 15 to fill my oz, driven it for 3 days and barely put a dent in the tank!

i drove a es loaner automatic for a few days til my moonroof was ready and that was alright too, the power is the same as my oz but i love shifting too much! either car will make you happy but at night when my red gauges light up its even better, plus its as close to an evo you'll probably get since the interior of the oz and the evo are more or less the same, except steering wheel and seats.

mitsumichael7

iTrader: (1)

First things first...WHERE THE HELL DO YOU LIVE!!! I am moving there!!lol.

OK, on topic, you will love either choice with the ES or the Ralliart. If you go to Mitsu and haggle you can buy an 04 ES in the mid $12's with the manual tranny. A little more for the auto. (get the manual...more power at the wheels) The Ralliart is AWESOME! I speak from experience here, but there are days I wish I didnt HAVE TO GO BIG and just bought the ES and saved a ton of $$$. I got a good deal and so can you. I recommend getting the ES for $12,500 with the basics and doing the little custom things to make it "yours". You will love it in the end. Oh and here is a shot of my RA to tease you with...lol.

Centrylancer

iTrader: (2)

raleigh north carolina, not a damn thing to do here but at least gas is cheap 1.61 for unleaded

urbanknight

iTrader: (14)

Gas is about $2.30 for regular around here. which brings up another advantage. I'm getting about 30 mpg on the Lancer, which is much better than the 15 mpg on the Trans Am.

Blue04ES

iTrader: (4)

Yeah Go for the ES. I just bought mine a month or so ago and I was in the same situation as you. Im a senior and I needed something for college that would last and my parents wouldnt let me buy anything without a warantee this time. But go for the like 500 dollar option for keyless entry and color-keyed handles. The cheap POS plastic ones look way to cheap. I got mine with just that optiion and the manual for like 12k after taxes and fees (boatload of fees) and a 1k loyalty rebate. And if no one in your family owns a mitsu just go buy a junk mirage for 100 bucks for the title and bring the title for that 1k rebate . And as for the highway thing, yeah you can easily pass at highway speeds as easily as droppin a gear or two.

Static

iTrader: (1)

Unless your getting a ralliart id recommend a used 02-03 OZ
The resale value on these things suck, so getting a used one isnt going to hurt you nearly as much. Besides, in my opinion the 03s look better (but thats just me).

chrls000171

if your thinking about going aftermarket u might wanna choose between a oz rally or a ralliart, seems that the companys making parts for the lancers are concentrating more on those two...and the evo of course

IILANCERII02

iTrader: (1)

Yo - congrats on thinking of getting a lancer.

i got mine used with 20K miles on a it about 1.5 years ago, for 8,900$ which is a pretty good price. Especially when it was still in the yaer 2002 when i bought it, and its an 02 ES.

The lancer is a great car, and like you, its lasting me my 4 years in HS and prob all of college, unless i get a tight job in my senior year of college. My lancer has always been there for me, no trouble and i beat the **** outta it for the most part.

The only problem with it is that parts sometimes can cost more because its a Japenese car, which i noticed when i bent my axel it cost a ton to fix, compared to my friends car when he bent his was a few hundred less ** he had an american car ** but i mean still, my car has always been more reliable and is much cooler! especially for the same price for the most part.

hope to see you in a lancer - i know you will love it. I also would say go with the manual, i have an automatic but wish i would of gteen the manual.

urbanknight

iTrader: (14)

Actually, I disagree with that. The ES has more options for rims since it shares the same bolt pattern as the Civic. Full coilover kits will fit either model, while aftermarket shocks are only available for the ES right now. If you're going to modify the rims, suspension, and body kit, you just threw away most of the OZ package anyway. That's my opinion.

hale

That was acutally going to be my next question, whats the bolt pattern on the Ozs? Everyone I've seen pictures of have the center caps on so it hides the pattern. I just think 4 lugs are tacky looking?
Is the Ralliart engine just stroked and bored over to give it the .4 litres, or is it a different engine?

I like everything that comes standard with the RA like 4 wheel discs, ABS, and all that, but it only has 40 more horsepower and loses 5-6 mpgs?! It's barely getting more than my old 87 supra turbo did sometimes (and it was driven with the wrong kind of fuel because nobody around here carries 92+)

I'm going to keep looking, but depending on how much I can acutally get for the Jeep, and how long it takes me to sell the Jeep, is really whats going to determine it all. Anybody know when Mitsu will start offering end-of-year model sales? It would be nice if they would take off some more and make that RA a bit cheaper than 18 MSRP Or even an Oz pretty cheap wouldn't be bad....even though drums are the devil!