Look for one that has around 150k miles on the odometer. My advice is to spend more on a car that has been maintained well. You might have two Lancers that look similar with similar miles but one costs a thousand less. It could be because of the history of the car.
Of course, you want to see if it's been in any major crashes. If not, try to find out as much as you can about how it has been dealt with. You could be choosing between a car whose owner changed the oil... Sometimes... Versus one whose owner not only did scheduled maintenance but fixed other stuff too.
I think it's important that you get a good one because once you do, you will appreciate how nice of an economy car this is.
I have to say, the Lancer was pretty cheap brand new (around $16,000?) but it was a great car and some of them still are. I say some of them because, sadly, a lot of them have just been trashed.
I got to drive this car shortly after meeting my wife. My license had been suspended for two years (not cool!) so when I got it back, I became the driver because she didn't really like to drive. My first impression of the car was that it was extremely nice.
It was almost as smooth as a luxury car on the road, has good pick-up, and gets pretty good mileage in the city. In my experience, about 26 mpg city. The interior is also very ergonomic. It's not quite a Saab 900 SE but the buttons are in the right place, visibility is good, and driving the car is kinda fun.
For $16,000 sticker? Yep, nailed it.
It's fun because while it's not fast, it's 'quick' so it's fun switching between lanes. It does real good hopping in front of people in tight spaces. Even though it's a four-door, it's small and nimble. That's probably why it was picked to be the Evo.
I don't know if the oil meter wasn't working or if the car didn't have a warning at all but more than one time it was driven with like no oil. Yes, there was some, but checking the dipstick revealed that it was bone dry meaning the oil couldn't even get to it to leave traces after driving!
I know that the car drove like this for probably a good month if you put the two incidents together. It didn't even complain. It's very reliable. I mean, my wife's car just hit 110k miles and there hasn't been a problem until we parked it for a year...
The Mitsubishi Lancer is a great economy car and a great sports car in the Evolution form. It's one of my top picks for an economy car. Take it easy!
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