2003 Mitsubishi Lancer Opinions

[Weapon_R]

I am thinking of buying an '03 Mitsubishi Lancer from a friend. It has around 120k and an automatic transmission. As far as I know, it's got the basic 4cyl 2.0L engine.

Anything I should be wary about? It's for my GF who is replacing the civic she just wrote off. Are these cars as reliable as their honda/nissan counterparts or should we just keep looking for another Civic :D

[Redlyne_mr2]

My buddy has had his 03 OZ since new, he's only had issues with normal maitenance. Shocks went at 150K kms, alternator went at 176K, replaced some lower bushings at 130K and of course it requires a t belt change at 96K so make sure that has been done. Theyre a great car IMO.

[03ozwhip]

i have to give a big +1 on the Lancer. i loved it. it was slow as all hell, but youre not looking for speed when going with one. the only real issues is that the suspension gets rocks caught in the cups and can make wierd grinding noises, in which case, blow them out with pressue washer.

other than those, i never had an issue with mine and i absolutely loved it.

[Weapon_R]

What do you guys think about the auto tranny? Can't find a whole lot about mitsu's transmission reliability.

Definitely not into it for the speed. I actually think the T-belt has been changed so it's not an issue for another 80k or so.

[03ozwhip]

as bad as it is, i pimped mine out and it had an auto tranny. it was good though, i didnt have any issues. mind you i sold it at about 70k so i had 0 issues with the car.

edit- i would buy one again in a heartbeat for a 2nd or third car, or a replcaement car in your situation/

[ZZT23]

My car is a 05 ES, I know it's not the exact year you are looking at but they have the same engine and all... I am at 100K km now and I had no issue with rocks getting caught in the strut cups. However I had a check engine light at 90K and it turned out to be a faulty catalytic converter which was replaced under warranty. So far the car feels pretty solid.

P.S: I didn't know the timing belt needs to be replaced at 96K! I kept thinking 100K and I have slightly passed that number as well, am I in for some trouble pretty soon?

[heavyD]

My wife had an 04 Lancer Ralliart and it was a pretty solid car. We had zero issues right until we traded it in 07 on an Outlander. I don't think you can get a more reliable car for the money as you are always going to pay more for a used Civic or Corolla and Nissan/Mazda offerings aren't as reliable.