Looking for a new Lancer, what should I be looking for?

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sim08u

New Member
Hi all I am a newbie to this kinda thing, this being cars and this forum :) any ways I was wondering if I could get some help in choosing a car, and deciding what to do with it.
Before coming to my senses I was going to buy a Corolla Sportivo or a Mazda sp23 but then my dad intervened so now Ive decided on possibly purchasing a '00 Lancer MR manual, I just wanted to know a few things like..

1. Do they go alright? I currently drive my mums magna and the powers always there when you need it, and its auto lol but of course the magna is a 3.0l v6 and the lancer a 1.8 4 cylinder,
2. What kind of P-plate legal mods can be done to increase performance? I have no idea when it comes to this stuff, but id like to learn.
3. Is re-trimming the interior, etc worth it? I really like the look of Citta's MR I've seen it that many times i know id like my car to look similar, except I know first hand how much money and time he spent on it.
4. What sort of thing should I be looking for when purchasing the car? is there anything or any problems common in a lot of lancers?

Any ways any help would be appreciated, I'm keen to learn, and I cant wait :)
 
sim08u said:
Hi all I am a newbie to this kinda thing, this being cars and this forum :) any ways I was wondering if I could get some help in choosing a car, and deciding what to do with it.
Before coming to my senses I was going to buy a Corolla Sportivo or a Mazda sp23 but then my dad intervened so now Ive decided on possibly purchasing a '00 Lancer MR manual, I just wanted to know a few things like..

1. Do they go alright? I currently drive my mums magna and the powers always there when you need it, and its auto lol but of course the magna is a 3.0l v6 and the lancer a 1.8 4 cylinder,
2. What kind of P-plate legal mods can be done to increase performance? I have no idea when it comes to this stuff, but id like to learn.
3. Is re-trimming the interior, etc worth it? I really like the look of Citta's MR I've seen it that many times i know id like my car to look similar, except I know first hand how much money and time he spent on it.
4. What sort of thing should I be looking for when purchasing the car? is there anything or any problems common in a lot of lancers?

Any ways any help would be appreciated, I'm keen to learn, and I cant wait :)
Click to expand...

1: You cant really compare them, a 3L V6 is almost always going to be a LOT faster then an engine that is almost only half its size. "Theres no replacement for displacement" (more engine L's usually = more power). That being said, the 1.5/1.8L can be "zippy", but it definitely wont get you to 100 in record time.
2. Depending which state you're from, technically no mods are p-plate legal. In victoria, there are to be absolutely ZERO mods that increase engine performance. And yes, this goes as far to even mean not only exhaust extractors and air filters and more, but "performance" oils & spark plug leads etc can technically be included by this (depends if an officer wants to use this against you).
3. i cant help as ive never retrimmed the car.
4. Basic car issues, rust, rough running, the usual things. From what i know, lancers are fairly decent cars that dont die too easily, and dont have any issues that are key problems associated with them, except slowness lol.
 
Welcome Cittas friend.

As for any of the "is it worth it?" questions, its only worth if you think it is!! I say this many times.

They wont go aswell as your mums magna power wise (unless you turbo it, but this is ruled out via question 2) However they can handle a hell of a lot better with a few suspension mods etc.

P plater mods are bit of a grey area, as I believe the law says no performance enhancing mods. Which pretty much rules out any mods except aesthetic and audio. even suspension would be "performance enhancing" but theres a few subtle (and non subtle) things you can do that you most likely wont be picked on.

*extractors
*cold air feed
*lightweight pulleys etc.

IMO retrimming looks hella cool, and is good when its not all showy ie not white and furry or soemthing, i like black and leather coz its semi hardy and can take a bit of abuse. however i dont think its worth the how ever many thousand it costs,

When inspecting

*Always do a REVS checks, pay the $50 or watever it is for a full one.
*Always check the VIN/Engine No. against the REGO papers.
*Run your hand along the body work when inspecting, you can usually feel any dodgy respray jobs/bumps etc.
*Check gaps in all doors/boots/bonnets etc for eveness, uneven gaps can be telltale signs of a prang.
*Check underneath the car for scrapes/dings etc, sometimes the just spray the panels and forget about repairing the underbody damage.
*look through the engine bay for oil/water leaks etc (make sure to check in hard to see/reach places as its easy to hit the engine bay with a pressure washer, hard to get in all the crevices)
*obviously look for obvious signs of damage
*look for things that are showing signs of high wear, and things of low wear, then see if it makes sense do they usually wear together. could show signs of things that have been replaced.

When test driving

*turn the air con on and off to test
*turn the radio off to hear engine noises
*turn the car to full lock both directions
*shift into all gears
*make sure you rev the engine as high as you can without obviously thrashing the car in front of the seller, you can hear odd noises at higher RPM
*give the clutch a little work out to feel how much wear is in it
*test all power windows/mirrors
*drive then let your hands off the wheel to see if it pulls in one direction (could be a wheel alignment, or could be bent suspension components from a prang)

As for common problems, apparently there is a thing with Green CEs and roof rust?? Correct me if im wrong.

Other than that, if you do the timing belt and service regular, look after it, it should run for ages.
 
Mines a 96 and I have not one spot of rust. :)

Good choice on going with a 2000 MR manual Simone. Power wise, they're obviously not a weapon but even my auto MR could chirp into second gear lol so I'd say it's got plenty for the streets. I never had problems over taking people or accelerating lol. U can definitely feel the difference between my gf's 2000 mirage VRX and my 96 lancer MR.
Just so the usual mods like I did. Intake, exhaust, suspension.

Common problems would have to be paint fade especially in the red ones. Also since ur looking for an MR make sure u actually get an MR. Heaps of dodgy *fudge*s selling base models with a shot bodykit as an MR or some even selling a genuine MR but it's missing foglights and/or front lip (if it's a ce2), what does that tell u? It's had a nice smash in the front lol.

As for retrimming the interior it can can cost u a few hundred bucks it a few thousand. Depends on the material used and how much of the interior u actually get retrimmed. There's usually replacement vinyl seat covers on eBay that's the cheapest way out.

MR's are so easy to make them look good. Rims and stance is the beat start. But it's also the most obvious to police.
 
thanks all, good advice to take on board, and eric did i show u that silver one i saw? oh and I now what u mean with the whole fake MR's I have seen a few, is the bigest difference the bigger engine?
 
MR's had all power options (windows and mirrors etc), sideskirts, rear apron (and front lip in CE2s), foglights, rear spoiler, black interior, black window frames, and of course the 4G93 1.8L engine.
can easily be confused with the newer GLXi as they had alot of the same features.

if u cant tell the difference between the engines, the 4G93 1.8L has equal spacing between the exhaust outlets where as the 4G15 1.5L has 2 outlets close together, a space, and then another 2 outlets together.
 
easiest way iv noticed with the 1.5/1.8s were the leads on the 1.5 were at the front, and the leads on the 1.8 were at the back :p
but now i can spot a 4g93 a mile away!
 
There is so many mods for these cars now.. more than your average Magna! Lancer tends to have more of a cult-following than your average family sedan, IMHO.

Good luck.
 
thanks all, appreciate the help hopefully I'll have my own very soon :) and as soon as I do, pics will be up.
 
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