I've been using my 1.5L 96 coupe for almost 3 years now. The only advice from me is look out for oil leaks.. like most older cars, seals will be brittle over time. I like my car to be in stock condition as best as possible, because I like the aesthetic. it is by far the hardest thing to find in the market with the right price. Most of the owners of CE lancers are either pensioners or P platers. Both are notorious to neglect maintenance and expect to find dents and scrapes all over the place.. maybe some questionable modifications as well. Sad thing about cheap cars.
Another consideration from me is.. find the one with stock rims.. I like the 13" or 14". The tyres are cheaper and the ride quality is better than the humongous aftermarket 17" and alike. Some people will hate me for this. But I like my car to be comfortable to be daily driven.
From my pov, 4g15 is the best engine choice if you're after a reliable engine, that is. It is one of the longest production engine ever, some new chinese cars use this engine. It is a little less gutsy, boring and can be powerless, especially if you drive in hilly condition or highway drive, even worse with auto.
My major maintenance revolves around seals and gaskets, other than that, pretty reliable car. Dead straight easy to fix and everything is rather easily accessible and parts are cheap.
