Faults:

Regular replacements.

Clutch replaced at 260,000km.

Brake shoes replaced at 280,000km.

Constant replacement of light bulbs - all of them.

Wearing of the inside edge of front tyres.

General Comments:

The car handles well for the everyday city run, wouldn't expect miracles from a city car. OK at the lights, but needs serious whipping to get decent pick up.

Cold start is a nightmare, where I can hear every valve opening and closing, and the engine running dry close to a minute. Not an impressive sound. Fell for the car when the dealer cranked the engine, and it was super smooth; hence the purchase. Of course he had the engine pre-warmed!!

Fuel economy is acceptable for a city runner with an average of 12km/lt. Have hit 15.5 lt/km interstate. However this is pretty OK for a carby 1.5lt engine with 300,000 on the clock.

Word of caution if buying a used Lancer CC!! Always check for weakening of the clutch cable bracket at the firewall of the engine bay. This is very weak. When the clutch starts to fail, this is the weakest point. Damage is very expensive to fix, trust me!!

Handling on wet roads is very bad for a front wheel drive, with heavy over-steer. Easier to lock the wheels on moderate braking.

Paint work, and overall fit and finish, is holding up for the age of the car.

Best part about the car is the self-maintenance capability. It's mostly DIY, and parts are relatively cheap. Tyres last a while, I've clocked 60,000km on mine.

To increase grip, hope to chuck the stock wheels and fit chunkier tyres.

Overall, I'd recommend the car to first time car buyers. Not recommended for families. You cannot fit anything bigger than a suitcase in this car. It's a downfall of owning a coupe!!

Faults:

Rear electric window wheel broke.

Driver's window hard to go up at times, needs grease.

Regular 5000k maintenance is pain, but worth it.

General Comments:

One of the best power/ratio Aus delivered car at that time.

No quite Evo power, but for Aus standards at the time, it was excellent.

4WD handling is also excellent, standard suspension for the GSR has been upgraded (compared to the normal GL/GLXi versions), but don't expect to be clock decent times around the track with standard suspension.

Lacks a lot of options when compared to the Evo1-3. ie. 4g63 2.0l FMIC turbo motor, short ratio gearbox, LSD, Recaro seats, leather steering wheel, etc...

The early WRX was the next best option, but the gearbox caused reliability problems, so I went with the GSR; it was also worth half the price with 9/10's of the performance.

Faults:

Buzzing noise from somewhere in the motor, I've been told it's got something to do with the starter motor. It sounds like an electric motor and I've had it since I bought it, so it's not really a bad thing, but if I wanted to get rid of the noise I could repair it or get a huge exhaust (the latter method Preferred).

General Comments:

A very economical 4 cylinder.

I've been told it's got plenty of go for a front wheel drive.

2 door coupe design gives that sporty look.

The gear system's a bit loose, but could be tightened.

Soft clutch good for quick-shifting or lady drivers.

Fat boot space- enough room for at least 3 carcasses. Includes spare wheel and tire concealed under the boot cover.

No power steering makes extremely little difference with such a light car.

Air-con works super fast.

Never any problems under the hood, electrical problems, or any problems ever really.