Faults:

At 35000 miles I noticed a minor oil leak. The dealer blamed the aftermarket (Bosch) oil filter, which was complete nonsense. I had them replace it with a Mitsubishi filter, and came back a month later still leaking. They changed the oil pressure sending unit (I told them that was what it was).

A mysterious clunking and rattling began at about 43000 miles. The dealer couldn't hear it, and could find anything wrong. The noise has mysteriously gone away since then.

The trunk lock stopped working at about 45000 miles. The dealer replaced the cylinder under warranty. When I got home, I found new trunk keys in the cup holder. I now needed to carry 2 keys with me? I was livid; they hadn't told me! I removed the new cylinder and had a locksmith re-key it to match the original key. This only cost $10 and is what the dealer should have done. Unfortunately, I live an hour away from the closest dealer. So, as a mechanic, I wind up doing some of my own repairs despite the generous warranty.

General Comments:

I love this little car! It's not perfect, but I like the ergonomics, interior room, big trunk, styling, and fit & finish. I love the imitation charcoal cherry wood dash, it complements the gray interior and silver exterior nicely. The stereo sounds great. Also, it kept its new car smell for 3 years.

With the dealer discount, factory rebate, and Mitsubishi Loyalty rebate (I also had a Montero at the time) I only paid $10,995 for it, and it came with power windows & locks, a/c, and CD. It was the cheapest new car available in the bay area at the time.

It has strong acceleration around town due to the short first gear, but is severely under powered on the highway. I sometimes have to downshift from 5th to 3rd. Flooring the gas in 5th or 4th gets no response from the engine. It gets good mileage, though; about 29-31 in mixed driving. I've never gotten more than 33 or less than 28 on any tankful.

It has been pretty trouble-free, other than the minor oil leak and the trunk lock failure. I was not pleased with either of the 2 dealers I went to for warranty service. They were not thorough in my opinion, and somewhat nonchalant about my troubles. It took them well over a week to fix the trunk lock and oil leak.

Faults:

I have owned the car for over a year, and I have to proudly say I have no problems.

During this time I even rammed a snowbank head-on (which put a small crack in my bumper).

General Comments:

There is nothing super about the car, but there is nothing worth complaining about. A few pleasant surprises:

1) After 3500 RPM the motors kicks it up a notch, and you have a noticeable acceleration increase.

2) The stock radio had considerable base.

3) The car has taken considerable bumps and nicks, but it still performs well and looks great.

4) Gas mileage is pretty high. I get between 28-32 MPG.

If you want a cheap reliable car, this one has been a golden nugget for me. I have also owned a Mazda 626, KIA Spectra and an olds 98 and 88. For a 4 cylinder for under 15k, this car performs well.

Faults:

It was stolen, and when I reported this incident, I discovered that there's a gang who stole about 120 Mitsubishi Lancer model 2006/2007 in just 6 months, and that gang found something about the car which allow them to steal it easily without the original key (keep in mind that it has an immobilizer to keep it from being stolen).

But I think there's something serious wrong with its immobilizer system.

I recommend any one bought this car to use a good alarm system with the steering wheel lock to keep it safe.

General Comments:

The car was the best deal in price/performance.

The engine is a little too loud.

The shifting is very good.