Hi guys.
What do you think Mitsubishi lancers are like in the 2012-2015 models? Are they reliable or what?
Being offered a deal on one from a reliable family friend with a 2013 lancer with 50k on the clock. I'm confident in old mitsubishis but kind of heard nothing but bad from new mitsubishi owners these days.
Are there any Mitsubishi-mustknows?
My current car is a 1984 Mitsu Colt, :)
IMO: I hate the look of the car. It's the one thing Mitsubishi absolutely sucks at. It hasn't changed for like 15 years I think?
Why would you consider a car with a look that you hate?
I care less about the look and more about the value for money and past owner I guess. It's a valid point, but if the roads were split and looks are more important then I won't buy this.
My current car is a 1984 Mitsu Colt, :)
Looks / Aesthetics aren't really high on his list of current priorities.
I've got an 2014 MY15 Lancer ES Sport. From a genuine perspective, I really like it, it's reliable and IMO has a nice look to it. The engine noise is louder than other cars but I personally have music playing all the time so it doesn't effect me. Mine is ~55k KM's and is going strong, I'd recommend one if you have been offered it at a good price!
I have a 2011 Outlander which is basically a higher riding lancer chassis, should be same engine & CVT unit as lancers. It had 67k on the clock and still had 1 year warranty. Only issues I had was CV Boot split and drive shaft making knocking noises which was replaced under warranty. Currently at 95k after 5 years I think. Its been pretty good Ive found it to be reliable, so lancer should be the same. Only thing I dont like is dealership servicing for CVT is expensive. Dealership only does a drop and fill so your paying $280 for 5 odd litres of CVT fluid, but theres 2 internal filters that can be replaced & cleaned and tranmission takes up 7 odd litres of oil (dont forgot the oil cooler)
So I purchased a 20L drum of CVT fluid from the dealer for $330 ish and did my own CVT servicing which included replacing 1 filter and cleaning another internal filter to make the unit last longer. Can do a few flushes over time.
I've only heard regular issues with SST transmissions (dual clutch). In short if its auto/manual then shouldnt have worries, if SST be mindful of the above and if CVT make sure its had regular servicing, hasn't been used for towing and CVT fluid is still reasonably clean. Dark burnt fluid can be a sign of CVT failure in progress. Take care of the CVT tranny, if it needs to be replaced its $$$
Compared to your vintage Colt, you will probably experience first start every time in cold mornings and heater/aircon working great.
Compared to your vintage Colt, you will probably experience first start every time in cold mornings and heater/aircon working great.
My Colt starts really well. The problem is valve stem seals, headlight (that can't be replaced by bulb, but unit needs to go) and that's about all. It's around 100k. The paint also has lots of rust holes due to me being overseas so many times and leaving it. It's lasted several years without work done. :) My precious.
I definitely miss my first car. It was Datsun 260z that was so rusty it started flaking to the ground when you leaned on the fenders. Sold it once the clutch went. costed me $1800, fast forward to today would probably cost me $15,000 to get again. Wished I kept it since I learnt how to weld later in life.
Had two lancers so far both CJ models (07/08) but the CJ platform goes all the way till 07-17.
No issues with either had both Manual and current driving CVT.
I do my own servicing very frequently which may be why I had no issues so far.
Engine oil every 10k, sparks every 50k, CVT every 50k, use genuine filters etc
CVT lancers have the own unique noise during startup so dw about it too much.
Have compared with my dads lancer as well as a mates to be sure it’s normal.
What kind of “bad things” do you hear from new Mitsubishi owners?
I heard that they lost their ability to make good and reliable cars. Or maybe people just think the old days they were better than they are now and they exaggerate.
But I guess these days people only boast about Toyotas being reliable hahah.
Or these days people neglect car maintenance and use it as a measure of reliability because they spend very little $ over x years.
Since they made them for so long they had time to work out any issues. The later models should be ultra reliable.
Colt ralliart
I was chatting to a Mitsubishi mechanic about them last year, can't remember the whole conversation but he did say there were a couple of different engine versions and one was better than the other. I also had a loan lancer while my car was being fixed for a couple of days, I found that the automatic gear-shifting was a bit dodgy, like it would hunt around to find the right gear. I mentioned that to the CSR when I returned the car and was told that they do that, something to do with emission controls (though I might be fuzzy on that detail too)? But that was the newer model so might not apply to one you are looking at?
Got 2010 model as brand new and no issues. Time to time Mitsubishi call us to fix recall issues, other than that other issues.
Not a bad car, just be aware there is a massive blind spot as a result of the design.
all cars have blind spots for sure, but for some reason the design of the Lancer makes theirs worse.
My cousin has one and she goes on and on about how she "didn't see this" and "didn't see that"
Car Advice and Cars Guide reviews from their launch also point out the blind spot issues.
Massive design problem is between steering wheel and the seat.
Mazda has huge blind spots in the front-sides due to the trim. It's okay. I am the safest driver around, I triple check.
And sometimes adjusting your seat will help too.
I have an 09. Same model - CJ. Very little blind spots. Amazing wing mirrors - I wish I could take them and wack them on my other one (VF commodore).
Reliable car. Nothing has gone wrong mechanically with it and we are up to 130k.
I definitely agree, the front right panel just to the right of the steering wheel does have a blind spot, not sure why you're getting negged. It's a bit annoying when driving but doesn't impact me too much, as dassaur said, the mirrors are really good to counter-act part of it.
Ive got a 2014 Lancer sedan and have never had a car anywhere near as cheap to run as this one. Yearly/15,000km servicing at around $200-250, insurance for mine is <$350 full comprehensive, tyres are generally around $130/each, fuel consumption is ok (around 8-9L/100km combined). Only issue I have ever had was the air con vents snapped – which was fixed under warranty. It also has a fairly sizeable boot for the sedan, plus I managed to fit 3 child seats in the rear.
The later models have a nicer interior than the earlier models – with standard Bluetooth, reverse camera, etc. Ive got the LX model which also has full leather and seat warmers.
I get that people go on about the design being around for 10 years, but that is the beauty of it. This is the reason that they are ultra-reliable and cheap to run. At the end of the day its an A to B commuter car. Sure a Mazda 3 or Hyundai i30 is much nicer inside and to drive, and might save 1L/100km on fuel, but at the expense of reliability and they are not cheap to run or purchase to start with.
Dunno, but I like the look of the car.