Mitsubishi Lancer...

[Zivic]

Cheap/practical/boring/numb - Corolla
Cheap/AWD/OK to drive - Impreza
Cheap/reliable/'fun' to drive - Focus

Take your pick. All three are good, depending on what you are looking for. If you want something a little more 'posh' the Focus has some decent trim options.

Don't get a corolla... they are just so underpowered and so horrible to drive.

I agree the Impreza is an OK car.

The Focus can definitely be a lot of fun. I wouldn't mind a new ST, though I have kind of sworn off FWD cars for myself.

I am also a big fan of mazdas. Not all ways the fastest, but they have a fun factor not many other small cars have.

 

[mmntech]

The standard Lancer (non-EVO) is just a compact economy car, no different from a Civic, Corolla, or Focus. Never heard much good about Mitsubishi quality and the ricer appeal means you're more likely to find cars that have been thrashed by wannabe boy racers.

I'd just avoid them personally. If you want a sporty car and don't care about practicality, get a Miata (reliable and easy to find in your price range). If you do care about practicality, get a Civic or Corolla.

I'm not interested in sporty. Just been considering an inexpensive AWD car once my Civic finally reaches the end of the road. I've never been much a fan of SUVs. Suzuki are junk IMO, so that really only leaves Subaru and Mitsubishi.

 

[AstroManLuca]

Don't get a corolla... they are just so underpowered and so horrible to drive.

Yeah, I had a rental Corolla recently and it was a pretty bad car. Everything about it felt totally numb.

 

[thomsbrain]

My brother has a 2006 Ralliart wagon. I think the suspension tune is acceptable for its intended function: well-damped daily road car on all-season tires. Defaults to safe understeer. A thicker rear sway bar would make it more balanced. If you want to run summer tires, you would want stiffer springs to make use of them. Drivetrain is a bit coarse but otherwise okay.

Interior quality is very poor though, both fit/finish and toughness. Honda and Toyota were making significantly higher quality interiors in the 80's.

He has had suspension issues (broken bushings), and has had some minor engine repairs done as well. A variety of broken or worn interior stuff. Clear coat peeling on the roof and hood. All before 80,000 miles. I'd say my Accord is in better shape at nearly 190,000 miles.

That said, he drove it at Buttonwillow Raceway and it didn't fall apart. The soft suspension actually made it very forgiving and fun.

 

[xSkyDrAx]

look at some reviews it looks like the 2012 model was the first base lancer to get AWD but that looks to be their Lancer SE edition or something which goes for about 20k (base starts at 16k). This is within the realm of the base impreza which is probably better.

 

[exar333]

Yeah, I had a rental Corolla recently and it was a pretty bad car. Everything about it felt totally numb.

Agreed, but that doesn't make it a bad car. Some folks like numb handling cars; you will not find that in a car forum, but plenty of folks exist. The Corolla is numb, boring, but is pretty reliable. Some people just want a car from A to B that will not break-down. It fits the bill. I hate them myself, but I get the attraction from a certain demographic...

 

[mmntech]

Agreed, but that doesn't make it a bad car. Some folks like numb handling cars; you will not find that in a car forum, but plenty of folks exist. The Corolla is numb, boring, but is pretty reliable. Some people just want a car from A to B that will not break-down. It fits the bill. I hate them myself, but I get the attraction from a certain demographic...

The fully decked out Corolla S looks nice, but they've always struck me as an old person's car. Toyota is making the same things today that they were 10 years ago. That's not a bad thing as they are reliable, but their cars just look and feel extremely dated. The Yaris is better than the Corolla IMO. Good low end power, comfortable interior, handles well. Though it can't compare to the Rio5.

 

[stag3]

Don't get a corolla... they are just so underpowered and so horrible to drive.

I agree the Impreza is an OK car.

The Focus can definitely be a lot of fun. I wouldn't mind a new ST, though I have kind of sworn off FWD cars for myself.

I am also a big fan of mazdas. Not all ways the fastest, but they have a fun factor not many other small cars have.

same here, for some reason mazda's are fun to drive, we have a cx-7 and it drives/handles like a car, not an suv, same with the cx-9 i test drove.

 

[AstroManLuca]

The fully decked out Corolla S looks nice, but they've always struck me as an old person's car. Toyota is making the same things today that they were 10 years ago. That's not a bad thing as they are reliable, but their cars just look and feel extremely dated. The Yaris is better than the Corolla IMO. Good low end power, comfortable interior, handles well. Though it can't compare to the Rio5.

Even their reliability has been dipping a bit. They're still pretty good overall, but they're not alone at the front of the pack anymore.

 

[Leyawiin]

Old thread, but given the generic title it can be updated with a mini review. I bought a new leftover 2010 Lancer Sportback GTS in Huntington Beach in May 2011. Only had 10 miles on it, but the dealer was really wanting to get it off the lot. Got it for $15,499 before tax and license. Its pretty much loaded - power everything, automatic climate control, CVT, decent six speaker stereo, Bluetooth, etc... Big SoCal dealers have better prices than anywhere I've seen - lots of competition.

So far its been pretty good. It looks very nice for a small car - same 18" Enkei wheels and body trim as the Ralliart. I've gotten a lot of positive comments from people (most have no idea what it is). The interior plastic is cheap though - no getting around it. Seats are extremely comfortable for long trips though. The climate control is awesome - best air conditioner I've ever had in a car. It handles quite well and the ride is fairly smooth on good roads (some road noise though - no worse than a Civic or Mazda3). Acceleration is decent with the CVT and the 2.4. Not what you would call fast, but more than adequate for any situation. MPG is marginal for this day and age - only low 20s in town, high 20s on the freeway. Its been reliable so far - only regular maintenance needed.

Its not the best compact by any stretch, but for $15,499 it can't be beat. Other cars in its class I was looking at were at least $3,500 to $4,000 more - and savings like that can cover a lot of flaws. Plus it has a "Hyundai-like" warranty - 5/60K bumper to bumper and 10/100K drivetrain. Again, the exterior is the best part - nicely aggressive looking for a small car. Plus I've seen exactly one other on the road in all the time I've owned it. You'll never see yourself coming and going like with the Corolla or Civic.

http://i47.tinypic.com/2rc79dv.jpg

 

[PhoKingGuy]

Old thread, but given the generic title it can be updated with a mini review. I bought a new leftover 2010 Lancer Sportback GTS in Huntington Beach in May 2011. Only had 10 miles on it, but the dealer was really wanting to get it off the lot. Got it for $15,499 before tax and license. Its pretty much loaded - power everything, automatic climate control, CVT, decent six speaker stereo, Bluetooth, etc... Big SoCal dealers have better prices than anywhere I've seen - lots of competition.

So far its been pretty good. It looks very nice for a small car - same 18" Enkei wheels and body trim as the Ralliart. I've gotten a lot of positive comments from people (most have no idea what it is). The interior plastic is cheap though - no getting around it. Seats are extremely comfortable for long trips though. The climate control is awesome - best air conditioner I've ever had in a car. It handles quite well and the ride is fairly smooth on good roads (some road noise though - no worse than a Civic or Mazda3). Acceleration is decent with the CVT and the 2.4. Not what you would call fast, but more than adequate for any situation. MPG is marginal for this day and age - only low 20s in town, high 20s on the freeway. Its been reliable so far - only regular maintenance needed.

Its not the best compact by any stretch, but for $15,499 it can't be beat. Other cars in its class I was looking at were at least $3,500 to $4,000 more - and savings like that can cover a lot of flaws. Plus it has a "Hyundai-like" warranty - 5/60K bumper to bumper and 10/100K drivetrain. Again, the exterior is the best part - nicely aggressive looking for a small car. Plus I've seen exactly one other on the road in all the time I've owned it. You'll never see yourself coming and going like with the Corolla or Civic.

http://i47.tinypic.com/2rc79dv.jpg

Seeing as how I get that same mileage with my chipped 335i. That's pretty pathetic.

 

[Leyawiin]

Seeing as how I get that same mileage with my chipped 335i. That's pretty pathetic.

It is pretty bad MPG for a car that size (think the window sticker said 23 city, 30 highway). Nothing I didn't know buying it and again, it was way under the competing models in price. I only do about 10K miles a year so its not like its going to put a big dent in my budget for a little more gas (plus I paid cash so no car payment ). The only other new cars for 15.5K at the time were stuff like the Chevy Aveo, Hyundai Accent and Kia Rio (all before their redesign), so I'm pretty happy regardless.