We had a 2004 Lancer Sportback LS (both the LS and the Ralliart got the same 2.4 motor in the Sportback trim when we got ours). AMAZING car, incredible snappy acceleration, great gas milage and nothing has broken (my in-laws bought it off lease) in six years. Biggest issue was a lack of sunroof in the Sportback.
When the lease came up, and the new Lancer was hotter than an interstate in Nevada at high noon, Mitsubishi flipped us the bird for investing in them during the dark days of joining Daewoo. The lease rates were ridiculous and there was no incentive for returning customers.
This, from a company that had three local dealerships go belly up in the first three years we had it not long after they formally launched in Canada. We were the equivalent of Mitsubishi-Service gypsies, forced to wander Southwestern Ontario for the latestest announcement of the newest dealership so we could pack the wagon and head for before it went t!ts up.
as a used car buy, tho. Sometimes wished we'd kept it - nice car and no payments.....
