Andy’s Blog

So I thought I would do another small post to let you know my impressions on the Lancer after a week of ownership.

First of all I still absolutely love the car.  I don’t regret buying it even the tiniest bit.  Which is quite an accomplishment because I almost always have a little regret after buying something…even lunch at Buffalo Wild Wings.  For the price I got the car it’s definitely more than what I paid for which is always a good feeling.  Obviously if I had more money I probably would’ve upgraded it bit more, but like I said for what I’m paying I’m extremely happy with it.

Now that I’ve had a chance to actually play with the bluetooth system, it’s amazing.  It’s so easy to dial numbers, pick up, and hang up calls truly hands free.  The only slight downside is that you have to add each entry into the phone book, you can’t transfer the existing phone book.  It’s kind of like the non-power seats…it’s not really a huge issue since I don’t talk to many people on the phone so I added only a few entries.  The only gripe I have about the stereo system is the iPod interface.  It’s just a mini-jack (headphone) cord, so you can’t control which song you’re on from the actual head unit…it has to be controlled from the iPod or in my case my phone.  So I resorted to an old school method of using CDs which is okay because I have a 6-CD changer anyways.   Also I can fit about 100 songs per CD if burned correctly and the car reads them no problem!  The best thing about burning CDs as MP3s instead of a traditional CD is that you can actually see the track name on the head unit.  Also I’d rather be able to change the songs from the head unit since the steering wheel is equipped with the stereo controls.

As far as actually driving goes…still a really fun drive whether or not I’m trying to consume gas or see what it can do.  It handles amazingly and can dodge things on the road with ease (I’ve dodged a few potholes that I didn’t see until the last minute).  It has little low-end power but once you hit that mid-range it almost feel like a turbo kicks in without there actually being once there which is a pretty cool feeling in itself.

All in all I’m still overwhelmed with excitement for this car.  I’ve thought about a few minor/cheap upgrades such as a new shift knob to give it a slightly edgier look inside, but it’s not really necessary.

So as I’m sure most of you have heard probably from Facebook, I did finally get a new car! I got a 2009 Mitsubishi Lancer ES Sport. I must say I absolutely LOVE the car so far. I’ve only had it for a few days, but it is definitely meeting and exceeding my expectations. As far as the actual car goes it’s got the sports package which included some cosmetic sportier looks on the outside including fog lamps, rear wing spoiler, chrome exhaust tip, and some other sexy looking features. I also decided to get the “Sun & Sound” Package which included a sunroof (pretty obviously) and a premium sound system which is really cool! It also included their “fast-key” system which I’m not quite sure why is part of the sun and sound package, but it’s really cool nonetheless. It basically is a keyless entry/ignition system and it unlocks the doors as long as key is within the vicinity of the car…I did notice that it does have to be VERY close so there really isn’t any issues with stealing etc. The keyless system also allows you to start the car without a key using the same concept as the unlocking doors. The one thing I did notice that the car didn’t do that would’ve been nice is if you leave the car running and leave to go into the convenience store or whatever with the keys in your pocket the engine doesn’t automatically kill itself. It’s not really any different than leaving any other car running and running into the store…someone can just as easily steal it, but it is nice because if they kill the engine they can’t start it up again. It would have been nice if the engine did kill itself.

Alright, lets talk about the actual drive now! First of all the car is a 5-speed manual and if you’re asking me why would I get a manual, the answer is simple, I just prefer to drive manuals over automatics. I have nothing against driving automatics just what I prefer. But the first time I got into the car the first thing you notice is that it’s actually pretty damn roomy for a smaller car. And I’m a pretty tall guy 6’4-6’5 and I thought I had more than enough room. The car started up beautifully and sounded pretty sexy while doing so. I changed my mirrors and moved my seat back (which weren’t power by the way, I thought it was strange but honestly I could care less since I’m really going to be the only one driving it, and adjusting it back to my level is easy just push it all the way back). I shifted the car into first and was on my way. The drive was amazing. The clutch was basically like butter but enough force back to allow for quick shifting and acceleration. I can’t say that I timed the 0-60 time by any means, but it did seem pretty quick for a 4-cylinder engine. I think Mitsubishi really did something amazing with their MIVEC design. Something that was pretty cool that I’ve never had before were the audio system’s controls on the steering wheel. Something minor, but definitely cool to have. The only criticism I have on that is when you’re using the “change channel” buttons it switches between the radio stations and not your presets. I have to look at the manual but that would be very nice. Considering I don’t want to go from 99 to 104 with every decimal between just to switch radio stations, or even worse on the satellite system switching between those where there could be 40 or 50 between the stations I want. Now lets talk fuel economy, since it seems what everyone is talking about these days. It varies greatly depending on what kind of driving you’re doing. If I’m driving aggressively it’s obviously going to be much lower that if I’m driving “normal”. But either way when I’m driving aggressively(without flooring the engine) I’m looking around 23-25 on the streets and about 31 if I’m driving normally. The really impressive mileage comes out on the highway. With normal non-stop and go traffic I was getting around 39 @ 70 MPH and even more impressive 42 @ 60 MPH without cruise control and the AC was on. So honestly the Lancer seems to be an all-in-one in my book. It’s got the really sporty feel and it can be used pretty powerfully though only at 148 HP, but can be used very economically if driven right. There are a few criticisms that I noticed but none of them are big enough to actually make an impact on me….the first being the power seats, the second being no lights in the fold down visor’s mirrors. And the last being “automatic” lights. The car actually has daylight running lights so the lights are technically automatic at night, but the taillights don’t automatically turn on. Slight annoyance but nothing to cry over. So in my book I would give the Lancer a 9/10 for what I’m looking for. Obviously some other things would have been nice such as the Ralliart trim with the turbo in it, but something that isn’t worth $10k extra.

Alright, finally lets talk about actually obtaining the car from the dealership. About a week before I actually bought the car I went in with my buddy John to look at what they have. Basically when I told them I wanted a Lancer ES Sport with a 5-Speed Manual Transmission they said they didn’t have anywhere because they were so hot. The reason the manuals were flying off the shelves and the automatics weren’t is because the Manuals qualified for the “cash for clunkers” program and the automatics didn’t by the order of 2 MPG or something like that. It was slightly annoying for me because that’s not why I wanted the manual at all. But this is where South Suburban Mitsubishi earned my business and my recommendations. They went above and beyond to find me exactly what I was looking for. It took them a while to find one and actually get it here, but I knew what I wanted and wasn’t going to back down simply because it was hard to find. But they did it, they eventually located one near Indianapolis and drove it on up here and did a dealer trade. It was actually a pretty amusing story of how they got it since none of the other dealers would trade them since they were so popular. Apparently the normal manager at the other store didn’t want to get rid of it, but they called on his day off and talked to a rookie manager and were able to get the car, and the normal manager was pretty pissed the next day when they found out the car wasn’t there anymore. Anyways it worked out for me and I was able to get exactly what I wanted. So they get it in on Wednesday night and they had to clean it up and everything which worked out for me because it gave me time to go to the DMV and get my Illinois driver’s license since I still had my Arizona one. So Friday rolls along and I go into work early so I can get my IL driver’s license that morning. I get out of work early and so does my mom and we head on over to the dealership. They were contacting the banks all afternoon trying to get us a good rate, but it wasn’t looking very good. My credit was completely shot. This was one of the reasons I REALLY wanted to be on the loan because I knew that it would really help build my credit back up. So we finally got an offer from the bank, but it was WAY higher that I was willing to pay and they went back to work. The GM of the dealership had to call in a favor to the bank and get us a lower rate. They were able to lower it significantly…I don’t know how much they actually lowered the rate or if they lowered the price of the actual car, but I got the payments down to a reasonable price in the neighborhood I was looking for. It was slightly more than I had originally anticipated, but it was okay. I could have gotten it lower if I wanted to take myself off the loan, but it was the very last option that I wanted. So I went with the price and I had actually planned for a bit more in my budget so it was all good. I would definitely recommend South Suburban Mitsubishi in Monee IL to anyone looking for a new car. They went above and beyond for me.

So anyways that concludes my first impressions on my new Lancer. I absolutely love the car and am looking forward to driving it everyday, though I’m not looking forward to paying for it. I hope you enjoyed reading about it!