Faults:

The stock VV (variable venturi) Aisan carburetor with an automatic (wax type) choke won't work since I got this car 6 years ago, and I'm having difficulty in starting it when the weather is cold.

A/C compressor went bad after 16 years of service.

Fuel pump went bad and affects fuel consumption.

Valve seals just rip off every 115,000 Km or + average, causing "burning oil" blue smoke.

General Comments:

This car is powered by a Mitsubishi Orion "Cyclone" 4G13 SOHC engine.

The consumption is very economical, especially during long haul driving.

City driving - 1:9.5.

Long driving - 1:11.5.

The stock carburetor, an Aisan variable venturi (automatic) wax type choke (or water choke) sucks every time the engine is cold or super cold, and it's very, very difficult to start. Yet it's difficult to find a replacement choke housing for this kind of carb. I strongly suggest to buy a new Mikuni replacement carb part no. 2110-13040 fixed venturi with a manual choke, or buy a Weber carburetor. Doesn't matter if it's a 32/36 "DGV"/"DGEV" series or the DCOE series. It works great when starting in cold or super cold weather with the aid of a manual choke. I changed it from the stock VV carburetor to a Weber 32/36 DGV carburetor.

The A/C is good and cold. But you need to pay some attention to the compressor if your compressor reaches 16 years+. The compressor clutch will act weird. But this kind of compressor is still available in the market today, and costs P 13,000+ (Philippine Peso).

Highway driving conditions with this car are excellent and smooth, even if you're driving at 100 Km/h+.

Faults:

Brakes had to be replaced.

A hole in the exhaust system.

Interior lights don't switch on when the driver door opens (they do when any other door opens).

Driver's seat heating doesn't work.

General Comments:

Car cost 10,000 SEK. Spent 6,000 on repairs after it failed annual inspection.

This car is certainly more comfortable than my previous car, a communist-era Skoda, but also much less charismatic. AC takes a while to get the heat up, but once it does, it works fine. Seats are fine.

At highway speeds, the engine revs ~3500 RPM and makes quite a lot of noise. There's also way too much wind noise. Fuel economy is not as good as I had expected.

A decent car for its price. Good for short trips; noise levels gets tiresome on longer trips.

Faults:

Dashboard clock did not display digits when purchased.

Driver's side electric window regulator failed at 240,000 kms.

Air con condenser bearing needed replacing at 250,000. This may or may not have been related to driving through 4 ft deep water during a flood; happened 1 week after.

General Comments:

The CE Lancer MR edition (1.8 L engine instead of the GLI's 1.5L) is a top car. The only real downside is the side impact collision results as can be viewed on youtube under "Lancer crash test".

Being a small car, I found it comfortable to drive. I'm 6'2ft tall, and I had plenty of leg room and never felt squashed in.

The Lancer has never left me broken down, apart from when the car battery deciding to die after parking at a garage once, although this does happen with batteries, and is not related to the car's reliability.

As mentioned above, I drove through 4 ft of water in this car and it handled it very well :) The air intake is positioned so that it would not take on any water in the engine, but I would not advise doing this deliberately :)

The car is light, and handling is responsive. Being a front wheel car, I'd advise using decent tyres, as cheap tyres turning under wet conditions can send you towards the curb, especially around roundabouts.

Overall, if you are looking for a first car, or a cheap reliable car, I would highly recommend this or a later version of the Lancer range, as they have a reputation now of being reliable and cost effective, with no major mechanical problems.