 A nice alternative to the run of the mill Civic, Corolla, Sentra.  Much better car than the Korean "run em' til they die" Hyundai and Kia's.  A quality made in Japan vehicle.  And yes, sorry America, they do build better cars than us.  This is our 3rd Mitsubishi, my wife has had a Mirage and a Outlander Sport, I got this one for our daughter who's  in the military and then off to college.  I owned a 2002 Hyundai that I drove for work, and will never own another Korean car, they're fine new cars when they are under warranty; in the case of this Lancer I shopped for a used one with around 100k on it so I knew I wanted Japanese.  When you buy one with 100k miles on it get it for a price that will allow your budget to pay for a new Timing Belt and Water Pump Kit($600 at most shops) and replace the Spark Plugs and put a new Valve Cover Gasket on it($150).  People get rid of their cars at 100,000 and they hardly ever pay out for a Timing Belt Replacement(manual states 100k), if they break your engine is totalled(interference engine = valves and pistons collide).  And if you cant afford OEM Mitsu parts, get a GMB brand kit.Good acceleration, handling, braking; at least for an economical 4 door basic sedan.  Engine design is proven and somewhat simple.  The biggest complaint with this car, as with most "Mitsu's", is the interior controls are fairly cheap and break easily.  Don't worry, you can find replacements on Ebay or at your local salvage yards.  Overall, I consider the 02 to 07 Lancer's a 4 out of 5 star car.  I bought mine for $3600, put $800 into it, now have a $4400 car that my daughter informs she likes driving.