ClubCJ - The CJ Lancer Club

Hi guys and girls. New here. I have come from a land far far away on the other side of the pond, Subaru land. My girlfriend is currently on the lookout for her first car and instead of sticking with my beloved Subaru she wants to look at Mitsubishi's. We have found a 2009 Lancer VR-X that we will be looking at on the weekend. It has 172xxxkm, has an up to date log book and looks to be in pretty good condition. Is there any problems I should look out for in this model? Any major things that should have been done mechanically with this many kms on it? My older brother currently has a 2009 Lancer RX and he is a member on here I'm pretty sure. (not sure on his user name). Any help would be greatly appreciated! TIA

Nothing to look for except the engine size. MY08 came out with 2.0l engine and MY09 on came out with the bigger 2.4l engine

If the option is there, I'm sure you can find some similarly priced 2.4L VRXs, I know it doesn't sound like much of a difference but it does give a little extra power.

The VRX has a lot of nice things the cheaper models don't like keyless start and auto wipers and lights. Along with fog lights, 18" wheels and a body kit.

Had my 09' VRX just one 3 years with no issues but mine now only have 120k on it.

It really depends on your budget how new and which spec you go for but I'd rather a slightly older better spec then pay the same for a newer model from the basic end of the range.

I too would go with the VRX/ASPIRE series as the 2.4l is a noticeable amount different in performance, not a huge difference but significantly noticeable, you’ll also gain bit better handling then the lower series and I believe all elder vrx abd aspires comes with the front apron lips which really make a difference in design from the vrx to the VR, also I believe a better sound system, all in all if you can find a vrx or aspire in good nick I’d go for that.

Aspire standard with Leather, 2.4litre engine , MMCS Satnav, HID projector lights with corner lights, paddle shift, proximity key, as well

As the 2.4ltr engine didn't come in till Myo9 model and not knowing if different where you live check to make sure it dose have a 2.4ltr engine.

Have a look around, like others said you could pick up a newer 2.4l for a bit more! After having both a 2 and 2.4l VRX you do notice the difference, i find especially from 3rd gear!

The VRX is a higher end model with some excellent features you may not find in lower models

Alright, had a look at it. Drove really nice, but there were a fewer things that turned me away. It had been reversed into a pole or something as the rear bar was cracked and you could see behind it and the bumper support is bent, one of the rims had a crack in it and even though they said the tyres were all replaced at the same time the rears were like new but the front were only about 15% tread so that leads me to believe it has been thrashed.

Yeah sounds like something you might need to spend money on.

Did it have a road worthy check? Here in QLD every car sold even if its privately has to have a road worthy and I know from experience that a cracked bumper can make it unroadworthy.

Will be sold with RWC but hasnt had one done and reckons it will pass easy even though it has bald tyres...

Being a FWD the front tyres will wear quicker as they are involved in acceleration, turning and a large part of braking so if not rotated on a regular basis it's normal for them to worn more than rears. Not necessarily a sign of the car being trashed, uneven wear across the tread is more of an issue as it shows a car being driven for a time with a bad alignment or other suspension issues.

The 'Beaver bar' behind the bumper can be replaced by a repair shop easily so could be an area to negotiate a lower price (Not sure how much a repair would cost).

A cracked wheel is an issue as if it's an alloy it can't be repaired, probably another area you can argue for a lower price as for safety it should really be replaced.

If you have the VIN number there are some places you can check there is no finances owing on car and that it has never been a statutory write off.

There have been some recalls on the Lancers in past history:

https://www.productsafety.gov.au/recall/mitsubishi-motors-australia-limited-various-mitsubishi-models-pb-pc-challenger-ga-gb-i-miev-cj-lancer-sedan-sportback-zg-zh-outlander-ns-nt-nw-nx-pajero-ml-mn-triton

https://www.productsafety.gov.au/recall/mitsubishi-motors-australia-limited-09-10my-lancer-sedan-lancer-sport-back-and-outlander

https://www.productsafety.gov.au/recall/mitsubishi-cj-model-lancer-vehicles-inspect-replace-tyres

https://www.productsafety.gov.au/recall/mitsubishi-lancer-and-outlander-model-vehicles

And I think there was also a serpentine belt recall too. http://clubcj.net/viewtopic.php?t=17097

If it's been serviced at a dealer then these and other issues should be sorted, you could possibly take the VIN number to a dealer or Mitsubishi and find out.

The Lancers unfortunately don't have any warranty that will transfer to anyone after the original owner so it might be an idea to see if you can get a mechanics report to make sure all is ok.

But the Lancer is fairly solid in terms of wear and tear and the VRX has effectively been the same car (fully optioned) since its' introduction (except 2.0 vs 2.4 litre engines as already mentioned).

Sounds like a car to avoid, will cost money to fix it all and get it roadworthy, a crack rim isnt good either!

Decent tyres for the CJ VRX aren't cheap either so you might wanna take that into account, you would wanna get the car cheap considering the money you may need to spend on it

Sounds like a few too many things not quite rite; Lower price could end up being higher price in the long term. Few too many iffy! Bits and peaces, look elsewhere.

Take a test drive to the nearest cop shop and get a canary on it. Then roadworthy will have to be a good and thorough one!!!

Gave that one a miss. Alright, my brother has a 2009 Lancer RX that hasn't been moved or started for about 4 years, would it be worth offering some money for it? Just don't want anything major to go wrong with it since it's been sitting for so long. Only has about 7000km on it, has a Greddy Spectrum Elite axle back exhaust that he sourced off here apparently. Has a few other small things done llike carbon fibre dash inserts, buttons on steering wheel. etc Any help would be greatly appreciated. Cheers