[Neonfish]

I'm stuck, I'm torn, I'm confused. It's the classic showdown between the heart and the mind and we are in round 12 right now.

My mind says I need to go in for a stable, sedate car (read Accent). But my heart still wants me to hold on for that elusive pair of hot wheels (read Lancer).

I've found a reasonably well maintained Accent in Bangalore from 2002, which seems to fit my budget at around Rs.2.3 lakhs. Don't really dig the forest dew color, but can't complain too much about it either.

On the other hand, the hunt is still on for a killer Lancer. Found one from 2001, but it seems to be a light bronze color. Not sure if Mitsubishi ever came out with such a shade. This one could be made mine for about Rs.2.5 lakhs.

In an ideal world, I would bump into some one who has a wicked cool Black Lancer up for sale @ Rs.2.3 lakhs, but ah well...so much for utopia.

So folks...I'm standing at those ole crossroads again. C'mon you Agony Aunts and Uncles, guide me to the finish line...

[ImmortalZ]

If it was up to me, Lancer all the way.

[karankapoor]

id i was you i will go with lancer, but between the 2 how good is the lancer condition wise.

[prince_pervez]

There are a plethora of Accents in the second hand market. I have searched for the same on many many websites. Hence I can say, if you haggle hard enough you can get the Accent you mentioned in 2L easily. If it is a 1.6 DOHC with ABS then its a different matter.
A Lancer petrol, 2001 at 2.5 L is ok if it is high end (SFXi) if i'm not wrong.
I asked a seconds dealer here and he directly quoted 2.1L for a Y2K Lancer, without negotitations.(Yes, diesels will go upto 3L)
With the Lancer you can also do some nice mods Fast and Furious style, gradually.
Accent is more of a executive vehicle. You choose and do lets us know about the whole process and the things you verified. I'm stuck to this thread.

[krish82]

Hi,

I have a Accent and its a good car. But neither the Accent or the Lancer will give you a quick response to the throttle. The Lancer though upmarket than the accent is also very lethargic in engine response.

Few Facts:
Maintainence if it occurs for Lancer will costs 3 times the rate of Accent as i had enquired earlier, i dont know the current rates.
Regular repairs have to be done for old cars, if i am not wrong.
Just compare the Regular service rates like:

AC cooling coil/condenser change
Bearing change
Clutch overhaul
Silencer change
General service

i bet that the repairs we may face for above will costs more for a Lancer and also like accident repairs will be more for lancer like Rear OVRMs.
Since you are looking for a 2nd hand car i think you are looking at VHM, so go for Accent, or else if you can spend money on more maintainence go for Lancer.

Thanks
krish

[Jeep]

Depends on what you want - Practicality or style?

Is there a car in the market till date to beat the Lancer in looks? I am yet to find one. Umpteen number of Lancers have been modded (looks) and they all look cool. The petrol engine is kinda fuel efficient too. The road grip is superb. However, I think the good things end there. Also I think the price quoted for a petrol here is high.

Need more specifics here- kms run, number of ownerships, is the Accent 1.6 DOHC (I think it is 1.5L since it is a 2002 model) etc.

[vineethvazhayil]

If you were in the market for petrol car, I think Lancer is the better choice. However amongst the diesels, I would favour the Accent CRDi if you get hold of one at a good price point.

[prince_pervez]

Correct! More details are required. Have you seen both in person? Driven them? What are the ODO readings? Mods if any? Reason for sale, Major minor accidents? etc..etc..

[GTO]

If your heart is set on the Lancer, that's the car you should buy. It is way superior to the Accent in terms of driving pleasure, handling, rear seat comfort and so on. After all, it is from a segment higher. The Lancer is acceptably competitive by today's standards as well.

Keep searching, don't lose hope. That black Lancer could be closer than ya think!

[ram_hyundai]

Since you are hunting for a used vehicle its lancer all the way.If it was new it would have been an accent.Ok why the difference if its used and new isnt it,Used we get both cars at similar price,bot are almost similar size,lancer you have better this better that,accent you have lower parts cost etc so similar weightage and it swings to lancer because its a a segment higher as GTO said.If it was new i would be cautious in spending the money and more VFM accent.so summing it up - lets see one more lancer in our group,And ofcourse its mod friendly too above every thing else.


cheers

ram

[Neonfish]

Originally Posted by prince_pervez

Correct! More details are required. Have you seen both in person? Driven them? What are the ODO readings? Mods if any? Reason for sale, Major minor accidents? etc..etc..

Originally Posted by Jeep

Depends on what you want - Practicality or style?

Is there a car in the market till date to beat the Lancer in looks? I am yet to find one. Umpteen number of Lancers have been modded (looks) and they all look cool. The petrol engine is kinda fuel efficient too. The road grip is superb. However, I think the good things end there. Also I think the price quoted for a petrol here is high.

Need more specifics here- kms run, number of ownerships, is the Accent 1.6 DOHC (I think it is 1.5L since it is a 2002 model) etc.

Firstly, a big thank you to all of you who have contributed so far. All right more details coming right up for y'all...

First the Accent: It's a 2002 GLS Petrol having treaded about 49K kms.

Year of Make: November 2002

Reason for Sale: The owner has moved abroad and I'm currently dealing with his Dad, who is selling the car.

Mileage: 49,000 kms

Pros: Reasonably well maintained car with a peppy engine. Nice leather upholstery. No tampering with the mileage. Clean Papers and Documentation. Comprehensive Insurance. Decent & Sincere background of the owners (Somehow this matters to me )

Cons: Second owner car. A few scratches and a small dent at the back. The door knobs seem to be painted body color (the GLS normally comes with black door knobs). And this one is a little peculiar...seems very neat and new from the front but not as much from the rear and the back doors. Outdated Music System with only a cassete player

Now we move on to the Lancer: It is a 2001 SFXi Petrol Lancer with a light bronze color.

Year of Make: 2001

Reason for Sale: Unknown (Dealer Car)

Mileage: 53,000 kms (or so says the dealer)

Pros: Looks like a very neatly maintained car. Classy Black Leather Upholstery. Comprehensive Insurance. Minimal dents and scrathes.

Cons: Second Owner Car. Buying through a dealer. A light bronze color, which I personally have never seen in a Lancer (However Dealer insists it's stock paint). Standard skepticism about the mileage.

PS: Haven't had a test drive yet coz it's always parked inside the showroom, so can't comment about the engine. Also it seems to have a rather unique steering wheel (Mitsubshi stock), which I haven't seen in any Lancer yet. On the downside the little rust on the rear window pane belies the little cosmetic touches by the dealer and indicates that this baby has been around the block.

I am planning to go down with a mechanic to check out both the cars once again. Will try to get pics and get them up here. In the meantime keep chiming in with your thoughts and bits of advise.

[Aditya]

The SFXi never came in bronze colour. There were just 4 colours that I can remember - red, yellow, black and white. The one you've seen could be an SLX with SFXi wheels. Both cars had the same spoiler. The SLX had 13 inch three spoke alloys, while the SFXi had 14 inchers.
One thing I've found out is that even after 10 years of use, a Lancer holds up well. Don't go for an Accent unless it's a very low mileage CRDi.

[Roy.S]

Originally Posted by Neonfish

First the Accent: It's a 2002 GLS Petrol ....
Mileage: 49,000 kms
Lancer: It is a 2001 SFXi Petrol....
Mileage: 53,000 kms

Call me cynical, but I find the odo readings unrealistic. More so because both cars have already had 2 owners. Check the service history if possible and also get it thoroughly examined by a competent mechanic.
I would go for the lancer if it had no rust spots. This particular one sounds like an over the hill model with heavy makeup on.
Do not like the accent in general, but thats just me.
My suggestion? Reject both and keep looking. If you have the patience for it, I'm sure you'll come across the (nearly) ideal car.

[Lancer.ized]

i'll help you with that, lancer is my 1st car and let me tell you it's just awsome handeling, mileage is great too 10kmpl and parts if you get a good condition lancer trust me you wont need to replace parts as they are very reliable and dont make me tell you how beautifull it looks

Lancer all the way

[prince_pervez]

Close the SFXi deal at 2.3L and post some pics