1996 Civic Vti a/t vs. 1997 Mitsubishi Lancer GLXI a/t

**2furious** · September 25th, 2006 01:39 PM

I have this Mitsubishi Lancer 1997 model (pizza pie) and I am considering to replace it with a Civic... comments please...

also, how much na ba sa market ang 1997 Lancer, hindi ko ba to pwede i-trade in na lang? the car is well maintained BTW.

**1D4LV** · September 25th, 2006 01:42 PM

hmmm. yup. if you are going to compare it pound for pound. the civic is a little bit better than the lancer. power-wise, technology wise, and features wise.

no idea on how much the lancer costs, but if could be somewhere in the 180k-190k range.

**niky** · September 25th, 2006 02:50 PM

But fuel economy on a Civic VTi AT is so-so, also.

It's a shame to sell a secondhand car to buy another secondhand of the same age. You're going to lose some money because the Lancer is worth less than the Civic... and then you may have to spend money to fix any problems on the Civic when you do get it... you're out by around 50,000 - 100,000 pesos from the start of the purchase.

180k + 100k more, you can get a much newer Civic or Corolla for that money.

**1D4LV** · September 25th, 2006 03:07 PM

Originally Posted by niky

But fuel economy on a Civic VTi AT is so-so, also.

It's a shame to sell a secondhand car to buy another secondhand of the same age. You're going to lose some money because the Lancer is worth less than the Civic... and then you may have to spend money to fix any problems on the Civic when you do get it... you're out by around 50,000 - 100,000 pesos from the start of the purchase.

180k + 100k more, you can get a much newer Civic or Corolla for that money.

heheheh. yun lang.... agree with niky's idea.

**Hanren** · September 30th, 2006 08:58 AM

From Baguio city, Hello everyone! I own a Mitsubishi Lancer GLXi 97 and I am also considering swapping the car with a 99 Nissan Exalta SLA plus cash. However, they are asking for an additional 50k (the selling price of the Exalta is 250K) which means the value of the lancer is between 190k-200k ( i bought it at 215k last Jan). the lancer lacks pulling power ( I don't know if it has something to do with the timing/dirty injectors). Most 96 civics almost have the same price as the 99 exalta.

**OTEP** · September 30th, 2006 09:00 AM

Test drive the Sentra first. It makes around 110bhp and is heavier than the Lancer AFAIK.

Civic VTi's make 127bhp.

**Hanren** · September 30th, 2006 09:27 AM

Originally Posted by OTEP

Test drive the Sentra first. It makes around 110bhp and is heavier than the Lancer AFAIK. Civic VTi's make 127bhp.

With the lancer, when I have to climb up and gather speed uphill (at least 40 degrees) along Baguio roads, I have to reach somewhere between 3k-4k rpms before I will be able to change gear (2nd)! I liked the exalta interior, smooth ride, and the a/c. Good advise though-i should test drive before I make the "power" comparison. thanks sir. But is the price of exalta SLA reasonable(250k)?

**niky** · October 1st, 2006 04:47 PM

I had an Exalta STA. It was very slow off the line, but at highway speeds, it had similar pull to a Civic VTi AT.

The Sentra/Exalta engine has less top-end power than the Civic engine, but it has a very flat torque curve, which makes it nearly as energetic and flexible as the VTi engine in all situations short of an outright drag race. It's no match in corners, though, because of the super-soft suspension, and the steering is nothing to write home about.

The SLA has a very nice interior, but you have to check out the electronics and trim very carefully for hidden damage. There are lots of toys on the Exalta, which equates to lots of things to fix if it wasn't well cared for.

Possible problems for the SLA are electronic glitches with the alarm, air-conditioner compressors (they're just as sturdy as in other secondhands, but they cost more to fix... ang lakas kasi.

) and MAF issues (rare, fixable with electric contact spray.)

They're very good cars otherwise, nice and relaxing to drive.

**Hanren** · October 3rd, 2006 01:52 PM

nicely said..i appreciate very much the very detailed analysis of these cars... hmmm.. i think you should consider writing for an auto magazine where these kinds of stuffs can be better shared (if not yet there...maybe for TOPGEAR?

)..anyway, I've had a lot of bad experiences whenever I purchase vehicles (like hidden rust, faulty electronics and so on

)...at least for now I get to be more informed before making choices..thanks a lot to all of your replies...