2002 Mitsubishi Lancer O-Z | Retro Review

[@higherarc0598]

I had the 03 oz rally lasted me till 300k miles with no engine issues only standard maintenance care. Miss her 😢

[@matperez1168]

I have 2013 lexus rx 350’used bought at 2020 69k Now at 2024 shes 98k I hope she get 20 yrs

[@josemiguel8149]

@@higherarc0598 nope not true 😂

[@iantuttle2084]

I had a 2004 OZ and to this day it was one of the most reliable cars that I have owned.

[@RabbiJesus]

@@josemiguel8149 I think most any car would last this long with rigid maintenance and good driving habits.

[@RabbiJesus]

@@higherarc0598 that tells me you are a thoughtful car owner. Your diligence kept that car running, not the design engineers.

[@JenGM24]

Owned 2 of these in the past, what a great machine, This was peak mitsubishi.

[@ThunderTHR]

Crazy how just a year later after this OZ, the Evolution would finally reach the North American market.

[@nwezetx1]

Almost 2 years

[@hellkitty1014]

Yep. I always wonder did Mitsu peak too fast for the small performance car market. 276hp in the mid 2000s was insane, given that's about what a 2025 Elantra N sends to the front wheels.

[@user-sk1eh3pg6j]

This was probably the most reliable compact car at the time. Had ES with 14" wheels, 5 speed manual, power windows locks mirrors keyless entry, rear defroster, A/C, CD player & rear spoiler. I didn't need ABS, EBD, traction control, stability control & electronic parking brake bc i know how to fkn drive. $14,000 brand new. Can't find nothing like that now. That engine is very peppy with the manual transmission. That car was dead reliable. 150,000 miles all i did was fluid and filter changes, brakes, tires, timing belt, spark plugs and alignments. The days of simplicity are gone in the name of corporate greed.

[@rustlesee]

It hurts me deeply, everytime a retro review is a model year 2000 or newer. 😭

[@JDMHaze]

yeah but when you think about it this is a car that’s over 20 years old, even the DMV considers a car 20 m+ years as a classic.. I think a lot of of us refused to face the reality that 2004 was literally 20 years ago although it feels like yesterday

[@MoskusMoskiferus1611]

They do looks "retro" compared to what we have today

[@98lincolnmarkviii]

Seriously 😮‍💨

[@98lincolnmarkviii]

These were cool as wagons these ehh a lil boring

[@Blue-moon12]

24-25 years falls into the retro category surely

[@palebeachbum]

A friend owned a Lancer of this generation. It was a fantastic car-well-built and reliable. I got to drive it a handful of times, and I was impressed overall. It had a very smooth powertrain.

[@CACar_Nation]

Interior looks nicer than the other compact cars 2002 and prior

[@ragingbull94mtx]

Mitsubishi pioneered the "balance shaft" and had it on production cars as far back as 1975. They definitely know how to make a smooth engine. 🤓

[@palebeachbum]

​@@ragingbull94mtx nice! I didn't know that.

[@GrandHuevotes]

I remember back in the day when these were new. The consensus among car people was that this car was a joke. Though today I can see this being a nostalgic cool car

[@thimble288]

Yes. We were wrong! Hindsight is 20/20

[@christophercastro1771]

I had one it had abs, no moon roof, no cruise control, and it came with a rear wiper. Best car ever it handles so smooth I sold it 2 years ago, and today, im still searching for another one.

[@RabbiJesus]

This was a big release back in the day. Everyone else in the world wondered why we were enamored. We learned.

[@gedaman]

I remember Mitsubishi used to advertise in magazines that you were getting a $40,000 car for only about $20,000 in 2002. The ACTUAL $40,000 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution didn’t come to America until the following year in 2003, haha 😂.

[@RabbiJesus]

@@gedaman yup. That was the sales tactic. These were for the fast and furious easy finance market.

[@gedaman]

@@RabbiJesus I don’t know who these were for really. It still confuses me.

[@RabbiJesus]

@@gedaman young men who loved the fast and furious franchise but had poor credit.

[@nwezetx1]

For 2001, this was a huge step up from the Mirage.

[@nightkiler56]

I’ve owned my 2002 for 10 years now and it’s been very reliable. I’m just under 270k miles and the car runs and drives great still. I love my lancer

[@evoben24]

I had the 2004 model. Got me through college

[@borninhk1]

I like the Lancer Ralliart - with 162 hp.

[@user-sk1eh3pg6j]

More expensive, stiffer ride and burns way more fuel. Looks nice tho.

[@evoben24]

I had the 2004 model in college

[@hellkitty1014]

I have an '04 red Ralliart. Of all the cars on my property, my family knows that one is going to ALWAYS start and be ready to work some 242K miles later.

[@icky_thump]

15" optional OZ wheels.... I dont think there's a single production car today with anything LESS than 17" standard wheels.

[@SataniaMcDowel]

Eclipse cross offers 16" 😅

[@LastCallSRT]

The current Mirage

[@hduncan2587]

Base Corolla can go all the way to 15" even now. If not, still 16". Back in 2002 I think the Hyundai Accent was still running a 13", with optional 14's via the GT trim.

[@McBeamer94]

@1:31 I remember these taillights being on the WRC car of its day. Back in the day, I wondered why the WRC car had these taillights but the production car didn't. Turns out that the one I saw - and still see - on the street is the EUDM variant, since I live in the EU. It has the same basic shape for its taillights but the white part reaches all the way to the side instead of making this nice rainbow-like design of the USDM ones we see here. The EUDM car also has a different front end, with more triangular headlights and a more clearly defined grille, more shark-like. Slightly more aggressive and better looking at that. Overall, the EUDM looks better from the front, but the USDM, with these taillights (and excluding the more protruding rear bumper), looks better from the back.

[@ElectricSwordfish]

I used to have an 06 Lancer ES, which is basically the same exact car with a facelift and it wasn't pretending to be a sports car. This generation of Lancer was great. They were modern enough to be comfortable and enjoyable, but yet so simple they were very reliable and easy to service.

[@thetruckingcarguy]

I currently own a 2003 ES 5 spd and while its not in the best shape at the moment, its still very reliable and still enjoyable to drive

[@thimble288]

Same with my Civic. The cool thing is, to get our cars back to where we want them would still cost a fraction of a down payment on a new car.

[@DiggyT]

It looks better than I remember, what a value package, please bring it back.

[@JDMHaze]

I personally had a vendetta against this car only for the fact that Need For Speed underground had this version instead of the Lancer Evo that was in the 2Fast 2Furious movie in which the game was based on 😂 I felt so cheated and disrespected

[@gedaman]

I think Electronic Arts were out of their minds when they made Need For Speed Underground. I didn’t like at all how they went from exotic super cars to the trendy street racing cars in 2003 to capitalize on the success of The Fast & Furious franchise. I always preferred Rockstar Games’ Midnight Club series.

[@Gerarghini]

I found it oddly charming that they had the USDM Lancer AND the Impreza 2.5RS instead of their JDM top-tier equivalents. Made it seem more “home-grown” and nails the setting as being US-centric. But then they go and add shit like the Peugeot 206 and Skyline R34 like yknow what, nvm, you could’ve added those two JDM heroes just fine 😂

[@JDMHaze]

@@gedaman midnight club dub edition was a much better execution especially with customization and vehicle selection

[@JDMHaze]

@@Gerarghini yeah, its like they chose at random

[@gedaman]

@@JDMHaze Rockstar Games did it right by including DUB magazine with their game. DUB knew how to overtly customize automobiles! I liked how in Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition you could have a Cadillac Escalade with wild custom 24” chrome wheels outrun a Chevrolet Corvette easily, haha. Then there was the Chrysler ME-Four 12C super car concept. I hope that someday Rockstar Games can make a new Midnight Club game again. I loved Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition, but hated Midnight Club: Los Angeles.

[@DS_IndustrieZ]

i had a mistubishi.......... floor model flat screen with stereo speakers and A/V input....

[@velocity211]

5:00 that rally-spec suspension... 😆

[@ragingbull94mtx]

Indeed, soft springs, soft dampers: perfect for off-road slidey-stuff.

[@user-sk1eh3pg6j]

Yeah it can actually flex and articulate and hold the road unlike the suspension on an EVO.

[@nedbranson4938]

Back in 2004ish, some local kid had a yellow Oz that he had put evo8 body panels on. He wasn’t dumb enough to ever race anybody, but he had a lot of people wondering. The tiny brakes and wheels gave it away though.

[@bradcomis1066]

SUV madness will only stop when the EPA reconfigured their emissions rules to stop favoring large vehicles.

[@waterloo123100]

That would be Cafe standards

[@bradcomis1066]

@@waterloo123100 Sure. Whatever the beauracracy is called. It would be nice to see more light shone on how these restrictions effect product planning decisions for car makers.

[@2015BLOXXER]

Yup

[@mrgurulittle7000]

My dad’s friend had one. I miss old Mitsubishis.

[@Thankyou_3]

In 2002, there is no other car in this segment can touch the Lexus IS300. Just epitome of quality…but the lowest quality in 2002 were the Hondas.

[@divin3kag3242]

amen

[@nwezetx1]

This is 2001 though, so even better.

[@Gerarghini]

7th gen Civics and their god awful D17 engines

[@mariposamoreno]

i had a 03 lancer- loved it ❤

[@AlejandroArchila1]

I still have a 2006 Mitsubishi Lancer Es with 150k+ miles on it amazing car, super reliable gas saver it still looks too. ❤️

[@speeddemonRS3]

My only quick takeaway was that god damn is this car slow af!😂

[@AraCarrano]

Should have a link to the follow up Evo vs. STi video in the description.

[@nwezetx1]

Nope. Go look for it.

[@ericbritton9346]

I had wanted me one in the OZ RALLY Lancer back when I was in my early mid twenties, because I couldn't afford the Lancer Evo. So it was some what the closest. Black, Canary Yellow, Red, and Dark Grey were the cool colors at the time with the spoiler and a manual transmission. Mitsubishi should have add a little bit of power to the OZ Rally, like 175 hp and what not to make it a mid-level compact sport tuned sedan. The Lancer, Gallant, and Eclipse would have been supreme next to Honda, Subaru, Nissan (Before CVTs), Mazda, and Toyota

[@alanmoncus2331]

Definitely, I felt the same way 😊

[@hduncan2587]

If memory serves, the O-Z was different enough from the regular Lancer that even the bolt pattern was different. The body kit is also supposed to be functional to an extent. I've always wanted to try a manual O-Z for the sake of it (that and a Protege5). Such a pity MotorWeek got stuck with the automatic.

[@RallyLancer95]

The one in the thumbnail, that's my first car. Same color and everything. Mine had the 5-speed and I kept the shift knob off of it. Man I miss that car

[@raymond_sycamore]

I can't wait for the All Cars with Jon review of this vide!O

[@DiegoBello]

I had a 2004 OZ Rally, 5 speed manual. I miss driving it.

[@rm9sbg93zxjzg]

Great cars, very reliable!

[@davidaubin3902]

0:13 John: The compact car segment is still an important volume business. Still true today.

[@gedaman]

Tell that to Ford, General Motors, and Stellantis. They should really bring back the Ford Focus, Chevrolet Cruze, and Dodge Dart, Chrysler 200.

[@dohc1067]

Imo, this car would sell well today. I have a 2019 Outlander, and like the Lancer, I love the simplicity of the engine bay and the dash layout.

[@nightkiler56]

Mitsubishi isn’t known for anything special (anymore), but they make reliable and simple cars. This generation lancer is really easy to learn to wrench on, it’s how I started :)

[@KeithSchwerin]

How was 16-17K class competitive? For those prices you had the better handling and quicker, Civic Si, Escort ZX2 S/R, Focus SVT, Sentra SE-R and SE-R Spec V, the Neon ARC or R/T. This had the spec of their non-performance trims for the performance trim money.

[@economicfusion6065]

I had a zx2 s/r and that car had unbelievable handling. Wasn't a slouch either in street races. Really great all around car

[@Christosan88]

Hows does this differ from the “Ralliart”

[@foxtrot685]

The “Ralliart” had a 2.4L 162hp engine that later had Mivec variable valve timing, the suspension was tighter and the steering rack was faster.

[@blue_lancer_es]

​@@foxtrot685suspension was the same.

[@blue_lancer_es]

5 lugs 2.4 engine rear disc brakes standard abs red accent interior. 4.05 diff vs 3.78 strut brace and other chassis reinforcements.

[@deanspanos8210]

I just remember it from A Pontiac Grand Prix commercial.

[@alanmoncus2331]

It was a sharp, solid little car, but definitely a slug 😊

[@m00nkinftw]

Oof 10.4 seconds...that's on par with a 2nd generation Prius

[@user-sk1eh3pg6j]

Get a 5 speed like I did and that gets cut down to 8.5 seconds. Not bad for 120hp.

[@TrailBlazerSS502]

It was clearly no EVO, but it did fit any tuner’s budget.

[@clpr4402]

Ese era el mas especial de esa linea💪🔥💯

[@mistamontiel00]

THIS WAS A REAL TRIM..!? Is there any ES vs OZ mention here lol. My boy had one of these way back completely clapped riced out and with the manual but really nice full kit+shoes when he first got

[@2040wagon]

I do not remember anybody else being excited by that back at that time. In fact it was badly priced then and the lower end Mirage sedan outsold it. It did have nicer features but was behind the Nissan and Mazda back then. Pricing perplexed even those of us who like small cars. I knew somebody who used it as a distance commuter but paid almost 18K+ for it 😮

[@mpa1931]

Mitsubishi used to make great cars

[@CRAPO2011]

Havent seen an oz lancer in about 5 years

[@Ficon]

2:54 bro, you really don't need a helmet for this one.

[@snowboarder1055]

@Ficon Before I say this. R.I.P to the person I’m mentioning and no disrespect in his name and no offense in his name, fan base, and family. All I want to tell you is why safety comes first and why going for more safety is gonna be crucial. Look up the 1stockf30 crash. You’ll see why he needs a helmet and why he’d possibly need more safety gear. In short there wasn’t enough safety equipment in his car like roll-cages, harnesses, etc. I know that this car has under 200 horsepower but anything could happen at 30-60 miles per hour. If you were capable to just run into a wall at 60 miles per hour or just falling down at 60 miles per hour. You’d probably die. I get that you would have more of a chance to survive with the airbags but getting injured is still a risk that some after car crashes have broken bones in which even a percentage of people can’t walk or even the more unlucky ones become paralyzed from car wrecks. I know I could be overreacting here a bit but still. There are such things as defects in the car or road and other things that could make the car lose control like faulty tires, a spill of liquid on the track like oil, water, etc, and there’s other factors that we have no idea that can effect the outcome of the driver’s life.

[@67tomcat]

Nice Lancer, esp the EVO, but unfortunately this was also about the time Mitsubishi started to go off the rails.

[@hanzelgiven1190]

A Lancer Cedia with OZ wheels? COOL!

[@blue_lancer_es]

OZ wheels made by enkei for some odd reason.

[@Blue-moon12]

10.4 seconds 0-60 😂

[@បងម៉ាប់-ញ7ឍ]

Same interior as my evo8😂😂😂cool for what it is❤❤❤

[@agamemnon8163]

Will Mitsubishi resurrect that as a sport yet practical crossover?

[@davidbaron6647]

😊 nice, good car for 2002

[@daison96]

This OZ model was such a poor gimmick. Cheesy wheels and tacky badging was probably one of the factors contributing to why Mitsubishi cars barely exist today.

[@ftffighter]

True, though eventually the OZ's got a bigger 148HP engine.

[@foxtrot685]

It wasn’t. I think you need to put this car in perspective for what was available in 2002. It was no more offensive than a Toyota Corolla S, or a Focus ZTS.

[@blue_lancer_es]

​@@ftffighter OZ did not have that power.

[@blue_lancer_es]

The wheels were actually from an evo3.

[@CACar_Nation]

Leave

[@markallison8108]

Reliability was a big concern with these cars.

[@blue_lancer_es]

280k miles. Have 3 178 and 190. Reliability was a what you say?

[@josephwhiskeybeale]

Yeah these pieces of junk only lasted a few years at most before they were recycled at the junkyards where they belong. One would probably have put in a large amount of money to keep one of these running.

[@arabicriflegaming8871]

my brother owns one with almost 200k miles and he rarely has any issues with his, it took us Richmond VA all the way to St Louis with no problem at all even though it does burn a bit a oil

[@user-sk1eh3pg6j]

No the hell it was not. You're a liar! These were the most reliable cars back then.

[@RallyLancer95]

My brother in Christ I ran mine to 234k miles and only sold it for space

[@timhanna4700]

Where's the EVO

[@blue_lancer_es]

03

[@gedaman]

The Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution was forbidden fruit still in America until 2003.

[@nwezetx1]

This is 2001, the EVO came out in early 2003.

[@emilianocruz11]

1998 svt contour retro review and 90s auto shows retro episodes

[@thimble288]

I used to laugh at these. Now I would happily own one and laugh at modern cars instead.

[@curtfox91]

This car was straight doo doo gimmick. cant belive they almost used these for the 2 fast 2 furious movie but chose the EVO 7/8 last minute

[@tanyguch_kun1330]

they still used one of them as background cars

[@warrpedd]

No ugly black plastic body cladding. ✅🏁

[@ストリークドスパインフット]

シンプルでかっこいい

[@liquidx831]

My very first car but in yellow lol

[@gsxellence]

Oh wow, .y dad almost got me one as my first car, lets just say I rather have the Eclipse GT or galant GTZ. Later lancers got better.

[@horndauryuryu1042]

ランサーセディア、アメリカでも売ったのか！ランエボならともかく売れそうにないな。

[@djhero0071]

I don't know why Mitsubishi made these cars. It's like they started the stupid trend of sporty appearance package trims in the 2000's. Ford eventually introduced the ST Line trim for the Fiesta. Toyota had (or probably has) the TRD and "Apex" trims. Nissan has Nismo which outside of their truly dedicated RWD and AWD sport car offerings, hasn't meant crap since the Juke. It's all just tragic and terrible marketing to anyone that truly enjoys a spicy variant of a good car. Like the Neon ACR or Sentra Spec-V

[@CACar_Nation]

Love th🎉se

[@johnnymason2460]

This car's main problem is that it was not available with optional ABS. That bothered me tremendously. The O-Z Rally version should have gotten more power and standard antilock brakes.

[@user-sk1eh3pg6j]

Standard ABS & more power would mean you would have to pay $16,000 instead of $14,000. ABS is not a necessity. Learn how to drive and it isn't an issue. Mine doesn't have ABS and I never had to lock my brakes up or pump them.

[@spidersdiecast]

@@user-sk1eh3pg6j Dude ABS is a necessity. Even though this was back in the day. That being said those extra 2 G's might save your life lmao.

[@user-sk1eh3pg6j]

@@spidersdiecast Wrong answer. There are certain situations where ABS can cause you to lose your life. Did you know that? Or are you too reliant on electronics to do proper driving for you? Slide off the highway and slam on brakes. See if that ABS won't stop you from wrapping yourself around a tree. Locking all 4 wheels will stop you from wrapping yourself around a tree. 🌈The More You Know🌈

[@spidersdiecast]

@@user-sk1eh3pg6j I never said you have to solely rely on electronic aids. But come on brother this ain't the stone age anymore. Sure some stuff is overkill. But with things like ABS, and properly learning how to use it, it's one of those things that you would rather have and not need it, than to not have it at all and then need it.

[@user-sk1eh3pg6j]

@@spidersdiecast There is no situation where ABS is needed. Sit there and just think about it. You can't come up with a situation where ABS is needed. ABS gives people a false sense of security. They think it magically males the tires extra sticky. It doesn't lol. ABS in track tests work better than non ABS bc they're tested on a new car with new suspension, new bushings, new sway bar links, a perfect alignment, new high tread tires and brand spankin new brakes. How come they won't track test ABS on an old used car with the typical worn out components that you'd find on 75% of all vehicles on the road? Because they know the ABS isn't much help them. ABS can't help if you don't have proper traction and proper alignment etc. And they won't test ABS off road either. They won't even add an ABS kill switch on 99% of cars. Some people live on clay dirt roads. ABS will make you slide into a ditch whereas without it you can lock the wheels up and that causes the car to dig 4 deep wedges of earth in front of the tires like 4 anchors and it will stop. They don't think about that. Which is I pulled the ABS fuse on all my other cars.

[@70softrocker]

I think they should classify retro according to the eras. Retro 1980s, retro 90s. These eras surely didn't have the technological advancements that is now commonplace in the new millenium. Music is an example. Music today is now made in computers. Voices are automated. In the 20th century people actually played music and can sing live. Soon, the 70s 80s 90s will no longer be called retro but vintage. I don't think retro is a right term for the 2000s since it was already seeing all the rising technological and social and cultural landscapes we have now that were non existent in the 1970s 80s 90s. Maybe they will coin a new term for retro to suit the changing times.

[@nwezetx1]

Your opinion, not necessarily objective fact. They can call it retro. No different than boomers chiding the consideration of post malaise era cars as classics. Cars with airbags, EFI, ABS, and GPS nav being considered for mention, isn't unexpected. Time moves on...

[@70softrocker]

@@nwezetx1 Time moves on really. How did they describe the cars of the beginning decades of the 20th century? Historical, vintage, classical era, etc. I think retro was a term coined to remember fondly the 70s 80s 90s eras of music, movies fashion lifestyles, automobiles (that was what cars were called back then), cultures that soon gave way to the digital age. As a 70s teenager, i remember driving a volkswagen beetle as my first experience: no airbags, no electronics, power everything, no aircon, no flashy shiny wheels. Very basic and utilitarian. They were popularly called autos not cars. Maybe the people are fondly looking back as they move forward. Years from now, retro will be met with raised eyebrows and changed into a new term by newer generations in describing their own receding era.

[@GeeEm1313]

Ngl. These were crap cars. But they're still better than 90% of the useless Suburban Assault Vehicles on the roads today.

[@skylinn]

garbage trim. nothing sporty or rally about it.

[@nukesaway4806]

OZ edition was a joke.

[@tom11zz884]

A Slug of a car.

[@josemiguel8149]

What a hunk of junk, these were so unreliable😂

[@user-sk1eh3pg6j]

No they were not. These were dead reliable. There's literally not much on these that can break and they have a very roomy engine bay.

[@Blue-moon12]

Nope. Not true.

[@Billn1971]

Slow as hell....lol

[@rootsmanuva82]

$30,805 in 2024. Such a steal.

[@nwezetx1]

Not accurate based on the date. It's well over $31k.

[@Welcometofacsistube]

Pure garbage then Pure garbage now