I actually had to think pretty hard about Monday’s Autopian Asks question. The early-mid 2000s were just a great time for cars in general. My favorite, though, was the Mazdaspeed Protege, the winged and turbocharged version of my humble white DX sedan. That’s one car I’d have to seriously consider if the right one came up for sale for the right price. There were a lot of other really good sporty sedans for sale back then, and it’s strange to think that that entire genre of cars has all but disappeared in the last 20 years. So today, we’re going to look at a couple of them.
Our focus yesterday was on vans, and I was surprised by the result. I thought for sure you all would see a Toyota and a Volkswagen, and dismiss the Volkswagen out of hand. But as it turns out, the VW Eurovan won, and not by a small margin. The Toyota’s homebuilt nature didn’t do it any favors, I don’t think; we’ve all known that one guy who built his own camper van, and most of us didn’t want to ride in it, let alone buy it.
The Volkswagen is an easy choice for me. It’s in much better cosmetic shape, even with the faded paint, and I like starting out with a stock vehicle. Plus it’s half the price. I do wish it had a five-speed manual, though; VW automatics aren’t known for their robustness.
Compact sport sedans were all the rage in the 2000s, but far too many of them ended up with dumb modifications due to the influence of Those Damn Movies. Loud exhausts, short-throw shifters, and lowered suspensions found their way onto way too many cars. Luckily, however, all that stuff just bolts on, so if you have access to the stock parts, or replacements thereof, you can put them back to factory spec with a weekend or two of work. Both of today’s cars have been lowered, and at least one of them has a loud exhaust, but they’re both manuals, and they both started out as pretty nice cars to drive. With a little love, they probably could be again. Let’s check them out.
2003 Mitsubishi Lancer O-Z Rally – $4,800
Engine/drivetrain: 2.0-liter OHC inline 4, five-speed manual, FWD
Location: Grants Pass, OR
Odometer reading: 189,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives well, but aftermarket suspension is “shot”
Car names are funny things. The Mitsubishi Lancer nameplate goes all the way back to 1973 in Japan, but we didn’t get it here in the US until 2002. That doesn’t mean we didn’t get the cars, though. The car known in Japan as the Lancer was sold here as the Dodge Colt, or later as the Mitsubishi Mirage sedan. Meanwhile, Dodge sold its own car called the Lancer twice, once from 1955-1962, and then again from 1985-1989. When we did finally get the Mitsubishi Lancer under its own name, we got a few fun versions of it, including at long last the mighty AWD turbocharged Lancer Evolution. But what if you couldn’t afford one of those? Mitsubishi had you covered: witness the O-Z Rally edition. It’s just a regular Lancer under all the ground effects and spoilers, but that’s not entirely a bad thing.
The Lancer is powered by a 4G94 four-cylinder engine, displacing 2.0 liters and making 120 horsepower, about in line with other small sedans of the time. This one has a five-speed manual, and the seller says it runs great. It does, however, need some suspension work. It has what the seller describes as “cheap eBay coilovers” on it, and that they’re “shot.” From everything I’ve heard about those cheap shocks and struts from eBay, I’m not surprised. The seller says they plan to replace them with a “race suspension kit” before the car is sold, but I wonder if you couldn’t convince them to knock off a few bucks and just order some nice stock replacement struts from RockAuto instead.
The interior looks decent, and it’s more or less stock, but I’ve never understood those cylindrical shift knobs. How is that more comfortable than a nice normal round knob? How are you supposed to hold it? I’d replace it with a ball immediately, I think. And I own a shop vac, so the rest of the interior issues could be remedied pretty quickly as well.
It’s hard to tell, since the seller apparently took the photos from the next town over, but I think the exterior is in good shape. Those aren’t the original O-Z wheels the car came with and was named after, though, and a closeup photo in the ad shows some curb rash on the rims. And the low-profile tires can’t be doing the ride any favors. I bet with stock suspension components and wheels (if you can find them), this car would be a lot more pleasant.
2006 Mazda 6s Liftback – $4,500
Engine/drivetrain: 3.0-liter DOHC V6, five-speed manual, FWD
Location: Gresham, OR
Odometer reading: 145,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives well
Mazda was on a roll in the 2000s. The NB Miata and BJ Protege were excellent, the RX-8 carried on the tradition of fragile, high-strung rotary sports coupes, and the humdrum 626 was finally put out to pasture and replaced by this car, the Mazda 6. These were the cars used in the “Mazda Rev It Up” autocross events in 2003, and thousands of enthusiasts, including me, had a ball tossing them around a bunch of orange cones. Zoom-zoom, indeed.
Like the Rev It Up cars, this is the sporty 6s model, with a 240-horsepower Ford Duratec 3.0-liter V6. Unlike the Rev It Up cars, however, this one has a five-speed manual. I’ve never driven a 6 with this drivetrain combination, but the four-cylinder with a manual is excellent, and the V6 has plenty of power, so I’m sure this one is a hoot to drive. The seller doesn’t say anything about the suspension, but it has obviously been lowered. How much of a problem that is depends on how it rides, I suppose. They do say it has an aftermarket exhaust, which is “not obnoxiously loud,” but obnoxious is in the eye – I mean, ear – of the beholder. Personally, I think I’d go back to a stock exhaust just on principle.
It looks pretty good inside, but again, it needs a vacuuming. I’ll never understand why someone chooses to try to sell a car with crud all over the floor. The only thing wrong with the interior, according to the seller, is a droopy headliner, which could be fixed if it ends up being annoying.
The 6 came in three body styles: a regular four-door sedan, a wagon, and this five-door liftback, similar to the old 626 Touring Sedan. It doesn’t have any more cargo room than the sedan, really, but it’s easier to get stuff in and out of. It also has a rear wiper, which is a nice bonus. It looks like it’s in good shape outside, and since it’s a Pacific Northwest car, it should have escaped the Mazda rust curse.
I still maintain that we didn’t know how good we had it with cars twenty years ago, and we probably won’t ever have it that good again. These cars are modern enough to be reliable, but still analog and mechanical. They just feel better. And if you don’t believe me, go drive one, and then go back to your modern car. You’ll probably think the prices of these are a little steep, and I agree, but they aren’t making any more of them. And as more of us get fed up with the numb feel and software-related bullshit in new cars, good older cars are going to be in higher demand. These both have some bullshit of their own that needs to be undone, but they’re both fundamentally good cars. Which one is worth a little tinkering?
Nice Mazda there.
I wouldn’t lower myself to buy either of these.
I’m going nostalgia over better judgement today, my buddy in high school has a clapped-out OZ Rally edition that was perfect for teenage dirtbag activities (mostly loitering at Wawas in our case).
I daily drove a 6S hatchback for many years, and it was an excellent daily driver. V6/manual is a unicorn. Definitely the right choice here.
I really liked that generation of Mazda6 when it came out, and the 3.0L/manual combo would make it a fun driver. About the only way it could be more Autopian if it was a wagon.
But I live in the awful land of corrosion, so by the time I was buying, they were disintegrating. The people who live in the magical land of corrosion-free cars for less than $5k should give praise to the wondrous environment that let these cars exist for 20+ years.
Mazda in a heartbeat. Fix the suspension and exhaust, though.
The Mazda sounds like close cousin to the ’93 SHO I sold for family reasons. What the SHO could have been?
I thought that I was missing something at first, but nope. Mazda for sure!
I was all ready to lance the button for the Lancer. But someone ditched the OEM OZ Rally wheels for…….whatever abominations those are. The original 15″ wheels were actually special. They weighed next to nothing. So they were a known update for other cars with the same bolt pattern. Back then, summer tires were available in that size. So instant handling upgrade just by swapping tires. Returning to the car, the fact that someone ditched the wheels sticks in my craw. So liftback Mazda today.
Looks like they ditched the stock spoiler as well, at least from what I can tell based on pictures of other OZ Rally Lancers. Makes me wonder about the third brake light, I doubt they relocated it.
The 6, all day every day.
My brother bought one of these knew, though his was an auto. We were all super impressed it had 6 speeds. It was a really nice driving car and had a ton of cargo room, and that Mazda blue was gorgeous.
His turned out to be an epic POS, his serpentine belt failed and caused havoc, it was never right after that. It had issues like the horn would honk when you hit the turn signal, stuff like that. After dealing with that for a while he traded it in on a Jetta Sportwagen., which was also a really nice car that turned into a huge pile.
Mitsubishi no question. Throw some more oe+ syle shock on and driveability will be great. Plus you don’t see many anymore. Probably because most hit posts head on or on the side “while drifting” Mazda 6 are everywhere.
Mazda 6! “Zoom! Zoom!” ha ha. I do really like both but gotta go 6 since I like it better and it has less problems. It looks like it would be more fun too. Probably easier to get parts. I will have a blast cruising in it!
I’m a Mitsubishi enthusiast/apologist, but I can’t for the life of me recommend an OZ Rally. They’re the definition of a poser package – all style with no substance. It’s nothing more than a base Lancer ES dressed up a little. The Lancer Ralliart of the same generation is an underappreciated little gem, but the lesser Lancers were noisy, slow, and entirely uninteresting.
Mazda6 all the way.
I generally like the slower car but I’ve liked those V6 manual 6s since forever so a relatively rust free one wins all day.
Mazda 6 hatch for me. Lower mileage, will be way more fun to drive and be way faster.
I had the 2002 Lancer OZ-Rally new, I regretted losing it, and I would buy this one if it weren’t entirely across the country. Memories of a better time.
Picked the Lancer on aesthetics alone.
Aesthetics alone is probably the only reason to vote for the Lancer.
Full disclosure, this morning was a hot mess and I didn’t read before voting…
Sorry everyone!
In your defense, the Lancer is probably the better looking car at first glance.
Unfortunately, the Mitsubishi gets progressively less appealing with every subsequent glance.
Unpopular opinion: I liked the 04-07 refresh better. The chrome grille always looked like a Temu grille to me.
You’re not wrong…
Let’s see – a Mitsubishi with a million miles, questionable upholstery stains, curb rash, dents, scratches, and an ebay suspension (but don’t worry… he’s gonna replace it with a race suspension kit… probably from ebay) vs something else.
Mazda wins, but this isn’t much of a contest.
I also like that the ad for the Mitsubishi starts with “Literally nothing wrong with it” before writing a paragraph that states the numerous things wrong with it…
My dad had this same V6 stick Mazda 6, but as a blue wagon. It was definitely quick, and fun, although long-term my family never had the best of luck with the Duratec V6s.
Didn’t think it’d be close. The Mazda (for me) just needs, probably, a new stock exhaust, might not even need suspension work since it wasn’t lowered much, although that’s gotta get irritating after the first six parking lot curb bang-ups.
Oh, and lose the obnoxious tinting of course.
Definitely the Mazda today. It’s the better car in better overall condition. The price feels a bit high, but not crazy for what you get. The days of buying your family sedan with a V6 and a stick just for the hell of it are over.
I had a Mazda Protege5, unfortunately an auto, and a college buddy had the same with a stick. Fun little wagon, wish it had gotten the Mazdaspeed treatment as well.
This is an easy win for the 6. Maybe if the Lancer was the vaunted Evo it would stand a chance.
the 2000s was a Golden Era for Mazda, and I’d drive basically anything they sold during that period if it isn’t rusty.
Hell, I was very close to buying a MazdaSpeed Protege back around 2010. I still kinda wish I did.
Mazda all the way today. I hate those types of mods as well. Cheap suspension, . fart can exhaust, giant spoilers, etc.
For the Mazda, the only obvious thing to fox is the exhaust. The Mitsu needs more including suspension and wheels/tires. I really hate that spoiler.
For any car like this, a pre-purchase inspection is a must to make sure it hasn’t been abused to the point of trashed.
Agreed on the dislike of giant spoilers, would never have one on my own car, though I do get a little chuckle out of seeing them. Worst one I’ve seen was a 2 by 4 mounted to shelf framing, drilled into the trunk of a Chevy Cruze.
Wow, I’ve seen some bad ones but that would be crazy to see. Not to generalize but was that in the South by any chance?
These would both be nice little sedans if the prior owners hadn’t fucked them up.
The Mazda price would be ok if left stock, but 5 grand for the Mitsu is silly even if it was unmolested. This is a neither day.
Oh! The Mazda is the lift back! That might change it for me, if you could put it right for a couple grand it would be a unique thing.
Took a closer look at the Mazda’s FB listing and now I’m back to “neither”. The headliner is a mess and the seller writes like he hopped himself up on Rockstar before fat-fingering the listing on his phone.
Also, is the internal frame of the driver seat supposed to be rust-red like that?
The Lancer is already a clapped out alibaba special. They couldn’t even bother with half decent coilovers, not like they’re crazy expensive. The Mazda at least looks like it has some life left in it, and ought to be more fun and practical too.
That said, the Lancer will run damn near forever with oil and timing belt changes, their 4 cylinders are of the most reliable engines made in the last 20 years, but you don’t hear about it much because hardly anyone bought them compared to Toyota and Honda. The Duratecs are pretty solid too, long as you keep an eye on the chains and oil leaks.
6 all the way. I had a V6 of this year (although in the better blue) and it ran flawlessly from ~100k to ~160k. Sold it to a family member and it ran another 40k I believe.
Looked great, drove great, 10/10 would recommend one in good shape.