general problems of the 2002 Mitsubishi Lancer

I own a 2002 Mitsubishi Lancer (oz rally) that was purchased in 2002. During the last few months of 2009, I noticed my temperature control knob was becoming harder and harder to turn. On Monday, March 1, 2010 it broke completely off, leaving a partial stub of plastic in the console and the remaining plastic inside the knob. I first went to two auto parts stores to see if they carried this replacement piece, and their personnel informed me I needed to have it repaired a Mitsubishi dealership. I then went to the Mitsubishi dealership to inquire about the problem. They informed me the part could not be replaced individually, but it would cost $311 to replace the entire console in addition to the $150 or more in labor costs. I refused to pay such an outlandish price, considering that my console was in perfectly working order. I only need the broken plastic mechanism replaced, nothing more. And paying approximately $500 to replace a plastic piece is ridiculous. After further research, I realized that this is a common problem with other Lancer owners and the manufacturer should be informed of this defect.

Having a problem with rear suspension. The entire back end sounds as if the frame is broken. Was assured by mitsu service that it is not a safety issue. I was told it needed bearings and bushings and parts are on back order. This is a 2002 Lancer oz with 30000 miles this should not be happening to a car of this age. I am filing this complaint because I feel if there are two complaints on this site there are most certainly dozens more out there or more to come.