Waisay tou I'm the first owner so haven't been in the market looking for a used lancer, but from my experience the first thing that kills a car are wrong maintenance practices.........using wrong oils and fluids from shady companies/sources, cheap kabali parts, etc.
Answer to Q1:
Mostly you will find aftermarket parts in the markets of japanese or chinese origin. For oem parts you will have to establish a network of importers (lucky for you I have done some work on that front) who can get you whatever parts you need. There are websites like partsouq and ssg asia where if you enter your car's VIN you can get the whole parts catalog with oem and aftermarket part numbers for the car. You can then refer those parts to importers. Larger, heavier items you can get by sea which is cheaper and smaller lighter items you can get by air. Also, some advance planning in purchasing general maintenance parts like plugs, filters, auto trans oil, axle boots, brake pads/shoes, drive belts, timing belt + tensioner, etc. go a long way in ensuring you have good parts available at home whenever you need them. Personally, I start stocking up around 20,000-30,000 km before the parts are due. Gives me sufficient time to gather prices from multiple sources and select whichever combination saves me money. From middle east, import by air takes almost a month and by sea almost 2-3 months (reason being the freight forwarders are consolidating small orders into a large shipment to save cost).
Answer to Q2:
I believe there are a few kinds of used cars you will find:
Needing a lot of work because the owner couldn't be bothered but not fiddled with: These cars need a lot of parts but mostly swapping out old parts with new oem/aftermarket parts. Usually modestly priced but can incur big bills in parts. But fairly easier to make them run very well once you have gone area by area and fixed whatever was needed. Can definitely get some value for money here.
Needing a lot of work and been fiddled with: This is a nightmare to be honest. Engine 1.6, gearbox auto, computer of 1.3 manual car, wiring all cut and messed up. This car is for people who really know what they are getting into and can spare a lot of time and effort in fixing everything. Although these may not provide significant value for money, people do buy them and use them as cheap beater cars.
In modest to good condition and fairly up to date with maintenance: These sell quickly and at relatively higher prices since little work needs to be put in them. Little value for money since the car may have been fixed with cheap parts for a quick sale.
Personally, I would opt for category 1 cars. Fix them and drive them. Good prospects for longterm ownership. I would avoid category 2 unless I am getting it really cheap (preferably under 5.00-5.50 and not major accidented). I would probably opt for category 2 if it was sth very rare and probably worth that much effort such as BMW E30, E34, E38 or E39 models. I would be cautiously optimistic about category 3. They can be great buys, great scams and somewhere in the middle. The higher price should make you exercise greater scrutiny and patience.
Rest assured lancer isn't a rocket ship and as long as you can follow the science yourself, read up articles, study the manuals, etc. you should be good. There are some good mechanics too who can find faults quickly and not fiddle around. Takes some effort to develop a network. Once that's done, you're good to go. That's the case for most used cars.
Lastly, there's a YouTube channel called M539 Restorations. That guy fixes old BMWs and then sells them or keeps them. He works out of a small garage and you can get a good idea of how different tasks are performed on a car.
