Well I'm 50 and don't want to waste the finite years that remain. Anything worth doing is worth doing well! With routine 75-100 WHP gains from moderate bolt-on modifications that are all durable, reliable, and completely reversible, I see no reason to keep my Evo stock. I began modding my car in April '03, less than a month after purchasing it, warranty be damned. If you are satisfied with the stock performance level, all I can say is that you should never drive in one that has been modified. Once you feel the difference, you can no longer remain satisfied with stock performance levels.

 

i've had mine for 5months and 3700 miles. just had the first free regular maintenance done at Mitsu. mods weren't in my plans when i was buying the car, and the most i'll go for would be flash or piggyback. i don't get a hard on while reading posts of ppl with $7000 or more of mods, although i give them props for having the $ and the time
i love this car, but what i'm really interested in is learning to drive this thing at high speed, properly. i've autox'ed my teg, so in a lil while i'm going to do that with the evo. and eventually some time trials and racing school. like someone else mentioned, the cost of brake pads and tires alone is high enough for an avg Joe. i don't wanna sink all my money into the car as i have to think about my future also. what i've noticed is that many ppl with modded sports cars end up selling them because they have a baby on the way, house payments etc. and they couldn't save up money for those things because it all went into the car. so my idea is to have lots of fun driving it, while still being practical enough.
i'm definitely NOT gonna touch the suspension, as i like how it's balanced. not to mention that if i do decide to mod suspension, i wouldn't go with anything less than a full coilover/adj. dampening setup. however, in that case, it would be very difficult to tune the suspension to the point where it's actually noticeably better than stock.
so that's my story and i'm sticking to it.

 

I don't see how you could buy an evo and leave it stock.

As long as you research your mods and have them properly installed you should be ok. I've learned a lot of lessons the hard way by getting in a hurry and buying cheap parts.

 

If you like TurboWill here fall into the "There's one or two things I Just Must Do!" category please list what those one or two mods -or three- might be ...Thanks Will!

 

Oh yeah and I kept my car stock almost a year before doing anything (other than tint etc..)

It's usually not a bad idea to wait a little while just in case some problems/defects should come about.

 

I hear that! Not that I ever planned on keeping mine stock but with such minor modifications to the EVO which do not hinder its reliability, I could never resist! Also, Dynoflash is right. We have a much less aggressive tune on the USDM EVOs when compared to Japans. A reflash is the best mod for our cars. Its simple, cheap, reliable and adds tons of power! What more could you want!

Tom

 

yea that's another reason i'll wait for now. i wanna see how it turns out in regards to reliability and such. but i'm pretty much gonna limit to reflash or piggyback.

i am however, gonna install pioneer 7400mp CD/MP3 player from my integra when i sell that car. i don't care about upgrading the speakers, i just wanna be able to play 10hrs of music from 1 CD for longer trips.

 

I keep mine stock because I'm autocrossing in a stock class. I can only change the exhaust form the cat back and the front sway bar. Those are the only mod allowed in stock classes.

I would however just buy an evo as a modding project but then that would be a different hobby and I would not worry about the warranty at that point or drivability.

 

Mine was purchased in August 2003 and I have no mods and 30000 miles. It is my daily driver and I still very much enjoy it. It makes me smile to see it in the garage. Life is a compromise. I’m using my disposable income to travel and see as much of the world as I can before we start having kids. For me, $1000 is two international trips.

When I sold my 1997 Eclipse GS-T the people who bought it told me that they had looked at a bunch of them and a lot had “weird stuff” done to them. They bought mine specifically because it was well maintained, looked good and was stock.

Best wishes,
f86sabre

 

They won't have to if he has a boost gauge.

 

Something I forgot to add... I let other local members do the mods before I do, and see how they look/sound/feel and last. Then, once I'm sure I like it, I do it... Perfect point was made above. If you don't want to mod your car, don't ride in a modded one. You'll be AMAZED at the difference a few good mods can make

 

1... Period... Modding your car and making it faster can lead to making it more fun to drive, but also can lead to more problems and shorter lifespan of you and the car

I'm doing a bit, and planning on stopping there, getting a bunch of gauges, and smiling all the way

 

A little more about myself, I've been modifying and racing -may Bridgehampton rise again- BMW 2002's and Mk 1 & 2 VW's since I was 16 (38 now) and can't even begin to comprehend the money I spent on go-fast-bits. I'm not knocking you guys for modifying away on your EVO's, after all it's a legal outlet. I'm just gaging the interest of those -like me- that wish to keep there "daily driver" EVO's stock and why.

Thanks for your reply Nubby, I would like to see that avatar when it's finished.

 

Well - priorit fed ex is $32 which is the most quick and costly method

2 day is about 12 and fed ex standard is $24 - hardly $150 !

 

Stock on the outside except for tint.

related engine mods:

RS-R catback exhaust
Halman MBC
Drop-in K&N filter
Custom tune by DynoFlash!

Pretty much stock and putting out 280whp 304 TQ, not bad!!! The only other addition to my baby will be a 3" high flow Cat.

I have minor interior mods like MP3 deck, speakers, amp, pedals, shift knob, and I changed all the lighting to red.

I like to think she's stock!