Hi, folks, n00b to this forum but not forums in general. I'm an admin at www.gtplanet.net and retired admin at www.neons.org .

Anyway, to the point, I'm probably looking for a used Evo VIII in the next 6 months to a year. I've got plenty of time to shop for the perfect match. I've read through a bunch of threads I dug up with the search function, but I'm looking for good technical answers about what I should look for when I'm auditioning used Evos.

I'll definitely be looking for <30,000 miles, and almost definitely looking for a 2004 with the SSF (whatever the lux package is called; it'll be a daily spirited driver, not a cone-killer beast).

I'll probably prefer stock but a few careful upgrades won't throw the car off my radar. So what I'm really looking for are signs of abuse or neglect that might not be apparent to someone unfamiliar with the car.

Thanks very much in advance,

Duke

 

Look for signs of clutch abuse couple with funny acting tranny and transfercase; for some reason, that would stick in my head.....of course you have young punks doing hack jobs on electrical wiring and the such....unless you know the owner, best bet is to really eye a car that has an aftermarket turbo in there....not so much for the fact that they abuse the car, but for the fact that they could have mismatched parts and/or have a map in the ECU thats on the border of serious detonation....

 

Just keep in mind that there's only really one purpose in buying an Evo- to drive it hard. I'm sort of the same boat that you are, buying in about 11-12 months, but am just going to pay the extra 5k and get a car that I KNOW hasn't been beaten. I'd much rather shell out the $ to pay for damage that I do (not that I plan on doing damage to my car), than damage that someone else did.

 

Listen well when you take turns in it, make sure there is no faint grinding or poping noise. listen to the clutch of course. LOOK at the tires, they are about another 7 or 8 hundred if they suck and you need to replace them. You can pretty much tell how the guy before you was driving by looking at the inner and outer walls of the tires. If they are worn bad, find another car. Ttake it up to like 80 or 90 and see if the car shakes, if so, find another car. Ummm that's about all I can tell you from my experience, ( all this crap happened to my car )

 

^^^good points...i'd like to add that before i bought my car i had no clue as to the inner workings of an evo...you won't learn that unless you spend countless hours in your car and on this forum...the first thing to look for is the p0300 code...if you do a search here you can read a ton more about this...shorthand version, the car will stutter in fourth gear at low rpm's and throw the check engine light...even though there are mitsu ecu flashes that can help this problem, imo it is just better to find a car without it...i'd like to reinforce the clutch comment...make sure it feels somewhat new, or you'll be replacing it shortly after you get the car...look for wear on the lumbar support of the driver's seat, recaros aren't cheap...and look for thin spots in the paint...mitsu decided to save money by seriously neglecting some evo paint jobs...good luck

 

Thanks, guys! Anybody else have some advice?

 

get a car from a private seller, if the car was traded into a dealership it was most likely because the car was beaten on, try and find a car that doesnt have a lot of mods done to it (if possible).. and getting a car that has warranty is a plus.. mine doesnt have factory warranty remaining on it.. wish it did but what can you do...

 

https://www.evolutionm.net/forums/sh...d.php?t=317064

 

Under the hood, if it looks stock, look for bent fins on the inner side of the radiator. It may mean some turbo work. Look at bolts and screws for wear or shearing. Also stock bolts have paint. If it's worn off, it might indicate the same thing. Someone posted a good sticky quite awhile ago for things to watch for when buying a used Evo.

These things don't necessarily mean you have a bad car. It just means it may have been modified and then returned to stock to sell.

 

That's one of them. Good search.

 

Good tranny! Make sure of it!!!

 

Access the ECU and check the wiring for possible tapping (SAFC). Open the oil cap and with flash light look inside - if you don't see shiny metal walk away. Not sure on the VIII, but on the IX you have OEM body stickers on each body panel (hood, doors, trunk, etc.) with the VIN number. If those are missing, then possible body work was done. I would lift the carpets and check for meldew or signs of water damage.
Someone on top states something about shake at high speed. I wouldn't consider that a problem to not get the car. It could be bad tires or unbalanced wheels.

 

For the OP and my information, what does this indicate (I'm in the market for a VIII)? Thanks.

 

Cooked oil on the inner walls indicates the previous owner did not do regular oil changes. With turbo engine, its essential to change oil/filter on regular basis. Even with synthetic oil, I would not go pass the 3k mark between changes.

 

Remember to check the compression when buying a used evo