I got mine in the beginning of Dec last year. The only thing I have added has been a
defi boost gauge (d series) thanks to Warr. I have been on the fence about modding
but I am not ready to throw away a 5/60 bumper to bumper warranty and now that I have a new born, I would rather spend the money on her than on my car. My daughter has totally changed my mind-set in regards with the car.

All I can tell you is that if you do go down the modding path, do it right the first time.
This is my opinion in regards to mods; get all your modding parts, install them and get a flash, not vice-versa.

 

If you are asking about reliability check out Deeze Nuts posts on DCEVOCLUB.com, he's at ~115K now with few problems. His EVO is a daily driver and is pretty well modded. I think he has a couple of events in it and some other stories. As for the "mod bug" it will bite pretty hard and fast once you see what you can do easily to the EVO and improve it or simply make your life easier. I put on a turbo back to increase HP, got a summer set of wheels and tires (easier than always pulling tires of the stock wheels going from summer to winter) and plan to get a flash to increase HP and gas milage. As jayhawker says it depends on your mindset, I have an 03 with ~45K so warrany doesn't apply anymore and I can set aside money in my budget for car toys.

 

I havn't modded my evo. Maybe in the future, but for the time being I don't feel like giving the cops a reason to pull me over. It's bad enough as it is here in California, and it doesn't help to add mods.

 

Search "the keepin it stock club"

 

I have 29,000 miles on mine (bought it in June of last year). The only mod I have is a K&N air filter. I vowed to never modify my car when I first got it. I've kinda gone back and forth during the last few months, though. There are some days where I really want to experience 340 whp. It's not a question of money for me. The issue has to do with mechanical reliability and convenience. There really aren't any good tuner shops in the Central Valley. I'd have to travel to the Bay Area or to LA to get anything done. Even then, I don't know whether or not there are going to be mechanical problems down the road. Plus, I don't like my car loud. Then there are the warranty issues. At this point, I can't see myself getting bitten by the mod bug. My car is plenty fast as it is. In the future, who knows?

 

i hate to use this as an example, but the EVO is like aids. it's like a virus. once you have it in your system you can't get it out and it leads to other things (modding). you can fight it for awhile, but in the end you will lose (more modding) haha

 

I do not want neither to mod my car.
So far, it's stock (I have a boost gauge installed by )

I have a K&N drop in in my car but....it's under driver seat in its box . I will install it pretty soon (so much time consuming ).

I will maybe have a flash, I think it can be worth it.
The car is powerful enough but like everyone else here, I'm getting used to it. It's not as powerful as it seemed.

 

i have a 06 STi now and i dont mod
had a 05 EVO and didn't mod it
i feel the same as long the car is fun to drive on the street there are no reason to mod it
i dont race ppl so i don't need the extra juice

 

In my opinion the fewer mods the better, you just want to accentuate the car, not
make it into something it wasn't intended to be.

The tbe (not loud), custom flash, boost control is just about right. If you get tired of
the road noise from the stock tires like I did, change them out also and it will make
a much better daily driver.

 

So which tires helped you quite the car a bit on the road?

 

If you really dont want to mod the engine, just get some mods for dressup to increase the overall look of the car. There are numerous upgrades you can do to the car as to not void our "wonderful" warrantee.

Examples warrantee-safe upgrades:
Alarm/Remote starter
Window tint
New wheels
Stereo upgrade
Boost guage
Harness Bar
4 point harnesses
CBE/TBE (shouldn't have any warrantee problems)
Modified Headlights/Taillights (EvoDave)
Body Kit
Carbonfiber hood/trunk
etc. etc.

My recommended do not do list:
Neons of any sort
Blow off valve (on IX)
Spinners... ick
Anything that looks like it came from Autozone

there is alot more but I will probably offend someone and get flamed, so I am stopping there.

EDIT: Added more stuff to my lists

 

Although I've only had my Evo IX for less than three weeks, I haven't modded it and don't really plan to, for several reasons:

1. I got a lot of modding out of my system when I was in high school when I had my 1995 Honda Accord EX coupe (intake, exhaust, Skunk2 coilovers, 18" Racing Hart M6 1-piece rims, carbon fiber pieces, etc.).

2. I got enough unwanted attention from police and other drivers with my Honda, I'll get more than enough with a stock Evo from those same individuals.

3. I am in Orange County, California... I live in Newport Beach and work in Irvine. On top of police who love to pull over imports (even stock ones that may seem modded), we also have our strict laws regarding modding. Driving around without a front license plate (since it hasn't come in yet) is risky enough.

4. I don't have much money for mods.

5. I don't have much money for repairs, so I want to keep that sweet warranty as long and as pain-free as I can, so I figure going into a dealership for warranty work in a completely stock car should yield minimal (if any) problems.

6. Although mods will improve my car, I'm sure that I can still improve as a driver through either more experience or a driving school. That is a mod that will stay with me no matter what car I have

7. Fuel consumption isn't so great in Evos to begin with, and gas prices will continue to rise. I don't really want to have a car that averages significantly less than 20 mpg, since my car is my daily driver and my job is about 15 miles away from where I live. Filling up more than once a week is already getting on my nerves, since my previous car had a 21-gallon tank.

All in all, yes it is an Evo and yes I should expect high costs, but I'm a car enthusiast who doesn't make too much money but loves the Evo since I saw it in Jackie Chan's Who Am I. And if staying stock and hoping for decent gas mileage is a crime, then take me to jail.

 

mod, mod, mod !!!!!!

 

Good luck and credit given for those who resist the urge and stay stock.

Back in the day when I first got the car I had the same intent, I was going to add an alarm and maybe some stereo stuff and call it a day. The Evo was a monster out of the box with tremendous handling, and brand name 'stock' parts.

That lasted less than 6 months when I started hanging out with other owners and car enthusiasts.

'Friends don't let friends....stay stock.'

 

I agree! My previous car was a Mustang GT, which was the first vehicle that really got me into modding. Now I have the Evo, and the modding continues. I also have a truck, not quite a beater, but something I told myself that I would only spend money on to for regular maintenance. But now I find myself wanting to mod that also.