No matter what you do or what they say, Take it to 5th gear and go all out on it, you def dont want to buy a evo with a messed up clutch, thats what happened to my buddy because he didnt want to get on the car while the guy was in it, i say screw that if you are going to buy it then test every thing possible.

 

what everyone else said. Test drive the car. Go throught the gears etc. Carfax, compression test, check service records and if i were u buy a unmodded one. The chaces of abuse are fewer. Good luck

 

Check and test drive them throughly. Most of these types of cars (Evo, MRr, 3000GT, 300ZX, & etc) were bought for a reason, may be an enthusiast, to run hard for what its made for. Make sure first that its all good.

I live here in a tropical island of Saipan, 10,000miles away, next to the island Guam. I recently bought the only Evo8 that made it ashore to this tiny island. Its a 2003 (Bought Jan 2004) and was previously owned by my buddie's son who got it when he was 16yrs old... 39,000miles on the odometer and all stock. He did tried street racing and as usual, lots of idling on A/C parked (usual youngsters spotting somewhere..).

The Evo was traded in for Mazda CX-9. Then the only dealer (Mazda/Mitsubishi Dealer) re-conditioned it before I ended up buying. Replaced were OEM

1) Rims (Enkei)
2) Tires (BFG 245/45/17)
3) Steering
4) Shift nob
5) New wing
6) Turbo charger
7) All hoses
8) Brembo Calipers (F&R)
9) Brake pads (F&R)
10) All 4 Rotors
11) Front & Rear struts
12) Spare tire cover
& battery, all fluids/lubes, and air filter.
Also, the dealer painted the original blue to Maica Blue Metallic (Mazda), which gave that brilliant metallic, darker blue, lookin very gorgeous.

The interior was cleaned and detailed like new. The price was at $21,000 with all this. The car is in Cherry and Solid condition.

Just my O-2cent. Look for a cherry one if you really want it.

 

Question: Does the 2003 Evo bring the 2-step? My friend with an Evo 8 2005 says that the 2003 edition does not, that I have to flash the computer in order to add one.

 

+1
take your time. Once you get back im sure alot of used evos will be available because of the X, new sti and the bmw 335

 

That was going to be my next question. How much will 9's drop in price once the 10's come out?

 

Should be significant if the X becomes a popular tuner. Hear alot of positives and negatives so I think you'll have to wait and see about that.

 

is it also a big issue if the previous owner didnt run a turbo timer?

 

Why does everyone say you NEED to buy stock?? Could a stock Evo be driven as hard as a modded Evo.....IT SURE COULD!! In fact there would be a bunch of stock cars I would stay away from....like the ones that were modded and taken back to stock. You know they weren't concerened about getting it perfect, because they were going to sell it...otherwise they wouldn't of taken the parts off. It could of been a quick job and they just wanted to get it back to stock.

I would be more careful of those than I would a modded Evo. The more times you take apart and put things back together, the more chance you have to screw something up....not tighten the bolts enough....whatever.

Every car is different....modded or stock. I would just try to get a feel for the tranny and listen to the engine. In fact, your best resource would be to have another Evo owner go with you. They would be able to help you out the most.

Buying a used Evo can be a steal.....as long as you know what to look for.

 

No, not a big issue at all. Turbo timers are that necessary these days. Again, the person with a turbo timer could still beat the heck out of it. I would just worry about the overall condition.

 

i completly agree,,, my thnking is,,,, fi you are buying a used evo you are buying someones elses problem or they have beating on the car, i based that theory on the fact that if buy an evo is because you are going to be driving it hard.

geter new,, although theres only 06 Mr's available,,,

 

Nothing wrong with buying a used car just get it checked out. I would personally buy one from somone on here.

Review thier posts and how they have taken care of the car. Most of us that have been here for a while cars are meticulously maintained.

You people are funny

 

Do you run a TT on your car? Im not assuming you dont so dont take this as an attack.

If not then you are toasting your turbo ALOT faster than you think you are. I highly doubt that anyone that doesn't have one sits in their car after driving it for a signifigant amount of time to let the oil cool down properly.

Also even if you dont drive for an extended period and turn off the car right away that is pretty bad as well. Compared to someone that actually runs one for a decent amount of time to let the engine oil cool down properly it will make a difference in the long run.

I definately disagree that "a turbo timer isn't necessary these days". If someone has the $ to mod out a car and cant drop a measly $99 for a TT then why bother going turbo?

 

good info guys,
bump for some more info

 

Actually I don't have a TT on my car. However, I am one of those few people that actually sit or stand near my car, while the engine is running, to let it "cool down." Plus it is mostly a weekend/nice day car anyhow.