I think I can talk him into ending the auction early for $11k. I figure the parts alone are worth that.

I have been on the phone all day with Mitsu places. I can get out for $3,500 on factory new parts.

I also visited the body shop the seller was referring to. They seem to know what they are doing. I saw some before and after pictures of a 2002 Lincoln LS. Now that car was creamed, but I couldn't even tell that it had been wrecked while looking at the finished project. He told me he would have the car looking like new for $2k. I have heard he is slow, but the best around.

So I would be in $17,500 for a 2003 Lancer Evo with 1,000 miles.

Hmm... hard to pass up, but you guys have good points. Someone please talk me out of this before I break out the checkbook.

Thanks to all!

 

Theres no AYC and all that good stuff. BULL. Look at it. It's U.S. spec.

Also, if its so cheap to fix why wouldn't the seller fix it for themselves??? Well I can see why they wouldnt want the hassle though.

Cruise control???

 

I believe your need for an Evo is clouding your view of reality.

Most body shops give a conservative estimate in the beginning....esp when they know the bill is going to be footed buy the owner and not an insurance company. If they have the cheaper estimate, you will get your repairs done by them and not by whoever else gave an estimate on the repairs.

When my ITR was broken into, the body shops initial estimate was $3500. By the time all was said and done, that number inflated to $9000! You always find parts that need repairing and pieces that no one knew were damaged or missing.

There is a BIG difference between a car looking like it is correctly repaired, and actually being repaired back to exactly the way it was before the thing was totalled. Most people know this....but people who are dazzled by the before and after pics on the wall of a body shop are usually not.

Let me ask you this. Are you going to do all this purchasing with cash? ...which I assume you are because no bank will loan money to buy a salvage car.... If yes, then why don't you put that $15k down on a fresh new Evo, and get a loan for the remaining amount. You would only have payments for like $300 a month for 4 years....and you would be getting a car that you know is in good condition.

So, do you know what condition the driveline is in on that car? Accidents often cause great shock to the driveline components. And while that shock doesn't always instantly break parts, it does often shorten the useful life of them.

After spending $15k to get a salvaged Evo on the road, will you be able to afford to drop in a new center diff....or a new tranny...or a new engine if they fail?

btw, you will likely not be covered by the factory 3/36k warranty anylonger either....

SC~

 

Well I emailed him and the reserve is 12k and even if it only cost 9k to fix you got a 21 k car with no resale value and like everyone said you would have to come out of pocket because you are not going to get a auto loan for it. Also as a side note a previous car I had was a red Sentra and when I had a very minor fender bender in it the repair bill for a new hood and bumper cover came to 3.5k so I seriously doubt this car could be rebuilt for any kind of savings over new. Save some money get an evo when you can afford it. Good luck.

 

As I recall, someone else recently had a quote on some minor damage on the front only of his Evo and it was somewhere around $9000. This looks much worse and also has rear damage. I'd say the car was estimated to require $15-20k in repairs or so... otherwise, it would have been fixed, not totaled.

Whoever buys this is gonna be screwed, especially when you consider the dealer's already shady enough to list AYC and ACD among its features.
-N

 

I got in touch with the guy and was able to take a look in person. I connected the intercooler pipes and fired it up. It seemed to run, drive, and shift fine. I checked the turbo for play and all was well. Thanks for all the input guys. It is greatly appreciated. I will probably not bid anymore than $9k on it. The parts have to at least be worth that. That should put me at having about 50% as much money in an evo as I would have in one that has not been damaged. I will keep you posted.

 

True.... I guess it all depends on where you get the work done. The body guy I spoke with just does body work on the side. He said he may take 3 months since there are a few cars ahead of me, but that it will be done right and if for any reason I am not satisfied he will make it right. I spoke with several people who have had work done by him and they say his quotes are always within a few hundred and that he does the best work around on wrecks. Plus I am getting the parts myself... so there is no chance of getting the shaft on parts.... hopefully.

LOL .... I also set the guy straight on the AYC and ACD .... check out the ad now I told him that he should knock off another grand cuz he got my hopes up with the extra features.... we'll see what he says.

 

Are you a supertech? Knows people who can fix cars for cheap? If the car breaks can you afford to shoulder the whole bill? Sure the car runs fine now, how about 2,3 months or a year from now?

You said the car is $17k your saving about $13k at a cost of having headaches and no warranty. Your better off waiting for a used one.

BTW, buy at least a box full of tylenol super extra extra extra strength you will need it.

 

Benefits of living in a small, poor town.... you get stuff done cheaper without sacrificing quality. I said that I would be in it for $14.5k. After running a 450HP 2g GSX I think I might be able to figure out any problems that may arise almost as well as some of the mitsu techs I have seen.... I've rebuilt busted center diffs, half shaft replacements, tranny swaps, engine swap, etc... etc.... The car is not hit hard at all.... it is only cosmetic things.... Think about it.... if you ran out and ripped off your bumpers, took off you intercooler, jumped on your hood, and bashed in your fenders.... your insurance company would probably total the car also. Have you actually affected the performance of the car? Nah.... well that is what I am shooting for here... it runs and drives fine now.... so if I can be in it for half the price... i'm there.... then the other half can go towards getting to the 11's.

Also, anyone that has done a body kit upgrade... I am in the market for some stock bumpers

Thanks again to all for the feedback.

 

Ok, so after asking everyone whether you should purchase this wreck.....and after having like a dozen or so members tell you not to buy the car....you are still going to buy it?

Why did you even bother asking, if you already knew everything and had your mind made up?

SC~

 

Yeah what he said! Now if you have all this money to put on in cash why not get a new one. Have you ever had a car that was wrecked badly or had a salvage title? I have I bought a car new got in a wreck that almost totalled it and after it was fixed it wasn't the same and you always find stuff that isn't perfect like from the factory. To top it all off you can't then get rid of it or like everyone else has said you take a huge hit on it. Hey if anything it should make for some good pictures and stories on the forums.

Tony

 

take that money and put a down payment on a new one and make monthly payments...

 

Thanks for the comments. I have about $15k cash to play with. I have never purchased a new car so I am also afraid of getting the shaft there too... I heard that it looses like 20% of the value as you drive it off the lot?? Is that right? Where would be the best place to go to purchase a new one? Are certain dealers different than others? What can I negotiate them down to as far as purchase price and interest rate?

Thanks again.... you guys have a officially talked me out of it.... now I don't want to hear about any of you picking it up on eBay... lol...

Thanks again.

 

There's no number for the loss of the value of a car driven off the lot. You make it sound so evil. There is something just really nice about buying a new car - no mystery there. Even a year old used car doesn't have the same feeling that a new car has. So the extra cost of a new car is for that, and yes, if you decide to sell it a month later, you won't get your full price. It's now a used car - it's common sense - you wouldn't pay as much for a month-old car yourself I'm sure.

As for buying a new one, look for the MSRP list - don't pay more. You'll get it if you want it. Good luck.
-N

 

Hey man, I wasn't trying to yell at you. I hope you didn't take it that way. I'm all for having another Evo owner on the boards! It's just that when you buy a project like that, you will get buried in all the details and crap associated with getting it roadworthy when you should be enjoying it on the road and track.....And you have to deal with the crap waay before you ever get to enjoy the car at all. And once you get to drive it, you will always have that worry in the back of your mind about whether it is reliable....is it safe...etc.

If you take the $15k you have in cash and bring it to a dealership (one that is not on the boycott list at the top of this board), they will be quite happy to put you behind the wheel of a brand new car....one with a warranty....one that has only been abused by you...one that hasn't had a majority of it's parts replaced or glued back together.


The old saying about a new car losing 20% of it's value is only partly true for the Evo. Any vehicle will lose some value once driven off the lot. The Evo will likely devalue slower than cars with larger production numbers. But that amount it depreciates is only of concern if you plan on selling that car within a year or two of buying it. Most people don't do that. But if you do, it simply means that you might owe a little more on your loan than you can get by selling it to a private party if you put very little down in cash at purchase time (maybe less than 5k?).

Here's how you can go buy your new Evo.

Go to eloan.com. Fill out an online quote for an auto loan for $20k. It only takes like 5 mins to fill out the loan request...and like 30mins to get your answer. Once you are approved, take your loan documentation to a dealership (that has an Evo you want on the lot), bring $10-15k in cash, go inside and ask for the sales manager, or the internet sales manager, tell him you want the Evo....and that you came prepared to buy today if you get the right price. Now he knows you are serious. If he sits you down, tell him you have your own loan arranged and have a cash deposit of $xx,xxx in your pocket...

From there on out, it's all up to your negotiating skills. But don't expect them to give by more than a few hundred bucks...and if they won't budge, try to get them to add accessories to the current price.

Good luck!

SC~