Hey guys, I'm fairly new to this sort of thing, so bear with me. I'm fairly new to the evo world. I don't actually own one, but ever since I saw one on top gear I've been a fan ever since. With that said, I'll go ahead and jump in and set up my questions.

Ok, some backstory to my first question. One of my best friends for as long as I can remember recently bought an S2000. He's always had a faster car than me, and has given me hell for it. So now, having done EXTENSIVE research on several cars, which include a 350z, rsx-s, integra gsr (more on this later), and now the evo, I'm down to a couple questions.
1) I know this is an evo forum, but many of
You seem to be very knowledgeable about a variety of cars, so I figure I'll ask. Is it possible for an integra gsr with an intake/exhaust/test pipe/cams, fairly cheap add-ons, nothing crazy like a turbo or sc, be able to beat* a 2003 S2000 with an exhaust, intake, test pipe?
2) would a STOCK evo 8 beat* said s2000?

*by beat I mean a drag race at the track

3) how hard is it to find a stock 2003 evo 8?
4) how much would one run me on average?
5) I'm moving from Oklahoma to Oregon for school in a year, will an evo be a practical DD for both states? From what I've read yes, as long as you have proper tires, but I figured I would tailor the question to my specific needs.
6) I know that having a turbo on a car usually makes cars more unreliable and causes for more maintenance, but also that since it comes stock the engine is built to handle it, so what I'm asking is, is there anything I need to watch out for in maintenance on the car? Something that goes out easy and is replaced a lot.

Sorry for the novel, but I figured I'd ask everything at once. If I left anything out let me know. Thanks for the help!

 

1) No idea

2) stock for stock, the Evo has almost a full second on the S2000 but that is all dependent on the driver. The Evo is isn't a simple car where you can just pull up and drop the clutch. I'd research into that more.

3) Stock 03? I suppose it's possible but I would imagine they all have been driven hard and/or racked up some miles. That would lead to other concerns and more maintenance that should be done.

4) Anywhere from $9,000 to under $20k. Depends on the mileage and mods. You can find a cheap one but you will be paying out the a** in replacement parts and maintenance.

5) Great... another duck fan. lols. DD the car isn't a problem. I do it. handles any weather you through at it. You have a great shop on the Wa/Or border. although if you are used to Honda's you may be sorely disappointed with the gas mileage and cost of insurance.

6) First link you should spend some time and study and the second you should look at the posts about questions already asked. Hours of the information to sink into. Research research research. Buying a **** Evo will be an absolute nightmare.

https://www.evolutionm.net/forums/ev...oking-evo.html

https://www.evolutionm.net/forums/ev...faqs-forum-61/

 

Your probably better off buying an evo with a few aftermarket things done to it. Some people dont want to because well installing non oem parts can sometimes mess with a car

but here is my evo logic

90% of evo owners usually are or end up being enthusiasts about the car because well it's amazing. So they tend to mod it and take good care of it. Then you have people who uy it because they heard it was a bad *** car and they abuse it and floor it dump the clutch etc. These people tend to keep them stock because their not that much into their car so they dont spend money on their car they waste it on other things like big tv's or women.

Although there are some pristine stock evo's out there I bet there are more pristine modded ones (plus they already come faster and you can haggle because things have been done to them)

As for an evo vs an s2000 either you would have to be a very bad driver or your friend would have to be a very good one to beat and evo.

Of course i'm a tad biased because I love evo's...

 

@thore thanks for the info.

A more specific question, are the evo's that are posted around 10k going to be the ones in crap shape or will they last a while? I don't mind a few performance mods, but some people go and replace everything and have a mod list 2000 miles long, and that's not something I wanna try to keep up with.

I currently drive a '97 corolla ce, so I know insurance is gonna skyrocket compared, as well as gas, but I think an evo will be a more practical car for my future, and something I can tinker with and take to the track every once in a while as well.

Also, I'm a Sooner fan before ANYONE else, but I have more opportunity leaving. :P

@S3CR3T thanks to you as well. As I stated above I don't mind a few, but I'm not looking for a 500hp car. That has TOO much done to it and makes it way less reliable for a college student, which is why I asked about stock. Plus I don't need all that because I don't want one to be specifically a track car. Base is honestly enough for me, but I wouldn't mind being in the low to mid 300's either haha. Like I said I just don't want a car that is practically rebuilt with aftermarket parts.

 

Your welcome, and yeah I didn't mean for it to come off like that you dont want a super modded car but I got my evo and it had 320 hp not stock and it runs great. As far as a good evo the cheapest I have seen with decent mileage was 14k and that is because the guy was leaving over sees and wanted rid of it quick. I have seen ones that were 13k had semi high mileage and looked ok but I havent driven them so I cant vouch for how well it ran. You can find great stock evos but they are usually priced really high. Best thing to do is look around on craigslist and go test drive some meet the owners see if their the kind of people that would take care of a car. Either way I really hope you decide to get one you will not regret this purchase ever if you do. At first I thought I spent to much money on mine but it really grows on you. Torque alone will probably win your heart over haha best of luck.

 

Alright, it's not letting me quote, but what is semi high mileage for an evo?

 

It's really just an opinion but imo 100,00 is semi high because it's high but average for as old of an evo that your looking at.

 

I just bought an '03, slightly modded, in great shape mechanically with 62k miles for ~$14k. Just remember though, the Evo is in an entirely different league than a GSR and RSX. The 350z, meh, a 90's turbo 300Z beats it all day long. Proper and timely maintenance and tuning is a must, but if you do it the Evo will reward you with longer life and better performance than almost any other car dollar for dollar... at least in my opinion.

 

I just got my 03 with 86k miles and basic bolt ons for 13.5k. If you are looking for a reliable evo, I wouldn't look for one under 12k. Most of those need work or have ridiculous amounts of miles.

 

from experience, evo under 15k = a headache . Go over the 15k mark and you wont regret it Especially when searching for an '03 because they are now reaching the 10 year old mark. An evo is not cheap to maintain if you want a reliable evo i dont care what anyone tells you and they make crappy daily's lol from the loud cabin, to the ****ty gas mileage to the flashy looks that attracts cops. Its a god damn rally car take a moment to process that.

lets face it the evo is a PITA and if its reliability your looking for with low maintenance costs...you sir are in the wrong forum asking the wrong questions..a subaru would better fit the description of what you are looking for IMO. or an evo x good luck.

 

I don't agree with half of the posts on here, but I guess I got lucky. I bought my 03 evo for under 14k with under 80k miles. I'm now almost at the 140k mile mark and it has been amazing. I drive alot with my evo and get pretty good gas mileage imo (22mpg with 93).
I have basic bolt ons with e85.

Its all about the maintenance. Just be patient, you'll eventually find one.

 

i just went from a s2000 to an evo, but my s2000 was turbo. i like the room and the car does handle rather well actually. DD i would go Evo over s2000 any day.

 

the evo is by far one of the best tuner cars around, you can make great power with a few basic mods.

as for looking to find one cheap, those cheap ones or some people will call them a "deal" is definetly not.... if your looking for a good condition, low mileage evo then in all honesty be prepared to see prices $20K or more. if your looking for a fixer upper one to play around with but is in decent condition like the others said, you can definetly find one for around $15K maybe a tad more depending once again on condition and mods.

my 2005 evo 8 i feel is in very good condition, my mileage is under 50,000 miles. i definetly wouldnt let it go for anything less then $19K... imo i think my car is worth more but thats me lol

Also like any other car a low mileage one will always be more expensive and ones with higher mileage will be more and will have more wear and tear... just keep that in mind

 

Thanks for all the help guys, I really appreciate it! From what I can tell, it's going to be in my best interest to wait a little and keep looking for a good one. Thanks again for all the help.

 

Just some words of wisdom.. you can make most cars go fast with a few thousand dollars. Get what you LIKE. Dont base your purchasing decision on beating your friend in a drag race or you will regret it.

With that said. Evo allll the way. I have had over 15 cars, and 2 of them were evo's. They are something else, but you will have to keep track of maint, and if you dont know your way around an engine bay its going to get pricey fast.