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03 evo 4g63 testdrive questions and what should I be paying

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Old Mar 20, 2015, 09:04 AM
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03 evo 4g63 testdrive questions and what should I be paying

I just test drove this 2003 evo that I'm considering buying. I'd never driven an evo before so I have no experience to compare to which isn't good.

Backing up started out jerky, because I really had to hit the gas or it else I'd stall out which I ended up doing. Other cars including the Civic I own, I don't have to give as much gas to make it go in Reverse and 1st gear smooth. It has an ACT racing clutch installed, hard to press down. Can you think of any bad reason I might have to hit the gas so much more to balance out the clutch?

When idling, I heard the engine reving about every other second by itself. The sound as if I were tapping the gas pedal. The owner said that's because it has Brian Crowler stage 2 cams. Should this be happening? Is there a way to have these aftermarket cams installed without the rough idle?

The 4g63 engine was taken from a 2005 evo 8 which he said had 60k on it. Everything else has 86k. How much should I be paying for this car and what are other things I should check for while test driving or underneath the hood that is typical to check for on these cars?



Old Mar 20, 2015, 09:14 AM
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stage 2 cams are lopey on non mivec engines, i removed mine cuz it was annoying.
the act clutch is aggressive and if its ur first time driving it on an evo it takes some getting used to. i would ask for the papers showing the mileage of that motor to be able to pay close to what he's asking. btw what is he asking?
have u driven on the highway? specifically 50-60mph to hear if the transfer case is whining or not. that is a MAJOR hit to your wallet if it is.
for some odd reason it looks really rusty, even the filter has rust lol
are there any leaks? any noticeable noises while cruising? how is the boost?
Old Mar 20, 2015, 10:46 AM
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He is wanting 12k. What do y'all think?

To finish the story, he wanted to show me a fast run to 60. Then after the run it died when coming to a stop two times and had to recrank twice. The fuel light was on. He insisted it was only because of low fuel.

So we didn't drive on highway. Thanks sujinX for the tips, and any more are welcome.
Old Mar 20, 2015, 11:42 AM
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Yeah I would try and get some highway driving in it to make sure about the transfer case.
It is a little concerning about the car conking out on you twice. Could be the low fuel...... or injectors or fuel pump or fuel filter.

I agree with sujinX about the clutch and the cams. I went from a stock Audi clutch to a Exedy Twin on my Evo and it was A LOT harder to push it in, it does take some getting used to.

Overall I would say that if it's all in good order and he has some paperwork backing up the engine items, $12k is a reasonable asking price.
Old Mar 20, 2015, 12:15 PM
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Originally Posted by WaryDriver
I just test drove this 2003 evo that I'm considering buying. I'd never driven an evo before so I have no experience to compare to which isn't good.

Backing up started out jerky, because I really had to hit the gas or it else I'd stall out which I ended up doing. Other cars including the Civic I own, I don't have to give as much gas to make it go in Reverse and 1st gear smooth. It has an ACT racing clutch installed, hard to press down. Can you think of any bad reason I might have to hit the gas so much more to balance out the clutch? It's a 3200lb AWD car with a whole lot of gears in the drivetrain. Yes, it needs more throttle input to get going. Which ACT clutch is it and what flywheel?

When idling, I heard the engine reving about every other second by itself. The sound as if I were tapping the gas pedal. The owner said that's because it has Brian Crowler stage 2 cams. Should this be happening? Is there a way to have these aftermarket cams installed without the rough idle? BC cams are arguably the worst possible choice for an Evolution. Some of this can be tuned-out, but you're still stuck with BC cams

The 4g63 engine was taken from a 2005 evo 8 which he said had 60k on it. Everything else has 86k. How much should I be paying for this car As little as possible. $12K sounds about right, if you have some extra funds in the bank to keep it running and to take care of any repairs that will come up. Trying to save a few bucks on an Evo purchase is a false economy and what are other things I should check for while test driving or underneath the hood that is typical to check for on these cars? Do yourself a huge favor and take the car to an Evolution-specific shop to be looked at. Which exhaust manifold is that?
Reply in bold.

Last edited by FJF; Mar 20, 2015 at 12:19 PM.
Old Mar 20, 2015, 12:26 PM
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Looks like a megan manifold. Im curious as to what those blues lines are for..
Old Mar 20, 2015, 01:01 PM
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get a carfax / autocheck on the car. if it's a WA state car i know who's car it used to be and can ask them about it
Old Mar 21, 2015, 03:16 AM
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do a compression test!!!!!!!!!
Old Mar 23, 2015, 09:53 AM
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I can help with carfax if you pm me a vin and yor mail
Old Mar 23, 2015, 10:20 AM
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sounds like you might need a couple K to just get it running right
Old Mar 23, 2015, 01:31 PM
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The stalling and surging idle are from the tune. 12k isn't too bad for that project, assuming it has a healthy compression test and leak down test. I'd do like the others suggested and have it looked over by someone knowledgeable.
Old Mar 23, 2015, 04:52 PM
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offer him 8K car looks like ****.
Old Mar 23, 2015, 05:13 PM
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Far too many issues and unknowns. Ask your self this question : do you have $ 6K to put into it if the tune/cams/engine/transfer case needs work?

The pics show a car that has not been maintained well , is dirty and shows signs of rust
If this is to be your daily driver, can you afford to be down for 3-4 weeks replacing major parts?

Where did the car spend most of its life? Was it totalled in the past or water damaged ?Pull carfax or Autocheck !!!!!! incomplete history = fail

Tune $500-600, clutch $2000 including install
transfer case $3k including install
Pads =$400 even doing it your self...DONT skimp on the pads !!

Unknown engine with 60 K with no compression data etc = fail

RUN as fast as you can AWAY
Old Mar 23, 2015, 06:09 PM
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This is a prime example of what happens when kids and flatbrimmed bros get hold of Evos.

If you are looking for a project, don't need daily transport, know how to fix cars, and have a local, cheap and reliable source of Evo parts, consider a lo-ball offer.

Even then, you'll probably save money in the long run paying too much for a clean straight no excuses no stories example, than getting a project at a bargain price. Not to mention the headaches.
Old Mar 24, 2015, 07:06 AM
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Originally Posted by WRC-LVR
Tune $500-600, clutch $2000 including install
transfer case $3k including install
Pads =$400 even doing it your self...DONT skimp on the pads !!
I'm not sure where you're getting these numbers from but they're way off. $2,000 will get you a triple-disk installed, normal clutch will be closer to $1,000

Tune shouldn't be more than $300

Pads and rotors might be $400, but pads alone are closer to half that.


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