Agreed, I went thought hell with my evo ix just to get it to a point of no worries cause the previous owner was a goon.
However it is now a sweet *** ride just needs some body tlc but it runs damn good after all the Oem parts and rebuilds I did and yes I kept my recipts and took pictures of the process to document it.

 

Your story is sadly becoming the norm. I still think they are worth it but whoever is buying needs to go into armed with the knowledge it may need some work. Its not the cars fault normally its the previous owner(s)

 

Dang its all i can say.

 

I remember pulling the oil pan off that spare engine only to see what looked like toddlers had a glitter party inside it. Happy I talked you into pulling the pan. One of the bearings was split in half from the friction. Glad to hear it's back on the road once again.