Should I buy?
Aug 25, 2015, 06:16 AM
#1
Should I buy?
Hey guys!
I am looking at possibly becoming the owner of an Evo. I have a few that I have been looking into but I wanted some opinions from some experienced owners before I pull the trigger. A few of the cars I am looking at I have no worries about (yet). However there is one I am kind of concerned with, and the reason I am writing this post.
The car in question is a 2003 Silver Evo VIII. It has around 103,000 miles. It has an Oklahoma license plate, was bought from the previous owner in Tennessee, and currently resides in Kentucky. From what I understand the previous owner was in the Army and may have been dishonorably discharged recently. He signed the title and had it notorized, however he never followed up and sent the lien papers to the current owner. So the current owner never signed the title himself, and is currently thinking he needs to get an abandoned automobile title since the previous owner will not contact him about the lien papers at all. I dont know much about titles so I have no idea how taking ownership of the car would take place right off the bat...
Now about the car itself. The current owner bought it for $15k. Drove it for a week and said the twin disc clutch was slipping. So for whatever reason he decided to tear the engine apart in the process of changing the clutch. Apparently he discovered the car skipped a tooth on the timing during this time. He says he fixed it all, put a single disc clutch back in and got it all back together. Drove it for another week and the starter went out, and apparently something is wrong with his clutch job because the transmission randomly kicks itself out of gear. He also told me that if your holding the clutch all the way in the car will not go into first, but if you let out just a bit it will go in.
Now some more story about this jacked up tranny, it is a 6 speed. and apparently (according to the current owner) the shifter assembly for the 6 speed sits further forward than the 5 speed that came in the car. So the center console was hacked up to accomodate the shifter placement. Which he filled up the hole by using a big ugly rubber truck boot on the shifter... As for the rest of the interior while he had the car apart he decided to paint the dash and all the trim (excluding the door cards) with shiny black vinyl paint... Which not all of the panels are currently installed. And the driver seat has some of the stuffing laying on the floor, like maybe a mouse dug some of it out or something.
Back to the engine bay the car was converted to speed density at some point and there are random vacuum lines, and wires for gauges or something everywhere. It does have a nice Magnus manifold, Perrin fuel rail, some fat little injectors, spoolin up coil setup, stock turbo manifold, evo IX turbo, Megan O2 housing, some sort of manual boost controller, a bigger intercooler, and 3" piping. He told me the car spits black smoke sometimes when he gets on it. It has a dead odyssey mini battery, which he says he has 0 gauges wire ran to the trunk to put a battery back there but he never did. Overall the wiring on this car, under the hood, and inside the car is very sketchy... It looks like everything was hacked up and thrown back together with electrical tape.
The suspension. The car is on tein lowering springs, with some kind of gizmo wedged in the spring to lift it a tiny bit on the front. And is currently rolling on Enkei RPF-1s with Kuhmo Ecsta X4s. In the trunk is a fat Cusco rear strut bar. The car has been sitting for a while so the rotors are all rusted now, and the Brembos are very faded. The body is not in that great of condition either. It has a vented carbon fiber hood that is horribly faded, the front bumper sags a bit, the fenders need rolled to not eat up the tires, driver side rear fender has a 2 inch scratch that has started to rust, the trunk lid has no more clear coat and looks like it was rubbed with a scotch brite pad, the wing isnt original either, rear JDM bumper doesnt seem to be attached all the way, and has a good scuff on the passenger side from a "drift tap"...
Now for the kicker. He told me he wants $16k for the car... I said no way and offered him $10k before getting a really good look at it. A couple days later he said he would take $10k but he wants to keep the wheels and tires, I dont have wheels and tires so I looked up how much they were worth on tire rack, and offered him $11k still not having gotten a close look at it. He took the offer, so I asked if I could come look it over. This is when I discovered most of the problems listed above. I told him there was no way I was paying $11k for a car in that condition, especially one that I am hoping to have replace my daily driver.
Thoughts? Would you bother trying to talk him down? Or would you skip out on the headache and spend $15k+ for a mostly stock one with no issues.
Thank you for any input on the matter I appreciate it highly!
I am looking at possibly becoming the owner of an Evo. I have a few that I have been looking into but I wanted some opinions from some experienced owners before I pull the trigger. A few of the cars I am looking at I have no worries about (yet). However there is one I am kind of concerned with, and the reason I am writing this post.
The car in question is a 2003 Silver Evo VIII. It has around 103,000 miles. It has an Oklahoma license plate, was bought from the previous owner in Tennessee, and currently resides in Kentucky. From what I understand the previous owner was in the Army and may have been dishonorably discharged recently. He signed the title and had it notorized, however he never followed up and sent the lien papers to the current owner. So the current owner never signed the title himself, and is currently thinking he needs to get an abandoned automobile title since the previous owner will not contact him about the lien papers at all. I dont know much about titles so I have no idea how taking ownership of the car would take place right off the bat...
Now about the car itself. The current owner bought it for $15k. Drove it for a week and said the twin disc clutch was slipping. So for whatever reason he decided to tear the engine apart in the process of changing the clutch. Apparently he discovered the car skipped a tooth on the timing during this time. He says he fixed it all, put a single disc clutch back in and got it all back together. Drove it for another week and the starter went out, and apparently something is wrong with his clutch job because the transmission randomly kicks itself out of gear. He also told me that if your holding the clutch all the way in the car will not go into first, but if you let out just a bit it will go in.
Now some more story about this jacked up tranny, it is a 6 speed. and apparently (according to the current owner) the shifter assembly for the 6 speed sits further forward than the 5 speed that came in the car. So the center console was hacked up to accomodate the shifter placement. Which he filled up the hole by using a big ugly rubber truck boot on the shifter... As for the rest of the interior while he had the car apart he decided to paint the dash and all the trim (excluding the door cards) with shiny black vinyl paint... Which not all of the panels are currently installed. And the driver seat has some of the stuffing laying on the floor, like maybe a mouse dug some of it out or something.
Back to the engine bay the car was converted to speed density at some point and there are random vacuum lines, and wires for gauges or something everywhere. It does have a nice Magnus manifold, Perrin fuel rail, some fat little injectors, spoolin up coil setup, stock turbo manifold, evo IX turbo, Megan O2 housing, some sort of manual boost controller, a bigger intercooler, and 3" piping. He told me the car spits black smoke sometimes when he gets on it. It has a dead odyssey mini battery, which he says he has 0 gauges wire ran to the trunk to put a battery back there but he never did. Overall the wiring on this car, under the hood, and inside the car is very sketchy... It looks like everything was hacked up and thrown back together with electrical tape.
The suspension. The car is on tein lowering springs, with some kind of gizmo wedged in the spring to lift it a tiny bit on the front. And is currently rolling on Enkei RPF-1s with Kuhmo Ecsta X4s. In the trunk is a fat Cusco rear strut bar. The car has been sitting for a while so the rotors are all rusted now, and the Brembos are very faded. The body is not in that great of condition either. It has a vented carbon fiber hood that is horribly faded, the front bumper sags a bit, the fenders need rolled to not eat up the tires, driver side rear fender has a 2 inch scratch that has started to rust, the trunk lid has no more clear coat and looks like it was rubbed with a scotch brite pad, the wing isnt original either, rear JDM bumper doesnt seem to be attached all the way, and has a good scuff on the passenger side from a "drift tap"...
Now for the kicker. He told me he wants $16k for the car... I said no way and offered him $10k before getting a really good look at it. A couple days later he said he would take $10k but he wants to keep the wheels and tires, I dont have wheels and tires so I looked up how much they were worth on tire rack, and offered him $11k still not having gotten a close look at it. He took the offer, so I asked if I could come look it over. This is when I discovered most of the problems listed above. I told him there was no way I was paying $11k for a car in that condition, especially one that I am hoping to have replace my daily driver.
Thoughts? Would you bother trying to talk him down? Or would you skip out on the headache and spend $15k+ for a mostly stock one with no issues.
Thank you for any input on the matter I appreciate it highly!
Last edited by bakuro117; Aug 25, 2015 at 06:22 AM.
Aug 25, 2015, 06:34 AM
#2
i just read the first paragraph about the title issue and i would walk away from that. no title sort of means no ownership and its a lot of headache to get a branded title or something of the sort.
if the lien on it comes back and finds the car they can take it. i believe ?
rusted rotors are nothing, after a rain the rotors rusts, a few quick brakes and its gone. faded calipers are the norm. engine stuff very iffy, tranny is a big issue, upwards of 2grand at least. the other stuff i didnt read. i would say stop all contact.
if the lien on it comes back and finds the car they can take it. i believe ?
rusted rotors are nothing, after a rain the rotors rusts, a few quick brakes and its gone. faded calipers are the norm. engine stuff very iffy, tranny is a big issue, upwards of 2grand at least. the other stuff i didnt read. i would say stop all contact.
Aug 25, 2015, 07:17 AM
#3
i just read the first paragraph about the title issue and i would walk away from that. no title sort of means no ownership and its a lot of headache to get a branded title or something of the sort.
if the lien on it comes back and finds the car they can take it. i believe ?
rusted rotors are nothing, after a rain the rotors rusts, a few quick brakes and its gone. faded calipers are the norm. engine stuff very iffy, tranny is a big issue, upwards of 2grand at least. the other stuff i didnt read. i would say stop all contact.
if the lien on it comes back and finds the car they can take it. i believe ?
rusted rotors are nothing, after a rain the rotors rusts, a few quick brakes and its gone. faded calipers are the norm. engine stuff very iffy, tranny is a big issue, upwards of 2grand at least. the other stuff i didnt read. i would say stop all contact.
Aug 25, 2015, 07:35 AM
#5
If he has the title signed by the "previous" owner that should be fine to transfer ownership. Maybe call your local DMV to confirm that.
Offer him $7k to take it off his hands. Play up the "I am not even sure what it will take to get this car titled" angle.
Then expect to put another 5-6k into fixing it up.
Offer him $7k to take it off his hands. Play up the "I am not even sure what it will take to get this car titled" angle.
Then expect to put another 5-6k into fixing it up.
Aug 25, 2015, 08:06 AM
#6
I stopped reading after the first paragraph. Run away from this. It appears for my reading that there is still a lien against the title. If there is a lien you would be on the hook for satisfying the lien to title it to you and purchasing it in full from the current "owner."
In short find another car.
In short find another car.
Aug 25, 2015, 08:46 AM
#7
The DMV should be able to tell you if there is a lien on the title. Usually, you cannot get a paper title issued if there is still a lien on the car (as the lien holder usually gets the title until the lien is paid off).
If the DMV issues you a new title (after they take the old one, proof of sale and taxes) with no liens listed on it, then the car is yours. Any old liens, between whatever banks and whatever old owners, are not your problem. Again confirm all this with your local DMV.
If the DMV issues you a new title (after they take the old one, proof of sale and taxes) with no liens listed on it, then the car is yours. Any old liens, between whatever banks and whatever old owners, are not your problem. Again confirm all this with your local DMV.
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Aug 25, 2015, 09:31 AM
#10
EvoM Community Team Leader
Agree with everyone else, run away from this car and never look back. That being said, i have to stress that no matter what car you choose. You must have it inspected by a shop specializing in Evo's or at least turbo AWD platforms before you make the deal. Its called a Pre-purchase inspection, it will cost a couple hundred bucks, and it will be the best money you could conceivably spend to ensure you aren't about to make a huge mistake. If the seller isnt cool with this, run away.
Aug 25, 2015, 01:23 PM
#12
Clearly it has issues. But even as a rolling shell it would be worth a few thousand. If the compression is good on the motor and the drivetrain is solid, it might be a decent starting place. Assuming you can pick it up cheap enough.
But yes, if you don't feel like the headache, skip it.
But yes, if you don't feel like the headache, skip it.
Last edited by nemsin; Aug 25, 2015 at 01:27 PM.
Aug 27, 2015, 08:45 PM
#15
Clearly it has issues. But even as a rolling shell it would be worth a few thousand. If the compression is good on the motor and the drivetrain is solid, it might be a decent starting place. Assuming you can pick it up cheap enough.
But yes, if you don't feel like the headache, skip it.
But yes, if you don't feel like the headache, skip it.
Even a salvage/rebuilt title depresses the value considerably.
Yeah, you could do a vin swap or other silliness, you could use the Holy Grail of Evos as a parts car, but is that really what the OP wants?
CN: run Forrest, run!