Just wanted all of your opinions, I am new to the forums and hope to gain some insight. I see the collectors going for 30k+, built cars are asking for 25-30k, and everything in between from 15-25k(salvage, 200k miles etc.). I am looking at getting into the Evo world, and I am struggling to find any reasonable comparisons to what I find available. What is considered a "fair" or "good" price these days?

Side note, how long did it take for you to find the "right" option? I am a hardcore fan for the Electric blue cars but I have a feeling those are long gone for me really thinking fair pricing is 20k for almost all, but a good majority are built. I have been a firm believer in mods decreasing value, but anything that has been rebuilt is way more.

Thanks!

 

You wont find anything but nightmares for a 20k evo. Just being honest. Whats fair? I remember in 2012, 30k was considered "fair" for a low mileage ultra clean r34 gtr..those days are long past. With dollar inflation, higher demand for Japanese classics and less of them every day, there are no longer fair prices..

 

Realistically, how problematic are these cars? I guess diving off the deep end is the only real answer. Appreciate your knowledge on the subject. This is a very interesting car.

 

How deep are your pockets for parts and how good are you with tools? If it's not your primary vehicle, you can afford the money/patience for parts and pull wrenches? 20k gets you in the game with a clean chassis.
If you plan on single car and Evo is it? 27k and up or you're maybe in for a bad time.

 

If you find a well looked after with few owners the evo 8/9 is actually a very reliable car, known to push well over 100k+ miles with no issues which is very good for a turbo awd. Its the unknown history of beat on evos that you want to stay away from.

As for values just take a look around for sale ads and youl get a feel.

https://www.classic.com/m/mitsubishi.../evolution-ix/

here is a pretty good indicator of what evos are selling for in their specified conditions.

 

Plan is a weekend warrior car and spirited summer car mostly. I want to purchase at a price that isnt a "steal", but makes it likely to get out of the car without a loss if needed come a year or two down the road. Obviously i know car market can crash, prices can drop/skyrocket etc. I have multiple other modes of transportation. As for wrenching, the only thing I haven't dived into is internal work like motor/Trans rebuilds. Everything else I've done and a few motor swaps with BMW motorcycles.

There's one in particular that I'm looking at for 26k(asking). I'm not one to add value for recent builds, so thats what has me stuck. It's an 03 under 80k miles with carbon hood/trunk. Paint and interior don't seem perfect but don't seem horrible. Realistically see a few clappers posted for 22k, but I would only pay 15-20k for one of those.

 

Thank you, that's something I was looking for but couldn't find. I have been using Hagerty, NADA/KBB(not really a help), BAT history, and "cars and bids" history. I have a nationwide search for current Evos for sale on Craigslist/autotrader, and a mostly local FB Marketplace search. Cars are scarse so I'm aware the ones that are up are the "not so desirable" ones in terms of features and/or price.

 

All great advice here. I would only add that you set yourself goals for the car and buy accordingly.

My evo has been reliable for 13 plus years. From the very beginning I never sought out to make it a big turbo high HP car. My main goal has been fun and reliable and i have modded that way.

Some people want a big power track car and will immediately build the engine. In that case, there would not be a need to buy a top tier 40k collector grade evo. Save the 10-15k and spend that on mods.

Some people want a pristine collector. There would be no reason to buy a cheaper one only to have to restore it back to original.

Best of luck to you!

 

Thank you for the advice! Seems to be a lot of people that blew the motor and decide to make 500+hp. Never seen so many cars modded like these ones. Makes things interesting!

 

the 05-06 XIII have the ACD as does the IX. They do handle a little better stock. The XIII-IX MR turbo is very responsive.

I had a 2005 XIII MR for 11 years with many many bolt ons but no cams etc. Very reliable. Bout the only major item that went was the MAF.

The 6 speed MR transmission just seems better on a stockish driver. It doesnt do well with high HP or torque. But great fun on a lightly modded XIII or IX. You always seem to have the right gear.

If you can find a 71HTA , get some injectors and exhaust and get it tuned, it will be very much fun to drive whilst remaining reliable!!!

 

I bought my 2005 Evo 8 in 2017 for $11,500 from the original owner and it was 100% stock with 170k miles. I sold it in 2020 for $13,000 after doing quite a few mods and maintenance. New owner is extremely happy with it has 210k miles now and he just put on TE37s, JDM rear bumper, Tomei Ti catback and other nice goodies. I think he paid $16k for it from the guy I sold it to but the guy I sold it to tuned it for E85.

I bought my 2006 Evo 9 in 2021 for $13,000. I was the first person who messaged the seller after it was listed, they had a family emergency and got back to me like a week later. It was posted for $15k as a tow-away because it wasn't starting. I went and looked at it, got it started, test drove it and immediately called out the whining transfer case. Picked it up for $13k and drove it home over an hour away. Only had 106k miles and completely stock besides a Greddy catback. I've put about $3-4k into it so far but a lot of that is aftermarket mods too. I could sell this car tomorrow for $25k+ no problem. Runs, drives and pulls great since I've done all the work on it. Only things left it needs are HVAC wires/gears replaced and the starter replaced or rebuilt.

I got pretty lucky on my 9. When I bought my 8, deals like that were not unheard of at the time. In hindsight, I should have held onto the 8 longer and had I waited 6-12 months I could have gotten an extra $5-7k or more easily.

They're out there, just have to HUNT and be patient. Took me 8 months to find my old VIII and about 4-5 months to find the IX. All the modded cars I test drove were clapped out and overpriced. Stock or bolt-ons is the only way to go IMO.

 

Those evos you found did sound clapped out.. you can find any car make/model for cheap if you find it in the right (or wrong) condition.

 

Are you ignorant or just jealous? Did you even read my post?

How on earth would two completely stock cars with 1 or 2 owners each be clapped out?

Test drove an 06' SSL for $20k that had 70psi in the cylinders when I compression tested the motor. Engine bay looked all hacked together.
Looked at an 06' MR for $24k that had an FP Red and ton of other mods. Sputtered, drove like ****, claimed it was recently tuned yada yada.

My 8 had absolutely nothing wrong with it other than high miles. That's why I mentioned the new owner dumping thousands of dollars into it after it left my possession. Generally, a high mileage Evo = a well maintained Evo.
My 9 literally just needed a transfer case, starter, tires, alignment and some brakes to be road worthy. I was driving it even before replacing any of that. I'll gladly do the work knowing it's a stock car that was unfortunately just neglected by a guy who did multiple deployments.

There are still decent or fair deals being posted almost daily. Some people truly don't know what they have when listing these cars for sale. I bought some parts from a guy locally who found a beautiful 90k mile silver IX MR for $17k he said he found it on autotrader of all places. Older guy who didn't want to mess with craigslist or facebook.

Just saying. I think you're coming off pretty ignorant assuming and telling others that any Evo $20k or under will be a nightmare. Far from the truth.

 

I think you guys make good points. But its all relative to the OP. If he has never picked up a wrench in his life, a clutch job and getting it tuned and some minor maintenance could be a huge headache and cost 2-4k, maybe more.

If he is seasoned garage DIYer or a tech by trade, that would be part of buying an older car and would not sweat it.

Bottom line OP, know what you're getting yourself into, otherwise it may very well be a nightmare and you'll hate you bought an evo and think they are all like that.

 

You sound like one of those guys who just brags about deals he gets while everyone else isn't as smart as you. You sound like a liar but if what you're saying is even true, yes I'm jealous because you have the power to obtain cars for cheap regardless of what 99 percent of the market is. Can I have these superpowers?

Also your experience is not going to be like everyone else's. Nobody wants super high mileage car even if the engine is working great. I also wouldn't want a car like the evo 8/9 from some guy that doesn't know what he owns..there's a reason the cars you're somehow finding are so cheap. You just haven't woken up to it yet.