Evo 8 worth it?
 

2005, Evo 8, in great condition with 71k miles worth 20k? Minor mods, all servicing has been done, garage kept etc.

and white.

Too much money imo. You can get a evo 9 for that....

Where! lol

Socal

I've poured through So Cal stuff for a few months now, I could get a raggedy evo 9 for 15k with 130k miles, most of the good ones are 22K+.

If it checks out, no leaks, good compression, good transmission, and receipts for a timing belt change, I'd say worth it. Swarm over the thing like ants at a picnic.

Overpriced. That is nearly 9 money. You can find a clean 8 for 15Kish, just have to search nationwide.

Don't let people tell you the car is too much. Clean CT9a's aren't a dime a dozen anymore. If the car is what you want, it checks out with an independent mechanical inspection (compression and leak down test are important), and it is clean, snag it up. You can always negotiate, but 71k miles is reasonably low.

I second this {thumbup}

I'd also get a IX for that kind of money.

This! I think many folks forget that the '05 VIII had the upgraded front diff, the 10.5 hotside and ACD. Relative to a IX it's not as bad as say an '03 VIII.

Its easy to spend someone else's money. For my money, I would spend ~22K on a 9, then sell/swap the interior and BBS wheels, and end up back at 20K spent, with Mivec and a 9 front bumper to boot :)

There you go, spending someone elses money....:lol:

I got my 9 for around 21k with 95k miles. Stock to the bone and checked out great.

Here is a Grey MR down in Utah (which isn't too far from you)
https://www.ksl.com/auto/listing/3726502
https://www.saltlakemitsubishi.com/u...edium=referral

I'd prefer to buy a car with low miles and in the best possible shape for what I can afford. Cars with lower miles generally have a bit less wear and tear vs. higher mileage cars.

That 9 above has been wrecked according to Carfax on dealer's website. I would rather not buy a previously wrecked ride.

20k more miles and an accident for same price. Yeah, that car is a great deal...

So is an Evo 9 really that much more desirable? What is the great difference between the two that warrants the 9's pulling more coin for them?

Difference - Upholstery, indexed cam and front fascia

The only thing I like about the IX bumper is it doesn't have the cone. I solved that with a nose chop.

:lol:

id say 17k max

People associate the Evo VIII with the 2003 model year I think. The 05 is closer to the 9. Has the 10.5 hotside turbo, front LSD, ACD, etc. Not sure what trim level the one you are looking at is though.

I'm a bit biased however lol

take it.. if u value the car more than the money, what makes it not worth it?

I say if everything checks out go for it. Though if you can only do this once get what you really want. I waited for my IX (had basic mods) and still have it today totally "evolved". Get the pun. I opted for IX since its the last year of that generation and wanted the SE which had all the cool extras!

The problem is that that is a cliche response. It's literally what EVERY potential buyer is looking for, regardless of the car. No one is going to say that they want a high-mileage, ****ty condition car for a high price. But to expect all of those together in an Evo VIII or IX is going to be a needle in a haystack, especially these days where the examples grow more and more scarce, unless the cars change hands but never get driven, which isn't the case. Mileage goes up. The conditions of the cars don't improve with time. So you're going to have to give up on one of those things, it's a seller's market if you have an Evo in good condition.

So cliche of you to say that is cliche.

I guess I wasn't clear enough for you. I'll put it this way: For the same price, I would rather buy an 8 (especially an '05) that is in nicer shape with lower miles and that was better taken care of than a 9 that has higher miles and has obviously been beat like a drum. That's all I have to say on this matter.

I see there are many people who prefer the 9 over the 8 . Well I am the opposite, I prefer the 03-04 VIII . I do agree one thing though that the IX seats are 100 times better than the VIII blue center seats. (Both look and feel) I have owned the IX and now currently own and 03 VIII . Here is what I dislike to have on my Evo which ironically some of you want for some reason :

ACD - I see it as another part that one day can fail . My IX was a daily driven including in snow and the pump failed at 39k miles. Although my current VIII will never see rain or snow , the chance of another pump failing one day vs benefit of ACD is not worth it to me. If you even notice Non ACD tcase has become more in demand and valuable as some people convert to non ACD tcase like I did with my IX. From what I read people who road race prefer it as well although you can tune the ACD now. Weight savings is another benefit with the non ACD , if your into that.

MIVEC - I prefer less complex systems and parts to worry about. When going big power MIVEC becomes less beneficial as it was with lower power for me. You might prefer otherwise or not care.

6 speed trans (MR model) - I dislike closer ratio 6spdcand there are reports of I think the 4th gear going out with higher power. If you don't have issues with your gears , good for you I don't want to start a debate. Search the forums at your own time regarding the 6 speed.

Non ABS (RS model) - I like having ABS , personal preference for a street car.

RS manual windows - I hate this and not worth the "weight savings" of having manual vs power windows. To me the RS is the least valuable Evo .

The list can go on ... other things include headlights. In 2003 HID and fogs were standard . Then Mitsubishi got greedy and only included it in SSL , SE and MR models. Also as a personal preference I like the 8 front bumper more than the 9 . Both with the nose or chopped look better than the 9 . I'm not sure about the front fenders for all years but mine are aluminum on the 2003 . Are other years GSR models also aluminum ?

So for the reasons above and many more not mentioned , non RS and non ACD Evo 8's with 5 speed are more valuable to me. I know the IX and RS have front LSD but that's something that can be added to non LSD tcase's. Also stock is not as valuable , depending on the mods it has that's closer to what I'm looking to have done, I find that more valuable. Don't you just love how people mod then return back to stock saying it was never moded ? As if we can't tell when the bolts show wear , missing tabs on the bumper etc...

Your question is difficult to answer . To me condition is worth much more than mileage on the car . I've seen the 20-30k mile evos and my 95k miles on the chassis Evo is practically brand new compared to those . im not sure if people are not taking care of their evos or are running dual gauge clusters . For example one they drive around ranking up miles and the other low mileage cluster to swap in and say "I have a low mileage Evo for sale " . Then there are the Piece of Sh*t out there that buy crashed evos with clean titles or get in accidents and fix it under the radar calling it a "clean title " car. Car fax is not as helpful as you may think .

17-20k seems to be the norm for that mileage in decent condition in the NW. If the car is worth it to you and is the most convenient that's what should matter most.

I own both 8 and 9 SE seats and when I get bored with one set I swap to the other. I can't find a 100 times worth of difference. There's barely any difference. In my opinion the 9 seat looks better and the 8 seat is more comfortable. Other than that, this is the post I've been wanting to make but figured no one would agree.

People with RS models prize them for maybe their rarity. But you are giving up a lot for minuscule weight savings.

"RS deletes from the base model (aka GSR): audio system, ABS, rear wing, power windows, power locks, power mirrors, sound deadening, trunk-compartment trim, rear wiper, map lights, rear assist handles, parking-brake handle leather, center-console lid, and keyless-entry system. The door mirrors and handles are black instead of body-colored. RS adds front LSD and aluminum roof."

Actually, the rear wing was an option most dealers installed.

But power windows can fail like ACD...

To many the RS is indeed the most valuable Evo. All personal preference though.

However they are smart to buy because they have good info sometimes and can save you a lot of money.

Not true if you're talking about the RS.

If you are buying a street car and plan to daily it get the creature comforts. But even stock the evo is not exactly a comfortable car... It comes down to what you plan to do with the car. If you are building a drag car for example an 03/04 evo8 might be better. No MIVEC, no ACD etc. Mivec I dont think matters much when you are going for high boost high revs.

Most people buy these cars for performance. And the RS is the most raw version.

I want a DD with a light curb weight and about 400whp. I prefer the older evo then remove the wing to make it look as unassuming as possible.

Creature comfort is climate control and where your butt lives. Any car has climate control if you keep it working. Fifty miles in my wife's WRX and my back is killing me. In my Evo - drive all day.

Perhaps the seats are a matter of opinion and condition one has them. My IX seats (owned new to 49k miles) were more comfortable than my current VIII (from 55k mile Evo). They had more "cushion" to them. The fabric on my VIII is in good condition as well without any tears. But the Blue center section feels "rough" texture wise. I've sat in a couple more Evo 8's in the past and all were the same rough material feel and less cushion comfort to them.

Gauge clusters can fail , Ecu , power locks etc... I was referring to costly power train or drive train components only . One less thing to fail in that area is a huge plus for me.

I didn't mean to make it seem like car fax is useless. I used it too when searching for my evo. But one can't trust it blindly . It is only good for things that get reported. In my search for an evo I ran across cars with clean titles but upon inspection I saw that they were in accidents that should not have been a clean title car.

Is rust important to you ?

I daily drove my IX and in Illinois they salt the streets when it snows. I hated driving my car in the snow because of the salt but I had no choice.

The Evo in my opinion is too precious of a car to be a daily driver in salt states. I was looking for a long while for my current Evo 8 and wasted traveling money flying out of state to see potential purchases and realizing pictures online make the cars look better than they actually are. I am happy to have purchased my current Evo that was never driven in snow . The previous owner cleaned stripped down and cleaned the heck out of it during the mod'ing and never drove it in the rain. I will only drive mine when there is zero chance of rain and good climate conditions . It is just a weekend car hand full of times around mid/end of Spring through beginning Fall.

There are many Evo's for sale everywhere. It's the condition and never driven in snow/salt that matters most to me. Most if not all crap out there are in the low to high teens area price wise. When you get in the $20-30k price range you see the quality difference . But there are also those with crap cars that still list them for 20K+ when it should be $12k

So having said all that . Do you want some semi poor to ok condition surface rust on the underbody or body panel Evo that will make 400whp easy or do you want a good to excellent condition Evo with zero rust ?

I agree 100%. With the salt/snow sentiment.

Hence why mine is a low mileage Florida car

And why my previous one was a Texas car

And the one before that a Georgia car.

And I live in NY 😆

The folks that say that fall into 2 camps:

1) They are fast enough that ACD doesn't give them any advantage
2) They BELIEVE they are fast enough that ACD doesn't give them any advantage

Most average Evo HPDE drivers fall into the latter whether they will publicly admit it or not. ACD in salt doesn't seem to have held up well but I'm almost 13 years in on mine and it's tracked with no reliability issues to date. Can't ask for much more than that IMO.

Unless you know these cars inside and out, you will save money in the long run by paying too much for an absolutely clean, straight, no excuses, no stories example, than hunting for a bargain.

No offense intended, but if you are here asking these kinds of questions, you probably shouldn't be bargain-hunting. If it makes you feel better, I knew that I didn't have the skills or knowledge to find a diamond in the rough when I bought my Evo, so I didn't try.

I found this tread quite interesting. I'm trying to sell my Evo at the moment and it's so difficult trying to figure out what the right market price should be. There are so many diverse opinions about models and years. Our cars are such a niche market that Blue Book is almost irrelivant. I guess it comes down to simply finding the right buyer for your particular car whatever the model, year, and condition.

So what about an Evo 8, 2004 RS, 137k miles and is stock, one owner for 13,500? In excellent shape, no paint fade, runs great, some small rock chips but otherwise really clean.

Where is it? I'd buy it, just because.

1. Is the RS what your looking for ?
2. One owner , 2 owner etc.. It doesn't matter how many owners, what matters is condition. Usually the less owners it had the better condition it might be but not always.

It's up to you if the car is worth it. For me I don't value the RS much because it doesn't have 2 things that are important for me , power windows and ABS.

If an Evo is in good shape like you say and no rust or accidents with 137k miles for 13,500 , I say it is a steal . Don't buy any evo model (RS , GSR, MR , SE, SSL ) because it's a deal. Buy it because it's the model you want that happens to be a deal.

Also , what's the point of never being modded ? That doesn't add value to me. Your going to mod it anyways. If it has good/tastefully done mods , now that adds value IMO. Besides many lie about never modded" or "never raced" . I consider WOT pull a "raced". Never "tracked" or "road course" well that's a different story .

Fair points. I am new to Evo's and have been reading everything I can. For what I am looking to do, I think it would be a good platform. Ty for the feedback.

There aren't any good EVO deals, most everything is asking premium. There are some run down ones around

Yes but there's correlation between the two. It's infrequent to find an Evo that has had multiple owners that is in better condition than an Evo of similar age and mileage with just one or two owners.

Plus a car that has been passed along to multiple owners was done so for a reason, and usually not because the previous owner wanted to share the wealth. Yes, sometimes it's because of perfectly legitimate reasons (i.e. financial situations, different wants/needs out of a car), but when it's been through a lot of people, the more owners it's had, there's always a chance that one of them probably didn't care for the car very well. Sometimes Evos get bought and sold because there's something wrong with it and they don't want to deal with the headache anymore.

But these days, it's harder and harder to find exactly what you want. The Evo VIIIs and IXs are only going to get fewer in number since some will inevitably get totaled or stolen. The ones left are only getting older and racking up miles. So unless people are willing to pass up a potentially good Evo just because it's not the exact model in hopes of finding that exact model you want is a gamble, especially if you need/want an Evo sooner rather than later. Some people have had to compromise, as they may not have the luxury to wait a year or so.

Additionally, the various models aren't THAT different, in terms of the behind-the-wheel experience or even the actual performance. I agree that the RS is going to be very different in terms of creature comforts (such as the ones you pointed out why the RS isn't for you), but the differences between the models aren't anything significant that is going to make you regret what you ended up with, considering the shrinking supply.

Yeah, but again, you don't know the history of it. You don't know if those mods (or ones that those mods may have replaced) did any damage, compared to the closer the car being to stock, it's more likely that everything is in better shape than a similar Evo that may have had new cams installed. Plus stuff being stock (or at least relatively untouched) means that no one messed with it. There are plenty of horror stories about shops half-assing jobs. Also, wear and tear typically accelerates as the car gets modded.

yes its worth it

The question really is: Is it worth it, to you?

Imo, a 'deal' would be a car you could buy and flip for a profit. I don't think OP could realistically turn a profit on the car he is asking about.