Ok a few things...

A used sport car is not necessarily a mistake. I sold a guy my 03 WRX which was never modded and was well taken care of with all scheduled maintenance. That car is going strong today despite now being heavily modded by the current owner.

Many own cars they could not afford to purchase new because they were well informed when they bought a used car. Information is critical.

Even though the Evo is an AWD turbocharged vehicle does NOT mean it will shift unlike older cars. I have driven cars (old and new), motorcycles, tractor-trailers, armored vehicles, and so on and so forth and shifting is shifting.

My Evo is no acception. It shifts when I shift it, does so well, and has never felt like it was driving over a "Dead body" when doing so. It does feel a little notchy at times as did my old bugeye.

That being said the OP has been given good advice:

Go get an inspection! Get one at a reputable tuner that has experience with Evos, or take it to a dealer. If Ford cries foul, give them your phone number and take a walk.

If the car is sound, or simply needs a repair that can be done prior to being sold you could save yourself a considerable amount of money. If not, you can can continue to look elsewhere, wiser for the experience.

I looked in at least five states to find my car new, let alone used.

Good luick and enjoy the search. That is part of the fun-

 

Its funny to hear the "no used cars" mentality because I'm used to the Porsche world where the PPI term is tossed around constantly and a 100K mile SC with recent top-end rebuild is worth more than a 80K car without one

 

I am all for owning new cars minus the 40 percent drop in value right after it drives off the lot. Even thought of spending 10 extra grand just like that terrifies me, especially considering that I could buy an evo that was just purchased from that same lot by someone else and theoretically buy it off them for 10 grand less.

I will take my time. Cards are in my favor too. I will be commuting to work by bike come end of February so I am not pressed to buy a car right this very second, giving me time to find a car that a want with mileage that is low and in great condition too.

I am still on vacation so checking this tread from mobile home. Happy holidays guys.

 

Wow this thread is sad, from what I have read is that everyone who drives an Evo doggs the **** out of them and doesnt take care of them at all. At least that is what 90% of you have said. So none of you would buy your own car if it was for sale. I bought mine used at 28 out the door with 11k on the odometer. I replaced the clutch and the battery as soon as i got it. The battery was a optima, apparently with the fast key if the dealership leaves the keys on the window guess what happens, the battery dies. Replaced the clutch as a precaution bc you never know how ****ty of a driver was before you. Used cars are fine, not everyone drives the crap out of them. Good luck on your search and dont settle when you do find something you like, hope it all works out for you.

 

Do whatever you want. If buying used is your deal then go right ahead. I just can't wrap my head around spending a large sum of money on something that isn't even new. My two pennies...

 

Totally agree (edit: with cnj4ever). There are a few weak link items that are likely to be or go bad quickly anyway used or new. Clutch, clutch master cylinder. Buy used and replace them immediately. If the tranny has issues you'd feel the bad synchros on a test drive. That really just leaves the remaining big ticket items ACD and rear diff. If they arent making noise its (likely) safe to assume they are OK? Sure there is a risk but I'd do a PPI/Tuner visit and put the difference in a new pads, roll center kit and nice coilovers and wheels.

 

I dont think this is truly the case nor is it representitive of the Evo community.

I do think a healthy concern of buying a car that has been trashed or misrepresented is an issue for ALL high performance cars no matter what the brand.

In other words, I think many Evo owners take good care of their cars even if they do drive them hard. But chances are when they are sold they probably will go to someone else in the community that is familiar with the car.

Buying one from a dealer or out of a listing is what is scary. And I do think that people assume that because Evos tend to be attractive to, and owned by a younger segment, that they will be thrashed.

What IS true is that a lot of sports cars will be driven hard at some point. But because of the brand many will assume it was well taken care of case in point, Porsche.

And maybe a car HAS been trashed or not well taken care of. What then?

If the prospective buyer is informed and knows what to look for, has friends or contacts in the local community, and has the car inspected....the car may still be attractive. Maybe it has a problem that can be repaired for a reasonable amount in cost and time.

I have friends that own Porsches that were hammered. But they were informed and were willing to pay the price in terms of cost and or labor to make it right. I know ppl in the BMW crowd that have gone through the same thing. I know a guy who just finished restoring a Sunbeam Tiger from the ground up. It was practically destroyed by previous owners.

Wanna see some vehicles that were treated poorly by their previous owners? Look into the F100 community. I have an old 4x4 Ford that will be getting a built 460 motor just for the fun of doing donuts in the parking lot with my kids. It was treated very badly by previous onwers. Luckily for it (and me) that is a thing of the past. It will take years to make it right.

But my points are: Evos arent unique in this regard (go read Nabisco ha ha). Nor are they a bad used car more than any other.

They share the same challenges and issues that any used car has, especially high performance used car of which there are many.

New or used, performance comes at a premium-

 

One more thing you should absolutely look at that will tell you a lot about the car.
THE TIRES
If they are the stock advans you can tell a lot about how the person drives, the stock advans are lasting for most people who drive their car super sporty to about 10k miles, others who drive more conservatively get about 20k.
The tires are very expensive to replace, as well as the clutch, so I would make sure you are meticulous about being sure they are in working order.
Inspect the tires
Do a first gear pull up hill to make sure the clutch does not slip.

Of course, if you spend another 9k (you CAN negotiate the dealer to give you such a deal ) you will have a car that no one has driven, and no one has spilt **** in and tried to cover it up. Personally I would not buy a used car, unless it is from someone you know. A new car will get you a car which you know has always been treated the way you want it treated.