When buying a used X, what are some red flags to look for? I pretty much know all the normal ones that apply to any car, but am wondering if there are any Evo X specifics I need to look out for. I know each car has their own issues, so am just wondering what to watch for. I'm hopefully looking at a used 2010 with 4300 miles.

 

What are you looking for? GSR or MR?

 

look for bolts that may have been removed indicating a car being modded and put back to stock...check the oil and other fluids under the hood...check tire wear on the inside fronts...ask for any documentation of services

that's pretty much it...won't be much to find on a car with 4,300 miles

 

Make sure all the vin tags are still there

 

def like about check tire wear........also check interior

 

ask for service documents. it also depends on if its the mr or gsr. check for any fluid leaks, probably wont find anything though

 

It's a GSR. I'm going to definitely check all that out. If I do get it I'm going to make sure I can take a look at it on a lift for a few minutes. I work on cars everyday so know my way around and will definitely check all those things out before handing over the check. Just was wondering if there were any major Evo X issues to watch out for as this will be my first Evo period. I hope it'll be pretty smooth considering it's a 2010 with 4300 miles and the guy only had it for 3 months. I think the clutch is what I'll be most worried about. But again, hopefully with that mileage I won't need to worry, especially since I'll be upgrading it before too long.

 

I don't know if the clutch is the big of an issue with an owner that didn't launch his car or at least knew how to drive a manual transmission. I have a 2008 with way more miles and my clutch feels brand new. There are some guys on the this board that have gone 30k + on their stock clutch.

Biggest thing I would look for are paint chips. Mitsubishi uses the cheapest paint in the world and there might be pretty noticeable paint chipping on the hood, front bumper and rear door panels.

 

That's the thing, I won't know how it was driven. I will just have to wait and see how it feels on the test drive. I've been hearing how bad the paint is in the forums. Do you think it would be chipping already? Also don't the 2010 side skirts help a lot with the back doors? The guy said there weren't any dings, dents or scratches, but that's something I'll be looking at myself along with a good walk through inside and out and of the underside. Guess I'll just look for all the normal stuff.

 

Paint chips, interior rattling, notchy shifting, funny smells and weird noises.. all of these things might stick out, but are pretty much normal, lol. Good luck to ya!

 

Doesn't matter if it has 40k miles or 40 miles. The paint will chip.

 

Haha thanks, I'll keep all that in mind!

 

1. Get a Carfax for accident damage report.

2. Even if Carfax is clean look closely at the paint, especially the rear doors. Even at 4300 miles there should be a uniform number or defects on both sides. If not, probably paint work. Also check the body lines very carefully to look for ripples, a tell tale of "off insurance" repairs. Study the rear quarters carefully. Open the doors and look carefully at the sills and surrounds. Body shops get very lazy there. Look under the car for the bottoms near the sills, another spot ignored by body shops.

3. Make sure you know where the stock weld areas are for the engine bay. Look for "new" welds, especially near the front. if you can take off the plastic cover over the intercooler area. They might not let you do this.

4. Go to the dealer and make sure you know what a stock engine bay looks like. Study the heat shielding, it usually takes a beating during exhaust mods, especially the downpipes etc. Study the boost lines. Look for "T"'s and stuff for reversed gauge work.

5. Check the intake for scratches and make sure it has all the connectors. One car I looked at it wasn't even connected. Hilarious.

6. Look for drill holes in the interior on the steering column and under the radio.

7. Look at the fuse box and make sure the fuses are secure (taps for electrical mods deform and loosen connections).

8. Get under the car. Make sure you know what the stock exhaust looks like from the downpipe to past the cat at least.

9. Look for fender rolling.

10. Look at the suspension for scratches (reversed spring work or coil overs).

DON'T TRUST THE DEALER:
- pop off the engine cover and make damn sure you have the right number or supports for the fuel line.
- pop open the ECU cover and make sure you at least have the right green or blue relays in for the fuel pump. No blacks.
- have them check the VIN for recalls

ABOVE ALL:
Take this list (and add to it) with you. When you see the car in person half this stuff will fly right out of your head if you don't.

CAVEAT:
I did a blind buy and did none of the above, but got lucky. I've got a door that was sloppily repaired but thankfully it is just the skin. I got lucky. A low mile car like that could mean LOTS of things. Be careful!

 

I will definitely do that and take the list and pay close attention to everything. I don't plan on handing over the money until I get to do a good inspection including the use of a lift to check the underside. I'm sure I will be very excited but am going to try and keep a cool head about it and be rational. I'm still waiting to hear back about it. Hopefully in the next few days.

 

Yeah for all my advice my rational side lost as I hit the buy it now button. I got lucky but that aint the way to do it!