I guess my previous post didn't quite convey the timing chain problem strongly enough. If I were to buy an 08 I would immediately have the TC checked. I have the upgraded one sitting in my living room waiting for me to take it to Iveytune for install. I don't lose any sleep over the SST box. I've had 0 problems with it at 360whp. The TC causes me to wake up in a cold sweat.

 

my buddy bought a 2010 with 18k miles the car had an injen intake and a catback on it, his t case failed causing his tranny to go out, he paid 7k in repairs buying used parts because Mitsubishi denied him warranty coverage over the intake, he brought the car into them stock and they had on record his car being modded. so I decided to buy new

 

lol so makes 2 good reasons to buy as new as you can get.. But how much damage is the TC failure worth? Because i know the Tranny is 10K.. and TC failures in the old 4G63's of the 2gen eclipse was only 1,500 worth of damage

And sounds like Mitsu screwed your buddy, cause i don't see where a intake would case a T case to fail, how did Mitsu proved that?

 

Yeah, that's sad that they held the intake up against him. I would be in court waiting to hear testimony from an independent engineer

 

FYI transmissions are not $10,000. Jacks has a build for them and its under half that price.

 

Yeah, they have to prove that the intake was the cause of the tranny failure.

 

Yea I thought they would have voided parts that are modded but they said any mod voids it all and yea it was a ****ty deal for him cause Mitsubishi quoted him 7k just to replace the tranny

 

If your getting it from a dealer they offer a warranty of some sort. I wouldn't be worried about buying a 08. Just make sure the tranny shifts good

 

I corrected myself on a later post knowing that some repair work is done with them now, but I'm sureMitsu still charges more then 5k, and 5k is still a hefty repair

 

Gotcha - I did a bit more research into the issue, though, is that something honestly to be checked out more by a dealership, or can you tell it easily enough with popping the VC and moving the chain ( some videos showed enough slack to pick the chain up and move it a few teeth over. )

 

Honestly, the X is very reliable. I've had my '08 since it was brand new and never had a single problem. You can get the timing chain checked out, but I honestly think that the issue is over-hyped. For all the Evos out there, there are only so many problems. The SST is what would worry me. That's a bunch of cash to replace it. I will say though, that most SST failures are from a faulty sensor or something, and the SST fails early in its life. There aren't too many dying at 60k.

Hopefully there is another Evo in GA soon.

 

I'm with kirk, the reliability of a X with bolt-ons and tune is *far* better than a 1G DSM with around the same power. The 4G6 is a great power-plant, but I'm talking about overall. Something was always failing on a 1G when it's brought up to the same power (330-350whp).

I mean, think about this way. 100bhp/cylinder and daily driver worthy with creature comforts, and not over 50k in price. IMO it's the single reason Mitsu has staid in business.

 

At the 13 GSR sitting next to it! JK. Signs of wear and abuse mainly. I'm not a big fan of buying one that has been modified. Even a partially modified one can mean certain other after market parts might have been on the car but they still had the stock parts. There are many people out there that mod tastefully with correct tunes for it and then there are ........ Ricers! Looks like most of the ops above covered the issues with the car. Make sure you have them do a compression check

 

Yea I mean, the only reason I would still be concerned about the SST is because it is so expensive. I would believe that it would be fine, but if it craps out I couldn't afford to just plop down 10k and just replace it. The X is great. The 4B11 is a great engine.. Very reliable and makes great power with minimal mods. It might not make all the top end power that the the 4G63 can, but it's pretty close.

 

08' MR 71K miles, SST fluid and filter changed every 10K miles, DD and my shuttle to the mountains every weekend, no issues. Take care of the car and you will continue to smile everyday. Just be aware that these are not cheap cars to own, so if your looking for the cheapest possible option for a DD the MR is NOT the choice. $120 for an oil change with Mobil 1 (at the local garage), $500 to change SST fluids, brakes 1x per year, tires......well at least rotate 1X/ year. Gas at 3.65/ gallon.... and this is before the mod bug bites... just be warned.