Hello everyone,

I am wanting to purchase a 2008 Evo X from a private owner and a few things concern me. The owner took the car in to the mitsubishi dealership to have the clutch master cylinder recall done and also had them replace the clutch/flywheel with a stage 4 competition clutch and lightweight flywheel. Other than this and a Cobb Accessport stage 1 tune, the car is completely stock.

I was wondering if this sounded normal to you guys? Replacing the clutch is understandable but a stage 4 on a stock car seems strange. Also, can this cause me problems in the future? I plan on daily driving the car for the next year or two before doing any mods so I want something that will be reliable. I test drove the car and the clutch definitely wasn't the easiest but I think I can get used to it. Another concern was the car started to wine if I didn't gas the rpms to at least 2.5K when going into first.

Any help/insight would be appreciated and I apologize in advance if this is a bad question or if I posted this in the incorrect spot.

Thanks

 

I had Chicago Mitsu dealer put in act street racing clutch for me under warranty except I paid out of pocket because the clutch was wear and tear and all my fault at 16 K miles. Just FYI

 

Thank you for the feedback si to evo, I'm hoping its not something to be concerned about. I'm looking forward to getting into an evo

 

I would definitely share the same concern as you. Be very careful and inspect everything thoroughly.

 

nvmaddog thank you for the response, anything in particular you suggest I inspect? I am thinking about taking it to a reputable shop to inspect

 

Personally, when replacing a clutch even on a stock car, I go as aggressive as my wallet allowed. Might as well do it right and do it once. I would be stoked to get that checked off the list when I bought it.

 

Thank you rico05, that's good news.

 

Hm.. I agree. You should have this checked, why put a stage 4 clutch on basic mods? Sounds kind of sketchy. Well over 5 years so warranty is gone lol, I said the same thing about no mods, good luck sticking to it I had my clutch replaced by the dealership though I had to pay for the labor so that they retained the warranty on it. Replaced with a Competition Stage 2 Clutch and Lightweight flywheel. If anything, he did you a favor and gave you a nice clutch there if you're looking on the bright side to it.

 

Thank you for the response ayooo itzme, I'm fairly certain the car has not been touched as far as other additional mods (engine bay was checked for signs of alterations), but am leaning pretty heavily now towards getting the car inspected by a shop.

 

Most certainly this, with an emphasis on the word "reputable". Good luck.

 

One thing that comes into my mind is he was launching this car like a mother****er but that's just me.

 

Ask the person selling, what was the reasoning for the upgrade, and if is that he was planning to keep the car and do more mods then is a valid upgrade, but if he was selling the car from the start then you have to go over that car with a fine tooth comb.

 

Evo purchase? There is very little to hesitate on that question. Concerning the clutch change, there is.
If they changed the clutch, they must have drived the car to the limits which means that a lot of the parts are depreciated. The parts can still be functional and everything may seem to be ok, but if you test them, they will not be in good health wich means that the time for the next "pit-stop" will come closer than you think.

My advice is to get the car on a dyno, or make sure a specialist have a look at it, for you to be sure about the car's condition.

Well a lot of people race with this car, and this is why it is made after all... You must prepare yourself that the "pit stop" times will come some days and if you can't handle it you are in a serious trouble.

I hope I didn't discouraged you here. Evo is a great buy whenever. After all it is a great vehicle, have a look at some clips and motivate yourself Mitsubishi vs Impreza

And good luck!

 

The owner says that he "had big plans for the car" so he just put in the best clutch he could afford. He also said the factory clutch was not giving him problems but he simply decided to change it out because it was at the shop for the CMC recall and the dealership gave him a deal on labor. This seems believable but I will definitely make sure someone that knows about these cars checks it out prior to me buying it. I am still relatively new to evos and come from an s2000 so its a night and day difference. Thank you for the responses everyone, I appreciate all the feedback!

 

Not being argumentative but this seems highly unlikely. CMC labor vs. clutch replacement labor is a big difference. There is a possibility that he/she ran out of funds, but that is a big expenditure for no reason at all.

You seem like you are down to get everything inspected so you should be just fine.