I’ve wanted an evo for 5 years, it’s finally happening. Looking at gsr’s.

I have done research but figured I would ask people who own/owned evo’s for a straight forward answer.

Is there a year for evo x I should avoid?
I want to do mods, what do you guys suggest off the hop?

Any other input/information is greatly appreciated! Thanks

 

Avoid the 2008's they are known to have issues with the motor.

I would suggest intake, full exhaust (id skip the downpipe if your doing a turbo kit that's relocated), gauges and a tune right off the bat depending on funds maybe an intercooler and E85 setup.
Absolutely get the fuel relay kit from MAP. I had my fuel relays go out 2 months into owning the car.

Lastly....enjoy it and do some spirited driving, in my opinion Evo's are the most fun cars to drive!

Cheers!

 

2008-2010 had a timing chain that was known to stretch and was often replaced with a revised chain under warranty. Check to see that has been done. All years had issues with corrosion destroying the Active Center Differential (ACD) hydraulic pump. Otherwise, the X platform is a really reliable one and the only issues you'll find are due to poor maintenance or modding. Just look for a car with a clean history and if you can find a seller with full service history.

Also, the factory Recaros are where it's at so I'd avoid the 2015 for that reason alone.

The newest Evos are now on 5 years old so your fist mods should be full service/maintenance if you don't know that it was done.

If you get an untouched car, intake, intercooler, boost controller, and a tune will get you the best HP/$. You can max out the stock turbo on a stock exhaust so mess with that for sound or planning a big turbo upgrade. Same with the factory fuel system and clutch.

These cars respond well to handling mods as long as you don't lower them too much. If you live someplace that isn't a grid of roads (FU Michigan) suspension upgrades provide some of the more rewarding modifications IMO.

Good luck with your shopping and hopefully happy Evo ownership.

 

Yea I wouldn't just avoid 2008's all together. It might be the best option for the $. But there are some things that you can check before buying an earlier model.

2008- had old timing chain, diff pins were made of a softer metal, had the red LCD screen instead of the color one.
2010- had old timing chain
All of those things might have already been changed out by now on some older X's. If they have been taken care of and the car is in good shape, it should be fine. And you can probably save some serious $$$ if that helps. My 2008 never gave me any problems at all.

The 2012-2014 are probably viewed as the "best". 2015 just doesn't have the recaros, but you can find some where the owner swapped the crappy 2015 seats out.

 

+1 for avoiding years 08-10. By 2011 they had worked out the kinks.