Hello everyone,
I'm purchasing an 2011 Evo X MR soon and i was wondering of yall would help me on some tips on things to look out for when inspecting the car. I never had an evo before so i know almost nothing about the engine and i just wanna make sure i'm not buying a potential piece of junk lol. i currently drive a 2013 civic si and was looking to upgrade, but i've heard many stories about MR's and their transmissions and how they're super expensive to maintain. I love driving manual as it's fun and i feel more in control of the car, but i drive in LA traffic a lot and i just don't wanna put up with a stick shift anymore. Also if i found a GSR for a good deal i wouldn't hesitate to choose it, but it so happens that the MR is the car i found with low miles and in my budget so i'm not complaining. I plan on dailying this car and do not really have any desire to race that much, really just a casual everyday car. i'm not sure if all the horror stories i'm hearing about it is due to the fact that people are pushing the car to it's limits, or these things happen to even the casual everyday driver. The evo im currently going to look at is a 2011 MR and has 39k miles. From looking at the car and talking to the owner, the car seems very well taken care of as the miles are low and is garaged. Like i said before the car seems "babied" and very well maintained but i don't want the car to cause me any problems later on due to it's transmission history. Here is a list of things done to the car:
A mild tune by RRE, 304hp/311lb. ft torque
Ohlins Road & Track dual flow valve coil overs 10K/10K spring rate F/R.
The car received its corner balance by West End Alignment, one of the most reputable suspension shops in California. The car sits 20mm lower in the front and 15mm in the back.
Tomei Expreme Ti full titanium catback exhaust.
The lightest and some of the best crafted exhaust you'll find, measured at only 10 lbs.
AEM CARB legal intake.
Weds Sport SA-15R wheels, 18X9.5", currently on 265/35/18 Michelin Super Sport.
Stainless steel brake lines, Ralliart style CF front lip & fog light delete
The car is on factory CAT, with CARB legal intake

Doesn't seem like anything crazy but still curious about it,
Lastly, how much more am i looking to spend on maintenance compared to my SI currently? Giving that i get it's oil and transmission fluid changed on time and i don't abuse the car.

thanks for taking the time to help!

 

Are you buying it from the original owner? at 39k miles, it should have SST transmission service done, ask for documentation. Quality aftermarket parts, so i would feel a little confident it was well taken care of.

 

If possible I'd try and find a GSR bud - if anything goes wrong with the transmission on the MR it's a lot of $$$ to repair it.

 

When buying a used vehicle especially if it has been modded always check compression to verify that the motor is healthy.

 

yes he is the original owner and he had all his service done from the mitsubishi dealership with all documents and receipts

 

that's one of my main concerns, but will the transmission still be likely to break or anything even if it's just a casual car that i don't plan on building or pushing to it's limits?

 

I had an MR I loved it when it was solid. I read about people that have ones that last and have no issues, this may very well be one of those. I wasn't so lucky, and had a magnet come off a shift fork. That tiny little magnet was $3500 to fix, and that's cheap because the transmission could be worked on locally by a place that knows what to do to work on an MR transmission.

Another hidden cost you may not anticipate is the transmission fluid - which you should change ~20k or so, depending how hard you push the car. That generally runs ~$500 per change.

It's a neat car, it really is, but that transmission....man I dunno. That's also why I talk about the EVO I used to have. Just some food for thought.

 

It sounds like you have found a very nice example MR. Tasteful and mild mods with low miles. I love my 2011 MR and don't ever plan on getting rid of it. I bought mine new, and the wife and I have put 116k original miles on it. We take good care of it and it has been the most reliable vehicle I have ever owned. Just don't cheap out on the maintenance or do stupid things with it and I assume it will be the same for you.

I'm not saying people who have had problems with theirs did something wrong. I'm just speaking from my own experience.

 

do you have any idea on why the magnet came off? or did it kinda just happen on it's own

 

what kind of maintenance were you doing throughout the years? just the regular stuff like oil change and transmission fluid change?

 

Yep that's it just regular stuff. Changed the trans fluid every 20-30k and all the other fluids by the factory maintenance schedule. OEM drivetrain fluids and Mobile 1EP for the Engine.

 

Did you EVER overheat the SST ? This seems to be a theme with the fork magnet falling off.

 

Not sure if this was aimed at me, but mine has never overheated.

 

Sorry I was asking napalm_enema

 

Just happened on its own - the 'glue' that held it failed.