Used Evos: Bargain or Headache?
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Newbie
Joined: Sep 2004
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Used Evos: Bargain or Headache?
Hi everyone!
I'm thinking of buying an Evo and was hoping someone could offer a little advice. Any insights would be appreciated.
What I'm wondering is if I should consider used Evos. Are they generally in good condition, or are most of them pretty thrashed? I expect most would have been driven hard at times, but there's a difference between spirited driving and abuse. A lot of them have mods. Should I avoid these?
I would like to save some money by buying used, but I don't want to buy someone elses problems! Is the savings worth the risk? Whaddaya think?
Thanks!
I'm thinking of buying an Evo and was hoping someone could offer a little advice. Any insights would be appreciated.
What I'm wondering is if I should consider used Evos. Are they generally in good condition, or are most of them pretty thrashed? I expect most would have been driven hard at times, but there's a difference between spirited driving and abuse. A lot of them have mods. Should I avoid these?
I would like to save some money by buying used, but I don't want to buy someone elses problems! Is the savings worth the risk? Whaddaya think?
Thanks!
Evolving Member
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 129
Likes: 0
I personally wouldn't buy a used sports car. You really never know what has been done to it. They will obviously tell you they drove it like a little old lady. Just be careful. If you want to save money, just buy the RS.
When buying used you have to be VERY careful that you are not buying someones headache. Buying used will obviously save you tohusands without a doubt. If you have a good mechaninc friend that canhelp you check the used cars out you should have no problems. These cars can take some abuse to an extent. You just have to be careful when shopping for used cars.
Another point to make.. If you choose to buy a used Evo, have someone VERY familiar with Evo's check it out.. You want to try to purchase an unmodified car if possible, if it is modified, try to find one with minimal modifications and that the person have all receipts for the parts.
If the person tells you the car is stock, or relatively unmodified, someone very familiar with an Evo can spot things that had been altered and then put back to stock. If he is not honest about the modifications, and you have seen the car has been altered and then returned to stock, consider walking away.
There's nothing wrong with buying a modified car, however I don't recommend buying a highly modified car, a good example is a big turbo kit. These car's are relatively new to the market, and if their running well, most enthusiastic owners would never really want to get rid of it if its really as "Enjoyable" as they claim. Keep in mind there's always the few who just can't afford to keep the car anymore, but then you have to wonder how they were able to afford the modifications in the first place..
The biggest problem is people who have modified their cars, and then return them to stock. I can easily spot those cars and you need to consider if their being honest about their car having been modified, and they sold their mods and returned the car to stock, then you should have the car checked out by a mechanic, and be certain everything works and doesnt appear to have abnormal wear.
Get the VIN number and call the dealership, explain to them you are purchasing a car, and considering using them for regular service (whether its true or not) but need to know if the car is under warranty or not, why it isn't any longer, and what repairs if any had been performed on the car. It should give you a good indication of the history and maintainance level of the car at the least.. (Keep in mind many owners do their own oil and minor service)
In the end, try to find a completely stock vehicle, with fairly low to normal mileage, also I hate to say this, but look at the owner of the car, how knowledgable the person is, and his age.. You can likely get a good feel for whether or not its a wise move to purchase from them.
If your buying the car off a used car lot, its important you run a CarFax on the car.. Also the find out how the dealer aquired the car, did the owner trade it in? What did he trade it for? Odds are if the previous owner traded or sold it for a cheaper car, it may be he just couldn't afford it. Same thing if it was a repossessed vehicle.
Its important to get as much background info about the car before committing to the purchase though.. So before you make any deals, get as much history about it (Carfax) as you can.
Ultimately you'll be in a better position to make an educated purchase. Also expect to have to put 2000-4000 into fixing problems that turn up afterwards.. Its likely you'd need to at least get brakes and tires at some point shortly after purchase.
If you find you WANT a modified car.. Try to find one that has all of its work documented, possibly from an owner who is very knowledgable about the cars (since even if the car was run hard, it was likely not abused, and if it did break, it was repaired correctly)
Thats all I can think of.. We've all be screwed at one time during a used car purchase, if you get a bad gut feeling about anything, the owner, the car, the circumstances, just walk away, patience is your friend.
If the person tells you the car is stock, or relatively unmodified, someone very familiar with an Evo can spot things that had been altered and then put back to stock. If he is not honest about the modifications, and you have seen the car has been altered and then returned to stock, consider walking away.
There's nothing wrong with buying a modified car, however I don't recommend buying a highly modified car, a good example is a big turbo kit. These car's are relatively new to the market, and if their running well, most enthusiastic owners would never really want to get rid of it if its really as "Enjoyable" as they claim. Keep in mind there's always the few who just can't afford to keep the car anymore, but then you have to wonder how they were able to afford the modifications in the first place..
The biggest problem is people who have modified their cars, and then return them to stock. I can easily spot those cars and you need to consider if their being honest about their car having been modified, and they sold their mods and returned the car to stock, then you should have the car checked out by a mechanic, and be certain everything works and doesnt appear to have abnormal wear.
Get the VIN number and call the dealership, explain to them you are purchasing a car, and considering using them for regular service (whether its true or not) but need to know if the car is under warranty or not, why it isn't any longer, and what repairs if any had been performed on the car. It should give you a good indication of the history and maintainance level of the car at the least.. (Keep in mind many owners do their own oil and minor service)
In the end, try to find a completely stock vehicle, with fairly low to normal mileage, also I hate to say this, but look at the owner of the car, how knowledgable the person is, and his age.. You can likely get a good feel for whether or not its a wise move to purchase from them.
If your buying the car off a used car lot, its important you run a CarFax on the car.. Also the find out how the dealer aquired the car, did the owner trade it in? What did he trade it for? Odds are if the previous owner traded or sold it for a cheaper car, it may be he just couldn't afford it. Same thing if it was a repossessed vehicle.
Its important to get as much background info about the car before committing to the purchase though.. So before you make any deals, get as much history about it (Carfax) as you can.
Ultimately you'll be in a better position to make an educated purchase. Also expect to have to put 2000-4000 into fixing problems that turn up afterwards.. Its likely you'd need to at least get brakes and tires at some point shortly after purchase.
If you find you WANT a modified car.. Try to find one that has all of its work documented, possibly from an owner who is very knowledgable about the cars (since even if the car was run hard, it was likely not abused, and if it did break, it was repaired correctly)
Thats all I can think of.. We've all be screwed at one time during a used car purchase, if you get a bad gut feeling about anything, the owner, the car, the circumstances, just walk away, patience is your friend.
Newbie
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 4
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From: Savannah, Ga
used evo
Getting to know the owner and him being honest with you about the car is what you want. Well...your in luck.....I am he! I have a 2003 Apex Silver Evo with 15,700 miles on it. I have added a few aftermarket parts on the car which I was planning on taking off this week to sell. They are an Apex intake, HKS downpipe and Greddy Titanium exhaust(all awesome parts!). I have also added a Greddy turbo timer which I was planning on leaving on for the next owner(a great saftey feature). I have had my spirited moments in the car as Im sure everyone here has; but it has not been abused. I don't dump the clutch(which is why its still in perfect shape) and I have not taken it to the track at all. Most of all of the miles on it are just highway while traveling to Orlando and Atlanta to see friends and family. Im 25 years old and I appreciate and take very good care of my toys(the evo being no exception). If interested at all, send me a message and ill give you a number to call me. Im located in Savannah , Ga. Oh yeah, Im selling it for 26,000. 
Thread Starter
Newbie
Joined: Sep 2004
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Thanks for the input, everyone.
Sounds like new is probably the way to go for me. I like to keep cars for a long time, and I'll probably put a fair amount of money into mods. I'd like to be relatively sure I'm starting with a sound car. I'm sure there are sound used Evos out there, but I'm just not comfortable with the level of risk.
Sounds like new is probably the way to go for me. I like to keep cars for a long time, and I'll probably put a fair amount of money into mods. I'd like to be relatively sure I'm starting with a sound car. I'm sure there are sound used Evos out there, but I'm just not comfortable with the level of risk.
