So far every problem I've had was caused by me.

 

It's a terrible car, which is why I just purchased a second Evo. ;-)

 

I believe it was Road and Track who had zero problems in 50K miles with their longterm 03 VIII.

Alot of these car forums are used as sounding boards for people trying to work through various issues. Go to the Honda, Nissan and Toyota forums - the majority of threads in the general discussion and drivetrain forums are centered around troubleshooting various problems.

This doesn't mean the cars are unreliable - it just illustrates the disproportionality of the threads. Someone with zero problems is just less likely to post asking for advice.

My previous track/toy car was a Mini Cooper S. During the first 9K miles of ownership the car was into the dealer about 10 times for various issues. My Evo IX has almost 4K miles on it including 4 track days. Knock on wood - no issues whatsoever.

 

lol ironic. I traded my 330Ci for the EVO because it was falling to bits. The list of problems is too long to list.

 

It's a hell of a car, dont let people scare you with horror stories. Don't abuse it all the time and it'll last for you just fine.

 

The Evo is a little temperamental if you dont take care of if properly. You know you bought a production race car right?

 

Really productive comment. Idiot. He said nowhere that he doesn't like the car, he was just asking a question.

I have an VIII and I have had no problems yet..

 

If you have to question yourself about the purchase...then I think you bought the wrong car for you.

I've had two evo's and never really had any problems.
The first evo I had, the paint was kind of dusty on one of fenders which was taken care of by the dealer right away and they also provided me with a loaner.

The evo 9 I have currently have no major problem either.
The clutch has been weak on pretty much all evos but that a problem when you are making more power than stock.
There have been some isolated problems where the clutch was going out (defect), but IMO it's due to the driver.

Any car will have some kind of negative things to say about.
For example, I had a RX-7 and it was probably in the shop many times to get it worked on but I still loved it.

The evo has a lot less problems (not a single problem for me so far), and I love driving the car every minute.

 

Good point. Try to search online for the long-term Evo VIII tests. As mentioned, Road & Track did one as well as Motor Trend (and I have their article beside me as we speak). Motor Trend reported only slight problems--squeaks from the B-pillar at 11k miles and misfiring at 17k miles (which was corrected under warranty). Other than that and the usual complaints (harsher ride than what they're accustomed to, missing 6th gear, etc.), the car was well-liked. If I remember correctly, Road & Track mirrored similar experiences in their write-up. I believe that they pushed their car a bit harder, since they also needed their rotors replaced (in addition to getting another set of tires, just like Motor Trend). However, I recall Car & Driver saying that the clutch got slightly weaker toward the end (admitting it was probably due to them launching the car, but mostly for their testing purposes of its acceleration when brand new and how ever many miles after, but still occurring sooner than most cars) in a Porsche 911 Carrera 4 long-term test, comparing the two AWD cars. But keep in mind that all of this applies to an original '03 VIII, whereas the later VIIIs and IXs probably had a few of the wrinkles ironed out by their release.

 

it all depends on how well u drive and how well u maintain the car. The stock clutch cannot handle launches so well. Everythin else seems good. Drive it hard but while driving it hard, drive it right. If u do that then ur fine.

 

Precisely. Do everything on the maintenance checklists and try to keep your receipts for the purchases/services, just in case there is a warranty issue with something so you can have physical proof of following the manufacturer's instructions. As everyone said, the clutch doesn't like to launch a bunch of times, so if you're not in some actual timed race (against someone at a drag strip or at a road course), then I wouldn't recommend punishing your transmission just for kicks. Hell, I wouldn't even recommend dragging your car anyway. But if you REALLY must experience the launch just to know what it's like, try it on dirt. For one thing, you'll still be surprised with how much grip it has, even on non-tarmac, and it will still feel like getting shot out of a cannon. Second, the loose surface doesn't really put too much wear on the tires, and is less of a burden on the clutch and transmission than launching on tarmac, plus you don't need to a 5000 rpm launch to feel such acceleration on dirt.

 

No serious issues with my EVO. Most people who complain, are modded.

 

+1

just take care of it. Keep up with oil changes and dont drive it hard at unnecessary times.

 

I have one of the first 50 Evo VIII's brought to the US in 2003. I just turned 30,000 miles with a decent list of mods that have been on the car since I broke the car in. I have not had one issue. Take care of her and she'll take care of you.

 

I love my 03 no issues at all. 53k I replaced the clutch but thats nothing new. 100% reliable