I am obviously new and new to Evo's. So I just thught I would ask some random questions...I havent been so lucky as to buy and Evo yet, but I am very interested and in the market!! I mainly want to spend 20k max so I was thinking 03-06 (light to moderate modded)

Are there specific year Evo's I should stay away from?
What do I need to be aware of when buying an already modded Evo?
stay away from the 6-speed right?
What mileage should I look for?
What would a good set up be? Mods etc.

I like instant gratification...I am certainly not opposed to buying a stock Evo and modding myself to my liking though. Any info and adive is def appreciated and welcome.

Thanks

 

Mine
Evo 8 RS, lighted model. No spoiler, no power locks, no power windows 5speed

I enjoy it alot. But some people may want power locks and windows.

MR is the most luxary model, its a 6speed good for highway miles.

Try to get close to stock or if you buy modded make sure you know it was done right.

Mileage it really doesnt matter, nothing over 100k.

Setup is up to you really, look around see what people have done and what your expected HP will be.

 

Hey man Im actually selling my evo its an 06 TB Evo SE. Its a very clean car if you wanna take a look at it. As far as buying and evo here is what I can offer you for advice.
6 speeds are not good for tracking the car from what I have seen.
Make sure there is no t-case whinning
No shaft play. If the car has an aftermarker clutch then its been tracked for sure.. mine has 32k and make 400tq and still on stock clutch. I know alot of my buddies have bought used evos and after a few days the t-case goes out so def keep your ears open for random weird noises. Good luck with finding a good evo sometimes a good used one is hard to find.

 

I def don't mind the RS model ( I say that now tho lol) My winter car doesnt have any power and I'm OK with it...Reduces weight without all options too. I don't think I would buy the MR Model even tho it is top of the line (Out of my price range). I think knowing if it was modded "right" is the question...even with all mods it shouldn't be throwing a CEL correct???

4DRSALOON - I will def take a look at your car if you wanna send/post some pics? and thank you for the advice on the TC. what I've been reading the stock clutch is the Drivetrains weakpoint, are you saying this is not true? I think it might be safe to say 90% of Evo's have been Tracked at some point..?

Thanks for the quick responses guys!

 

buy a stock car... i bought mine stock.. no1 ****ed with it. last thing you want is a rigged *** $20,000 car/ there are tons out there
-buy an 06.
-your buying a modded evo... they beatt the **** out of it.
-6 speeds are fine. car has almost 60k without issues. keep up on maintenance and your car will be fine.(trans/acd/rear fluid)every 15k.
under 60,000 is optimal. wouldnot go any higher then that.
-wouldnt buy anything modded. been there delt with that.
buy an 06. its worth the $. buy from a person not a dealer since the person knows more about the car.... btw my 06 mr is for sale

 

No the drivetrain is the weak spot on these cars.. i was just saying being that mine is still on the stock clutch you can tell the car has not been beat on. Also I already have a thread started with my car and pics. its FS:2006 TB Evo 9 SE. under my user name

 

+ 1 for buying a stock Evo.

 

1. There isn't really an Evo to "stay away" from, as there are a lot of solid 2003 Evo VIIIs out there still running strong. One EvoM member (4RETECH) is already past 199k miles on his, and should hit 200k within the next few days. At the opposite end of the spectrum, the later models (particularly the 2006 IXs) have a lot of the minor issues worked out.

2. It's hard to gauge modded Evos, as some people do the job properly while some don't, and it's not going to be obvious (unless it's just really that bad). Also, a lot of people try to return their cars to stock, which is nice, but it's always good to know what has been done to the car. If you buy from someone on the forums, perhaps you should check on their prior posts to see what kind of mods they've installed or how the car has run throughout its life.

3. I wouldn't say "stay away" from the six-speed anymore than I would say stay away from the older models, meaning there are a few things that people will not like about it, but it's not bad by any means. In your situation, going with a six-speed MR (as opposed to getting a five-speed model of the same year Evo) will generally be a bit more in price (given the value), unless you find that awesome of a deal. People have blown the issues with the six-speed way out of proportion. There were a few issues with its fourth gear in higher-powered applications that see a lot of time on high-speed road courses, but for the most part, Evo owners with them shouldn't have any problems. If you're shooting for a lot of mods, aggressive driving at higher speeds or both, then the five-speed application would definitely be a smart choice, especially seeing how the MR isn't really significantly faster than its five-speed counterpart, plus it doesn't even really get better gas mileage (which you'd expect when there is an additional gear).

4. Lower mileage, perhaps? Keep in mind that cars with VERY low mileage will command a higher price above your price range, especially if it's a IX. However, if it's near any of the big service intervals (particularly the 30k, 60k and 90k mark, though also the 15k, 45k and 75k marks to a lesser extent), check if they had the services done, as a few of them do cost a pretty penny.

5. It depends on what you want out of your car. There are a lot of threads about it.

If you can find a STOCK Evo that was NEVER modded, definitely try to get it. It's good to go the safe route. There are less and less of them now, but they're out there. I have a bone stock Evo IX SE that I bought brand new, and the only thing it has is new tires, which is to be expected. I also had another Evo prior to this one, which was also bone stock from when I bought it to when I traded it in.

 

Very good information guys and all will def be considered in my purchase of an Evo...I will certainly be on the look out, and seems like the way to go for the most part is Stock...and build up the car the way I want it. I def wont rule out an already modded car, but will be very picky as to what I choose. I will keep my eyes out there for all new info and posts, Thanks guys!!

 

If the car seems well taken care of and has good quality parts on it and I would definately consider one with a few mods such as mine. Its bone stock block, head, clutch just a FMIC, Exhuast and piping. In some cases you can save yourself some money by buying one with some mods on it.

 

where are you located?