im finally at a point where i can by the evo ive been waiting years to buy.

right now i have my eye on two (im looking to spend right in the 20k range)

car 1
-------
05 black SSL
decent mods list (exhaust, suspension, clutch etc)
stock turbo
JMF mani
GSC s2's
overall cleanly done
self tune with ecuflash
(the self tune is what bothers me)

55,xxx miles

car 2
------
05 white SSL
FP red and all supporting mods
Kelford 272's
shep trans (i like this alot)
no flashy stuff
~400whp turbotrix tuned

~80k miles


Car 1 is appealing due to the low miles, but his price is a tad high imho (22k with book of approximately 19k) although it does have volks on it which could be negotiated out/sold after purchase.

Car 2 is pretty appealing given it is basically the exact build i would personally do. he is also only about 2k over book value (asking 19k), but very firm on his price. it seems to be a pretty good deal for the setup on the car.


what does everyone think?

 

car two looks good despite the miles. find out if any internal work has been done, i.e. arp studs. pistons, etc. fp red can kill a stock motor if pushed too far too long.
pretty much do your best to get a full maintenance record and if any factory or extended warranty on either of them

 

Neither one will have a warranty since they are both modded, so that's out of the equation. Have you driven both? If both were maintained equally, I would probably choose the White SSL, even with the higher mileage, as it has been professionally tuned and has the preferred upgrades. There are plenty of Evos out there in the $20K range, so be patient and do it right the first time. Buyer's remorse is an ugly feeling.

 

I'd go with one because it has less miles and volks lol

-anthony

 

i already have a set of works i can put on it instead

i meant to also mention, i have yet to go see in person/drive either yet (been very busy)

im not too worried about high miles. ive driven high mile 4 cylinder turbo cars all my life, and they have lasted forever, had one with 300k miles.

the white one is in a stable with an evo x, an r32 skyline, and a work truck...im inclined to think the car is taken care of and not driven much (he is the second owner).

i havent found any decent longevity posts with fp reds. how long do you think it would last at 400hp? keeping in mind i have about a 10 mile commute to work lol. i dont beat on my cars, but i do enjoy the occasional hard highway merge.

 

well i did hours of reading last night under the general searches of "fp red" and "stock block"

found lots of good info. the numbers on the white car were ~410hp and 350wtq. i like the low torque since that should keep from breaking things correct?

i was initially worried about the 28psi as id rather see the setup at 25 or less for reliability but i think the 272's would explain the few psi more.

i will have to find out if it has headstuds, that might be a deal breaker, as id be weary of a car without the personally.

i like the black car too...the self tune at 26psi just scares me...

any other input?

 

Yes self tune could be good or bad. I've seen some timing and fuel maps from "tuners" that looked horrid.

Would be pretty sweet if you could get a look at the tune and that would help big time!

 

yeah ive been in previous situations where home made maps were cleaner, or professional tuners forgot to fix knock maps, which sucks.

only issue being if i was given a chance to look at the map it wouldnt be much good, tuning is definitely outside my expertise.

 

car 1 without a doubt.

 

This. Get a copy of the timing maps and maybe log a pull of the car. It will tell you all you need to know about the tune. If he did things correctly then I would go with car #1. Home maps can be amazing or terrible. It just depends on if they knew what they were doing. They can be very good because the user has unlimited time with the car and can really perfect things, or they can just slap together a crappy map and call it a day.


Get a log.

 

I dont think either one is a great deal. Id keep looking but thats my opionion. Good luck!

 

well ive been sticking to classifieds on here basically.

i surf autotrader occasionally but the price premium is absolutely ridiculous. i cant justify 4-6k over book value just to get it from a "dealer"

 

car # 1, and retune

 

I agree with above. Get it retuned by a reputable tuner when you get it for piece of mind.

 

#2