Hi, im new to this forums, just wanted to say hi!

ok back to topic, im looking into purchasing a new car and came acrros the lancer evolution 2004. And started wodnering how is the maintence with the car? What are the common problems or little issues that bug you guys? Are there any flaws in the car?

I heard something about the tires cannot have more then 10k miles on them or something like that, and every 12k miles you have to rotate them?

THanks ahead of time for your post and opinions.

 

Welcome!

There are thousands of folks here way more knowledgeable then myself, but I've been learning a lot in the past 6 months of owning an evo. First and foremost, if you enjoy the act of driving in any way shape or form, buy the evo. You will not regret it.

Nothing about my car bugs me. The only "weaknesses" I think the car has are one's that you'll know about going into the purchase: No boost gauge, pos stereo, unfortunate lack of 6 speed trans, AYC, ACD, etc. But many of these items can be upgraded as your interest and budget allow.

Mechanically, if you do a search you'll find a million posts, (or now one super huge merged thread, as the mods like to do), about the inferior quality of the stock clutch. Be aware of this if you're planning on launching the car a lot as you're in a torquey all wheel drive car: You'll chew up that clutch and spit it out in no time flat. However, if you're not planning on being that fast and furious at every start you should find that the factory clutch will not be an issue at all. Paint quality is also mentioned with some frequency, as is oddly early rusting in certain locations. But the people on the site are amazing, and you'll find somebody with a solution to just about any problem you'll encounter.

In terms of the Advans, they're an incredibly grippy soft compound tire and as such its all in how hard you drive them. I don't know figures on tread wear, but unless you're putting a lot of track time on them I'd be surprised if you only got 10k out of them. In terms of rotation, I think they actually suggest every 3 to 5k.

Buying this car is buying into a culture and community, a group of folks who love tuning, love driving, and have unparalleled taste. : ) Really the only question you should burden yourself with is which color do you drive off the lot.

 

The OE tires are summer tires only...and super 'sticky'. They are also over $200 each so most replace them after their 10k to 12k life is up.

 

Answers will be as varied as the people who type them.......For better answers, do a search, read what people have written and draw your own conclusions.....You cannot base your level of satisfaction with a car on someone else's level of satisfaction with the car. I don't have any complaints with my evo.....BTW, if you get one, there's no point getting an 04, unless you just want to spend more money....the 03 is the exact same car without leather seats, and who cares about that!!

 

if you go fast but dont dump do alot of street dragging, your clutch will last 30k easily.... paint inferior quality is not really just mitsu's... alot of japanese cars are having this problem now, has to do with new paint formulas... more environmentally friendly ****... another thing is engine oil, alot of cars like synthetic but dont require it... mitsu recommends synthetic 5-30w

 

All I have to say is I've owned 5 different cars in my life and this one by far is the best I've ever owned/driven.