I've always loved Evo's since I was younger, but I could never afford one so I settled for a 2005 Dodge SRT-4 which I bought in '07 with only 17,000 miles. Don't get me wrong I really like my SRT and I enjoyed slowly modding it to over 300whp. However I'm older now and can afford the car I really wanted which is an Evo. I've been looking around on autotrader and narrowed it down to these two '03 Evo VIII's the red and yellow one.

http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale/2003/Mitsubishi/Lancer+Evolution/Fort+Pierce+FL-34982?endYear=2003&makeCode1=MIT&mmt=[MIT[LANCEREVO[]][]]&modelCode1=LANCEREVO&searchRadius=300&showcaseOwn erId=65365031&startYear=2003&Log=0&showcaseOwnerId =65365031&captureSearch=true&showToolbar=true&Log= 0

Was wondering which one you guys think is a better buy. I'm kinda leaning more towards the yellow one because it seems bone stock with lower mileage and only one owner. I really like the red one a lot too but I'm afraid its been beaten to hell and back and will be a difficult daily driver.

 

yellow evo also very rare. Just saying.

 

You are heading in the right direction. Picking a evo was a good choice. Take your time and find a evo with low miles, one owner and stock as possible.

 

Yeah im going to look at and test drive the yellow one tmrw. Its bone stock, one owner, and only 19,000 miles.

 

I'd be VERY cautious of that yellow with that low of miles. It's actually very easy to swap mileage in these cars.

 

Really? Damn I will def look the car over really good to see if it looks like it has more wear than the mileage shows

 

Check it out like you said- checking for inconsistent wear related to mileage on the odometer. But I wouldn't be near as worried about it as razorlab sounds like he would be. Carfax looks pretty right-on for a 1-owner car, as far as mileage is concerned.

 

Obviously you'll be checking this car out in person, but I checked the pics of the yellow one out more closely and at least from the pictures, I'd say that it looks like that mileage is likely accurate.

When looking at these cars for sale I also like to get pics of the rear of the radiator, or look at it in person. Most people are sloppy, so you can easily tell if they removed the turbo (e.g. for a bigger one at some point), by looking at the radiator fins- if they're pretty banged up, you know someone was in there fooling with stuff.

 

Also, I think the red color can fade a little bit if not maintained. I would pick the yellow one too.

 

I recently went through a 8 month search of evo's. It's definitely a challenge with VIII's and IX's, but patience is key. DO NOT FOLD OR GIVE IN. Get the car you WANT, not the one that is the best at the time. 2003-2006 came and went, time isn't turning back. Someone will part with a decent one soon, and you owe it to yourself to get the best one out there.

People wasted my time left and right, saying "bone stock" to "light modifications." Cars would stall on test drives, would have SES lights on (codes ranging from EVAP sensor to CAT sensors), I would show up and see Jim Bob's MASSIVE turbo set-up with stock internals. Even dealers would waste my time (one minor accident - don't mind the mis-colored body panels! It's an EVO!). I went through the for sale threads here, landed myself one that was in pretty decent shape that needs some work - which is fine for the price I paid.

Definitely check out the radiator (might be bent on either side), look at the under body, bring a OBDII sensor. Ask the person you are with to take it on the highway to check for steering wheel shake. Warm up the car, check for smoke in the exhaust. Ask for maintenance/service paperwork. Do NOT skimp on carfax/autocheck.

As a fellow SRT-4 and Cobalt S/C owner, these cars are not as cheap to correct issues on. Ensure that you have no issues, and make sure the previous owner CARED for the car, not made the cheapest 1/4 mile car for the cheapest buck. Godspeed Horvath. Enjoy the new wheels.

 

I agree... evos will love u as long as u love them back. They are not cheap to maintain and maintenence is key to keeping these things running good for a long time.

 

Good choice!