Hi I just turned 18 and have enough for an evo I found for 20k I would like to get it as my own first car and I don’t have the mindset of every other person my age who thinks they’re invincible I’m actually a little scared of driving fast cause of everything that could go wrong while doing it but nonetheless I love fast cars and working on them. Is it a good idea to get the evo 9 since it’s so cheap it looks like it’s in good condition and it would be my first car that I would be tuning and working on would it be a good first car to learn how to work on cars and tune? Again I don’t think I’m invincible and am scared of driving super fast but still like to drive fast and it’s my dream car, should I get it yes or no?

 

I cant believe this is being asked in 2021. Where did you find one in good condition for 20k? Totalled evo 9s on copart go for 20k. Even if you could find one for as low as you did. I cant believe it would be in such great condition and even if it were cost to maintain would be no where near within the capabilities of an 18 year old unless your parents were helping. Its not 2008 anymore and purchasing cost is just the start of it. Parts for these cars are becoming rare and expensive, you will find few shops willing to service them. Its a complex car with many parts that may go wrong and you need to be financially prepared and have experience with other cars before knowing how to drive an older evo.

My answer is a definite no, I would look elsewhere for my first car. Anyone saying otherwise doesn't have your best interests in mind. Just being honest. Look into one when you get older and have more money/maturity.

 

I found it at a dealership like an hour away from me all the other evo 9’s they had were like 30k or higher I figured it would be serviced since the dealer is selling it and I know how to do basic maintenance on a car from my dad and fixing his cars and helping my friend with his car a little like oil changes, making sure fluids are good making sure tired are good, etc. I have an auto place that wouldn’t mind working on it too if need be but thank you for your honest opinion!

 

Welcome @Shawntitus3

If this is an east coast EvO Shawn, have the under carriage & suspension connection points inspected for corrosion damage

Cheers, Joe

 

Here is some stuff you should probably chew on when considering the evo as a first car.

CT9A evos (8/9) are really not safe in an accident. It wasn't even a relatively safe car when it came out. Now everyone is driving in a tank (relative to the evo) while texting. You are statistically the most likely to be in an accident based on your age group. Your insurance costs will be expensive. Consumables, routine maintenance, and repairs will be expensive. Even stock Evo's get poor gas mileage. With an evo you should have clutch funds on standby, ESPECIALLY as a new driver. These cars are old now, any car that isn't priced at a premium is going to need some amount of restoration. When they are available, OEM parts are relatively expensive. When they aren't, you will have to spend time hunting down stuff used/aftermarket.

P.S. A Ford Fiesta ST is right in your price range and that would probably make a much better fun first car. Admittedly I don't have any first-hand knowledge or experience with them, but I know they are well liked by their owners.

 

Thank you everyone for all the help guys! I’ve been driving my dads manual civic for about two years and yes if I was planning on buying it I was going to check underneath it since they salt the roads around here in the winter. I will be getting into real estate within the next few months if everything goes good so fund for the car shouldn’t be a problem hopefully. I’m not sure if I’ll get it for a first car but I’ll definitely want one in the future and you guys have definitely helped. As for texting while driving I never do it I turn my phone away and if someone doesn’t call me I ignore it because if they call me it’s something important.

 

There's a reason this one is $10K cheaper than the others.

General car advice, Evo or otherwise: The car's purchase price is only part of the cost of ownership. Taxes and registration will add $1000 or more before you can walk out the door. Car insurance on a 15 year old fast car for an 18 year old will be massive, so plan on spending several hundred dollars per month whether you drive it or not. Consumables add up over time, especially on cars like the Evo that aren't gentle on tires.

These are old cars and you can't know how it was treated in the past. Things will break or wear out frequently. It's not enough to have the dealer change the fluids. Do you know when the timing belt was changed last? Even DIY that's several hundred dollars. If your transfer case fails or you lose a 5th gear synchro (common problem) you're looking at several thousands dollars to get it replaced, and you're not DIYing a T-case or transmission rebuild so you could pay thousands more for someone else to work on it.

I wouldn't consider an Evo unless you had a very deep car budget (well beyond $20K) or you had a primary car to actual drive around town. These are fun cars, but they're very old by now and the cheapest Evo on the lot is almost guaranteed to be trouble.

 

short answer: probably not a good idea for you, no offense.

how many miles are on it? is it a salvage title?

if you're mechanically inclined (fast learner and understand engineering intuitively), and you don't need to rely on your car to get around (i.e. can't be late to work), it's risky but doable. cars are expensive and an evo is more of a money pit than most. be prepared to spend much more than you budget. also, that price is suspiciously low, and on that alone i wouldn't do it.

if you're dead set on buying it, do a compression check first. and personally, I wouldn't let a shop work on an Evo unless they specialize in Evos/DSMs. you want someone with extensive experience and knowledge. general mechanics are mediocre at best when it comes to Evos. sure, every guy with a garage will tell you he'll work on it, but there's a lot of details and specific things that our babies need attention paid to.

and again, if you can't be persuaded to pass, have an evo specialist do a pre-purchase inspection head to toe on the car. and that compression check will tell you a lot.

on the other hand, to play devil's advocate in your favor, these cars will be unobtainable in the next 1-2 years, if not outrageously expensive, which they are already. it's now or never for you

 

. This has helped me a ton no offense to everyone else. I actually was about to get a job at a mechanics place cause I love working on stuff and learning about cars but I decided to get into real estate so I can get as many cars as I want in the future 😂 I have my brothers car reader tool I forget what it’s called but if I do go buy it I can plug that in and make sure nothing is wrong and I’m sure I can find someone to look at it for me too. As for the miles and salvage title it has 109k on it and I’m not sure about the salvage title but here’s the link for the website it’s on in case anybody wants to look at it.

https://www.jdpower.com/detail/2006/mitsubishi/lancer-evolution/somerset-nj/ja3ah86c36u012110

As far as the price being low I’m not sure, the dealer says you can come test drive it and I did a free vehicle report and there were no reported accidents or anything so I’m not sure. The dealer is also selling about 3-4 other evo 9’s with lower mileage for about 34k.


Thanks for all the help and info so far!

 

Yes, Shawn, i didnt mention it in my first post but the CT9A EvO has really evolved into a weekend / project car. If you could see fit to make this a weekender only, that might be best?

 

port scanner will tell you next to nothing in comparison to what a full inspection, compression check, and leak down test will. again, i strongly recommend you have a specialist do a pre-purchase inspection. also make sure you check for salt damage underneath thoroughly.

and definitely don't be a mechanic if you like having money have fun and good luck

 

alright thanks for the tip will do! Yeah that’s why I’m getting into real estate 😂 and thank you for all the help.

 

It's just a car. Like any other, have it inspected if you can. Run a carfax. If all checks out and you still want it, go for it.
they are great cars and even somewhat practical (four doors).
You won't regret it.

 

thanks my dude!

 

No, not as your first car. Stuff goes wrong nd you're up for 10 to 20k rebuilding. Do you have the funds to blow? Are you a good spanner hand to do all your own repairs and be able to pull motors? For a first car if you want a performance car, I'd K swap your dads civic and make it into a project car.