Icyjup

Hi! I am from Cali and have been thinking for a while on building an Evo. I recently posted in the general forums on building an Evo 9, but after reading a bit it seems to cost a lot. I have resources from a shop as they would help me build the Evo and I would be too ( Friend's family owns the shop). So would it be better to buy a shell, get it to run and just leave at that or wait longer until I get more money to just buy one. Any insights are appreciated. Thanks!

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iTrader: (3)

Thanks for posting up.

Based on your comments regarding funding the build, it would be less expensive to buy a running or at least one that has all the drivetrain components.

Later, down the road, when more funds are avail, it would be quite rewarding to start w/a shell & doing a full rotisserie restoration type build

Just my .02

Icyjup

In that case I should look for an Evo 8 instead of the Evo 9 right? Or if I am able to buy a shell that came out of a part-out that should be fine? I'm trying to work with a 15k budget.

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iTrader: (3)

Well, if youve got 15K, yes the 8 would be a better choice. You can find one w/some mechanical issues for less than 15K. Consider it a long term project?

I obviously dont know all your details, but an 8 is less monies these days than the 9. You may have seen that EvO prices are a bit on the rise. Premiums being asked for EvOs w/low miles & high in mods

Happy to answer any questions that I can answer. Owned my 9 for 10 years

kaj

iTrader: (60)

For your price point, I'd pick up a nice VIII instead of a beat up IX. Unless you race the thing, you'll never notice the difference, anyway.

As for building one, that would be a LOT of fun if you had the patience. It can be done at a reasonable cost if you do your own work and keep an eye on the forums for occasional, reasonably-priced parts. Building it to OEM specs would probably be cheapest; I pick up OEM parts on the cheap all day, since most Evo owners are mod hungry

Icyjup

As in like resources and my budget I do have lot of help as in I have a shop that is willing to give me the space and all the tools and everything to work on the shell if I were to get one. My budget can be flexible. But also another newbie question, would people be willing to finance? As in like I can use the 15k as a down payment and to pay off the previous owner?

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iTrader: (3)

I doubt any private owner would finance this to you if that is what youre asking? Sure, a bank loan is OK, as long the price of the EvO matches the normal cost for that year, model & condition

Icyjup

Ahh I see, yea and that's what I'm asking and a bank loan would be different as in I request the check from the bank and give that check to the seller. Then I will slowly pay back the bank right?

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iTrader: (3)

Youre young! (thats a good thing). Yeah, get yourself pre-approved at the bank for a particular amount. Once that is done, you can search out the EvO & if your approved amount at the bank is higher than the EvO price you are OK.

Then you can request a cashiers check & pay off the owner of the EvO

Icyjup

Ahh I see I see, so it's all waiting and finding the right evo now. Thanks!

kaj

iTrader: (60)

If you have $15k, you can finance an additional $10k and get a really, REALLY good car. Or.. you can get an "okay" one for the $15k and have no payment, with more money to spend on fixing 'er up. I prefer to spend more upfront and put less work into it, but it's really about what works best for you. Either way, you're gonna have a blast!

Icyjup

I really like Evo 9s and they're my favorite model. I've been hearing how the Evo 9 is supposed to have parts that are fixed from the Evo 8 like that transfer case. But I feel like building one is the best option for me right now as I have another budget set aside for another manual car that I could learn stick and beat it up, so while I'm learning stick I could be building the Evo as well.

MinusPrevious

iTrader: (3)

The diffs between the 8 & 9 are the following: (Besides the interior & exterior bits)

EvO9 has the center diff w/the ACD (complex system w/complex pump located in the left front corner. If that unit fails, it is huge dollars. Best to stick w/the non ACD diff on the EVO8

EvO9 has the MIVEC head, which is great, but with some work the EvO8 head can flow & perform well & it is less complex than the 9

kaj

iTrader: (60)

There are also advantages to ACD and MIVEC, if you feel they are worth it (for most people, they honestly aren't):
A tuned ACD unit makes a huge difference on how the car performs. The MIVEC is really handy for making torque and helping a turbo to spool, provided you don't go big turbo to make a bunch of power (in which case MIVEC is more or less a moot point).

To be honest, most of the people I talk to, that have a IX, are only concerned with having an Evo that's worth more They probably don't even know what MIVEC and ACD do. LOL.

Biggiesacks

The 03-04 Evo 8 had a front Open Diff and a Viscous Coupling, and the 05's had ACD and a Front LSD as did all evo 9's, but all USDM CT9A Evo's had just an LSD rear diff no AYC. The evo 9 has a cabin air filter and revised climate control mechanism as the 8's would gunk up and bind and often cause people to snap the controls off. 03-04 have the intercooler sprayer. Evo 9 has a better head and Mivec, as well as a better turbo then the 03-04's. The evo 8 has an all carbon fiber spoiler which has terrible clear coat that tends to fail, while the evo 9 has a not all carbon fiber spoiler that tends to snap in half. The transmissions have different gearing and different final drives. Those are all the non cosmetic type things off the top of my head.