Hey all -

Anyone here mind helping me take a look at an evo? Spotted one at a dealership. Did the test drive... all seemed fine... Reverse gear was a bit difficult to place (normal?).... a bit of a rattling noise coming from the rear. Also worried about air leaks in the engine.

Clutch pedal seemed super stuff (normal?). Seems like some drilled holes behind steering wheel where boost gauges used to be. A bit of front end body damage, but engine bay looks stock more or less. Aftermarket RS*R exhaust? 106K miles clocked on the car... problem area for these cars, high mileage?

I'm stationed here at Dam Neck. Own an STi & Evo 1 back home, but new to the 8 & 9's so not quite sure what to look for.

Any knowledgeable under the hood inspection help would be super helpful!

Please PM me if any of you guys have an hr or so to spare and I'll buy the beer =)

Thanks,
Erich

 

From the sound of it. It doesn't seem too good. I personally wouldn't buy a car that had body damage.

How much are they asking? More than 16k is a rip.

 

One I'm looking at haggled down to 11.5k (body damage one) with 106K on the odo. Another is a 43k 1-owner 06 MR for 21.5K.... tempted to jump on the MR, but i hear the T-Case isn't so bomber.

 

Get the one with body damage checked out. See if the frame was bent at all. If it has been, then thats a no go. With the MR, it's a 6spd. Good for highway miles, but at tracks you probably will want to stay away from that. I'd say keep looking.

 

As much as I would love to take the car to a shop for inspection. These private dealers don't want it taken off the lot prior to sale *yawn*..... However they said they were fine with anyone inspecting it on spot, jacking it up, etc.


With the 6 speed, is it really that fragile? I definitely won't be launching it, but I do like to take my cars through the twisties. In this car I was looking for a good daily driver that can also have some fun in the turns.

 

Do you care about luxary? (Power windows, power locks, spoiler) If not, get the RS model. If so, get a GSR (basic model) or MR (6spd).

The MR is good for track I heard but not 1/4 mile worthy. Something with the extra gear making it slower.

 

The 6-speed should be fine, at least until you start to get up there in power. Like it was said, the 6-speed can hurt you in the 1/4 mile (if you are into drag). Also the 6-speed tranny holds less oil then the 5-speed tranny, but this should not be a big deal unless you are going to be tracking the car. For the 106k mile evo, have a compression test done on the motor. It also sounds like it might have an aftermarket clutch, you can make sure it is not slipping by taking it for a drive and putting it in 4th or 5th gear and getting on it. If the clutch is on its way out, the clutch will usually start slipping in the taller gears first. I would also try to confirm what the rattling noise is, does it sound like the exhaust is hitting/rubbing on something? How bad is the front-end damage? Def. get the carfacts on it. If it was me I would just go for the MR, unless there are other issues going on with the MR you are looking at.

 

Or theres a guy named Gary selling his Evo you could talk to him about his. His name on here is Gary 805.

 

selling it again?

 

haha just an idea before i rip it apart for the body shop. Not pressed to do it. In fact im at the point where im getting ready to track it. So before i take it from a DD status just giving it one last shot to someone else.

I have a full Voltex widebody, Autopower Cage, GT300 wing etc waiting to go on the car as soon as i get the down time to put it in the body shop.

 

Does anyone else have any helpful info they can give me about local dealerships or evo owners out here? Many of the evo owners I've encountered seem to be clueless military brats with a knack for Navy Fed Loans who run their cars in to the ground (I'm military as well).

 

....took back.....

 

edited.

 

I have met gary and he was cool. i think just talk try to talk to him about it if your really serious about it. He took real good care of the evo from what i saw