Talk me out of buying an EVO VIII

[PETERPOOP]

Well the seller dropped the price down to my asking price of $18,500. It is a 2005 EVO VIII with the leather/sunroof/premium sound package. It has 33k miles and is stock. Supposedly still under warranty for one more year. It has had the 30k mile service done and it looks pretty good. No scratches or dents, but the front calipers are faded and so are the rears. However, I've learned that is common with the evos (lame). Also, the guy told me that the rear rotors should eventually be changed soon (lame.)

The engine looks kinda dirty but from what I can tell it has been stock since purchased from them (original owners).

However, i've been reading about how the evos suck from the factory. The clutch needs to be fixed pretty much within 50k miles and people have been having problem with the syncros being out of wack. Some have fixed the problem with syncromesh, but most take it back to the dealer and have them fix it. However, since i will only have a year left on the warranty, i'm not too excited about something bad happening to it after the warranty is done. Also i heard people are always getting new transfer case and transmission!

But the car is beautiful, rides awesome, and the power is awesome. I would definately keep this as my forever project car and put future mod money into the evo (sorry yaris). I would also get some nice 18x9.5" SSRs to put on their from garm! ;)

I've got the money for it, but after reading about all the problems with the car that happen when it is still stock, this thing is starting to sound like a money pit.

ARG

ps: I dont care if everyone has an EVO either. So yah, that's not an issue.

[texkid]

I don't know. The things that drove me away is "dirty engine", "supposedly" and "warranty" in the same sentence, and "rotors should be changed soon" on a car that has 33k miles?

I drove my Escort for almost 85,000 miles before the rotors needed to be changed. And I was driving that car like I stole it back when I first had it.

If it was me, PASS. But you're the one with check book, only you can make the call.

[Astroman]

What about insurance costs? Dunno if that is a factor but I remember my insurance was trying to hit me pretty hard when I had my LeBaron GTC. Hit me with a double whammy, convertible, and turbocharged sports car. I got them in the end though, had it down as an extra vehicle with 5,000 miles or less per year.

In my opinion, a car that needs that kind of work now, and other major work soon would deter me even if I had the money or not. I do admire them for their fun factor though.

[SilverBack]

If you still want this car have the guy fix the brake issues if he wants his $18.5K, otherwise drop it down and stand your ground closer to $18K (pads for all 4 wheels and 2 rotors aren't cheap). And as for the tranny issue, I've heard about this problem in the past on Evos. The best you can hope for is that the tranny gives out before the waaranty does.

IMO he's not offering you much promise for your money, so you'll have to play hardball with him. I personally wouldn't accept the deal for anything more than $18K as is. My 2 cents

[Astroman]

That's a good idea for the brakes, make him come down on price, or fix it.

[PETERPOOP]

The thing was, he was asking 22k, but then i got him to 20k. Then I wanted 18k, then he offerred 19,500 to give a break towards the rotors, then now 18,500k. But yah, I think I need to pass on the evo. The evo in general seemed like a great car, but the reality is showing that it has it's flaws; more so than other cars at this point.

thanks guys

[yaris-me]

I think an EVO is a good car to have, if you don't want to spend time or money modifying a car. Since you've been on Yaris World you have spent a lot of time and money modifying your Yaris. If you want a project car, buy a beater and spend your time modifying it the way you like and save money.

[hatchbackkid82]

EVO is a great car. You want to think about insurance cost. Also maybe it was just me, but having a fast car, makes you want to drive fast. I couldn't just crusie in an EVO all the time. Parts are another thing to think about, i'm pretty sure you can get insane amounts of hp from an EVO, but parts can get expensive. I personally wouldn't buy cheap parts for an EVO Fuel efficiency is another thing to think about. Good luck with whatever you decide. It's a great car, i would drive one if i could afford the insurance on it.

[Tamago]

you can do better

http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.js...=25&cardist=23

[Tamago]

Originally Posted by Tamago

you can do better

http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.js...=25&cardist=23

btw my buddy just bought this car today. i just drove it.


i cannot talk you out of purchasing an evo. try to make it an MR please :)

[PETERPOOP]

Originally Posted by Tamago

btw my buddy just bought this car today. i just drove it.


i cannot talk you out of purchasing an evo. try to make it an MR please :)

it was that good huh?

[Tamago]

Originally Posted by PETERPOOP

it was that good huh?

spine-tingling good.

[BailOut]

While I understand the fun factor of an Evo the thought of running around at 17 MPG with gasoline at $3/gallon certainly steals a lot of that fun away. Combine that with the high insurance rates and low reliability and that car is indeed a money pit.

[Tamago]

Originally Posted by BailOut

While I understand the fun factor of an Evo the thought of running around at 17 MPG with gasoline above $3/gallon certainly steals a lot of that fun away. Combine that with the high insurance rates and low reliability and that car is indeed a money pit.

low reliability and low gas mileage relate to driver.. it's possible to get 26mpg in an evo without breaking it ;)

[buddyjim]

Dont buy it... really, dont.

Sorry, I know it was only a half hearted attempt but I havent slept in 30+ hours.

[ddongbap]

Originally Posted by Tamago

low reliability and low gas mileage relate to driver.. it's possible to get 26mpg in an evo without breaking it ;)

With volumetric efficiency, and having a light foot, my friend can pull 300miles out of 1 tank. Tank is only 12 gallons.

Well, thats around 26mpg. But thats when you're hitting the light.

So yea, don't let the turbo and high hp/liter fool you.

[staticorex]

Originally Posted by BailOut

While I understand the fun factor of an Evo the thought of running around at 17 MPG with gasoline at $3/gallon certainly steals a lot of that fun away. Combine that with the high insurance rates and low reliability and that car is indeed a money pit.

Really? It costs me around $800 more per year to drive my 460hp GTO than my Yaris. And the insurance is cheaper for the GTO too somehow. I see your point but it doesn't really cost that much to have a lot more power and comfort.

Just ran the numbers and it spent $747 more to drive the Pontiac instead of the Yaris last year. Worth it imo.

[KCALB SIRAY]

If it was meant to be driven hard, it was...don't buy