kapolani

iTrader: (6)

But,

I'm a little concerned with the talk that Mitsu is heading toward bankruptcy. I have also read a lot about the warranty issuses ( dealers denying claims etc...)

I haven't test driven one yet, this weekend I'm going to a few dealerships, so I'm looking forward to it.

I have a few questions for you all :

1) How are the trannies holding up? I've read about them failing. Was it a design flaw that has since been corrected?

2) The clutch!!! I've read that the clutch is extremelyl fragile. Is this more a function of the users abusing it? Or are they just plain crap?

3) How's the handling? Does it tend to under/oversteer? Is it flat in turns? Have any of you tracked your cars?

4) Maintainence issues. Are there any?

Thanks for taking the time to answer these q's!

I'm sure I'll have more as I get closer to purchasing one!

4-BNGR

iTrader: (3)

Evo's are ok

Cirrusly Evolvd

iTrader: (44)

Yea, Evo's suck. Go buy a Neo......er, SRT-4.

evo8nj

iTrader: (1)

great..

this website is an extremely helpful research both before you buy and while you have your EVO V///

1. Some early 03's have had bad synchros into 5th. some other people complain about the synchros into second. overall strenth is good however. are you buying new? It's been hinted that the 5spds may be slightly stronger than the 6 spds on this board.

2. It's plain and simple... if you launch your EVO, you will eat your clutch. there is one guy here with 70k on the ticker, and still on the original clutch. How much abuse will it take? hard to say.. but if you plan on launching, start saving for an ACT or Exedy aftermarket clutch. The stock clutch was built to protect the drivetrain, which it does well.

3. i've never tracked my EVO, but many do and even in stock form it's a monster. Its by far the best handling car i've ever driven..

4. Be prepared to spend money on keeping it maintained. The stock tires are for warm weather only.. if you are "close" to buying an evo, you'll need winter tires if there is snow in your area. Fluid changes pretty frequently. a brake job at the dealer (just pads) will run you around $600. But the big cost is modding it out.. which is growing more and more harder to resist for me.

i would suggest you do what i did before i got my evo... spend a few hours a day on this board searching and researching.

good luck

GOKOU

iTrader: (2)

Go test drive and decide whether the car suits your need.

If you want comfort and less road noise along with less maintenance and warranty then stick to Honda and Toyota

This is my 1st and last

My .02.

kimletrim

iTrader: (18)

You have a supercharged M3 so it looks like there is modding in the future if the EVo is purchased so the warranty and bankruptcy should not be an issue. There are a handful of tuning shops that will be able to make the transmission stronger.

Jakeg97

iTrader: (56)

[QUOTE=kapolani]



1) How are the trannies holding up? I've read about them failing. Was it a design flaw that has since been corrected?

- transmissions are good. can take a lot of abuse




2) The clutch!!! I've read that the clutch is extremelyl fragile. Is this more a function of the users abusing it? Or are they just plain crap?

- the clutch is also good, but cannot take repeated abuse





3) How's the handling? Does it tend to under/oversteer? Is it flat in turns? Have any of you tracked your cars?

- handling is really superb. if you can get a test drive, take a turn at a good speed. you will see this machine hold its own. if you are going extremely fast into the corner - the back end will eventually slide out first. but its easy to correct this oversteer.




4) Maintainence issues. Are there any?


- i have had no maintainence issues at 3k.

Jakeg97

iTrader: (56)

and sure does look nice!

pharmd98

I have a 03' with 20 k miles and no problems with clutch or transmission. You need to consider that alot of people who buy this car do abuse it more often and the clutch was designed to be the 'weak' link so the engine won't blow up.

Mitsubishi bank will never let the car company go out of business because it is a matter of national pride.

Evo is the best all wheel drive sedan in the world. I enjoy driving it everyday. You won't get the luxury items but the car's raw performance will more than make up for it.

TwoMix9900

1) How are the trannies holding up? I've read about them failing. Was it a design flaw that has since been corrected?
Yeah the tranny's seems to be somewhat inadequate for stock evos...even I had a grinding 2nd gear syncro issue even though I've never abused my car nor track it...but I was able to get it resolved through the warranty and hasn't had the problem since...you just need to find the right attorney to represent you

2) The clutch!!! I've read that the clutch is extremelyl fragile. Is this more a function of the users abusing it? Or are they just plain crap?
Just remember...the car will treat you the way you treat the car. The stockies ARE relatively weak, but it will hold up pretty damn well if 1) you don't abuse it 2) you dont mod your car to have really high HP

3) How's the handling? Does it tend to under/oversteer? Is it flat in turns? Have any of you tracked your cars?
There's a reason why this car is so revered around the world...this damn thing just STICKS to the road like as if it's on rails IMO

4) Maintainence issues. Are there any?
As with all other sports cars, prepare to spend some $$ on maintenance...even if you own a honda or toyota or whatever, when it is a high-performance vehicle, things will break and you WILL need to spend more $$ on maintenance than for a typical car. also, most of the members here have trouble resisting the temptation to mod... that doesn't help with the cost of the car...

Regarding the warranty issue..remember, people buy this car to mainly track it. No matter what car brand, they have the right to void your warranty if you abuse/track it. With that in mind, lot of dealers take advantage of this and have a notion that pretty much ALL evo owners track/abuse it, so they're gonna tend to have that "oh you must've broken it cuz you abused/tracked it" attitute and try to deny you your warranty. Of course, it's not just that does this...same thing will apply with STi and other sports cars....

If you really like the Evo, i suggest you buy it. Remember, there are certain sacrifices that needs to be made with sports cars, regardless of car brand.

Hope this helps

EvoSlr

Sounds Swell

92gsxbaltimore

iTrader: (1)

they seem to hold up faster than a dsm

kapolani

iTrader: (6)

Thanks for the responses!!!

All very valid points.

I'm prepared for the maintainence issues. I track my M3 so I know a little about keeping my cars in excellent condition.

I don't know fellas - I really want to test drive this car and see how it handles. My Cooper S's handling is no slouch and my M3 is pretty much track prepped.

I just love the tunability of the Evo - AWD - turbo from the factory!

You can't beat it.

What do you think 04's are going for now?

I'm torn between the 05 and 04.

kapolani

iTrader: (6)

I hope this is a typo!

If not, what the hell do they do?

I have Stoptechs on my M3 and it doesn't cost me that much to do my pads... lol

kapolani

iTrader: (6)

What's up brah?

Nice car!