Mercenary3

iTrader: (1)

Let me preface by saying I'm not trying to flame modders on this post. Just looking to understand the pros and cons. Im interested in modding my car, but still have reservations.

First, a lot on people on this site say something to the effect of "don't buy a used evo thats been modded!" when the subject comes up... So... what do you guys plan on doing when YOU sell your car? Selling back to dealers? Finding someone who doesnt care? (taking mods off and lying to or misleading a buyer isnt an option for me...so please don't suggest that) Has anyone had a lot of trouble selling a modded evo?

Second, with the warranty situation, do you guys just accept the fact that at any time you could drop a rod or something and have to pay 6-8k out of pocket? I understand its unlikely, but it happens...so you all are just willing to accept that or do you just not even think about it really? Do you have that kind of money put aside for "emergency evo repairs"?

Just trying to weigh things back and forth. Let me know what you guys think. Thanks!

ultraflip

iTrader: (1)

not sure of the first situation... i plan on drilling my evo till it turns to dust...

as far as warranty goes... "you play... you pay"... having stuff blow... busting a rod.. etc.... 95% of the time DO NOT happen on a stock evo... breaking those parts would be your own fault... kinda have to bite the huge bill... why hassle a dealer that's going to lead to frustrations anyway? i myself have $$ set aside just in case... you NEVER know what may happen..

.02

bigjhoney

iTrader: (12)

I had the same worries, do a search you'll find more than enough information. If your so worried about modding, keep it stock, still a badass car in stock form.

en1gma19

iTrader: (23)

Well, the first thing you should realize is you have to pay to play. Whenever you start pushing the limits of anything, it is inevitable that something could break. That doesn't mean it will happen, but it could.

When I bought my evo, I had every intention of modding it to a substantial amount. I realize that most people do not want to buy a modded car. I am one of them. If I had a choice, I would buy a stock car and modify it myself. This is just a personal perference. Remember, there is a buyer out there for everything. You just need to have the right price and enough patience to find them. If you plan on selling it soon, I would keep the mods to a minimum. Although, selling to a dealership is always an option, they usually don't care if it's been modded, but you may not get as much money for it. If you only do a few simple bolt-ons, you can always return it to stock and let whoever buys it know that it was slightly modded at one point. That's an option also.

As far as warranty, it all depends. Some dealers are *******s and some are very helpful. My dealer has replaced my power steering pump, 5th gear syncro, and some electric window parts, and my car has AEM EMS, among many other bolt ons. Minor mods should not void your warranty, nor should they cause any catastrophic failures. The only serious problems I have read about are from people who either had a lemon to begin with, abused the car, or had a bad install/tune.

I can't speak for everyone, but for me, modding is not a decision I have to make, it's more of a lifestyle. Cars are my passion and learning about them, modding them, driving them, and enjoying them is something I could not live without. My guess is if you have to decide whether or not modding your car is right for you, then you haven't been bitten by the car-modding bug.

As for whether or not it's worth it, that is all a matter of choice. For me, nothing puts a smile on my face like spinning all four tires coming out of a long sweeper, or launching the evo at 6k to slingshot out of the hole. I can't imagine being able to leave my car stock, even if I wanted to.

Hope this helps. Cheers

xtreme571

well first of all if a person is gonna mod his evo...its unlikely he will sell it until its like oldddd...and i mean old...but if for any reason he has 2 sell it...then the buyer can get the car inspected by a mechanic/tuner to find out if its worth the money...cuz there r idiots who try 2 mod their cars...do something really wrong and sell it for few grand less than its worth...they make their money out...but the person who bought the car gets stuck with it...but neway...ppl r smart enuf 2 kno to get the car checked b4 buying...i wudnt buy any car b4 taking it to a shop first...its just common sense

secondly...idk what sum1 will do if that happens...but then again...ppl who mod their cars kno what they are doing...and trust me...its unlikely for someone 2 get it really ****ed up...unless the person is a complete moron

well there u have it...dont buy a car without having it checked...even if ur buying from an old person...u dun kno who drove it...and kno what you are doing and the concequences of u messing up b4 u start on a mod

Richard EVO

You don't need your first smog test in California until your car is 6 years old. If my EVO survives that long, I will probably turn it into a trailer queen for track-use only.

Kayaalp

iTrader: (1)

That's mostly because you never know how carefully a car was modded. Personally, I've modded my Evo...but I'm very careful and conservative about these things. I did tons of research, selected parts carefully, and had the car tuned with an eye towards safety. However, some other guys might have just slapped on a bunch of parts, upped the boost, and run the car into the ground. How can the buyer figure out which is which? That's why buying used cars is kind of risky.


I would never sell the car to someone without fully disclosing all mods. Hell, I'm a 30 y.o. medical doctor and (like I said above) I was very careful about modding and tuning the car. If the buyer isn't comfortable with that, then that's fine. Someone else will be interested!


I made sure that none of my mods were of the warranty voiding kind. In fact, I've actually PAID the dealer to install some of my aftermarket parts just to help protect the warranty. Now that my transfer case has broken for the second time, it's getting replaced under warranty no questions asked.

Having said that, if there WERE a major mechanical failure and the dealer wouldn't cover it under warranty...I'd be ready to bite the bullet on that. If I weren't prepared to eat the cost of repairs, I wouldn't have started modding the car beyond maybe just intake and exhaust. Because I'm prepared to take the financial responsibility, that makes me all the more careful about modding carefully.

Emre

ex-honda

It's all up to you on how far you want to mod your car. You have to ask yourself, "will I mod. it for mainly looks or more power?" To your question about not buying a modded Evo is because the previous owner who modded it most likely beat the crap out of it. Keep in mind also on what the previous owner modded. If he/she started changing parts on the motor (cams, pulleys, etc.) then most likely he beat the car. But if its just sublte parts like cat. back and rims then it should be okay to buy.

soule77

Really, what did the dealership qualify as a warranty voiding modification and also what did you have them install (if you don't mind me asking)?

Kayaalp

iTrader: (1)

There's a lot of variation from dealer to dealer. I was very open with my local dealer about what I was looking to do and they were very receptive. They had no problem with a turbo-back exhaust, intake, and auxiliary gauges (even though that meant cutting into the wiring harness). Believe it or not, they didn't mind the ECU reflash either. In fact, they had commented that the car was running too rich in stock form. When I told them I planned to get the ECU reflashed to solve the problem, they were cool with it.

The only issue was the Hallman MBC. I'll admit I wasn't totally open with them about the MBC...but I didn't go out of my way to hide it either! They noticed it, but didn't say anything. They had NO problem replacing my transfer case not once but TWICE. Not only that, but they even replaced my tranny under warranty because it was a little noisy.

I stopped short of more extreme mods, like cams. I doubt they would have been cool with that!

Emre

dohcvtec

iTrader: (5)

its the same way with my dealer. i think this whole waranty thing is just completely blown out of proportion. it really depends on what dealer you deal with.

Theibault

It is a double edged sword.

Mercenary3

iTrader: (1)

Good thoughts, thanks for the input!

GreedMOTO

iTrader: (3)

For the first question....I sold my last car (a 1995 3000GT SL) on E-BAY with full disclosure of all mods that were done. I stated that I was the one who preformed the mods and that the car did see some limited track time. There is a car for everyone out there. I personally WOULD NOT buy a modded car unless I knew the owner. To many people just slap some crap on and run. But, some cars cannot be found in stock form; try finding a bone stock Supra turbo.....I think the EVO will be that way in the future when the price goes down...it's just too easy to mod and have fun.

And the second question....Whenever I buy a car, I NEVER intend on keeping it stock. Simple mods out there increase fuel effeciency and safety, regardless of the fact that they can also make power. I am a firm believer that you get what you pay for, (I would never by an off brand mod on E-BAY). Combine top parts with a stout powerplant and a well thought out plan of attack towards safety and reliability, life with the EVO only gets better.

Every new part is like a NEW car all over again.