Hello all, I've been lurking here for a while now, and finally getting ready to buy an Evo. I'm coming from a lightly modded 01 530i which in my opinion was not a reliable car, things just kept breaking. I do take care and maintain me vehicles and can turn a wrench to an extent. My question is since this will be my first evo and first turbo what kind of reliability should i expect? Any other advice is appreciated!

 

As long as you take care of the car (oil change every 3000 miles) and do things like change out the trans fluid and the transfer case fluid as well as the rear diff fluid regularly then they can be very reliable cars. I've owned 3 EVO's and my current one is a 2006 IX SSL and I haven't really had too many issues. Brakes obviously need to be changed out periodically but that's any car. Imo the stock clutch is garbage and would need to be upgraded if the car you buy is stock. The throttle body shaft seals always leak so if it still has the stock seals swap those out for the works ones that are much better. Other then that if the car has the ACD (active center differential) that came on the '05 VIII and the '06 IX those ACD pumps usually have to be rebuilt because they corrode and the pump stops working. That pretty much covers the most popular "issues" that are known. I'm sure some more ppl might chime in with some other ideas too but as far as reliability I've always been happy with my EVO's I've owned. It just kind of depends on the previous owner and yourself. Did they/you beat the **** out of the car? How well did they take care of it prior to you buying it. Lastly, I think this is the most important thing hands down, before you just run out and buy some random EVO take the car to a specialist that deals in EVO's only and have them give it a thorough look over. They might charge $100 for that but if theu find something wrong with it that could save you a lot more then the $100 you spent on the inspection. And also if you find one you like just post up some detailed pics on here with a history of the car and most of the people I have encountered on here are very friendly and helpful. We can all give you honest advice about this car and if its a "go for it" or if its a "run for the hills" type of car. Good luck and keep us posted on your progress. Thanks, Jason

 

Thanks for the detailed reply Jason. Brakes and fluids is normal maintence, but i have read on here that the evo has more fluids to keep up with. Is the ACD pump an expensive repair? Does anyone have a baby seat in the back of their evo? My daughter usually rides in my wifes truck but just in case. The back seat cant be much smaller than the 530i.

 

Yeah lancershop.com actually has recaro baby seats that look like mini EVO seats lol. They're pretty awesome looking, as far as baby seats go that is. And as for the pump if you are mechanically inclined you can rebuild the pump yourself. Just get a rebuild kit and have at it. If the car you buy is from a no salt on the road kind of state like California or Florida or such you proly won't even have to rebuild the pump. I was just giving a general idea of the type of things that come up with an EVO like you had asked. I've rebuilt about 25 of those pumps now and I'm getting pretty damn good at it lol but you could also get an earlier VIII without ACD and then you wouldn't even have to worry about it. Just take a non ACD transfer case and through a LSD in there and you'd be set.

 

Awsome, I have alot to learn but im not afraid to DIY. Im in New England so unfortunately it will most likely be a salt car, but I cant wait to get my hand on one!

 

Feel free to bring any Evo your looking to buy to the shop we will can give it a look over if needed. Main thing we find with people buying Evo's is the previous owner didn't change the trans, tcase, and diff fluid as much as should be. We pull the plugs and the fluid is black as coal. Tough to check but its worth knowing if they kept up on it.

 

Reliability is relative.

If you want a car that can go 200K miles with minimal service then probably NO.

Within 120K miles I've had to replace the clutch, rebuilt transfer case, rebuilt rear-diff, changed brake pads 4 times and rotors twice, tires about every 6 months, new timing belt and tensioner, and replace the radiator that was leaking.

Then, at 123K miles, the motor blew up.

Of course I do drive it like I stole it so that probably has something to do with it.

 

I have to add. If that EVO is your primary transportation you will have to treat her like a baby. That means if something is going south, don't let it cross the Mason Dixon before you get it fixed.

If it's modded, look out for "rigging" and fix t it pronto. Make it right. The good people here will help you.

I have had a few Mitsu's. I just sold a '91 GSX and it was pretty much bone stock with a parts off repaint. it had 204k on it. Synchros in the trans twice (crappy second gear anyways...). New bigger turbo (seals puked and coked up the impellers). And blueprinted the head (once only drive up north in the winter and a cinder broke the timing belt cover which blew the timing belt). Other than that a relay here, radiator there and tons of oil changes (always ran Valvoline 10W-40 dinosaur). A few sets of tires. Only got semi stranded once when the clutch safety plug popped out and it wouldnt start (paper clip in the connector got me home)

My favorite car all time besides my '70 AAR 'Cuda that's sleeping for the winter. But it took a lot of tlc to keep it nice. The new owner is psyched.

My EVO IX MR had 90k on it when it got ripped off. Not one bit of major trouble at all. Just rotors rotors rotors. Engine was modded slightly. Never at the track but driven very spirited. Several 2500 mile trips (grrr no cruise control) in the summers for vacation.

I have a 2012 GSR right now. Bone stock. It's parked for the winter. I lived in Fl up until a few months ago and seriously miss driving it. No snow makes for better show!

Good luck. Congratulation on your new "baby" when it's delivered!!

 

I'll just add a few points/counterpoints.

1. Evo's are reliable in the sense that it's a Japanese car with a motor that's incredibly old, and well sorted. They don't have "major" problems, but a reliable car... I wouldn't call it that necessarily. Reason being... it's an economy car with homogation roots. The idea behind it is, you're buying a wolf in sheeps clothing. Everything works very very well if it's maintained, as has been mentioned... but there is, quite a lot of maintenance.

That said, there are a number of Evo's with EXTREMELY high mileage. Like... higher than the mileage on my 87 Volvo 240 high. So that's a testament. But it WILL cost you money to keep it running in good shape, and MANY Evo owners slack on maintenance simply because the cars prices now are coming down, which avails them to the masses, but few people realize what it actually COSTS to own an Evo day to day. So things get skimped on, or rigged, and well...

2. The space and functionality of the Evo is great. Back seat has tons of room because of the Recaros, and I've DRIVEN my car across the country (from east coast to Pikes Peak for the hillclimb) with plenty of comfort. That said, a GT car it is not. No cruise, punchy accel, and drone made it challenging. But I never worried about it's reliability (because I do all my own work).

I'll be honest though, I wouldn't call it a great DD. While many will tout the inherent weakness of the OEM clutch, I'll disagree, but add that the Evo's have possibly one of the worst clutch mechanisms I've encountered. And I'm a long time Mitsu guy. So it IS a very difficult car to drive smooth, and of course... that coupled with the indiscretion of youth, and you end up with the stock clutch having a bad rap. To qualify that, I just swapped my stock clutch out, and I'm just under 60k. I also track my car, and launch it. I'm sure you can find plenty of other threads where I'm touting how most Evo's are "over clutched".

3. EVERY Evo has been driven like hell. If they say it's stock, never modified. They're lying. If they say it's never been launched, they're lying. Whatever they say... they're lying. That said... I'm not so sure why it's BAD that a car that's meant to be hooned around a WRC stage gets hooned on the street, or *gasp* run at the track? So long as the proper maintenance is being done, which it typically is if it's a track person... the car should be fine. BUT... you NEED to do your due diligence. My car for example, was originally tracked (in full weighted trim), but the second owner... god love him, made a few poor choices. He had only owned it for a handful of miles, and I was quick to service out, and repair all of his "trial and error", and the car is a fine example of the breed. But you should be aware that buying an Evo is definitely going to be tricky, because you'll end up with someone elses project. And you NEVER buy someone elses project.

Anyway... not trying to sound all doom and gloom, but the Evo is not a Porsche, or a BMW. It's a Japanese econobox with the drivetrain from God. Most of the issues people encounter are when they come out of a luxury car expecting the Evo to be like them. It isn't. Heck... it's not even like the GTR. But it IS a fantastic automobile, that if maintained properly, will be able to shred the doors off of 90% of the other crap out there. But do your due diligence.

Let us know if you have questions.

 

beat me to hitting the button. That's what I get for trying to post at work (multitask HAHA)

 

i beat the hell out of my car, almost bordering on abuse change the fluids normally, and have had 0 problems with stock parts. Im only at 50k miles on an 06, but i beat the sheet out of her.

 

op don't know how tall you are(I'm 6'2") and how old is your kid(mine 4 and 5years) but when i put child seat behind me i have to push my seat forward around 2".it's not very comfortable but acceptable.

 

Heck! Got two of them back there, might even add a third. Good luck and keep us posted.

 

Hi, I´m one of those EVO drivers with a baby seat at the back, she love to be on her car seat and no problem at all, she is just 4year old and like to put down the drink holder piece (middle seat back item - no idea the name) and seat all her toys in there. the baby seat is like the recaro style (is really comfortable) with adjustable sides and able to move back and forward ... it never move or shake, so don't worry about... your baby will be fine at any moment if you chose a right baby seat.

 

I have a baby seat in the back too.