What makes the Evo so expensive to own?
Oct 20, 2007, 11:05 AM
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What makes the Evo so expensive to own?
Whats up all,
I'm a fellow member here and while I don't drive an Evo, something was just boggling my mind. I hear the idea thrown around a LOT that the Evo is an expensive car to own. However, as I never owned one, or a performance car for that matter, I can't understand as to why?
Let's figure that a used Evo IX or VIII is around $23k. This is pretty much what I spent for my 2008 Lancer GTS. So out the door, the costs are pretty close. So next up would be gas. I know the Evo has to use 93 Octane where as the Lancer uses 87. So you figure it's an extra $.30 a gallon of gas. Therefore, I'd figure that the gas prices would double, monthly.
Obviously insurance will go up. How much, I'm not quite sure...(depending on age, record, company, etc)
Other than that...where does all of the extra expenses come in? I believe the Evo's maintenance schedule is every 3k miles, right? To me, this is the norm. Every car I owned or the family owned was serviced at 3k miles or 3 months and all of which used Mobile 1. I actually find it weird that my Lancer is 7500miles...
I do know some people go mod crazy, however, that's their choice. Just because one person drops an extra $10k into the Evo on mods doesn't mean the guy next to you will.
Is there some other costs to calculate other than the above?
I'm a fellow member here and while I don't drive an Evo, something was just boggling my mind. I hear the idea thrown around a LOT that the Evo is an expensive car to own. However, as I never owned one, or a performance car for that matter, I can't understand as to why?
Let's figure that a used Evo IX or VIII is around $23k. This is pretty much what I spent for my 2008 Lancer GTS. So out the door, the costs are pretty close. So next up would be gas. I know the Evo has to use 93 Octane where as the Lancer uses 87. So you figure it's an extra $.30 a gallon of gas. Therefore, I'd figure that the gas prices would double, monthly.
Obviously insurance will go up. How much, I'm not quite sure...(depending on age, record, company, etc)
Other than that...where does all of the extra expenses come in? I believe the Evo's maintenance schedule is every 3k miles, right? To me, this is the norm. Every car I owned or the family owned was serviced at 3k miles or 3 months and all of which used Mobile 1. I actually find it weird that my Lancer is 7500miles...
I do know some people go mod crazy, however, that's their choice. Just because one person drops an extra $10k into the Evo on mods doesn't mean the guy next to you will.
Is there some other costs to calculate other than the above?
Oct 20, 2007, 11:13 AM
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Brake pads are $200- rotors are expensive- tires are expensive, if you want it to handle well. You should change your fluids often, every 15k. Everything maintance related is pricier than most cars, except bmw, mercedes, lexus, ect. And if you keep up on it all like most of us do it's probly 100-200 a month. Maybe I just treat her to nice (the evo).
Oct 20, 2007, 12:14 PM
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u have mentioned a few but here are my thoughts/experience on why:
1) drivetrain/trans is the weakest part of the car. alot of ppl don't know how to launch/drive a AWD car so they usually destroy the clutch. some ppl have even shattered trannys AND transfer cases due to inability on how to drive their cars. clutch in the evo was designed crappy to help save u from replacing a trans ($400 vs 2500). an evo clutch is about 10 hrs of labor unless u know a competent mitsu mechanic. less than 1% of dealers will warranty evo trans work bcuz they know that we mod them & beat on them.
2) people mod them incorrectly. most ppl are addicted to horsepower & mod their cars like the Honda crowd only to have their motors blowup 3 months after they make "500whp" only to then complain on here about the shop/tuner/car design. they put big turbo kits on stock motors & NEVER upgrade their brakes/tires/suspension. how stupid is that???
3) sanctioned racing of any kind is murder on a car unless u have deep pockets (example Formula 1 is $250Million just to get in the door). alot of ppl dragrace evos but they weren't designed for it. dragracing is hard on your driveline, Road Racing is hard on EVERYTHING ELSE.
4) street racing + negative stigma from the fast and furious movies has costed ppl a fortune in accidents, tickets, & court costs.
5) ppl are cheap when it comes to part selection. "You Get What You Pay For" applies more than ever when modding Evos. there are guys out there running $6 testpipes with crooked flanges & just mickeymouse their cars together "hoping for the best". u don't have to buy the highest price parts, BUT u should buy the highest quality parts. the car modding motto is: Cheap, Fast, Reliable-Pick 2!
6) Tuning is key to a good running car. ppl cut corners here & also end up w/blown motors, or a car that runs worse than stock. EVO's come with a real rich A/F ratio (air/fuel) from the factory so doing basic mods +tune really makes the car come alive. if u skimp on the tune, u skimp on the car's max potential. simply bolting parts on does nothing. this car (like all forced induction cars)requires tuning, period.
7) ppl buy a used EVO. carfax doesn't help bcuz like Hondas, u can take the EVO gauge cluster out & put in a new 1 with 0 miles on it & keep going. so the last thing u want is a car that says "25,000miles" but really has 50,000!!! avoid buying used EVO's at all costs unless u know how to work on it. the same holds true for 911Turbo Porsches. they are like a biker chick-rode hard & put away wet!
To give u a comparison of what my evo costs me here are my numbers:
bought a new 2003 evo in Apr 2004 for $28,200 out the door(salesman lost his job the next day bcuz back then evos had a $5k markup on price & the MSRP was $28,700). financed for 72 mos @ $637/month (13.99APR-bad credit) but i pay $800 so it will be paid off 18months early. i have spent about $1500 in power mods, $1900 in suspension/tire mods, & $1000 in brakes, & $1200 in stereo parts, all aftermarket of course.
my car is insured as a "recreational vehicle" thru Progressive at a rate of $181/month. bcuz of my driving record (several criminal speeding tickets in Arizona-21+mph and over) if i insured the car as a daily it would cost me $583/month!!!
since i only drive it on the weekends, i am using a real aggressive tune. i use Sunoco GT Plus 104octane unleaded racegas only which is costing $8/gallon. $8/gallon gas is cheaper than $13k for a new motor. i average anywhere between 4-9MPG for fuel economy bcuz when the car is running it spends about 80% of its time over 100MPH. 1/2 tank of 104 gets me about 63 miles. i change the oil every 2k miles using Royal Purple at a cost of $30 a pop for the 5quarts. the tires i use are the Advan A032R's (no longer made) which last either 2k miles or 1 roadrace at a price of $211each. the replacement tire will be the Advan A048 which is $254each & lasts the same as above. alot of ppl forget that suspension doesn't work w/out good tires.
my clutch went out may 2006 (lasted me 2yrs as opposed to most ppl lasting about 6mos)& has been sitting for over a year until i could get all the parts ready for the repair. i spent around $2000 in replacement parts since i plan on running a slightly larger turbo than stock in the future.
I spent:
1) $1600 on used Tilton twin disk clutch + used Quaife front LSD. 03-04's (except RS model) didn't have LSD's in the front which helped cause premature trans failure. all 05 & newer have front LSD's. trans also had TSB's on it & it will be rebuilt which is a separate cost from above.
2) $400+ in fluids, stainless clutch line, shifter bushings to do the clutch/trans.
also the EVO is quite frankly a boring car to own unless u drive like a complete A-hole bcuz that is the only time u can see what the car can really do.
the results of my money spent?
stock car flywheel power numbers were 271Hp/283Tq. my new numbers after the above work are 421Hp/478Tq. keep in mind i only spent $1500 in power mods/tuning & it's all on the STOCK turbo! my power to the wheels is 324hp/368Tq (Mustang AWD Dyno) & the car can go 175mph (traffic limited). Imagine what kind of monster i would have if i spend $10k in power, $10k in suspension, $10k in brakes, & $10k in tuning????????????????????????????
the EVO is a well crafted machine & if respected as well as taken care of will provide you years of Corvette stomping enjoyment. i highly recommend that if one is in the market for an EVO that u take a knowledgeable person w/you so you don't get shafted into buying someone else's headache.
1) drivetrain/trans is the weakest part of the car. alot of ppl don't know how to launch/drive a AWD car so they usually destroy the clutch. some ppl have even shattered trannys AND transfer cases due to inability on how to drive their cars. clutch in the evo was designed crappy to help save u from replacing a trans ($400 vs 2500). an evo clutch is about 10 hrs of labor unless u know a competent mitsu mechanic. less than 1% of dealers will warranty evo trans work bcuz they know that we mod them & beat on them.
2) people mod them incorrectly. most ppl are addicted to horsepower & mod their cars like the Honda crowd only to have their motors blowup 3 months after they make "500whp" only to then complain on here about the shop/tuner/car design. they put big turbo kits on stock motors & NEVER upgrade their brakes/tires/suspension. how stupid is that???
3) sanctioned racing of any kind is murder on a car unless u have deep pockets (example Formula 1 is $250Million just to get in the door). alot of ppl dragrace evos but they weren't designed for it. dragracing is hard on your driveline, Road Racing is hard on EVERYTHING ELSE.
4) street racing + negative stigma from the fast and furious movies has costed ppl a fortune in accidents, tickets, & court costs.
5) ppl are cheap when it comes to part selection. "You Get What You Pay For" applies more than ever when modding Evos. there are guys out there running $6 testpipes with crooked flanges & just mickeymouse their cars together "hoping for the best". u don't have to buy the highest price parts, BUT u should buy the highest quality parts. the car modding motto is: Cheap, Fast, Reliable-Pick 2!
6) Tuning is key to a good running car. ppl cut corners here & also end up w/blown motors, or a car that runs worse than stock. EVO's come with a real rich A/F ratio (air/fuel) from the factory so doing basic mods +tune really makes the car come alive. if u skimp on the tune, u skimp on the car's max potential. simply bolting parts on does nothing. this car (like all forced induction cars)requires tuning, period.
7) ppl buy a used EVO. carfax doesn't help bcuz like Hondas, u can take the EVO gauge cluster out & put in a new 1 with 0 miles on it & keep going. so the last thing u want is a car that says "25,000miles" but really has 50,000!!! avoid buying used EVO's at all costs unless u know how to work on it. the same holds true for 911Turbo Porsches. they are like a biker chick-rode hard & put away wet!
To give u a comparison of what my evo costs me here are my numbers:
bought a new 2003 evo in Apr 2004 for $28,200 out the door(salesman lost his job the next day bcuz back then evos had a $5k markup on price & the MSRP was $28,700). financed for 72 mos @ $637/month (13.99APR-bad credit) but i pay $800 so it will be paid off 18months early. i have spent about $1500 in power mods, $1900 in suspension/tire mods, & $1000 in brakes, & $1200 in stereo parts, all aftermarket of course.
my car is insured as a "recreational vehicle" thru Progressive at a rate of $181/month. bcuz of my driving record (several criminal speeding tickets in Arizona-21+mph and over) if i insured the car as a daily it would cost me $583/month!!!
since i only drive it on the weekends, i am using a real aggressive tune. i use Sunoco GT Plus 104octane unleaded racegas only which is costing $8/gallon. $8/gallon gas is cheaper than $13k for a new motor. i average anywhere between 4-9MPG for fuel economy bcuz when the car is running it spends about 80% of its time over 100MPH. 1/2 tank of 104 gets me about 63 miles. i change the oil every 2k miles using Royal Purple at a cost of $30 a pop for the 5quarts. the tires i use are the Advan A032R's (no longer made) which last either 2k miles or 1 roadrace at a price of $211each. the replacement tire will be the Advan A048 which is $254each & lasts the same as above. alot of ppl forget that suspension doesn't work w/out good tires.
my clutch went out may 2006 (lasted me 2yrs as opposed to most ppl lasting about 6mos)& has been sitting for over a year until i could get all the parts ready for the repair. i spent around $2000 in replacement parts since i plan on running a slightly larger turbo than stock in the future.
I spent:
1) $1600 on used Tilton twin disk clutch + used Quaife front LSD. 03-04's (except RS model) didn't have LSD's in the front which helped cause premature trans failure. all 05 & newer have front LSD's. trans also had TSB's on it & it will be rebuilt which is a separate cost from above.
2) $400+ in fluids, stainless clutch line, shifter bushings to do the clutch/trans.
also the EVO is quite frankly a boring car to own unless u drive like a complete A-hole bcuz that is the only time u can see what the car can really do.
the results of my money spent?
stock car flywheel power numbers were 271Hp/283Tq. my new numbers after the above work are 421Hp/478Tq. keep in mind i only spent $1500 in power mods/tuning & it's all on the STOCK turbo! my power to the wheels is 324hp/368Tq (Mustang AWD Dyno) & the car can go 175mph (traffic limited). Imagine what kind of monster i would have if i spend $10k in power, $10k in suspension, $10k in brakes, & $10k in tuning????????????????????????????
the EVO is a well crafted machine & if respected as well as taken care of will provide you years of Corvette stomping enjoyment. i highly recommend that if one is in the market for an EVO that u take a knowledgeable person w/you so you don't get shafted into buying someone else's headache.
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Oct 20, 2007, 01:21 PM
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Yeah, everything houseDJ said. People have to remember, that it's an all around performance car that can take on all forms of terrains.
All high performance cars are cars that involve high maintenance.
No matter what.
If anyone tells you different, then they are probably taking shortcuts.
All high performance cars are cars that involve high maintenance.
No matter what.
If anyone tells you different, then they are probably taking shortcuts.
Oct 20, 2007, 02:54 PM
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oil changes 4x a year = $120
front and rear diff changer per year= $50
tranny fluid change per year =$21
radiator fluid per year =$30
120+50+21+30=221/12= 18.42 per month for maintanence
personally i dont think maintanence is expensive for the evo. you can factor in the cost of tires $800 every 2-3 years and brakes $600 every 2-3 years. even with these factored in the cost is $38-$58 dollars a month. all depends on how much you beat on your car, drag race, road race etc that will determine how expensive maintanence is as well as replacement parts.
as for insurance mine is only 800 a year (due to age, location, driving history,etc.)
front and rear diff changer per year= $50
tranny fluid change per year =$21
radiator fluid per year =$30
120+50+21+30=221/12= 18.42 per month for maintanence
personally i dont think maintanence is expensive for the evo. you can factor in the cost of tires $800 every 2-3 years and brakes $600 every 2-3 years. even with these factored in the cost is $38-$58 dollars a month. all depends on how much you beat on your car, drag race, road race etc that will determine how expensive maintanence is as well as replacement parts.
as for insurance mine is only 800 a year (due to age, location, driving history,etc.)
Last edited by evo150; Oct 20, 2007 at 03:09 PM.
insurance is what messes me up a lot............ but its worth it