that is a hell of a lot of miles, but of course they will be easy miles for the car. the problem is if u go by the service manual ur gonna be getting oil changes alll lthe time and those aren't cheap

 

lol i have heard of people on stock clutch till 80k miles. i have heard of poeple on it for 20k. for what you saying taking it easy keeping its stock maybe 60k start adding mods and there you go im sure you will mod it. its a evo and begs to be modified beyond stock anew clutch is like 1000-3000 can get a exedy twin for around 1700 so if your that worried then wait till you have a spare 1700 saved up then buy the car and enjoy but you cant be in that mindset of what if this break etc type talk. REMEBER this has a Warranty on these new cars for awhile keep it a stock as possible and hope your dealer is not in a bad mood to want to void things

 

^^ im not into the modding thing as much as I would like to be. This would be a fresh start for me and I would rather hold on to the warranty then mod the car. Drop in filter and possible a cat back, thats it. I think the stock clutch should hold up fine for daily driving with those, say 40k miles?

 

I went through this same process recently when I bought my X. When you buy a performance car you have to live by the rule "pay to play". If you have the tools/space/know-how to perform a lot of the normal maintenance then you can save yourself a lot of money. I don't know about everyone else but if someone offered to change my oil for $100 I would laugh in their face. I can change my own oil in about 15-20min and my only cost is the oil and filter which are no where near $100.

Tires will vary depending on what you put on the car, but your probably looking at $1000-$1300 depending on what you buy. If you always put High Performance Summer tires on the car then your looking at needing new tires probably every 12k miles or so. I'm sure there are some people who switch to High Performance All-Season tires to get longer tread life at the cost of some performance. Also depending on your climate you may need Winter tires if you decide to stick with Summer tires.

Brakes are obviously more expensive because they are much larger than a normal commuter car. Being able to change your own breaks can be a big savings on any car. I used to have a Honda Accord and I could change all the brake pads(front and back) and all 4 rotors for about $250. My co-worker also has an accord and recently had all her brake pads replaced(front and back), Front rotors replace, and rear rotors re-surfaced. She paid nearly $800.

There are certain things I really can't do like putting in a new clutch or most transmission work in general but I researched the costs and made the decision that I was prepared to pay the higher costs to have my Evo. All the information your looking for in terms of cost of ownership is on this site. I spent several hours searching the different forums to answer all my questions and when I was done I didn't have anymore questions.

 

I guess the big thing is I get some skewed answers from this forum on how long wear and tear items will last.

If I mod the car at all, it would only be a drop in filter and a cat back exhaust.

I will be driving this too and from my job which is just 5 miles away (estimating 12k miles per year after a drive or two to pittsburgh and back).

I am never going to track the car and will never do a full out launch from 0. I doubt I will ever really really push the full cornering ability either.

With this in mind, is it reasonable to think I will be buying new normal all seasons every 20k miles and a new clutch after about 30k miles?

Oil changes are 60$ here and of course the 15k/25k maintaince marks will be $300-600.

I think if those are accurate assumptions, plus of course the insurance increase and added cost of fuel, then it seems this would be a well thought out and reasonable upgrade from my 2009 GTS.

 

There are things to remember when owning a evo x expense wise.

-Premium Gas 91 octane or better
-Insurance, (insurance prices will jump considerably
-Gas mileage lower
-Basic Maintenance

Lets say you do all city driving
On the GTS i assume that you get around 20-22. Now lets also assume that you do drive 12k a year. Your fuel tank cap is 15.3 but lets say its 15. Also lets say gas prices for regular unleaded is 2.25.
It cost 33.75 to fill up a 15 gallon tank, which gets you 300 miles at 20mpg. Now take 12000 and divide that by 300, which = 40 fill ups per year.
40x33.75=$1350 a year on the gts assuming that you do all city, get 20mpg, and do 12k miles a year.

Evo
Assuming, premium gas = 2.50, Gas tank cap is 14, (14.5 actual) 12k miles, and 15mpg city driving.
$35.00 to fill up every 210 miles. Now take 12k divide that by 210, = around 58.
58x35 = $2030 a year assuming all city driving.

Gas summary
Evo = 170 a month
GTS = 113 a month

More info once I get more information from you =)

 

25% of my income is the most I will do now.
It sucked when I was spending 75-80% of my income on a car....Mods included.

EVO = money pits

 

Yea, gas is certainly a major factor, thanks for posting your math.

I'm at the point where I'm certain I can "afford" the car, I just want to make sure it doesn't impeed on anything else in my life. I want to still be able to go out on the weekends and eat/drink whatever I want, hang out with friends and do whatever, etc... Plus in 3-4 years I'd like to buy a condo or small house. I have decent money saved up so far for my age and a pretty steady job that could lead to better money. I'm pretty sure I'm going to do this, I just need to get the best deal possible. I don't do anything unless I'm getting the best deal I can find lol.

 

any modifiable car = money pits.

 

I would stick with the gts. I too wanted a evo, considered trading up my eclipse, in the end though it would just keep me from saving more money for later. My payments are 300 a month for the eclipse, I'm Paying 600-800 so i can get rid of a bill faster.
Don't get me wrong, im a college student maying 1.7k a month, i know i can afford the evo, but i dont like the idea of being in debt. The money saved from not buying a evo, helps me to save up for after college, house/condo

 

Yea one of the parts of the equation for me is what is the resale value of the car in 4-5 years. And from doing my research, if I keep it clean and bone stock, it will be worth much much more then one thats got any modifications to it. I mean some evo owners are ok with buying used cars with tasteful mods, but when a factory stock used evo comes around they are certainly worth more and can be an untouched canvas for the next owner.

 

Very true, with the 8/9s, the 10s might be a different story though.

 

Your clutch should last longer than that and so should your tires (depending on what kinds). My clutches in BMWs, saturns, and Mitsus have always lasted around 60k with some decent abuse and a few launches. A clutch every year is obvious evidence of abuse, not knowing how to drive, or overloading a weaker clutch with too much power. If you are racing or driving like a moron, you can expect to change it much sooner I would imagine.

Same with tires. When you buy tires the manufacturer usually gives you an estimate of how long they should last. I am using Goodyear triple treads (great all seasons) that are expected to last for 80k miles. They have gone 30k already and are still in great shape. Summer tires will die much faster. If your Evo is a DD only and you live in Boston, you should consider nice all seasons or picking up an extra set of rims and having snow tires and summer tires. Since it's an evo, snow tires would really be the best bet. The tire life is really most contingent upon how they are used.


You really won't know if you can afford it or not until you get a quote. My one piece of advice is to see how an evo fits into your future. How solid is your job? How easily could you find another well paying job? Are you planning on going back to school?

You basically don't want to get caught in a situation where your car payments are massively limiting what you can do with your future. How many threads or classifieds have we seen where people are selling their dream car because their plans have changed? Make sure its not just right for now, but right for the next few years. Then... go for it!

 

great point. thinking about this is hard because the future is always unknown. I dont have a wife, kids, or other obligations right now. My job is fairly stable and I won't go back to school unless my company brings back the tuition reimburstment policy and would pay for it. don't own a house, just pay rent. etc... It's certainly something I could see myself affording now without any issues, but I want to keep this car for 5 years if I get it and I dont know where my life will take me by then.

 

Also another thing, i think you live in a place where winters bring bad road conditions... would having the evo's awd help you during the fall/winter months? If so then its a good investment.