sshu

I have been thinking about getting a daily driver and track beater car. The mileage on the car would be minimal(5k year). My budget is around 16-18k and for a stock Evo9 that means it would have to be a high mileage one(60-80k miles). I plan to look with one with all the records and have a mechanic look at it and get a leakdown and compression check. Even if everything checks out you still never know what could happen at the track. I also plan to do light mods, tune, exhaust, coilovers, etc but it will be stock for a while until I learn how to drive better. Worse case scenario is that the engine blows at the track. What would be a rough cost to rebuild the engine? The rebuilt engine would need to be reliable for track duty so I won't be looking for a 500whp set-up but something around 400whp would be enough.Is it wise to save a 3-4k and get a high mileage one knowing that I might have to rebuild the engine or go for a lower mileage one for a couple thousand more which may have to be rebuilt anyway?

Thanks,

hayden81

iTrader: (1)

Are you sold on a 9? Is there something about the 8 you don’t like? 400whp is stock block territory so no probs there. A rebuild will cost anywhere from 2k to more than you want to spend. 2k is best case scenario, nothing broke no major damage just shot rings and the like.

manofhonor

well you could get your high mileage motor and be completely fine. all that really matters is if the driver properly maintained it (regular oil changes, scheduled maintenances, etc) and drove it maturely. also, keeping as close as stock to possible at time of purchase would be beneficial. although not the same car, i bought an 02 wrx with 140k miles on it. i tracked it and did a lot of spirited driving in int, and it held like a champ because the previous owner kept up with maintaining it. if youre going through with it, see if you can obtain all previous service records

aschold

iTrader: (7)

60-80k is not a lot of miles unless the guy that had it before you didn't take good care of it. However I don't think you'll be able to find an IX for 16-18k unless you get lucky, I paid 16.5 for my VIII with 77k.

Smike

iTrader: (8)

1. I have not seen any stock IXs go for that much. Unless they are salvage titled.

2. As long as the motor was maintained, its not going to just blow. I have 113k on my car from highway driving. Maintenance is key. Car works fantastically.

3. Search the FS threads. There are a few VIIIs with great mods for less than what you want to pay for a stock IX (like mine).

sshu

Thanks for the advice. Since my M5 just came out of warranty I'm a little scared to track the car. I'm in no rush to buy because it will be my secondary car. I'll probably look more carefully in the winter. Maybe the Evo9 will drop a little more in price. I'm also considering a miata and S2000 because it would be nice to have a vert for the nice days.