Hi guys, require some newbie advice with buying first Evo please.

[jontevo]

Hi guys! It's good to join a new forum

I am Jon, 33 yrs old, living in Cambridge, UK.

I came from a Nissan background, for the last 10 years I have been playing with various RWD Nissans and similar cars. I am fairly proficient at mechanics, hardly a master mechanic, but I have build cars from the shell upwards etc.

I had a nasty crash in a Nissan Silvia a couple of years ago on the road. I am looking for a car again now, but something a little more mature and controllable.

It will be a secondary car, so doesn't need to do a huge amount of miles. It's purpose will be for pleasurable road driving, including weekend car trips with fellow enthusiasts, sometimes into Europe on long hauls.

My physical requirements in the car would be:
- good road holding on various road surfaces(nothing extreme like gravel or snow)
- good comfort(no more stripped out Nissans). A/C would be nice.
- modern safety features e.g. ABS
- good reliability. This one is important. I have had my share of modified and un-reliable cars. I am looking for a car in which I can bag up a 3000 European mile trip without having to worry about mechanics going wrong etc.
- low mileage, something nice and clean with no rust etc.
- light weight chassis, have a real hatred of big wallowy new cars like Nissan 350Z.

There is no set budget as such, but I am not rich, so must really look for good value for money from the car. I guess in the initial purchase range of £7k to £13kish.

I have had a look on Pistonheads.com etc and there is a huge range of Evo's for sale. I don't really know where to start with them. I have no idea which versions were better than others etc, and I have no idea how to avoid lemons etc.

Regards modifications. I am interested in a nice sounding fart can and maybe some mild engine tuning, but nothing extreme. I guess nothing outside the 300-350 engine horsepower range. Nothing where we are starting to compromise reliability or handling for the sake of big bhp.

The main thing that has put me off Evo's so far is the complexity of them. Old Nissan Silvia's for example couldn't be more simple, just 1990's nuts and bolts engineering. But from what I've seen on the net, Evo's look incredibly complex, with several active diffs and numerous hydraulic systems and sensors for the drivetrain etc etc. It worries me that all this fancy technology is just stuff that is going to break constantly and kill the fun.

So, I have described as best I can what I am looking for. With your experience, which Evo do you think would be most suitable for the purposes as described above? And why? And any advice on how to avoid buying a rotter? Also, what are they like to live with in terms of reliability? How often do the complex drivetrain systems fail etc?

Many thanks for taking the time to read this lot!

Jon

 

[DDS789]

Hi Jon

Good read, well I'd go and say something like the evo 5 upwards.

Couple of things to do or ascertain.

1. Looks ie which cars do you like the look of? Aggressive 5/6 softer looking 7/8/9 or the totally different 10? There was a massive difference externally and internally on the 4/5/6 compared to the 7/8/9.

2. Check this thread out for specs http://www.evoowners.co.uk/f10/evo-model-information-37.html#axzz38EX5iufi

Also look at Wikipedia as they have a great section going through the different models.

3. Are you wanting a newer car etc etc.

My 5 is a 1998 car, when I bought it it had full interior and mint aircon. Nothing has gone wrong with it since buying it 2/3 years ago apart from me fiddling and upgrading

Ooo I say that but the wastgate wore the penny washers on the tubby so a new Turbo was put on, did it myself, supamario gave me his old turbo.

What I'm gettin at is there's a lot of stuff on these cars but if it's taken care of theyll be as reliable as anything else.

Dan

 

[jontevo]

Thanks! Good answer

1)
- Do not like looks of v1-v4.
- V5 is my favourite for looks, it's what I imagined an Evo would look like, all vents and fog lights.
- Haven't seen a v6 yet.
- V7-V9 all look similar to me, pretty good, more modern, not as sexy as V5.
- V10 do not like, it's a little too modern for me. Probably out of my £ range anyways.

2) OK thanks. I'll print that off and start geeking out.

3) If it was just aesthetics then I am not after a newer car as such. I would only be after a newer one necesarilly if it were that case that the newer ones were so much better/more reliable than the older ones if that makes sense.

Thanks

 

[DDS789]

Evo 5/6 are very similar

If they are the looks your after then stick with those.

Your price range will cover

Evo 5 GSR

Evo 5 RS

Evo 6 GSR

Evo 6 RS

Evo 6 tommi mak edition


To give you an idea I paid £7k for mine, which was pricey. I bought it totally on condition, underneath is rust free and like I've mentioned had to change the tubby as it was slightly worn out. It was about stage 1 running 370 ish bhp and I've slowly added bits n bobs to it like full brake set up etc etc as I gradually make it a track car.

Stuff doesn't go wrong that much it's a typical service history thing and looking to see if its been taken care of.

My advice would be to never scrape the barrel which I'm sure your aware of.
I paid top money for mine and can easily say I got what I paid for

 

[jontevo]

Cool ok.

Well it's looking like it's going to be a 5 or 6 then.

Probably a GSR as I am old and worn out nowdays and would like creature comforts

Would you suggest a UK or Import? I expect that the imports are more rust free which is good. But I guess a concern is that you get no history and proof of mileage with them.

 

[DDS789]

Set your sights on the model and go for the cleanest car.

I had lots of 5's and 6's offerered.

There's a couple differencesof the 5 and 6 that have effected me, may not effect you though

1. Ride height, go too low on a 5 and you get bump steer (my 5 is low on coilovers and not affected mind) the 6 has a better designed lower arm that can be modded to correct it.

2 the 6 has differently designed pistons, that allow for a simple rod job with the engine in place (the weakness of these engines when pushing for 400+bhp) the 5 needs to have the engine out!

I'm sure others will point out other subtle changes, but the general gist of it was aero mods ie front bumper changed for better cooling and a different rear spoiler

Personally don't think you can beat a 5 front end with RS light covers :razz:

 

[jontevo]

Your car is very clean looking, v nice.

Yes the 6's seem slightly superior technically, but I am not a fan of where the fog lights are, all the way out to the sides. It makes it look like it's sticking it's bottom lip out a bit.

5 with the fog lights covered is also my favourite. Has the most balanced front end in my opinion, with plenty of aggression.

 

[Aidy]

Literally just finished living in Cambridge for 9 months. My advice? Buy a bike. On the A14 a Corsa is as fast as a Ferrari.

If you're looking for light weight then I'd suggest a II or III but they're hard to get and you've said you don't like them. Driving a VI is like driving a fast transit van, and there are no comforts at all. If you want an evo you're going to have to throw out your lard issues and go for a later evo as they still handle well despite the weight. Also VI and before is very likely to be riddled with rust. You won't get any creature comforts unless you go for an X but the VIII+ is still a nice place to be.

 

[jontevo]

Yes the roads around here are... not good.

Interesting opinion. Thanks

Yes I've done my time with rusty cars. Clean cars only from now on for me.

 

[DDS789]

Aidys a X driver his opinion doesn't count :razz: Mines clean as a whistle underneath Aidy and I saw plenty of other 5's and 6's that were very clean they are not hard to find if you have a good budget.

You are right Though there are plenty of rusty ones out there when you start "scraping the barrel"

Equally there's a number of rusty later models popping up lately as they have spent a long time in the UK by now.

He's also mentioned he doesn't like the look of 7 8 9 or 10. They did get heavier, but mitsi beefed up the suspension side of things so no performance was lost. Think it was the addition of front AYC?? Diff settings too!


I'd be looking for a car that's been here a couple of years, been looked after, and not driven through winter preferably garaged.

Mine was and there wasn't even surface rust underneath!

 

[ray671984]

Welcome to evoowners if your looking for a well kept rust free evo then i would say keep a eye out on the for sale section's on the evo forums then you know its coming from a memeber who has looked after it well but the downside is that you could be waiting a very long time. The other hand is have one imported from japan from a well respected importer who will make sure you are not sold a lemon and it will be rust free you will probley get no service history with it or some times you do but its in japanese like others have said you get what you pay for all so if you do go down the import route then more then likely they give it a full service anyway. My choice would be a Evo 7

Ray

 

[jontevo]

OK cheers guys

 

[Aidy]

I'd be looking for a car that's been here a couple of years

I disagree. If you want a rust-free car you're better looking at a fresh import. Many early cars in this country are rust buckets, it's a fact *shrug*

 

[DDS789]

I disagree. If you want a rust-free car you're better looking at a fresh import. Many early cars in this country are rust buckets, it's a fact *shrug*

There's no right or wrong Aidy

It's all about how the cars been cared for, as I said in the rest of my comment

 

[Aidy]

Meh, I'm not so sure. I don't think how a car is looked after has a great deal of an effect on things like rust. You'd have to be quite anal about keeping it sealed and 99% of people don't.

 

[DDS789]

Meh, I'm not so sure. I don't think how a car is looked after has a great deal of an effect on things like rust. You'd have to be quite anal about keeping it sealed and 99% of people don't.

Fair enough each to their own n all that.

I know my car is cleaner than most newer evos underneath and I'm not that anal, though mine has lived in a garage each winter with each owner.....

One of the reasons I bought.... Well cared for example :razz:

 

[ElDopesta]

Hi Jon.

How are you getting on with the hunt buddy?