Buying an Evo 5 next week but worried about reliablity issues

Beta Ray Bill

Ive been hearing horror stories about them being exceptionally unreliable

the car I'm looking at has 69,000kms on the clock imported from japan 6 months ago

I'm seriously worried about handing over the cash and the thing falls to bits the next day

if the engine blows its €4500
if the turbo goes its €1200
etc etc

basically if anything happens them its mega bucks to fix

I really want one, but I'm nervous of potential disasters

My uncle had one for a year and when he sold it the engine blew up 4 weeks after.

has anyone had experience with Evo's or heard stories
If you have please post

I want to hear good stories too not just bad ones (although I have a feeling that I'm going to hear a lot of bad ones)

Cheers
Graham

Beta Ray Bill

Nobody?

mik_da_man

Not too sure about Evo 5's but have some expierence of Evo 7/8
Found them to be very reliable when looked after.
They are a performance and as such need extra care and attention, more regular servicing ect.

What grade is the one you are thinking of buying?
My mate got a grade 4.5 and it was spotless and in perfect nick
You can be lucky and get a great one - make sure to have a full inspection done before parting with any cash and prob a good idea to get a standard one if possible

My .02

Senna

Buy one that has no modifications and hasn't had the boost altered.
As standard they will be as reliable as any other turbo car, but most nightmare story are from people that mess around with the engine.
either way they will also be more expensive to run and maintain than the average car, but thats the price you pay for the joy of owing one.
Also, look at the owner, do he/she look like someone that spends their nights doing doughnuts in the tesco carpark, if so, walk away.

Beta Ray Bill

Guys thanks very much for your input

The one im looking at has and induction kit and a dump valve

as far as i am aware the turbo hasnt been played with.

went to look at another one last night it has 80,000 miles on it. has no mods and has has both belts done and has a new clutch

seems in very good nick

hes looking for 11k he says hes moving to Oz

what ya think?

astraboy

Grahambo, Firstly, nice choice of car, I love EVO5's and hopefully will own one some day soon.:)

The first example with only 69,000Km's on it sounds like seriously low mileage for a 10 year old car, even if it is a recent Jap import. I know I have heard plenty of stories of these cars being clocked etc so be sure to look out for any other signs of excessive wear for the "mileage" on the clock. Worn seat bolsters, wear on the pedal rubbers and steering wheel and other components like brakes etc will tell if the car may have done more miles then is let on.

If you are worried about reliability, the best thing you can do is buy from a REPUTABLE Jap import dealer. I suggest you head over to Driver.ie or Midnightclub.ie to ask the lads there. Many of them own EVO's and also could point you in the direction of a decent import garage in your area. A dealer will give you a warranty for up to 6 months maybe. Also, perhaps aim for a car 1-2 grand under your budget just in case something goes in the next 12 months. If not, you can use the money to tune her and get more power later on;).

The last post, where you mention the 80,000 mile EVO: 11K is fairly good value for an EVO 5. Speak to the owner and see is he genuine, is the kind of owner that has really looked after the car, or one just interested in trashing it? Induction kit and Dumpvalve are standard mods really, the dumpvalve can increase turbo life. If its the right spec, colour etc get the car checked over and I'm sure you could cut a deal with the owner as he's moving away and needs to sell soon.

Finally, ensure you can insure the car before you buy it. Also, remember Turbo cars of this age need a decent warm up and cool down period before drives if you are to extend Turbo life. Trashing the car then just turining it off will leave the turbo filled with oil that is not cooling it, increasing wear.

Hope that helps!:)

Biro

grahambo wrote: »

Guys thanks very much for your input

The one im looking at has and induction kit and a dump valve

as far as i am aware the turbo hasnt been played with.

went to look at another one last night it has 80,000 miles on it. has no mods and has has both belts done and has a new clutch

seems in very good nick

hes looking for 11k he says hes moving to Oz

what ya think?

Induction kit and dump valve would really put me off. You're better off paying another grand or two from a real enthusiast. The Evo's already have their own "induction kit" as such, in that it's a special type air filter that they have over normal cars. Replacing it on a whim is possibly doing more harm than good, depending on what he replaced it with. Same with a dump valve. The original valve would be a performance one anyway on an Evo, replacing it with one that makes a louder noise but potentially dumping the air from the turbo less efficiently will hinder power and possibly the life of the turbo. Again, you can probably get dump valves that are suited to the Evo, but any clown who bought an Evo and changed the dump valve and turbo without actually starting to professionally modify the engine is more likely a muppet who used own a glanza.

astraboy

Biro wrote: »

Induction kit and dump valve would really put me off. You're better off paying another grand or two from a real enthusiast. The Evo's already have their own "induction kit" as such, in that it's a special type air filter that they have over normal cars. Replacing it on a whim is possibly doing more harm than good, depending on what he replaced it with. Same with a dump valve. The original valve would be a performance one anyway on an Evo, replacing it with one that makes a louder noise but potentially dumping the air from the turbo less efficiently will hinder power and possibly the life of the turbo. Again, you can probably get dump valves that are suited to the Evo, but any clown who bought an Evo and changed the dump valve and turbo without actually starting to professionally modify the engine is more likely a muppet who used own a glanza.

Maybe, maybe not. Dumpvalves reduce the pressure on the turbo during large changes in RPM, such as gear changes. Adding the dump valve is a regular mod in EVO's, once fitted correctly and being of the correct type it would cause no harm, and should extend Turbo life. The induction kit is a basic modification, once it was properlt fitted it would not do any harm. However, open induction kits are not really suited for city driving, replacing it with the origional airbox would be better if thats the sort of driving you'll be doing.

He said the turbo was untouched. You also don't just change the turbo on a whim, a decent Turbo upgrade costs upwards of 1.5-2 grand, so I doubt it would not have been done professionally.

Henry Ford III

Sound advice here. Do jap imported cars have service histories?

astraboy

Henry Ford III wrote: »

Sound advice here. Do jap imported cars have service histories?

Sometimes, in Japanese however! Most of the cars from Japan are well cared for, and not driven as often as cars in Ireland due to the excellent public transport in Japan. That is why the cars often have low mileage for their year(however clocking is still rampant). One unfortunate aspect is that the cars are often pilfered when they are shipped here. CD players, gearknobs, even Apexi engine management systems have been robbed on the ship or in Dublin Port before delivery. :mad:

Gumbo

if your buying second hand, check for any irish service history, wether it be in the tuning factory, amf autosport, or Ai autosport in belfast.

evo 5's are very reliable if looked after, i had mine for 2 years, mapped for irish fuel (95 ron) by Ai Autosport in belfast, full exhaust syatem, apexi induction, uprated fuel filter, plugs etc etc and running 1.6 bar of boost all day long without one little problem.

walka way from any car with higher boost and not mapped, ie just a boost controller and nothing else.

standard boost on a 5 is 1-1.1 bar depending on external temp.

look for fading on the brembo calipers, thsi is a very common fault and is no indication of wear and tear, i had my 5 parked beside an 8 down in westward engineering and his calipers were worse than mine.

make sure the timing belt, water pump, tensionor belt etc has been done if the car has more than 60k miles on it, and if it was done, who done it.

if you can get a standard one, i bought a completley standard car, onle mods were brand new evo 8 wheels and an apexi turbo timer and i didnt lose a penny on the car over 2 years. bought it for 19k and sold it for 19k 2 years later because of the condition and mileage (25k documented).

check the clutch for stiffness, is it a standard item or aftermarket.
standard item can handle up to 350bhp no problem and is handy for city driving. aftermarket ones can handle more, but are a c@@t in stop go traffic.

i cant think of anything else at the moment, but if i do, i'll post up.

Biro

astraboy wrote: »

Maybe, maybe not. Dumpvalves reduce the pressure on the turbo during large changes in RPM, such as gear changes.

Ya, that's exactly my point though. A 2 litre engine with 280 odd bhp would probably have a dump valve, just not one that's as loud as the ones that young fella's fit to starbo's and glanza's.

astraboy wrote: »

The induction kit is a basic modification, once it was properlt fitted it would not do any harm. However, open induction kits are not really suited for city driving, replacing it with the origional airbox would be better if thats the sort of driving you'll be doing.

Again, you're right, but so far as I remember, from factory the Evo had an induction kit, probably not one that echoes around a 2 mile radius. (I think it was an Evo 6 engine bay I saw one in a few years back, brand new one). Therefore changing Mitsubishi's induction kit for an off the shelf one mightn't be advisable, and suggests a young fella that wanted more noise than someone who figured it would help his engine breath better.

astraboy wrote: »

He said the turbo was untouched. You also don't just change the turbo on a whim, a decent Turbo upgrade costs upwards of 1.5-2 grand, so I doubt it would not have been done professionally.

Ya, I agree again, but like the poster just above me, he knows what he's talking about when modifying and upgrading, where as some young buck that just put "de dump valve and de 'duction kit on her, ya know bud?" would worry me.
Basically, what I was trying to say is that with a car like an Evo, you tend to get the guys who mind it and keep it standard, the guys who mind it and have it modified professionally (by someone else or themselves), and the muppets who just have money and put the typical "upgrade" options on it and drive the ring out of it.

Gumbo

Biro wrote: »

Ya, that's exactly my point though. A 2 litre engine with 280 odd bhp would probably have a dump valve, just not one that's as loud as the ones that young fella's fit to starbo's and glanza's.


Again, you're right, but so far as I remember, from factory the Evo had an induction kit, probably not one that echoes around a 2 mile radius. (I think it was an Evo 6 engine bay I saw one in a few years back, brand new one). Therefore changing Mitsubishi's induction kit for an off the shelf one mightn't be advisable, and suggests a young fella that wanted more noise than someone who figured it would help his engine breath better.



Ya, I agree again, but like the poster just above me, he knows what he's talking about when modifying and upgrading, where as some young buck that just put "de dump valve and de 'duction kit on her, ya know bud?" would worry me.
Basically, what I was trying to say is that with a car like an Evo, you tend to get the guys who mind it and keep it standard, the guys who mind it and have it modified professionally (by someone else or themselves), and the muppets who just have money and put the typical "upgrade" options on it and drive the ring out of it.

the evo doesnt come with an induction kit as standard, it is the normal flat panel filter in an air box with a small funnel pointing down towards the ground to attract colder air.

changing to an induction kit doesnt add much noise on an evo, well not as much as it would add to a vtec civic or gt atarlet etc.

if you change the induction, then the best way to go on the 5 is to relocate the battery to the rear of the engine bat and fit the kit to the front behind the headlight, this requires a relocation kit with is about 200 stg alone, without a filter etc. but when you do this you need to get rid of the gases quicker, so would advise fitting a free flowing exhaust, HKS is a good in the middle system, not too loud with good gains. TSL are loud, blueflame are loud, research which exhaust you want before you buy, as it will need to be about 2.75-3 inch in diameter,

so once you have them fitted it would be very advisiable to get the car mapped for maxol E5 (99 ron), you will be safe and will notice a good power gain from it.

this was my relocation kit :

Gumbo

by the way in regards to dump valves, an evo 5 has a Recirculation valve, and when you fit an vta (vent to atmosphere) dump valve, it can sause problems such as stalling etc etc

Beta Ray Bill

thanks for all you replies guys

I really appriciate them

http://www.carzone.ie/used-cars/Mitsubishi/Lancer-Evolution/evo5-mint/948318/

thats the car there

lots of mods, but no alarm

I done some checking and some of those mods cost 1000 Euros a piece

this guy has all the documentation and service history of the car

Tming belt has not been done but i could get that done myself.

what ya think?

Atomic Pineapple

some nice mods on that alright, personally would rather one without a turbo timer and without a dump valves, I've read that dump valves add nothing but noise and as Kceire says can cause more harm than good.

The open air filter there looks like it might be sucking in hot air which will lose you power, a relocation kit for that type of filter would be essential.

HKS coilovers, kakimoto racing exhaust. excedy racing clutch endless pad's, these would all cost a fair bit and a nice modifications, the coilovers would might make it very stiff though, have you taken it for a test drive?

not having the t belt done is a concern i'd have, try to knock a fair bit off the price using the timing belt as an excuse?

Gumbo

draffodx wrote: »

some nice mods on that alright, personally would rather one without a turbo timer and without a dump valves, I've read that dump valves add nothing but noise and as Kceire says can cause more harm than good.

The open air filter there looks like it might be sucking in hot air which will lose you power, a relocation kit for that type of filter would be essential.

HKS coilovers, kakimoto racing exhaust. excedy racing clutch endless pad's, these would all cost a fair bit and a nice modifications, the coilovers would might make it very stiff though, have you taken it for a test drive?

not having the t belt done is a concern i'd have, try to knock a fair bit off the price using the timing belt as an excuse?

i would rather buy a car with a turbo timer than not, it shows the owner put a little thought into the welfare of the car and allowed it to cool down properly before shutting it down completely.

my turbo timer was set for 30 seconds, which is more than enough for everyday driveing.

also, if the mileage is correct, then it doesnt need a timing belt change until circa 60k
i would get it done at 50k just to be sure and get it documented.

Gumbo

grahambo wrote: »

thanks for all you replies guys

I really appriciate them

http://www.carzone.ie/used-cars/Mitsubishi/Lancer-Evolution/evo5-mint/948318/

thats the car there

lots of mods, but no alarm

I done some checking and some of those mods cost 1000 Euros a piece

this guy has all the documentation and service history of the car

Tming belt has not been done but i could get that done myself.

what ya think?

grahambo, register with the MLR and the irish mitsi site, talk to the irish lads and i reakon that someone on there will know that car, its pretty rare in yellow on these shores. if anything you find a cleaner example being sold by an evo enthuasist (spelling) which i would be 10 times happier to hand over money for.

eringobragh

grahambo wrote: »

thanks for all you replies guys

I really appriciate them

http://www.carzone.ie/used-cars/Mitsubishi/Lancer-Evolution/evo5-mint/948318/

thats the car there

lots of mods, but no alarm

I done some checking and some of those mods cost 1000 Euros a piece

this guy has all the documentation and service history of the car

Tming belt has not been done but i could get that done myself.

what ya think?

Nice car looks clean . Did you see that front reg plate Looks like a fridge magnet

Biro

kceire wrote: »

the evo doesnt come with an induction kit as standard, it is the normal flat panel filter in an air box with a small funnel pointing down towards the ground to attract colder air.

changing to an induction kit doesnt add much noise on an evo, well not as much as it would add to a vtec civic or gt atarlet etc.

if you change the induction, then the best way to go on the 5 is to relocate the battery to the rear of the engine bat and fit the kit to the front behind the headlight, this requires a relocation kit with is about 200 stg alone, without a filter etc. but when you do this you need to get rid of the gases quicker, so would advise fitting a free flowing exhaust, HKS is a good in the middle system, not too loud with good gains. TSL are loud, blueflame are loud, research which exhaust you want before you buy, as it will need to be about 2.75-3 inch in diameter,

so once you have them fitted it would be very advisiable to get the car mapped for maxol E5 (99 ron), you will be safe and will notice a good power gain from it.

this was my relocation kit :

Yep... you're exactly the guy I'd want to buy an Evo from! You know what you're talking about.

astraboy

Biro wrote: »

Basically, what I was trying to say is that with a car like an Evo, you tend to get the guys who mind it and keep it standard, the guys who mind it and have it modified professionally (by someone else or themselves), and the muppets who just have money and put the typical "upgrade" options on it and drive the ring out of it.

Could'nt have put it better. You want to buy off the first two guys, and walk away from the second as fast as you can! The trick is telling them apart, though a real enthusiast is always obvious, even from the amount of documentation they have on the car.

Gumbo

Biro wrote: »

Yep... you're exactly the guy I'd want to buy an Evo from! You know what you're talking about.

cheers LOL
heres my old one to tease your tastebuds!

best of luck with the search mate

Atomic Pineapple

kceire wrote: »

i would rather buy a car with a turbo timer than not, it shows the owner put a little thought into the welfare of the car and allowed it to cool down properly before shutting it down completely.

my turbo timer was set for 30 seconds, which is more than enough for everyday driveing.

also, if the mileage is correct, then it doesnt need a timing belt change until circa 60k
i would get it done at 50k just to be sure and get it documented.

apologies, got it confused with a controller!!

would you not want to change the timing belt anway because of the age of the car regardless of the mileage?

Beta Ray Bill

thanks for all the input guys

really appriciate it

one question left though

say this guy has taken out a car loan and still owe money on the car but sells it to me and stop paying the loan and then the finance company comes to me to try and take the car (which they are entitled to do if the car was colateral on the loan)

Basically is there anyway to check if there is money still owed on that car?

Atomic Pineapple

grahambo wrote: »

Basically is there anyway to check if there is money still owed on that car?

http://www.cartell.ie

http://www.carsireland.ie/car-check.html

http://www.funkymotors.ie/Auto-Check-Report.html

Gumbo

draffodx wrote: »

apologies, got it confused with a controller!!

would you not want to change the timing belt anway because of the age of the car regardless of the mileage?

no probs mate, well to be honest yeah, you are probably better off just changing it and documenting it, in least you then have a figure to work off for the next service, belt etc etc