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Lancer EVO questions. Met the local club last night.

1.5K views 33 replies 15 participants last post by  gateguardian  
#1 ·
Im a dumbass, and didnt take any pics. When I got home last night there were at least 9-12 EVO's sitting on my street.

Man, these kids got some money. Most of them were 18-25 yrs old and had at least 3-15k more into thier cars.
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Questions:

One of the kids claimed he ran 11.7-11.8 in the quarter. Sounds pretty quick.
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What do you have to do to a late model EVO to make it run that? What do they run stock? All I know is when they were running up and down the street, they looked pretty damn fast, and sounded killer, with the blowoff valve sounding off.
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They were doing some pretty good driving on a open road near my place. One of the guys did some of the NICEST donuts I have ever seen.
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He must have done 10-12 rotations in one spot; enough smoke that you couldnt even see the car. I asked him if he goes through alot of tires; he said about 1 set every 3 months.
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I was supprised, but they were all pretty nice kids, and liked my Mustang.
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#2 ·
Well I think the stock ones ran around a high 13, A few mods and you got 11s. Being that they are AWD not too hard to "Hook up" on the track to get a good time.

I drove one when they fist came out and had a big smile on my face the whole time. Nice cars!!
 
#4 ·
I work at Buschur Racing here in Ohio and we specialize in EVO's and DSM's. To get and EVO down to high 11's it really only takes about $4000. Check out our staged upgrades and dyno sheets! http://www.buschurracing.com/EVOPAGE1.html

I have driven some VERY VERY fast EVO's and DSM's. EVO's with about $4,000 can kick ALOT of ass.
 
#6 ·
To bad they didn't make the interior of the car match other 30k cars
 
#9 ·
I like my Evo a lot. Even if the interior on my Euro SVT is leather, the Evo has more comfortable seats and a nicer steering wheel. Where you actually touch the car (seats, wheel, shifter) the car is fantastic, though I can understand why it's not so impressive if you haven't driven one.

If you saw the underside of an Evo and compared it to any other 30K car you'd see where the money went. Forged suspension components throughout, a decently straight path for the exhaust (for stock), brembo brakes, and lots and lots of welds. The car only shares the front door skins and rear trunklid with a standard lancer, so considering the amount of deviation from the stock platform, 30K is not a bad price.

I still love my SVTF though. If you're ever in the position to own both, it's not a bad place to be... and Buschur racing does rock, I have one of their exhausts on my car. Dave Buschur cut me a deal because I let him use my car to develop their axle-back.
 
#10 ·
I like my Evo a lot. Even if the interior on my Euro SVT is leather, the Evo has more comfortable seats and a nicer steering wheel. Where you actually touch the car (seats, wheel, shifter) the car is fantastic, though I can understand why it's not so impressive if you haven't driven one.

If you saw the underside of an Evo and compared it to any other 30K car you'd see where the money went. Forged suspension components throughout, a decently straight path for the exhaust (for stock), brembo brakes, and lots and lots of welds. The car only shares the front door skins and rear trunklid with a standard lancer, so considering the amount of deviation from the stock platform, 30K is not a bad price.

I still love my SVTF though. If you're ever in the position to own both, it's not a bad place to be... and Buschur racing does rock, I have one of their exhausts on my car. Dave Buschur cut me a deal because I let him use my car to develop their axle-back.

So you do own one? Im kinda in the market for one right now. I have a 03 SVTF with 17k miles on it and kinda been considering a Evo a little bit. But NOT the MR edition. Do you think it would be worth the change?
 
#11 ·
Yeah I have an 03 Evo and an SVTF. They're totally different cars. I've tracked the Evo but not the SVTF, and in that context the Evo is unbeatable. For everyday, though, there's no cruise control, only five gears, and a much harder ride. But then again, you're in california, land of sunshine and beautiful curvy roads, so the Evo might be just the right thing.

THe MR is totally overpriced for an aluminum roof, six speed tranny (five is enough in this car), and a smoother ride. The 05 GSR is the best bang for buck, though to be honest I haven't driven one, and can't imagine it can be that much better than an 03.

The main difference is the front LSD and the active center diff, which replaces the stock mechanical viscous LSD. I am not all that crazy about the active center diff, basically it has one of three driver selectable programs for tarmac, snow, and gravel. Which sounds cool except really what it means is that the lockup of the center diff can vary from open (more or less 100% to the front) to fully locked which is a 50/50 torque split based on a variety of sensor inputs. The older cars maintain a nominal 50/50 torque split at all times. It's not a dramatic difference. I do want the front LSD, so I have a quaife on order for my evo, about $1200. Since Quaife is the brand to have in this arena, I expect it to be as good or better than the front lsd on the 05's. Hope this helps.
 
#12 ·
Yeah I have an 03 Evo and an SVTF. They're totally different cars. I've tracked the Evo but not the SVTF, and in that context the Evo is unbeatable. For everyday, though, there's no cruise control, only five gears, and a much harder ride. But then again, you're in california, land of sunshine and beautiful curvy roads, so the Evo might be just the right thing.

THe MR is totally overpriced for an aluminum roof, six speed tranny (five is enough in this car), and a smoother ride. The 05 GSR is the best bang for buck, though to be honest I haven't driven one, and can't imagine it can be that much better than an 03.

The main difference is the front LSD and the active center diff, which replaces the stock mechanical viscous LSD. I am not all that crazy about the active center diff, basically it has one of three driver selectable programs for tarmac, snow, and gravel. Which sounds cool except really what it means is that the lockup of the center diff can vary from open (more or less 100% to the front) to fully locked which is a 50/50 torque split based on a variety of sensor inputs. The older cars maintain a nominal 50/50 torque split at all times. It's not a dramatic difference. I do want the front LSD, so I have a quaife on order for my evo, about $1200. Since Quaife is the brand to have in this arena, I expect it to be as good or better than the front lsd on the 05's. Hope this helps.

Also is it hard to get a good deal from a Dealer on buying one? Or did you buy it privately? Im not looking for hand outs I work at a Ford dealership so I know everyone needs to make money to feed their family but Im trying to get the best deal that I can
 
#13 ·
Yeah, I work for Ford. You can imagine the flak I take for having an Evo sometimes. Anyway, I bought the car at MSRP back in 03 only a month or two after they came out, which was a great deal back then but I think dealerships are more willing to deal depending on where you are. In Michigan, they are sitting on lots, but in CA, maybe not so much. Since you work at a dealership and know the score I won't lecture you about not falling for the "what kind of payment are you looking for" trap.
 
#14 ·
Yeah, I work for Ford. You can imagine the flak I take for having an Evo sometimes. Anyway, I bought the car at MSRP back in 03 only a month or two after they came out, which was a great deal back then but I think dealerships are more willing to deal depending on where you are. In Michigan, they are sitting on lots, but in CA, maybe not so much. Since you work at a dealership and know the score I won't lecture you about not falling for the "what kind of payment are you looking for" trap.
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Yeah I use that trap myself on other customers when it gets desperate. Yeah Im not sure if they sit so much out here in cali I see em most of the time on the road but Probley best thing to do would go to my local dealer and ask a sales man what they could do huh.
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#16 ·
Yeah, I work for Ford. You can imagine the flak I take for having an Evo sometimes. Anyway, I bought the car at MSRP back in 03 only a month or two after they came out, which was a great deal back then but I think dealerships are more willing to deal depending on where you are. In Michigan, they are sitting on lots, but in CA, maybe not so much. Since you work at a dealership and know the score I won't lecture you about not falling for the "what kind of payment are you looking for" trap.
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Yeah I use that trap myself on other customers when it gets desperate. Yeah Im not sure if they sit so much out here in cali I see em most of the time on the road but Probley best thing to do would go to my local dealer and ask a sales man what they could do huh.
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Just curious but what's the proper responce to that question (what kind of payment are you looking for? "[censored] you" ??? I would imagine to just discuss the price and then the financing. I'd appreciate some advise even though I'm not going to be looking for a car for a while (unless my girlfriend convinces me that she can't live without an Elise
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#17 ·
Just curious but what's the proper responce to that question (what kind of payment are you looking for? "[censored] you" ??? I would imagine to just discuss the price and then the financing. I'd appreciate some advise even though I'm not going to be looking for a car for a while (unless my girlfriend convinces me that she can't live without an Elise
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)
Heres a tip. When someone is asking you that they are really trying to see if you are a serious buyer or not that can be one of the cases the other is they are trying to butter you up for a sale. Example "Well sir you said your looking for a 400.00 a month payment but this car is out of your range for 400.00 If you like heres a car that would be in that price range and suit your needs" So Im not to sure what you would respone with other than "A Reasonable Payment" of coarse thats MHO on it though
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#18 ·
The proper response in my head is just have an idea of how much you want to end up paying when it's all said and done and the kind of rate you expect to qualify for based on your credit. For my Focus SVT EAP with 14K miles, I felt 14K was a good price. So I walked in and said I'll offer 14K if you give me a good rate on the financing. And I walked out with a 4.5% interest rate. I took the cash from the car I sold (which I owned outright) and invested it and so far have made enough on the investments to make the payments. Not bad so far.
 
#19 ·
Yeah, while the Evo can make a great drag car that's really not its purpose. You can run 10's but with the stock clutch you'll get a few runs in at most. The most cost effective way to get in the 10's is to buy a camaro with a bulletproof rear end and a big motor, not with an evo. Honestly, if you don't ever take your evo to a road course, you're missing out bigtime. It's the combination of the handling AND speed that really make this car shine.
 
#20 ·
the evo is my planned graduation car. I've done a fair amount of looking around evolutionm.net. Just search around for some questions over there. Most of your questions have been addressed. That board doesnt have the best environment in the world (like [FJ]) but its decent.
 
#21 ·
EVO is a nice car, but I'd be afraid to get a used one (which is probably all I'd be able to afford). I like to browse over at EvoM sometimes, too, but they're definitely blinded by the the Diamonds. And then there are people like my neighbor, Dean, who has more money than brains.
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#23 ·
Yeah the worst people on EvoM are the high school kids. While a Focus (even an SVT) can be a car a high school kid can safely drive, getting your kid an Evo is completely irresponsible, like giving a handgun to a chimp.
LMFAO!!!! HAHA


I like them a lot...but I'd be afraid to buy a used one...cuz u know it was probably beat on really hard
 
#24 ·
Yeah the worst people on EvoM are the high school kids. While a Focus (even an SVT) can be a car a high school kid can safely drive, getting your kid an Evo is completely irresponsible, like giving a handgun to a chimp.
LMFAO!!!! HAHA


I like them a lot...but I'd be afraid to buy a used one...cuz u know it was probably beat on really hard
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Yeah I was thinking the same thing about a Used one. I find em online but they all say adult driven. My Ass
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#26 ·
Yeah the worst people on EvoM are the high school kids. While a Focus (even an SVT) can be a car a high school kid can safely drive, getting your kid an Evo is completely irresponsible, like giving a handgun to a chimp.
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A friend of a friend got an Evo a while ago. Totalled it with 90 miles on the clock but I don't know the exact details of the accident except that he was a dumbass. Hmmm.. 90 miles is the break in time for the turbo. Maybe he saw he passed 90 miles and put his foot to the floor and couldn't control it. So his parents bought him another one
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