Hi I am new here. I am seriously considering buying an EVO 7 or 8 import from Japan. Could you guide me to the basic pitfalls (if any) that I should be looking for? What is teh treshold recomended mileage etc.. I am aware that clutch is something to check but what is the best method of testing it?

How would I tell if an engine is modified?

Cheers Philip

 

You are going to have extreme difficulty in importing the EVO VII.

Mostly because it was not intended for the US market, so they were never crash tested here. As a result, are not DOT approved. I believe that it would be just as difficult to import an EVO VII as it would a Skyline or something.

The EVO VIII should be easy.....but whats the point? There are loads here.

 

What to look for is fairly simple. If you are trying to find the best of the best, I would look for one with the lowest miles and a full service history.

The maintanance schedule for these cars is pretty extensive. There are required transmission andtransfer case flushes at 15k intervals. Those that want to avoid problems change it more regularly than recomended. Make sure the owner has at least kept up with the manufacturers recomendations.

Things to look for:

Any smoke. A little black smoke from the exhaust under hard acceleration is normal.

Any leaks. Look for leaks on the transfer case, transmission, and rear diff. If it has any, walk away. Oil leaks can be fixed, but are a sign of poor maintanance/up keep.

Test the transmission. These trannys are known for grinding when they aren't taken care of. One way to see if the syncros are worn out, is to redline the car in all gears (maybe not 5th, I doubt the seller would like that much...) If you hear a grind between shifts, then you have El Problemo's.

To test the clutch, pay attention to when it engages. A brand new clutch engages a little off the floor. Worn out clutches engage right at the top, and then it stops. Another thing to check the life of it, is to put it in 5th at highway speeds, and floor it. Obviously the car won't accelerate that fast because of the high gear, but pay attention to look for clutch slippage. A clutch job in these cars will run you about a $1000.

There are other ways to find out how well the car has been taken care of. You can pop the hood and look around the valve cover. Sometimes a little oil can seep out normally, but when there is a crap load, you know its been beaten on. You can also tell how good the driver is by looking at the rims. A lot of curb rash = crappy/sloppy/careless driver, and more than likely hasn't taken the best care of the car.

Also, look online and look how to do a compression test. This will tell you the condition of the motor internally, and gives a good indication as to what you have in store.

Remember to play with every little button inside the car. Never know what you might find . I have found a load of things wrong with cars on test drives just by dicking around with them. I also found personal items... whoops.

Also look under the hood for any 'oddly clean' areas. This may be a sign of recent work. If the owner isn't telling you about it, it could be serious.

As far as telling it its stock or not, I would google image search the stock picture. Either print it off, and take it with you, or memorize it. Alternatively, you could take a picture of it and post it here.