considering an Evo Vii

[YamR1V64motion]

im really tempted to buy one ive narrowed my next car choice down to 3, the Evo, a CLK and a Range Rover, the later 2 are obviously completly different from both each other and the Evo but i know a fair bit about them having owned a CLK before and driven and known family and friends who have had Range Rovers, when it comes to the Evo though i have to admit i dont know a great deal about them other than when i had a Griff 500 i got made to look like i was going backwards by someone in a FQ400 (does it stand for ing quick).
my main question is what to look for on a 7, what is an acceptable milage etc and common faults on them, also a lot seem to be modifyed which i dont mind as i would rather get one with more power, ideally i would like something with 340-380 BHP ish as so ive gathered anything over this can cause reliability problems etc, the only thing that puts me off a little is the image of them but having been in one a while ago i dont really care as thier driveability and performance are pretty asonishing, would really like some advice on them and it would be greatly appreciated, also what sort of insurance quotes should i expect?, i got a quote on one and it came back at £2k!!, im 25 and have 7 years NCB, i know that i could get it lower i was hoing somewhere around £1200 ish if i rang around.

[MrFlibbles]

What kind of CLK? I often have the usage of my mates 320 and performance wise its about on a par with the S2k - No where near as much fun though obviously. If it where the AMG, then that would be a different propostion.

It all comes down to what you want the car for. If its just a toy, go for the EVO, but if its pure mile munching, the CLK is clearly the option (as you know).

Of course the CLK AMG is the perfect compromise

[/2p]

[YamR1V64motion]

ive got a diesel Peugeot 405 that runs on veg oil for the daily commute so it wouldnt need to be a mile muncher, i do have a bike for going fast on so the CLK or Rangie seem the obvious choice but i am really tempted by an Evo, the CLK i was considering would be a 320 or 430 cabriolet around 2000/2001 ish.

[rsv gone!]

Your best bet is to get along to www.lancerregister.com

They have a model comparison here; http://www.lancerregister.com/mlr_showmodel.php

[deviant]

Buy on quality not price or mileage.

A full service history is an absolute must on any evo. It should show a service every 4500 miles.

If there are more services than there needs to be or lots of receipts for brake pads then the car might have track history. One big giveaway of that is if the brake calipers are faded or the laquer on the wheels is flaking where it is closest to the brakes.

Personally if the mods on a car are much more than an exhaust system and an airfilter I would begin to look very carefully at who did them, how long they have been there and if the ECU has been tuned to accept the mods. If you do go for a modified example get it to an Evo specialist for a thorough check.
I'm always a bit wary of cars that have some sort of boost controller fitted...raising boost levels is not really necessary to make more power on an Evo until you have exhausted other avenues.

Dont forget there are lots of them around so dont get to carried away by the first one you see!!!

[cptsideways]

You can certainly still find nice EVO3's from Japan, the ones left appear to be the cosseted ones nowadays (or abused track specials). I've sourced some real minty ones recently, lovely cars too. Most will come with basic mods like an exhaust, filter maybe suspension. So much nicer to drive than the later models, they are light, nimble & great fun.

If you need any help finding one pm me

[blindswelledrat]

Thoroughly recommend the Evo route.
I have owned a CLK and now an Evo.
The CLK is a good all round day to day car, but it is rubbish as a drivers car.
The FQ Evos can be modified to 340ish bhp without any reliability issues whatsoever.
The modifications to get to this sort of power are basic airflow ones so do pretty much no harm.

What kind of budget do you have?

[Mick429]

deviant said:

I'm always a bit wary of cars that have some sort of boost controller fitted...raising boost levels is not really necessary to make more power on an Evo until you have exhausted other avenues.

Not true sadly ... extra power comes from extra boost (certainly for the first couple of stages of mods, anyway). You won't always see a boost controller in the car. Cars running stage 1 mods often use mechanically adjusted devices under the bonnet (e.g. Dawes device).

Completely agree with you about knowing who performed the modifications. There are only a handful of companies I would trust to modify an Evo in the UK. We currently own two Evos (a IV and a IX), and I travel 140 miles for all servicing and modifications!

[Mick429]

blindswelledrat said:

The FQ Evos can be modified to 340ish bhp without any reliability issues whatsoever.

Bit more these days ... Evo tuners have moved on over the past few years

With a remap of the standard ECU along with a couple of other supporting mods (exhaust, induction kit, uprated fuel pump) ...

Evo 5/6/7 will make 360-ish
Evo 8 will make 380-ish
Evo 9 will make 400-ish

Evo 4 and before don't have remappable ECUs as standard, although this can be rectified of course

[Mick429]

rsv gone! said:

Your best bet is to get along to www.lancerregister.com

They have a model comparison here; http://www.lancerregister.com/mlr_showmodel.php

Very good call

Lots of info and plenty of helpful people on the MLR!

[YamR1V64motion]

realisticly probably about a £12k budget which seems to go firmly into Vii territory which is good because i prefer the look of the Vii and newer models, will check out the other links provided and thanks for the advice everyone.

[blindswelledrat]

YamR1V64motion said:

realisticly probably about a £12k budget which seems to go firmly into Vii territory which is good because i prefer the look of the Vii and newer models, will check out the other links provided and thanks for the advice everyone.

Pm me when you are ready. I might be able to do a little better than a vii for your 12k.

[blindswelledrat]

Just noticed, we share a very smilar taste in cars/bikes
Like you, I have owned CLK,V6 golf,Fireblade and perhaps now Evo!!!

[YamR1V64motion]

thanks, will probably be around a months time, hopefully less but at least it gives me enough time to decide between another CLK and an Evo, not sure about the VR6s but i found my Mk4 4 motion to be a bit of a let down and always wished i had got the S3

[rsv gone!]

blindswelledrat said:

YamR1V64motion said:

realisticly probably about a £12k budget which seems to go firmly into Vii territory which is good because i prefer the look of the Vii and newer models, will check out the other links provided and thanks for the advice everyone.

Pm me when you are ready. I might be able to do a little better than a vii for your 12k.

You selling yours already?

As BSR says, £12K should get you into a UK Evo 8 FQ model. It will have such niceties as a 6 speed box and a not-quite-so-ludicrous range. (Tank is 7 litres bigger)

[blindswelledrat]

Yes I am, I always change my cars once a year. I have hung on to this a little longer because there are simply no obvious replacements.
FQ's are still a little steeper than 12k but being as I tend to p'ex anyway I'm not that fussed.
What did you replace yours with RSV?

[rsv gone!]

blindswelledrat said:

Yes I am, I always change my cars once a year. I have hung on to this a little longer because there are simply no obvious replacements.
FQ's are still a little steeper than 12k but being as I tend to p'ex anyway I'm not that fussed.
What did you replace yours with RSV?

I haven't replaced it for the reasons above. I've had it three years and I can't think of anything that would tick all the same boxes.

Closest I can think of is the the CSL but they are 'slightly' more money!

I've got the MR. The Bilstein suspension makes it almost civilised.

[blindswelledrat]

I thought I saw you intending to get rid of it a while back.
I keep doing the same.
Without trebling my budget I can't see me changing.
Or maybe swap it for another bike for a year!

[deviant]

Mick429 said:

deviant said:

I'm always a bit wary of cars that have some sort of boost controller fitted...raising boost levels is not really necessary to make more power on an Evo until you have exhausted other avenues.

Not true sadly ... extra power comes from extra boost (certainly for the first couple of stages of mods, anyway). You won't always see a boost controller in the car. Cars running stage 1 mods often use mechanically adjusted devices under the bonnet (e.g. Dawes device).

Completely agree with you about knowing who performed the modifications. There are only a handful of companies I would trust to modify an Evo in the UK. We currently own two Evos (a IV and a IX), and I travel 140 miles for all servicing and modifications!

Not trying to argue...but its easy to make 300BHP at the wheels with just an exhaust system, intake kit and a re-tune. Add some fuel and an intercooler pipe kit and more power is liberated. Boost is one of the last things you need to do with the basic mods. I guess different tuners have differing success with the mods they do so opinions vary.

The mechanically adjusted devices...or bleed valves scare me even more, the boost levels can spike with them and its all to easy for somone to wind the thing right up 'just to see what happend innit'.

[rsv gone!]

blindswelledrat said:

Or maybe swap it for another bike for a year!

Or spend what you'd waste on depreciation against your new motor - on getting a bike as well