Discussion
Hello fellow Ph'ers,
I'm stuck with a dilemma and could use some advice. I'm at a cross roads so to speak, I have always fancied an Evo 8 and a few have become available (Specifically an MR FQ320) however I have my 1993 Cavalier Turbo sitting. For those of you who already know me you'll know that I have had a good few Cavaliers and despite everyone else possible personal reservations about them it' a car I love.
So what do I do? I'm currently building a new C20LET for the Cavalier which I may be developing for quite big power or do I throw in the towel and go for the Evo. I love the Evo don't get me wrong but there is something about the retro Cavalier Turbo that just feels that much better and to be honest if I wanted a lot more power I could easily do that. Perhaps I'm just getting lazy with my old age or soemthing and just want something that works.....
I'm stuck with a dilemma and could use some advice. I'm at a cross roads so to speak, I have always fancied an Evo 8 and a few have become available (Specifically an MR FQ320) however I have my 1993 Cavalier Turbo sitting. For those of you who already know me you'll know that I have had a good few Cavaliers and despite everyone else possible personal reservations about them it' a car I love.
So what do I do? I'm currently building a new C20LET for the Cavalier which I may be developing for quite big power or do I throw in the towel and go for the Evo. I love the Evo don't get me wrong but there is something about the retro Cavalier Turbo that just feels that much better and to be honest if I wanted a lot more power I could easily do that. Perhaps I'm just getting lazy with my old age or soemthing and just want something that works.....
- sore head*
I may be wrong but I'm sure the evos go through clutches every few thou miles tho nice looking and handling cars prob better go to the mits section and ask owners direct how they are to run last thing you want to do is give up what you have and hope the grass is greener but try before you buy
BillyWhizz888 said:
I may be wrong but I'm sure the evos go through clutches every few thou miles tho nice looking and handling cars prob better go to the mits section and ask owners direct how they are to run last thing you want to do is give up what you have and hope the grass is greener but try before you buy
They have a very unforgiving service schedule.M888SXY said:
Cavalier any day of the week I would say.
She's 19 years old now that's my only reservation. The car gets a lot of appreciation however and there are literally 80 or so left on the road in the UK which makes her quite rare. I kind of think to myself....everyone's got an Evo haha, there is not denying it though the Evo is lovely car. I think if I were to buy the Evo I could end up regretting it and wishing I had kept the Cavalier.M888SXY said:
That's the thing, along with many other performance cars, EVOs are relatively common in Aberdeen.
If you're just after something newer and still a bit rare what about a VXR8, obviously not knowing what your budget is, but they are sub-15k now.
Or you could go for the Monaro If you're just after something newer and still a bit rare what about a VXR8, obviously not knowing what your budget is, but they are sub-15k now.
Cavalier for rareness and if you get it going the way you want to, then great. It is getting an older car and sometimes they take a bit of looking after, but don't all cars!! Some of the older cars also have less things to go wrong.
When i bought my S4 just over two years ago, it was a lot of car for the money at around £4500. I sold it for almost the same money, but a friend just bought a saloon for under £3k and it is mint with 72k miles. Absolute bargain and what a car for the money. If the turbos go, then it will probably cost you more than the car is worth. Sell you ass and buy the evo as well as keeping the cavalier.
When i bought my S4 just over two years ago, it was a lot of car for the money at around £4500. I sold it for almost the same money, but a friend just bought a saloon for under £3k and it is mint with 72k miles. Absolute bargain and what a car for the money. If the turbos go, then it will probably cost you more than the car is worth. Sell you ass and buy the evo as well as keeping the cavalier.
If you go for the evo make sure you have deep pockets and AT LEAST 2k disposable cash sitting in the bank incase it goes wrong......
Go for one that has already had baisc stage 1 mods, filter, downpipe and fuel pump. This should easily see you with 380-400bhp with similar torque figures. Try and get one that has an uprated clutch. The standard one is perfectly fine for upto 450/450 as long as you are not launching the car off the line, best to get a twin plate of some description though.
I had an evo 5 and in the first week a geo check turned into a £500 bill for lower arms and a couple other things. Then the coil packs went (common problem) then the clutch went, then it got damaged (parts are not cheap at all.......) then the engine went pop.... it then got sold! All in I had the car 8 months and money spent was about 4k, this was maintaining and repairing, not upgrades or fuel costs. Easily 600 - 800 in fuel a month!
A tank of fuel was getting me between 150 - 200 miles but the newer evo's have a bigger tank and can do about 300 I think.
Saying all of the above, if I wasn't saving for a house I would have another one tomorrow without a doubt, amazing cars, you forgot how much its costing when you get in and drive (until you pass a petrol station.
If you do buy one, do your research on them, there are a few things to look out for when buying them. Get over to MLR (mitsubishi lancer register) and have a look on there. If you have money to maintain a higher spec car there are very well spec'd cars to be had for not very much money at all.
Go for one that has already had baisc stage 1 mods, filter, downpipe and fuel pump. This should easily see you with 380-400bhp with similar torque figures. Try and get one that has an uprated clutch. The standard one is perfectly fine for upto 450/450 as long as you are not launching the car off the line, best to get a twin plate of some description though.
I had an evo 5 and in the first week a geo check turned into a £500 bill for lower arms and a couple other things. Then the coil packs went (common problem) then the clutch went, then it got damaged (parts are not cheap at all.......) then the engine went pop.... it then got sold! All in I had the car 8 months and money spent was about 4k, this was maintaining and repairing, not upgrades or fuel costs. Easily 600 - 800 in fuel a month!
A tank of fuel was getting me between 150 - 200 miles but the newer evo's have a bigger tank and can do about 300 I think.
Saying all of the above, if I wasn't saving for a house I would have another one tomorrow without a doubt, amazing cars, you forgot how much its costing when you get in and drive (until you pass a petrol station.
If you do buy one, do your research on them, there are a few things to look out for when buying them. Get over to MLR (mitsubishi lancer register) and have a look on there. If you have money to maintain a higher spec car there are very well spec'd cars to be had for not very much money at all.
I decided against it. I love my Cavalier Turbo too much and their rarity only adds to my jealously guarding her. Instead of going down the Evo route I have decided to build myself a high power engine out of a second LET unit I have. I'm actually really excited about this although the problems I am going to hit on the way are depressing but all part of the fun haha.
Thanks for the advice given so far but like I said....my hearts in my Cavalier.
Thanks for the advice given so far but like I said....my hearts in my Cavalier.
OlberJ said:
Know zilch about them. Is the transmission quite strong or will it need work?
Yeah the transmission in them is actually really good. She uses a 6 speed Getrag F28 gearbox, the weakest link in the drive chain is the transfer box for the 4x4 which uses a pressure plate to activate and deactivate depending on your speed, this complicated system uses hydraulic fluid which it takes from the power steering setup. What happens is that they can blow their seals and or smooth off their crown rings due to incorrect tire depth and failure to rotate them around the car at the correct intervals. Additionally the temperature of the hydraulic fluid inside them can cause them to disengage if it gets too hot.The answer to this is to use what is called a "locked box" kit from a chap I know in the Vauxhall ring and these kits do away with this crazy Vauxhall hydraulic system and make the car permanent 4x4. There are also strengthening plates available but stress tests have show that the drive chain can cope with BHP figures well above 480bhp.
That said however the gearbox will need a Helix clutch and a lightened flywheel and could probably benefit from from a Quaife LSD (all readily available) but I'll deal with those when I get there.
Edited by Yanayaya on Tuesday 6th November 16:35
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