Posted: April 19, 2012 | Author: ndubs77 | Filed under: Road Review, TEST DRIVEN, Used Gems | Tags: 2.0L, 2003, 2004, 2005, 280, 4G63, 8, all, BC, boost, Car, coilovers, controller, Domo, Drive, Dunlop, Enkei, Evo, evolution, Lancer, Mind, Mitsubishi, Momo, motor, Nick, Over, Pampena, racing, Rally, recaro, review, seat, Starspec, steering, Test, tires, tune, turbo, Walker, wheel, wheels, whp |

Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution 8
The Evo 8 was the first version of the famed Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution to hit US shores back in 2003, following the success of Subaru’s WRX Imprezas in years prior. The Evo was a different sort of animal though, offering 271hp to the WRX’s 227hp as well as a higher level of technology in its all wheel drive system. The Evo became the car to beat in 2003, so much so that Subaru decided to bring its WRX STi to the US for 2004. The Evo offers a simple but effective package; on the surface it is just a tweaked version of a Japanese economy sedan, but in its day it could also rival many serious performance cars like Porsche’s, M3s, and Corvettes. My friend Pete, has a 2005 Evo 8, and every so often he lets me get behind the wheel, so after a recent drive I finally felt like I had enough to put pen to paper on the car. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted: February 21, 2012 | Author: ndubs77 | Filed under: Secondhand Saints, SHOWCASE | Tags: 2.0, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 350, 35R, 400, 450, 4G63, 5, 500, 6, 600, 700, 8, 800, 9, 900, advice, all, awhp, bargain, boost, Buying, cam, Car, consumer, controller, Drive, Evo, evolution, GSR, guide, hand, High, Intercooler, IX, Lancer, manual, Mind, Mitsubishi, MIVEC, motor, MR, Over, owned, Performance, Pre, Rally, recaro, RS, saint, seats, second, secondhand, speed, T67, turbo, Used, VIII, wheel, whp |

Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX
These days the Evo is one of the most respected cars on the road. In stock form it is one of the ultimate rally bred, point-to-point missiles money can buy, and Evos that are modified easily have the potential to give Ferrari owner something to worry about. Yet despite their hardcore performance they are also just normal Japanese sedans on the surface, making an Evo one of the best overall daily drivers out there. Obviously all of this makes these things quite a hot commodity on the secondhand market, so lets look at the details. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted: January 31, 2012 | Author: ndubs77 | Filed under: Secondhand Saints, SHOWCASE | Tags: 1992, 2003, 436, 442, 456, Automatic, bargain, beauty, Car, Ferrari, gated, Gran, GT, GTA, hp, Italian, M, manual, Mind, motor, Over, owned, Pre, saint, Seconhand, shift, speed, Style, supercar, Turismo, Used, V12 |

Ferrari 456M, by Philipe Collinet
Ferraris really are their own breed. There are other cars out there that may offer similar, or better, performance, but none can match the allure, the prestige, and the pedigree of a true prancing horse. Obviously most Ferraris are far too expensive for most people to afford, but there are a few that have dropped into the realm of possibility for those who cannot write off six figures for a car. This is the Ferrari 456, a member of the Gran Turismo lineage that stretches back to the legendary 250 GT. When it was introduced for the 1992 model year, the 456 was the first worthy Ferrari GT car since the 365 cars ended production in the 1970s. It was a breath of fresh air after the dreadful 400/412 line finally was put out of its misery after 15 years of production. Now they can be had for a reasonable price. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted: June 23, 2011 | Author: ndubs77 | Filed under: Secondhand Saints | Tags: 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 394hp, 5, Bavaria, BMW, Cars, E39, German, M car, M division, M5, manual, series, V8 |

E39 M5 burnin rubba
The E39 is one of the most timeless designs ever to befall a saloon car, and the M5 is the kingpin. This was the baddest sedan that could be bought back in it’s day and now you can pick them up for the price of a new Corolla. That’s right, the BMW M5 can be had in all of its glory for a solid price that ranges from around $14 grand for the most abused to over $40 grand for the most immaculate. Overall I would consider $17-27k a solid price range to look in for these cars, because any less is a real risk for problems and any more you can likely find better options. In this middle range cars tend to have some decent mileage on them but not enough to deter a purchase, I call it being healthily used, generally 40-80k miles. Read the rest of this entry »