MazdaSpeed 6 or EVO? For getting around

Ive been saving my money for the past year and I finally have about 8 grand saved up for a down payment on a new car. At first I was looking at a 06 Civic SI but my insurance went down so I can now afford the AWD Turbo cars. I mainly want a car to get me around to school and work but I like to drive on backroads and what not and i want a car with alot of potential. Which car do you think would be better in my circumstances? I havent driven the MazdaSpeed6 yet but the car looks really plain yet the EVO looks to "boy racer". Too bad the STI's warrenty sucks balls or Ide buy that. Speaking of, which one of these cars would last the longest in realiability terms? Im familiier wtih mitsus but I dont know jack Sh_t about the sub's engine/tranny or the Mazdas. Oh and which one will most likely not get F_cked up by jealous naighbors because I dont have a garage. The last three cars Ive had my windows have been busted out cant afford that again.

i have both friends that has both.

opinion on EVO:

good:

engine is more bullet proof.
much easier to get power out of.
stock turbo is known to get up to 430whp with race gas running 28 psi
handles better then STi

bad:
very very weak clutch
has a tranny recall ( 5th and 4th synchro's goes out )
tranny is not as a strong as the STi's
the worst warrantee you can think off. ( putting in a intake and exhuast would void your blown tranny and clutch ) mitsu warrantee= no warrantee
cheap interior
finish on carbon fiber wing fades after 2 years

opinion on STi:

good:

higher class interior
much more torque
6 speed tranny thats proven to hold over 600whp ( much stronger then EVO's tranny )
much much stronger clutch
much much better warantee then mitsu

bad:

doesn't handle as good,
is slightly smaller then the EVO
stock turbo can barely squeeze out 350whp
engine internally is not as durable
harder to get power out without engine management


mazda:

unknown

man, friends in high places...I have one friend with a stock RS, and another with a Lancer Ralliart, thats as close as I get

oh and Tat the other thing about mitsu's warranty is that if they have reason to believe you were racing in any form when you come in with a blown motor, they will void your warranty right there...They were ripping mitsu in c/d about 5 months ago for doing this

I agree with all the pros and cons, their accurate

and yeah the Mazdaspeed isn't out yet so I can't come to a true conclusion on it

i thought the subu was better handling cause of some kind of advanced system i forget what it was called.

stock for stock the evo handles better, it has stiffer sway bars and stiffer suspension, it has wider tires, and it has much much stickier stock tires.

yes the subaru does have the dccd ( driver controlled center differential ) but it's kinda slow acting. but if you drive both cars back to back, the EVO on a smooth road will grip better and lean alot less.

the evo's steering is also alot more responsive becasue it only needs 2.5 turns to go from lock to lock. and the steering wheel is much smaller in diameter compared to the STi's. the STi's also have this problem with a slight lag in the steering input because of the very soft steering rack bushings. the bushings would need to compress before the wheel would turn. my friend has felt this happen a few times.

both of those cars handles extremely well and you would usually run out of balls before hte car runs out of gripe.

now back to the warrantee for the evo's. if you go on evolutionm.net you would read nothing but horror storys about it, and on subaru forms how they're very lucky to have warrantee guys be alot more understanding and replace blown engines etc. however this will vary from dealer to dealer, but generally they are pretty cool about it. ( in nyc atleast )

mitsu would void warrantee even if the mod has nothing to do with the failure. they're bastards like that.

the MazdaSpeed 6 is more of a fast daily driver...it has like 287hp out of a 2.3L DOHC turbo I4.....its a good engine and has been in production of a while. Again its a good car, but its going to be more of a driver performer....not a straight up performance car like an Evo or STi...

It wouldn't hurt to take a shot at the unknown, you can always testdrive the Mazdaspeed6 first.

Also, the Mazdaspeed6 has a better engine and aftermarket than you think. It is, aside from who makes the turbocharger, the same engine as the one in the Focus WRC car as well as the upcoming Cosworth Focus. It also has allot in common with the Focus RS, so if an aftermarket for it doesn't immediately come here, you can always look to import or finding sites that import from Europe.

The Mazdaspeed6 is also more comparable to the Legacy GT, than the WRX or EVO. But that is still not saying much in how much of a loss in performance since the Legacy GT can still run 13s on the 1/4 mile. It is also slightly heavier than the Legacy but that 30hp difference should more than make up for it. You also get a better interior than the WRX or EVO for the price.

So when it comes down to it, while the WRX STi and EVO are street legalized rally cars that can chase down Porsches, the Mazdaspeed6 is a sports sedan designed to rile up the likes of BMW and Mercedes.

So when it comes down to it, while the WRX STi and EVO are street legalized rally cars that can chase down Porsches, the Mazdaspeed6 is a sports sedan designed to rile up the likes of BMW and Mercedes.

:werd:

Just because the mazda is AWD turbo does not mean it's in the same class as those two rally machines - it's all such a marketing gimmick. It's a driver's family car with nice grunt. And as said before, more comparable to the likes of 330i's and of course the Liberty/Legacy GT

And to answer your question, it seems like you want a nice comfy car that can haul ass when needed. In that case, go with the mazda or something like the Liberty/Legacy GT.

I dunno about the Evo, I assume it's similar, but the likes of the STi are very boy racer-ish as in they have a harsh ride and suck as daily commuters especially through traffic. Unless you're like me, and prefer that kinda stuff :icon16:

damn thanks for the replies guys Its actually helped me in narrowing my choices down. I went ahead and test drove the sti(again) and god damn I love the speed and the looks of the car but its just too high mark meaning I would get herrased by cops and reved on night and day. Pllus an sti is 33k and I can get the MS6 for 29. I figure Ide use the money I save and fix up my 240sx Im driving now. But Ill have to wait and see how the MS6 drives, if it feels anything like a TSX or the Volkswagon GLI Im not buying it. Also I was thinking about the Legacy GT but damn that cars so plain looking and kinda "adult" and I am 20. OH and I threw the EVO out the mix after I test drove it and talked to the dealer. Mitsu dealerships are ass holes. "Yeah the EVo's 34K" Me."Is that for an MR?" Them"No thats just for the normal evo nine", me"Oh you mean with all the options" them "Well the only option it has is the upgraded sound system but thats it" Me."Your smoking crack I can get an STI with a 6 speed cheaper then that" End of story.

the new evo 9 will flat out smoke a STi. the new evo has the mivec engine which elimates lag and has a 6 speed and will trap at 106mph while the STi will only trap at 100mph.

not sure if the 6 speed comes standard though on the 9. because the mivec originally wasn't planned to arrive in the states but it did, so maybe the 6 speed would now be standard.

You can't have your cake and eat it, too. If you want a comfortable sedan that still has a lot of grunt and solid handling, it's going to be a little more plain-looking. In this case, get the Mazdaspeed 6 or the Legacy 2.5 GT. If you want a raw-edged sedan that is all about performance, get the Impreza WRX STi. I've owned a Lancer Ralliart and an Impreza 2.5 RS, and a good friend of mine has owned an Evo 8, and I can tell you straight-up that Mitsubishi's customer service is horrendous compared to Subaru's. As has been stated, a Mitsubishi warranty = no warranty at all.

I never got the phrase "you can't have your cake and eat it too"....

....I mean, if I had a cake in my hands....why CAN'T I eat it? It's mine and it's made for eating....

it seems like most of your questions have been adequately addressed. i'm just going to through in that the mazdaspeed6 would definitely be less likely to draw unwanted attention from the neighbors, especially when compared to an evo or sti. their oversized wings and hoods scoops and street their racing popularity would also make you a lot more noticeable to cops, as you mentioned earlier

I never got the phrase "you can't have your cake and eat it too"....

The origin of it beats me. Maybe I used the wrong phrase. What I was trying to say is that if you want ultra-cheap performance, you're going to have to deal with boy-racer looks and unwanted attention.

Nah, you used the right phrase, and I get what it means...but whoever made it up was smoking crack.

I never heard anyone use that phrase, I have only heard "you can have your cake and eat it too," which means if you have something you might as well use it or enjoy it.

As for the Mazdaspeed6 being a sporty family sedan with rally gimmick, I just do not buy that thought. For one thing the Mazda6 is too small to be the ideal family sedan, at least by US standards. It also has a credable engine, which is in the WRC Focus, and Mazda is also known for building nice handling cars. From the way I see it the Mazdaspeed6 is like a modern rendition of the Merkur Scorpio or Ford/Mazda's current attempt at sticking it to BMW and Mercedes.

There is also rumors of a Mazdaspeed3 coming out (along with some auto magazines already taking some supposed spy shots of the test car) which will have AWD and a 2.0l varient in wagon form.

If you get an Evo, then you're going to have to get used to catching the bus. Because, if something hasn't broken (As happens most Mitsubishis), then the car'll be stolen. It's really not practical day to day, it's too damn uncomfortable and attracts too much unwanted attention.


The Mazda6 MPS is the best bet if you're not going racing.