Evo VIII or STi?

[Neutrino]

Originally Posted by Amish_kid

Ha I wouldn't bother with autox in the Evo, from pretty much everyone knows how badly Mitsubishi is pinning everyone on their warranties, And funny thing is there are Subaru dealers(ok well this was in this months C&D) that are actually giving memberships to SCCA when they buy an Sti or WRX, plus they also seem to be a little more laid back with the whole warranty, b/c everyone knows that there are some Mitsu dealers actually have been to track events keeping tabs on people and voiding their warranties for being involved in such things, good way to look out for yourself but when you advertise a car for being very quick, good handling people want to use it and not have any reprocussions(sp) .

Be careful with those SCCA membeships the subi is giving away. Becuase if you use them they can void your warranty too. Its rather ridiculous since its basically entrapment but it has happened before. True subi is less known to have the nazi warranty department that mitsu does but they do cancel warranties too.

The trick is to find a god dealership, maybe even a mod friendly one(there exist just have to find them) and stick with them.


And about Autox or other SCCA events be very careful if you have a new car, I've heard stories of several brands canceling warranties because od them. Its too late for my cougar since i've raced it and its listed but for my next car I'll try to avoid having my car listed on the local club's website. Just my name and results will sufice since they cannot prove you don't have another dedicated car for racing.

[10sec-Hopeful]

In this case I say go with the MR, well, because I have ridden in both cars and I will support TatII to no end...the turbo is MUCH more responsive....that and the handling aspects are awesome. The only real downfall I see is there aren't any side airbags...so I would be less inclined to use it for daily driving.

On a side note : for around 38K you can pick yourself up a decent used Audi S4 Quattro.....344HP with 302ft lbs. torque...an AWD system, 6 spd. manual trans w/ short sports shifter, and awesome handling...I'm not saying this is the best one for you, but down at the track I saw a bone stock (stock turbos) one of these bad boys run a best of 13.3.....not bad at all...and it is very good for handling. This is only about 3-6K over what you wanted to pay for a new STi...and I'm positive this thing can out-perform that.

Bottom line, if you want either only an STi or an MR....go with the MR.

[HighRev87]

EVO MR. And thats all i have to say.

[kfoote]

Originally Posted by Neutrino

Be careful with those SCCA membeships the subi is giving away. Becuase if you use them they can void your warranty too. Its rather ridiculous since its basically entrapment but it has happened before. True subi is less known to have the nazi warranty department that mitsu does but they do cancel warranties too.

The trick is to find a god dealership, maybe even a mod friendly one(there exist just have to find them) and stick with them.


And about Autox or other SCCA events be very careful if you have a new car, I've heard stories of several brands canceling warranties because od them. Its too late for my cougar since i've raced it and its listed but for my next car I'll try to avoid having my car listed on the local club's website. Just my name and results will sufice since they cannot prove you don't have another dedicated car for racing.

You get a free 1-year SCCA membership if you by any new WRX or STi.

The difference between how Mitsu and Subaru have gone about the warranty problem is basically that Mitsu is denying all warranty work on the EVO if they can find ANY evidence that teh car has been run on track, auto-x, or drag strip, while Subaru actually looks for abuse. The weak point of the STi is the ($6000!) transmission, and in order to get them warrantied, the transmission has to be sent to SOA and inspected for abuse before any warranty is made on these. Again, this is regardless of whether or not the car has been run in auto-x or track.

Back to the original question, it all depends on what you eventually want to do. For performance, stock, the EVO VIII has a slight advantage over the STi in handling and 1/4 mile times. The STi responds better to handling mods than the EVO does, and the EVO responds better to top end power mods than the STi does. It's all about EXACTLY what you want to do with the car.

[MR2Driver]

How about we just ask this guy exactly what he wants?

Honestly, if you can get over the interior of the EVO, pick the EVO. As far as im concerned its the superior car when it comes to performance and aftermarket, I dont care too much about safety.

Some people say they dont like the looks of the EVO, I say those people are probably ugly themselves and need Corvette body lines on their cars...

[Steiner]

Thanks for all the replies guys. This is exactly the kind of debate I was looking for.

This car will be my daily driver. I don't plan to AutoX, drag race, track it or abuse it but I do plan to lightly mod it over time...maybe an exhaust, short throw shifter, a PCM reflash eventually. Aftermarket will not be my deciding factor though. I want a car that handles the twisties (I have a dream commute down a two lane twisty road in the foothills) but I don't want to rupture a kidney every time I hit some sort of pothole, bump, lip or general irregularity in the road surface. Right now that's something that makes long distance, freeway driving a nightmare for me in my SRT-4 because the car is lowered with Eibach springs but still sitting on the factory struts. I know. Shame on me.

I'm also 6'3" and about 230lbs so the car needs to have decent headroom and generous, aggresively bolstered seats. I'm not overweight...I'm in good shape...but those "Viper inspired" seats that are offered on the SRT-4 nearly imploded the boys the first time I jumped in for a test drive.

With all the morons in Bay Area driving SUV's and talking on cell phones, safety is a concern for me too. It seems that both platforms (Lancer and Impreza) do very well in crash test safety. The side airbag thing is something my wife is really pushing me on but both of us were happy to hear about the reinforced steel beams in the Evo's doors. The only thing I haven't been able to figure out is whether or not that's something Mitsu added for '05 or if it's something standard on all Evos sold in the USDM since the '03 model was first released. I'm still researching that.

[Skyline_R32_Canada]

well with that comment i think you're leaning towards that sti

[Mediocrity]

Either one's a good choice, post pics when you get it!

[veilsidercng]

I always leaned towards the evo before I found out about the MR just because the handling/steering. The STi has like what, another 40 hp? Well I heard from someone on here if you get a new exhaust system, boost controller, and something else little you'll have another 80 hp (Might sound a little high with just exhaust and controller but the guy said theres not much flow in the stock system). Not so sure about powerband though. Plus the MR has a 6 speed, more power, better suspension, and some other stuff.

[Steiner]

I think the MR is out of my price range. I don't want to spend $40k+ out the door...which is what the MR would be. I'm hoping to be in the $25k-$35k range OTD.

[TatII]

all 05 EVO's comes with a Active center differential. its now driver selectable now, for gravel, tarmac or snow. only the MR comes with a 6 speed.

the ACD was not offered on the 03-04 EVO's. and that was probrably one of the best improvements you get for the EVO. now its one step closer to the japanese EVO 8 GSR.

[Mediocrity]

I thought the MR was 34k?

[Steiner]

Originally Posted by Mediocrity

I thought the MR was 34k?

I'm seeing the MSRP at $35k in NorCal with ALL the slimy dealerships marking them up at least another $3k-$5k because it's a limited edition...only 1,000 to be produced by Mitsu in all of '05.

[carrrnuttt]

Originally Posted by TatII

all 05 EVO's comes with a Active center differential. its now driver selectable now, for gravel, tarmac or snow. only the MR comes with a 6 speed.

the ACD was not offered on the 03-04 EVO's. and that was probrably one of the best improvements you get for the EVO. now its one step closer to the japanese EVO 8 GSR.

They added the ACD, but it is still less sophisticated than the STi's DCCD, and they took out the IC sprayer, which the Suby still has.

I've been researching this for a while, when I thought I'd be able to afford one or the other.

I have a family that would have had to ride with me at one point or another, and there was just no competition against the STi in that factor. Also, the looks of the Evo is just too..."boy racer", whereas Subaru (at least locally) will allow you to swap a 2.5ST wing (molded to the trunk look), and if you don't like the tall scoop, you can always swap a regular WRX hood (or buy an aftermarket one - say CF).

Best of all, you can bias the TQ to the rear wheels up to 60-70%, if you want more throttle-steering.

[fcdriver]

I went and looked at a MR two weeks ago and it had $35k price tag on it ready to go out the door but thats in northeast Tenn. I asked about any factory hop ups that you could install or have the dealer install without voiding the warrenty and the sells guy looked at me like i was crazy then said "thats all the power you need for a street car" he didn't understand my question then I explained it and he said that you couldn't do anything without voiding the warrenty, but I never trust sells people definatly not that one.