You got me, it's another one of those what car thread. Here's the criteria:
2 that came to my mind, Evo and FoST. I am not a big fan of FoST center console that's why I'm thinking about Evo. I think STI is also in the same class as the Evo but the engine and transmission issues kinda scared me. For B Street which Evo to get, the MR? Thanks guys.
Evo are awesome and fun cars. If you are considering buying one do it.
At less than $30k i'm guessing EVO 8 or EVO 9? Or can you get a X for that?
GSR vs MR is an interesting question for evo 8 or 9. Wondering how the 5 speed vs 6 speed manuals compare. EVO X MR has the DCT which is like cheat codes.
Evo X is less, way less, than $30k these days. I found this bone stock Evo X GSR for $20k obo locally http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/doc/cto/4701077636.html.
You can get an Evo X MR for less than $30k if you're going for an earlier one. I've seen 2008/9/10s for $22k+. Heck, I could be persuaded to let go of my 2014 one for $36k...
Just keep in mind that the buy in for them is cheap, running them isn't necessarily. You're looking at 3k oil changes with good (expensive) oil - I usually factor about $150-200 for the oil change including materials (Motul 300V 5w30 + K&N oil filter) depending on who does the work. The big transmission service for the X MR is $500 in materials alone and due every 15k. Not sure how DIYable those are and you don't want to find out how much a new trans costs - someone over on Evolutionm.net just needed to get his changed and it cost his warranty company a cool $12k. I'll probably have mine done at the dealer and most likely am looking at a $1k bill.
Of course with mods, the sky is the limit although there are debates on how well the dual-clutch trans holds up to high power levels. For me, the stock car is fast enough...
All that said, I like mine, but the lack of local-ish support either from a specialist or a dealer is making ownership a little more challenging than I initially expected.
In reply to ea_sport:
Bone stock is good. Just watch out for "bone stock" ones that had mods reversed, that's not unusual and not necessarily a good sign.
BoxheadTim wrote: You can get an Evo X MR for less than $30k if you're going for an earlier one. I've seen 2008/9/10s for $22k+. Heck, I could be persuaded to let go of my 2014 one for $36k... Just keep in mind that the buy in for them is cheap, running them isn't necessarily. You're looking at 3k oil changes with good (expensive) oil - I usually factor about $150-200 for the oil change including materials (Motul 300V 5w30 + K&N oil filter) depending on who does the work. The big transmission service for the X MR is $500 in materials alone and due every 15k. Not sure how DIYable those are and you don't want to find out how much a new trans costs - someone over on Evolutionm.net just needed to get his changed and it cost his warranty company a cool $12k. I'll probably have mine done at the dealer and most likely am looking at a $1k bill.
I DD a 2008 GTI with DSG so I am familiar with expensive dual clutch service costs, unfortunately. At least for the DSG it's every 40k not 15. How reliable is the TC-SST transmission and should I stay with the stick shift? I also found this SE http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale/vehicledetails.xhtml?zip=22182&endYear=2015&modelCode1=LANCEREVO&showcaseOwnerId=68148&startYear=1981&makeCode1=MIT&searchRadius=50&maxPrice=30000&mmt=[MIT[LANCEREVO[]][]]&listingId=381315045&Log=0 which I kinda like for the lack of big rear wing. Is the SE worth the premium?
BoxheadTim wrote: You can get an Evo X MR for less than $30k if you're going for an earlier one. I've seen 2008/9/10s for $22k+. Heck, I could be persuaded to let go of my 2014 one for $36k... Just keep in mind that the buy in for them is cheap, running them isn't necessarily. You're looking at 3k oil changes with good (expensive) oil - I usually factor about $150-200 for the oil change including materials (Motul 300V 5w30 + K&N oil filter) depending on who does the work. The big transmission service for the X MR is $500 in materials alone and due every 15k. Not sure how DIYable those are and you don't want to find out how much a new trans costs - someone over on Evolutionm.net just needed to get his changed and it cost his warranty company a cool $12k. I'll probably have mine done at the dealer and most likely am looking at a $1k bill. Of course with mods, the sky is the limit although there are debates on how well the dual-clutch trans holds up to high power levels. For me, the stock car is fast enough... All that said, I like mine, but the lack of local-ish support either from a specialist or a dealer is making ownership a little more challenging than I initially expected.
This makes an GSR or a 9 MR sound like a better idea for sure.
How are the GSR's transmission gearing for autocross?
Evo VIII RS 
People seem to dislike the 8/9 6 speed MR box, I think because it is less stout. 9s are really pretty uncommon and command a premium. I wanted a 9 MR for a while but they are pretty expensive, and mostly significantly modded. I have a really modified 240SX, and most of the Evos I've been around don't seem any nicer as a daily driver at all. I test drove a X MR, nice car, less raw than expected, and the low $40K price tag is a bit much. For a DD I would say try to find a well kept used X MR, the gearbox is nice and you can go into lazy auto mode in traffic. If you're more hardcore or interested in autoX/DEs, the 8/9 seems much more true to the lineage to me. Just be prepared for mid 90s economy car daily driving experience. A refined, bluetooth and nav shod cruiser these cars are not.
I feel like an Evo is an expensive disaster waiting to happen and for that money you can just get a new FoST instead.
I am biased because my friend is fixing his Evo X MR right now because the thing decided to blow up and as well I have FoST.
The Evo isn't an expensive disaster unless you are modifying the heck out of it. 
If you are modifying the heck out of it then you are in the same boat as any other GRM guy with the constant tweaking on a modified car.
My Evo 8 has needed some work ONLY because I rallycrossed it hard for two years and had one sucky event where the organizers didn't really accommodate Stock class cars. Thus I have replaced some trim damaged by snow/ice and rocks and suspension parts due to bushing failures.
Otherwise, NO ISSUES! Nothing. The car is special in it's steering and braking feel. I would go for an Evo9 as the MIVEC and Evo9 turbo allows it to spool up faster. Similar feel on 94 octane in the MIVEC car to running my Evo8 on 100 Octane.
Biggest issue with the Evolution is the slowly reducing number of Mitsubishi dealers to get parts from or if you need it, get service from. Even if you do have one nearby, unless you are in Normal, Il you probably have the B or C- team working there.
One thing to note is that the Evo does not have a fold down rear seat so if you NEED that then the Focus fits your life better.
ea_sport wrote: I am not a big fan of FoST center console that's why I'm thinking about Evo.
Have you seen the redesigned center console on the 2015 Focus ST ?
The disappearance of the Evo makes me wish Ford offered a Fiesta or Focus ST in AWD. It seems like they would get some marketing mileage out of the AWD Ken Block Fiesta.
VinnyGT19 wrote: The disappearance of the Evo makes me wish Ford offered a Fiesta or Focus ST in AWD. It seems like they would get some marketing mileage out of the AWD Ken Block Fiesta.
Your wish may be closer to being granted than you think. http://www.autoblog.com/2014/10/17/ford-focus-rs-spy-shots/
IMO one of the best things about the Focus ST is that I got it loaded for $26k, I don't think that RS is gonna go for quite that cheap assuming they sell it here.
Harvey wrote: IMO one of the best things about the Focus ST is that I got it loaded for $26k, I don't think that RS is gonna go for quite that cheap assuming they sell it here.
Does the FoST come with LSD of any kind? From pricing standpoint it seems that the FoST is the better deal compared to the FiST.
For Evo owners, are you guys concerned if Mitsubishi pulling out of the US market will affect the resale value of your Evos?
ea_sport wrote: For Evo owners, are you guys concerned if Mitsubishi pulling out of the US market will affect the resale value of your Evos?
pleaseohpleaseohpleaseohplease
I don't consider a Focus ST anywhere in the same class as a EVO and neither does anyone I know. I know many that wouldn't ever consider the Focus because it has no LSD and it's FWD but would happily own an Evo. I think it's even a lower class car than a WRX simply because of the AWD alone.
Biggest issue with the Evolution is the slowly reducing number of Mitsubishi dealers to get parts from or if you need it, get service from.
There are import mechanics all over though who have been working on cars like it for years. Also if my 25y/o Skyline is easy to source parts for a 5 year old Evo should be far easier.
Your wish may be closer to being granted than you think. http://www.autoblog.com/2014/10/17/ford-focus-rs-spy-shots/
This is going to be a limited run according to Ford. Probably going to cost more like $40,000 too.
Does the FoST come with LSD of any kind?
It doesn't and it's a dealbreaker for many people. It has that dumb electronic auto-braking "lsd" like what a WRX has. However the WRX has the benefit of a center lsd and awd so runs fine with it off.
ea_sport wrote: For Evo owners, are you guys concerned if Mitsubishi pulling out of the US market will affect the resale value of your Evos?
I don't think they're really going to pull out, they seem to be not doing too badly with the Hybrid stuff. And even then, I think if anything the values of Evos (at least the earlier ones, I don't think the X has a similar cult following) will go up over time, not down. It's not like there are that many alternatives to one that are perceived as "affordable".
If you are concerned about values, go find a really nice, preferably unmodified, Evo IX. I would not have too many concerns about their resale value no matter what Mitsu does in the US market.
ea_sport wrote:Harvey wrote: IMO one of the best things about the Focus ST is that I got it loaded for $26k, I don't think that RS is gonna go for quite that cheap assuming they sell it here.Does the FoST come with LSD of any kind? From pricing standpoint it seems that the FoST is the better deal compared to the FiST. For Evo owners, are you guys concerned if Mitsubishi pulling out of the US market will affect the resale value of your Evos?
FoST has torque vectoring, ie electronic diff via braking that cannot be disabled so it chews the front brakes up if you hit the track since the car has no brake venting, but otherwise it's fine IMO.
In reply to kanaric:
My Evo is now 10 years old. Not 5. Usually at this time of a car's life any car company starts to reduce parts inventory.
I don't worry about prices falling. Probably hold steady if not increase as the herd thins due to accidents and botched modification projects. Only so many chassis's out there.
I have found that Evos are really thin on the ground, especially if you want a stock one. Last night the bug hit me again and a 300mi radius search on Autotrader only got 14 hits, and all but one were modified. And the unmodified one had a rebuilt title, which might prove difficult to get a loan for.
Is the EVO better than the WRX STI?
If you had said "reliable" you would have had to rule out the evo but I think "somewhat reliable" is a fair description of an evo.
You'll need to log in to post.
