sarethksun

Hi guys I'm new here.
I don't know if this is the right place to post this, if so let me know.

So my main question is, is the Evo a good first car?
I need a car for AIT (Advanced Individual Training) for the Army, in a couple of weeks. And I've never owned my own car before, so my first thought is to buy a used car. And I've wanted an Evo ever since I've laid eyes on it. The ease of tuning, aggresive looking style is just all gravy.
But my family tells me to get a new car so that way there is really no strings attached. But the new Evos are pretty pricy. My income can cover it, I just wanna know what I'm getting into.

Basically my questions are:
Is the Evo a good first car? If so, why?
New or used?
What's the most miles have you guys had without any major problems?
And, is it really worth the money?

Kracka

iTrader: (49)

Honestly I'm going to say no; they're fairly needy cars plus can be very dangerous in an unexperienced driver's hands. Something a little more tame such as a new RalliArt would probably make more sense; they're basically baby Evos so you'll still have plenty of fun. If you do go with an Evo though, just be very careful and don't rush into modding it. Take your time and learn how the car drives, handles, and responds to your inputs; and be sure to stay on top of all the maintenance.

Vivid Racing

iTrader: (98)

Whether or not it's a good 1st car is entirely up to you and your own personal situation.

Do you drive agrressively? Have any tickets?
How much self control do you have?
Any experience driving performance cars?
Is lower price or a warranty more important to you?
Can you perform basic repairs and maintenance on your own?

As far as whether it's worth it, again, is a personal opinion. I think if you pay fair market value for an Evo in good condition, then yes. It's worth every penny. But that's because the idea of a 4 door performance car really appeals to me. A well cared for Evo should hit over 170k before any "major" problems start coming up.

logicalfaith

iTrader: (1)

To each his/her own, but in my opinion anything over 250 hp is not a good 1st car.
To me:

1st car: "Anything basic will do". It's important to be able to do risk assessment on the fly when someone's driving. A basic car will allow you to experience what to do or not do in many situations (snow, rain, gravel, bad roads) etc.

2nd car: "It's fun to drive a slow car FAST". It's good to get a basic car like a Mazda3 where you can work your basic skills like heel and toe, picking lines of attack etc. A basic car is nice because it's easy to maximize its potential. It's an easy car to tune as well.

3rd car: "Now the fun starts." With your accumulated car owning experience, you will know how to baby this car. This car (like an Evo) should have a higher ceiling so you can better hone your skills.

It's like learning how to play a guitar. You don't want a $5000 guitar on your first go. You need a $100 guitar so later you can appreciate what a $5000 guitar sounds like.

It's like owning a camera. You don't need a $2000 camera with a $3000 lens for a first camera.

sho669

iTrader: (34)

QFT!!! This is spot on!

I still enjoy beating on slower cars that pretty much never gets old.

The evo will make you think you are a way better driver than you actually are, this is a bad thing, then again that makes driving it pretty fun.

Also like said earlier if you aren't the kind of person that knows how to fix one of these you'll spend quite a bit of cash paying a shop to do work for you. You WILL break parts and they are expensive.

In the end though as long as you don't drive like a complete asshat all the time it's a pretty safe car in stock form, should you jump in a 500whp version though, deff not.

EV0L-IX-MR

Speed has never killed anybody suddenly becoming stationary that will get you. It's your choice and money I love my evo and would recommend it to everyone but if you can't keep up on the maintenance and aren't exactly skilled at driving than no don't get one and if your going to be a heat bag driving one and cops build a liking to evos than again don't get one. But if you can control your self and not race every 16 year old in a Honda civic with a fart, and save the spirited driving for a track than by all means join the club and enjoy it.

HN7

iTrader: (8)

1st car you drive or 1st car you own?
I bought the Evo 3 months ago as my 1st car I own, can't be happier. Before that I drive my family's car, has a CBR as my main transportation so I had some experiences.
Keep in mind, the Evo is a car that you'll have to "pay to play". Maintenance is not bad but if something break, you won't like the repair bills. Certain parts are also expensive.
And yes, if you can find the right car, it's worth every penny.

Vivid Racing

iTrader: (98)

My brain literally can not process this.

sarethksun

First off thank you guys for the fast and "non-violent" answers. (I was expecting to get flamed!)
Let me clear something up. It's gonna be the first car I own in my name. I do have some experience, I was the designated driver all of highschool. And I was driving a Civic Si. But when it comes to having something like the Evo, I've never sat behind the wheel of anything of that caliber.
@Kracka. Now that I think about it, the RA is not a bad choice. It kind of flew over my head, actually I kinda dismissed it a long time ago. Because I don't like how the front grill part has a chrome outline and that it doesn't go all the way to the bottom. (Stupid reason I know). But I'm seriously considering now. I really wanna see whats the hype with the TC-SST.
@Vivid Racing. I think if I had something like an Evo I would drive aggresively, to be honest. And no I've never recieved a ticket. I have a lot of self-control, but I think I'm going through that phase where I'm obsessed with speed. And warrantys have always been more of a piority to me, and yea I can do basic things not like take apart block engines and put them back together! But I know my way around a car!
@logicalfaith. You gave a very good analogy. Basically what you're saying is: Crawl,walk, run? If so, I think I've gone through the "crawl" phase lol. Now for the second car you mentioned, the Mazda 3. (Or something in the same class) Would you recommend new or used? I know that debate again, but I wanna research this as much as I can as this is a pretty big investment. And would a RalliArt be in the same class?
@Sho669. Haha advice taken, I wont drive like an ***
@EV0L-IX-MR. I never know cops had a fancy for Evos haha. Considering there aren't much where I live, but I guess any high performance car they'll chase after!
@HN7. Congrats on the Evo! I guess I never really realized until this thread, that Evos require alot of work, on my part.


Thanks guys for your replies and comments.
I think I might come to the conclusion of just getting a Ralliart.
I think the reason why I'm rushing now, is because I'm afraid of what the new Evo will look like, (I heard its gonna be a hybrid?)
Unless you guys have any other further opnions, I'm very openminded and will consider them.

DeeezNuuuts83

It's not a good first car, though after reading your responses, you were saying it would just be the first car that you yourself owned (in terms of being the titled owner), so I don't think that matters much.

Going new or used has its pros and cons either way...

Purchasing a new Evo ensures that you know anything and everything about the car (since you are the first owner of it, with much less worry compared to not knowing how it had been driven for however many thousands of miles) while letting you get to pick what you want, in terms of the trim level and the color. And then there's always that warranty, which you might need, and it helps when you're the first owner and you keep it maintained properly, though it depends on your desire to mod, as dealerships (and Mitsubishi corporate) may decline warranty work on modded cars. However, the drawback is that you're limited just to the Evo X (since to my knowledge there are only two new untitled Evo IXs in the U.S.) and you'll probably be paying more (as used cars take depreciation into account).

Purchasing a used Evo gives you a broader range of Evos to choose from (meaning anything from a 2003 VIII to a 2011 X could be your potential car) while potentially getting a better deal since depreciation affects Evos, just like any other car. Also, with a lot of new bang-for-the-buck cars being out now (i.e. Mustang GT 5.0 in this price range or the GT-R in the next price bracket or two which is accessible to some Evo owners), some Evo owners are strongly considering a vehicle change, so the used market may have a lot of options. However, the used market, while theoretically including all Evos ever sold in the U.S., may not provide the exact Evo you want. For example, you're going to have a hard time finding a used Evo that is still stock, especially if you have a specific model and color in mind. It's not as if a bunch of GG IX SE owners with lower-mileage, bone-stock examples are ready to part with their cars... I know I'm not. And with the non-stock Evos, you need to check if they used quality parts that were installed correctly. And stock or not, you need to consider if the vehicle has been properly maintained or neglected, or if it's been tracked and/or abused.

I currently have a bit over 42k miles on my Evo IX SE (which I purchased new) and have had zero issues, other than an alignment that I asked the dealership to do within the first couple of months, and it was done under warranty as I felt the car seemed a bit off. I owned another Evo before that, and it was trouble-free as well.

And yes, it's worth the money, though at the time I bought it, it was without one of the best bang-for-the-buck cars out there. It still is in 2011, but there are stronger contenders that have improved a lot more in the same time frame. Maintenance isn't cheap, but it's nothing to put you into bankruptcy. I don't really sweat it. But I couldn't imagine owning any other car, realistically.

quick silver 8

iTrader: (3)

i love mine and i would never discourage anyone into not owning an evo. but as most of the previous post i must say it comes down to you as a person. if you are a resposible driver and is not going to launch the car at every stop light you're at , endangering yourself and others on the road then go for it. no disrespect to ralliart owners and i might get flamed for it but the ralliart is just not the same. the evo is a tamed beast when stock just waiting to be unleashed . sorry but i dont feel the same way about the ralliart. as far as costs go, you got to pay to play. just my .02c

DeeezNuuuts83

^ Agreed. I'd recommend a WRX over a Ralliart, the way things are right now. Much more car for the money, if you must have AWD and a turbo.

Zerokei_XF

iTrader: (6)

Couple of things, first, I am military and I started out as an E1 5 years ago, so I know where you are comming from. Second, no, your income will not be able to cover an Evo or the maint cost unless you plan on doing nothing but sitting in the barracks, my first car was a 07 STi i baught while at El Paso, in AIT, so I have a damn good idea of how this all turns out.

If you want an AWD turbo car, save yourself a **** ton of trouble and get a RA or a WRX, stay away from the Evo and the STi. Later on, you can always upgrade to or past what an Evo or STi is.

So in short, no, it's not worth it to own an Evo or an STi at where you are sitting now, even if you get a huge sign on bonus, I enlisted for 32K. Get a RA, gain some rank and put some money aside, then go from there. Between an E1 to E3 you'll struggle more then you think.

RockmanX

iTrader: (78)

i hope people realize the cost to own a RA is more then the gsr evo but ok. Personally here is my view on it i understand peoples point of view of not your first car and i tend to agree on that but as you stated you have been driving so lets get off that point this will not be his first car rather the first one in his name. Here is the thing about Evos if i were you as stated above me its about LIFE MAN. there is nothing worse then getting paid but your still broke thats being straight up thats not a good feeling so for you buying a new evo would be pretty unwise because you still want to live life NOT LIVE FOR YOUR CAR. I would say get a used evo hands down. Now several things come to mind when buying used.
1. condition
2. quality of the motor
3. the owner in general
4. what has been done to it

DONT LET poeple fool you there is no stock evos there are reverted back to stock ones some good reverts some bad. so looking for a socalled stock one can come back to bite you in the a$$ now you dont want to get some 600whp monster either you need to find that happy medium. I must rather you get a evo with some mods then none least you know the owners chances of doing a hack job is smaller. Remember any car you buy used needs to be check out by a shop compression test and leakdown test and of course a test drive. If you want a EVO GET IT dont get some peace of **** mazduh because you will be unhappy get what you want but BE extremely picky about it you may not get the color you want but the over all quality of the evo could be better. I get real tired of people saying this and that is expensive any car can be expensive if you buy the wrong one. DONT beat on it daily and you will be fine. Understand what you are driving if a guy in a mustang revs up to get some know you can beat him so whats the point leave it alone if you can control your self then you will be fine with a evo matainence comes along with the territory. for the first 2 years just drive it save money and get your situation right. Once your in a comfortable position then comes the modding game. Trust me i been down this road if you would love to chat further feel free to pm or call me im always willing to help fellow evom members this is a big choice in buying any CAR get what you want so you will be happy and you will be more inclined to take care of it because its something YOU WANTED not what you were told to get.

MitsuG24

^^^ How is the GSR less expensive than the RA? On the low end the RA is about 10k cheaper than a GSR and the high end it's about 2k cheaper. If I was going high end then I'd just get the Evo provided I can pay for the insurance. My insurance on the RA clocked in at about 50 cheaper a month than an EVO. The RA itself is a great daily driver and has more everyday versatility especially if you get the Sportback. The best thing about the RA is that with the money you save on initial cost and maintenance you can build up the car to match and even exceed the capabilities of a STOCK EVO X. The best thing about choosing the RA over a WRX, is that you don't have to worry about figuring out which car in the parking lot is yours after a car meet