Psh, its only $265, just finance it lol

 

Uk£ 229 = Us$ 406.10

 

Mitsubishi has them on the MR access page for $265, the other site I found randomly lol

 

I don't terribly dislike the baseball-style knob, but even if I did, $265 is sufficient motivation to live with it. That's gas money!

 

Can't you just pick up any other aftermarket knob? For what, like 60~80 bucks? It doesn't HAVE to be a manufacturer knob. All these "accessories" they sell are uberoverpriced, for instance I can find floor mats 3 times better for less than half the price. That's some $60 for some logo you are going to step all over and wear out anyways.

 

Even the ARC shift knob is cheaper than that! Looks better too.

 

Tryin to get my wife to get one of these since she doens't like the attention the evo gets.

 

My gf was going to get one for graduation, but since they are so close in price to the evo and look so much alike, she's thinking of just getting a GSR.

 

I'm quoting from this thread b/c my answer seems more appropriate here:

I want the base model.

I don't care about the Recaro seats. A video review I saw said the standard seats are more comfortable, and the brand name on the seats means nothing to me. I don't need the 650w sound system, as I don't drive around blasting music trying to make the cars next to me vibrate. As long as the stock stereo has an auxiliary audio input it's good to go. And I sure as hell don't need some navigation system. Or a sunroof. I hate the sun. HID headlights? Sounds nifty. Maybe I'll add them later, without paying $2,500+ for that other crap.

I don't know how to drive a manual and I have no desire to learn. However, in May I borrowed a friend's '02 Maserati Spyder for a date and really enjoyed driving with the paddle shifters. So I've been looking for a car with 'em. BMW E46 M3's, while probably nice to drive, are rather plain-looking IMO. The Evo X MR first caught my eye (I found out about the Ralliart while surfing for Evo articles) but apparently isn't the best daily driver, being noisy and stiff. It's also too expensive. Nothing else with paddle shifters looks as good as the Evo or Ralliart.

For reference, I drive a '00 Jeep Wrangler, automatic, 4.0L 6-cylinder, soft top. It get's TERRIBLE mileage, the stereo sucks (can't play homemade CDs, MP3 CDs, no audio input for mp3 players), the soft top is unbearably noisy at speeds over 55mph, and the only way to get trunk space is to remove the rear seats.

Ralliart advantages (for me):
1. Paddle shifters!
2. Looks mean.
3. Sedan with a good-sized trunk.
4. Better gas mileage than my Jeep.
5. More comfortable ride, especially for long drives.
6. The $$$ saved by not getting the options can be spent on performance parts instead, putting the car into Evo territory anyway (correct me if I'm wrong, car's aren't my speciality).

Bottom line, I just want to be able to drive fast and aggressively, in comfort, while listening to my music. Having extra space for my gear (ruck sack, body armor, helmet, etc.) or for friends on the weekend is nice too. If anyone can point out a car with the same advantages, at a similar price point, be my guest. FYI: I hate hatchbacks (except for the 1st gen Nissan 240SX) so WRX and MS3 comparisons are meaningless to me.

I plan on buying a base model Ralliart next summer, when I have money and the price has come down even further (hopefully this economic crisis will worsen). Another thread here has an Orlando dealership selling base Ralliarts on their website for ~$24.5k, so I'm sure they'll go down over the next 9 months. I like the way my Jeep looks and I like sitting high up above traffic*, so I'm not sure I'll sell/trade it (maybe I'll put it aside and slowly add aftermarket goodies to it), but I'm definitely getting an Octane Blue or Graphite Gray Ralliart.

*The Jeep is the only vehicle I've ever owned, plus I used to drive big trucks in the Army. (this) and (this) Riding in normal cars makes me feel weird, partly due to the reduced visibility from being lower to the ground. Driving really fast tends to compensate for this discomfort.

 

Plenty of cars have paddle shifters now, Mitsubishi and BMW are not your only options. I know VW has paddle-shifted cars as does Nissan and others.
Unless you plan on spending massive amounts of money, you will not match the performance of the evo. Sorry, but that's just the way it is. You could easily make the car as fast in a straight line but you also have to worry about handling and braking among other things.

 

What makes you think that he wanted a evo performance??

 

He also says he wants to drive fast and aggressively which suggests he'll want to mod it to make up for its stock shortcomings (if you trust the R&D review).

 

The Ralliart is the second-cheapest car I'm aware of with a legitimate "no-torque-converter" semi-auto gearbox. The cheapest (VW GTI) lacks AWD, but he lives in Florida...however, he says he doesn't like hatchbacks, so that knocks out the GTI and R32. Other than the GTR, what Nissan has paddle shifters? Porsche, BMW, and Audi all have paddles available, but they're all even more expensive than the MR.

Noble, as long as you don't have to be Evo-fast, you're probably on the right track. If you DON'T care that the transmission has a torque converter, and you like sedans, check out the Legacy 2.5 GT -- the transmission isn't quite as slick, but it might interest you anyhow.

 

I think the Altima has flappy paddles doesn't it? If all you care about is paddle shifters, the GTS has them as well although obviously it's not a TC transmission (nor is the Altima). If it was my car, I'd bite the bullet, learn how to drive stick and buy the GSR but that's just me. For a daily driver, the Ralliart looks to be a good buy.

 

I think the Altima might have them, but even if it does, it's a CVT.