and so r u

 

Apparently not, see my last reply.

 

Well here's the thing, you're comparing the RA to a stock GSR, when the real comparison lies with the MR, which can in some cases be over 10k more than the RA. I bought the RA for reasons of practicality, i know its not why everyone else did, but i also did notice that a stock RA with a flash only runs a buyer about 27k total (if they get a good deal). Now you have an RA with TC SST, and stock evo X power for well under 30k, versus the MR which has TC SST but is 38-40k. Now do you see what i am saying? (Yes we all know the MR has other ****, but this is just about the basic primal needs of a weekend car enthusiast). So my answer as a consumer is YES the RA under many different circumstances does actually compete with an evo. Not releasing the manual version prevents a dip in GSR sales, this is not to say that there wont be a manual in the future, but just a possible reason as to why there is no current manual version, and why the RA can in fact dip into evo sales.

 

And news flash, the MR is going upscale, expect to see much more luxury and higher prices for 2010.

 

Except we're not talking about the current RA, we're talking about the RA if it came with a 5-speed. There is no indication that the current RA is sapping Evo sales. If the RA had a 5-speed, it would better "compete" with the GSR except that in reality it wouldn't, if anything the GSR would sap RA sales. You represent a special case because you have an Evo and a RA, most people don't.

 

Now your just mixing stuff up. My original comparison was regarding a hypothetical 5 speed RA(which this thread mentions originally) vs a 5 speed evo X. Yes it would hurt evo sales because the RA wont be 26k with a 5 speed, it would likely be 24k (maybe even less), which is significantly cheaper than an X GSR. Now, flash that RA, and boom for 25k or less u have the stock power of an X, which is all most people care about. So now that argument of a better bargain comes back into play. And now we have a manual RA with evo power for possibly less than 25k which is now within reach of both serious, modest, older and younger enthusiasts. Now explain to me how the evo X GSR would sap RA sales at that point, and not vice versa. Anything else?

 

After the few back on forths we've had today, i realize why you have 10,000 posts. I'm done here. Enjoy the subie

 

what are you talking about? it's already been prooven that just a flashed 09' ralliart is equal to evo x whp/wtq, it puts the roughly the same stock power /torque to the wheels as an evo VIII. It's not far off in power dept., just suspension & wheels. & I just got out of an expensive dying evo that I was upside-down on to get into this after thinking about it more. I qualified for the X, nobody was letting that go for less then 27k, I got this sweet ride for 20k (like wholesale cost) w/ cheaper insurance w/ the feeling that I needed a more daily driver frendly ride, resonably affordable & still fun for motorsport events. I was able to hang really good times w/ the A stock & street mod classes @ auto cross w/ my evo buddies, even e85 powered VIII was having trouble against me in the tight corners. I heart<: the X's, but did'nt justify paying the higher monthlys, not much to put down, needed out of my old VIII, insurance is quite a bit less the any evo (even my used beat one), & did I mention I got it for 20 grand. I don't intend to heavily mod it. The thing is still kind of enjoyable stock.

 

Again, the RA won't eat into Evo sales. This hasn't happened yet and the comparable Evo (the MR) costs significantly more than the RA. If the prices are reasonably close (in the past Edmunds indicated that a manual would cost the same as the current model, I don't buy it but who knows), the Evo will still "win" the comparo. I have yet to hear of someone that went "I have enough money to buy the Evo or the RA but I'd rather buy the RA, dump 3000$ into it, lose my warranty, have a loud car and be as fast as an Evo only in a straight line". It doesn't happen, for the money the Evo is a flatout bargain. You can claim that all the Evo goodies are useless to the average driver but that's a BS argument for two reasons. First, many of the performance aspects of the Evo are useful for the average driver. Better brakes are always good, better handling is always good, more power is always good if you want power (which someone who is going to mod the RA would want). Second, the same exact argument could be leveled at the RA itself. It has a trick drivetrain, a trick transmission and a trick engine that cannot be fully used anywhere other than at the track. As I said, if anything, the Evo steals sales away from the RA. You're also under the false assumption that people know what mods are out there before they buy a car. Most don't, they research a car in that sense after they've bought it. The people who do all that kind of research before hand are the same kind of people that buy the STI over the WRX or the Evo over the RA. The RA is a good bargain for it's price but, and this is key, it isn't a bargain next to the Evo. What I mean by this is to get the RA to truly perform like an Evo (ie. good brakes, good suspension, good handling and power) would cost a ridiculous amount of money. If the only you care about is straight line drag racing or street racing, you wouldn't buy either car.

 

No, it hasn't, it's been speculated but it hasn't been proven. People are taking dynos produced on different days by different people and comparing them which doesn't work. Until we get back to back data runs, it's meaningless. To get the RA up to stock Evo power, you'd need to gain close to 60 HP. Torque is possible but that's because the RA already starts with decent torque and the tiny turbo helps in that regard. If you're friends in Evos were having difficulty with a stock RA, they're crappy drivers or their cars are setup poorly. Based on the numbers (slalom and skidpad numbers), the Evo should walk away with a decent driver. That shows how bad they are or how good you are, not the car's abilities.

 

haha i knew amby would complain about the dynos... btw i think RAs are currently hurting evo sales a little. the amount of evos that sit at dealerships for months and months and months. RAs don't last at dealerships right now. but thats not judging by figures just observations from around this area.

 

I don't think that's the RA's fault, Evos have been sitting around since before the RA appeared on the scene. Dealerships are marking them too high and not moving at all on price. The entire industry is also in a slump.

 

Well, I can't speak for other owners, but here's my situation.

The RA was in my price range, it was this or the Civic Si. If I had to settle for a base Lancer, I would likely have gone over to the Honda.

I prefer the looks of the RA and the Evo front ends (the "big mouth" grille as I call it). I was also impressed with the horsepower and torque, the TC-SST transmission clinched it. I really couldn't afford the Evo, this is my first time financing a car. So if it were not for the RA, I would have gone over to the "Dark Side" so to speak.

Now I am in love with this car, handling, power, performance, looks, it's the complete package IMO...almost. I still wish I had gotten an Evo, but it just wasn't in the cards for now. However, the RA has become a gateway drug. I will have a fully loaded Evo X within 2-3 years. Once I have established good credit, and made advanced payments I should be in a really good position to trade in and get a great deal on my dream Evo. I just need to settle on a color for the Evo. lol

On a side note, I never really gave the Lancers/Evos much of a second thought before the new models came out. I knew they were great cars, very popular, etc. but it was the new agressive styling that got me behind the seat, and encouraged me to do the research.

Then I really started looking at the VIII's and IX's....I would like one of each please. maybe after I win the lottery and rebuild my 240. lol

 

haha i like ur style

 

I suspect a lot of people are in this situation, I know I am. I would love to have an Evo X GSR but I simply couldn't have afforded one when I sold my Lancer. I could maybe afford one now but even then it'd be a hell of a stretch.