Ok, you are right...the GSX was there. Name another? Nowadays, we et to choose between the Evo, Sti, Wrx, SRt-4, Saab and various other affordable sports cars such as the 350z/G35, S2000, etc etc etc.

And then there is the different flavours of each. All I meant by that is that we are lucky to live in a time where what we are doing is trying to justify whether a car for $35k that is toe to to with a Corvette and M3 (which both cost more than $15k more) is a good buy.

 

I'd pay the extra for the MR...in a few months.

 

I'll reconsider the MR once :MIT change the dash interior, bov, clutch, and start honoring warranty. Until then I'm stuck with the 03 EVO which is the 1 st and last :MIT.

 

I don’t think the MRs are worth the $35K+ sticker less the dealer markups, and here are the reasons:

1)
First and foremost, I am curious how come no one on this board mentions the fact that the MRs are heavier, 22lb or 10kg to be exact, than the regular Evos even after so many “weight saving” additions, such as the aluminum roof-panel, light weight BBS wheels.
I think when you are comparing models, it’s only reasonable to compare similar models like the MRs with the standard Evos. Here I am not making comparisons with the SRT-4, S4, M3, Vettes or 350Z. And when comparing the MRs with standard Evos, you can’t avoid the question that if both cars have the same engine outputs, almost identical suspension setups (MR Bilstein vs Evo KYB) and 5 spd vs 6-spd tranny, how can the MRs be faster or superior to the standard Evos if the MRs weigh more?

You are welcome to verify my source from Mitsubishi USA, not just any car magazine.

http://media.mitsubishicars.com/deta...37861&mime=ASC

2)
I also don’t quite understand why people are so sure that the MRs can out-handle the standard Evos. Sure, the Bilstein Monotube shocks are more ride-compliant and more responsive. But, according to what I read from Edmund.com, the regular KYBs have a better overall feel than the MR units although I have not driven them both back-to-back on a track. With all that said, I don’t think the Bilstein units can translate more than a few seconds on a track situation, not to mention on a street driving situation.

http://www.edmunds.com/reviews/roadt...5/article.html

3)
This is a pretty well known fact in Japan. Shortly after Mitsubishi first introduced the 6-Spd on the JDM Evos, the Japanese were having a lot of problems with the 6-spd tranny as soon as they began to modify their evos. The 6-spd tranny is a decent unit by itself, if you don’t heavily mod the engine. The 5-spd tranny, however, is race-proven and shown almost bullet proof unit over the years.

4)
On a personal note, the HIDs are one of my considerations for the MRs. And I absolutely agree that it’s ridiculous to pay $3K to get a set of HIDs plus a bunch of other junks you don’t need. However, the solution to this is you can always get HIDs aftermarket. A nice set of aftermarket HIDs will run you about $300+.


Finally, I went to the Mitsubishi “feelwhathappens” event this past Saturday Oct 23, in Sol Cal at the El Toro Marine Base Airport. I happened to run into the Marketing Director of Mitsubishi North America. As I was walking in the event parking lot, I saw this guy who was parking a white MR. I went forward and checked out his car and he introduced himself to me as the Marketing Director of Mitsubishi NA and told me he is responsible and in charge of the “feelwhathappens” event. He then proceeded to show me his car around. During our conversations, he told me his views on the MRs and told me he only keeps his cars for 3 months and then he will resell the car. He droved 3 Evos before his current MR. He asked me about what I think of the MRs. I basically laid out my arguments to him why the MRs, even with all the technological additions, do not justify the extra $4.5K and I also told him that I have to bear in mind with the dealers’ markups here at Sol Cal, which is about $4-5K+. So, you will have a MR from the dealer that will run you $40K with which you can't even negotiate. And all of a sudden, the basic $30K Evos start to make a more sense. I told him with the standard you can at least negotiate with the dealer.

He looked at me and paused for a while, and then said “You are right. All you need is a base Evo with a set of Bilsteins. Then you are set!” When mentioning about the dealers’ markup, here is what he said, “We don’t want our dealers to markup our vehicles. That hurts sales. That’s why we intentionally delayed the release date on the pricings of the MRs so that they can’t mark up our vehicles. But they still do it. Hey, you have to bear in mind that there are only 1,000 of these MRs coming over and the dealers also have to make some money too!”

He answered almost all of my questions except one. He told me that like the 6-spd tranny the 05’s 5-spd tranny also has a low-friction Teflon-lined shift control cables, which is a big plus for me. But he can’t tell me for sure what is the best way to break in the Evo engine.

Nonetheless, he was a very nice, well-mannered gentleman with a cool foreign accent.

Sorry for the long post. Hope you have as much fun reading it as I was writing it.

http://www.feelwhathappens.com/

 

If i bought the mr initially, i'd say it is worth the extra cash. But would I trade in my 03 for an mr? hell no.

 

if u guys notice the MSRP of the evo for 05 has gone up. The RS is 28000 and the GSR Is 30k now. I saw that from their official website. and wtf the 05 GSR don't come with projector HID anymore?

 

All depends on your perspective

 

I'm glad that Mitsubishi continues to improve on it's existing Evo. Hey guys, I have a 03 Evo and I'm very happy with it. I payed just $25000 with 3400 miles and still have plenty for mods. Do what cha like!

 

Hey, I do fully understand why the MR is at that price point...this car looks to be very rare, and some people like to pay for that. It is something that I respect. But if I bought a MR, I sure as hell wouldnt mod anything on it period (besides a kartboy short shifter :P )

 

I finally got to see a new MR today at the local dealership. It was the much vaunted grey and I have to say that I was completely underwhelmed. Most pointedly:
- Rims looked good in pics, but they did not look good at all in person. The painted finish is ... well ... painted. Looks cheap IMO.
- Cheapa$$ gauges in horrible location
- Pedals look ok, but don't seem to provide much grip
- hand brake lever = rice
- Color of the rear spoiler does not quite match the paint on the car. Again looks cheap.
- the shift knob is nice, but it's solid metal (read: you WILL burn the crap out of your hand on a hot summer day ... opposite for cold winter days)

Like I said it was fairly underwhelming. I'll take a regular '05 Evo over the MR any day.

l8r)

 

While you are at it, why don't you also mention you didn't like the MR sticker or the MR floor matt.

 

Don't mod the MR. Thinking about mod will already void the warranty

 

wear driving gloves

 

Ah, thanks for the reminder ... I was going to mention the MR badge. What happened here? The JDM MR badge (I assume this is the one that Z1auto is selling) is way better.

And the shift knob on the MR is too big for driving gloves ... that is actually why the shift knobs on the '03 Evos were small.

l8r)

 

Yeah, and you know, that Porsche 911 Turbo sounds kinda like a vacuum cleaner...

You can nit-pick all day, but some people find the MR worth it, some don't, and everyone is entitled to their own opinion. My opinion is that if I had the money for an Evo, I would spend the extra on the MR. Does that make me gullible or trendy? I hope not...