A 2.2 l stroker kit from JUN, which is the best available to my knowledge, costs 650,000 Yen plus sipping plus duty plus tax, something like $4500. That will take over 600 bhp and 500 ft/lbs of torque.

I also bought an oil cooler and cams, but if you keep the stock turbo you dont need to change the oil cooler.

Stroker kit and full boost on stock injectors will give 370 ft/lbs and 380 bhp approximately (my car has cams and makes 400 ft/lbs and 420 bhp, so that sounds about right).

 

No, you've gotta leave the 29,000 with the dealer (just kidding).

Seriously, the recommended dealer price stated by the official Mitsubishi press release is US $28,997 and there is also a list of dealers here who will sell for that price; in short, I'd say yes, in exchange of $29k you can get a brand new Evo 8 by the end of next month

You can easily mod a rex. You can easily break it, too. We get a 220 bhp turbocharged EJ20 here in France. The standard bloc breaks at around 350 bhp. That requires a turbo, an ECU, ideally a FMIC, etc. 350 bhp in an Evo is a exhaust and boost controller on the stock ECU. Basically, you'd end up with less good a car, more mods and the same price.

The point isnt whether you can make car X or Y reach 300 or 350 bhp, because chances are you can if you have enough money and know qualified people who can mod the car for you; the point is that the Evo is the best A to B (through twisties) machine you can buy. For any amount of money.