I just want to begin saying I AM NOT TRYING TO START ANYTHING HERE! I am looking to buy one of these two cars in a month or two (though, admitedly, I have always been an Evo guy - doesn't mean I wouldn't buy an STi if I liked it better) so I went to drive an STi and an 8, and here;s the story.


Went to a pair of dealerships today with my gf and drove these two cars. First, an 05 White/ Gold STi. The salesman was really cool and let me take the car without him in it. So, I was able to get a real impression of the car. The White/ Gold looks great on the STi, but the car already had over 300 miles on it. They had 3 there total: $33,802, $33,839, & 34,501. Anyway, the STi is a great car, but there were some things about it I didn’t like. Such as:

- The hood scoop is just too damn big. It sits on the hood and attracts all the attention of the car, looking like a dime size zit on one’s forehead. It’s obnoxious when driving, and anything over 60mph and it begins vibrating and shaking. Honestly, it could be much smaller and still be just as functional IMO. And I can’t remember how fast I was going, but I look in the RV mirror and the spoiler is shaking, too!? Definitely should not be doing that. I realize it’s made of lightweight plastic, but the spoiler should never shake no matter what the speeds.
- The seats are nice, but not anything near what the Evo seats are like… so I’d say the seats were a disappointment.

The one I drove came with package B which included boost gauge, titanium shift knob, and the short shifter = $928! Jezuz! The short shifter was nice, but alone is ‘only’ an extra $399 or so… so $500 for a shift knob and boost gauge? Something is not adding up. Rip.
The STi handled really well. Kicked out the *** end in a parking lot… kind of on accident kind of on purpose.

- The clutch pedal was squeaky… not a big deal, it was just annoying to hear squeaking every time I had to shift, which, was a lot. The 6-spd gear ratios were a little too close IMO. Shift shift shift shift shift shift shift shift shift shift shift. Just to drive at normal speeds and shifting at normal accelerating point, you have to shift a lot. I’d probably get used to it…
- The trans. was very notchy. When I first got into the car, it did not want to go into 1st. So I had to put it in N and let off the clutch and try again… this time it went in yet I could ‘feel’ the gears meshing. Every other gear was the same. The clutch was very strong and grabbed right away.
- Lastly, the car hopped while in low rpms under WOT. And by low rpms, I mean like 2500. I was in 2nd, about 2500 ad punched it… it jerked a couple of times before taking off. Not sure if it was because of the turbo or the diffs kicking in, but it learched a few times.

Onto the MR: I was discussing with a salesman through email and told him I would be there today to drive one. When I get there, the only 8 they had was inside the showroom so he said I couldn’t drive it, but there was a silver MR on the lot I could drive instead. Nice. So, while waiting for the MR to come around, I sat in the 8. The seats are awesome, most supportive seats I have ever sat in. I didn’t notice if this is the case on the STi, but there were two holes in the Evo seats about neck high for a future installment of a 5-point harness. Very cool. So, into the MR with the gf (and the salesman). Tranny was very smooth – no notching, very soft. The turbo spooled very quickly… almost instantaneously. You could hear the turbo spool (which I couldn’t in the STi) and it picked up really nice and smooth. Suspension on the Evo was much more rigid… if you like feeling every bump in the road (like I), this I a good thing - if you don’t, it’s not. The spoiler on the 8/MR is made of cf and is a bit lower than the STi. It is also thinner so it doesn’t take up as much room in the rear view mirror.
The bad things about the 8 are where the aftermarket gauges are located… down beneath the radio. Why? Anyway, I’d get mine without those because they’re like an extra $4xx. Also the “Lancer” spot in the instrument panel is useless.

Oh, and the 8 they had listed for $31,294… ~$2,500 cheaper than the cheapest STi. The MR was $35,1xx.

I was really able to drive the STi much more/ better, so maybe that is why I was able to find more faults. In my, unbiased opinion, Evo wins.

I took a few pictures, but don’t have the upload cables to get them onto g/f’s computer, so you’ll have to wait. Anyway, that’s my half-assed ‘report’ on the two cars driven within 30 mins of each other.

 

I am presently looking for both to, as soon as I sell and/or part out and trade...I have been to one stealership in Glendale (CA) and they were marking up 7,000 each...

Are you in Cali?

I understand if I buy out of state I can avoid Uncle Stalin's communist taxes...Do you know if this is true?

BTW...I ran into Jared, writer for SportCompactMag, he rolled up in a pull-me-over orange Lotus Elise, we got to talking about the compare of the STI vs. MR...Obviously nothing but glowing approbation for the MR.

 

What did you think of the gear ratio's in the MR 6 speed as compared to the STi 6 speed?

Thanks,

Keith

 

hmmm very good have had many chances to drive a 8 and a mr never a sti oh well hopefully you will make the right choice

 

I recently picked up an 05 8 and I love it, enjoy...

 

After purchasing my Evo, my twin brother went out and picked up an STi. Having done a lot of tuning and driving on both cars, I would still recommend the Evo. Both cars are solid, and there's really no arguing it. My Evo was more about the car, the road, and me. Honestly, his STi was mean when we were done with it. Anyways, he used to roll around and get a ton of from other drivers. I've never seen that response in my Evo. I think the Evo commands more respect, as it has evolved so far and is not showing any signs of stopping. He finally sold his STi because he grew tired of it and bought a new C6. My Evo is still rocking out! You be the judge. You can't go wrong, as long as you go with Mitsu!

 

I understand if I buy out of state I can avoid Uncle Stalin's communist taxes...Do you know if this is true?



I am not sure about other states but I just moved to Pa from Md this past summer and they told me that if I had bought my car within the last 6 months out of state, I would have to pay the difference since Md is 5% and Pa is 6%. So if I had to take a guess, I would say no, thats not true. Uncle Sam likes to make sure he gets all his money.

 

I never liked the feel of the STI. When you put the seat back to where I like it, the door pillar was in the way and you had to go around it to get in and out of the car. Also on the 2nd, and 4th gear shift I would hit my elbow on the center console. I just enjoyed the EVO a lot more than the STI.

 

I've driven an 03 WRX, 04 STi, 05 STi, 03 EVO and currently own an 05 MR. From your comments, let me point out a couple of things that I noted that might be due to a possibly incorrectly broken STi:
1. The STis spoilers only vibrates at speeds exceeding approx 120mph ....
2. I haven't ever heard any of the hood scoops on the STis vibrating yet ... which have been driven upto 120mph ... can't help it the cars get there soooo fast
3. STi that I've been-in/driven have never hard a lurching issue .... were you trying to launch it? and could it be possible, it bogged on you? ...
4. The STi has a lot of low end torque and thus the transition to the turbo is very tranparent but every STi I have sat in pulls harder to the red line than an EVO but they are both very comparable, which makes it a drivers game.
5. Handling on the EVO is better than the STi but again both are very comparable again making it a drivers game. One thing I did note was the 04 STis have a sofer suspension than a 05 STi and an MR is softer than a regular EVO. The MR still has slightly stiffer suspension than the 05 STi but barely. They are very comparable ....
6. The 05 EVOs have a smoother shifter than the STis (barely), very comparable. But all of them have smoother shifter than the 03 EVO ....
7. Seats on the EVOs definately hold the driver better than the STi seats .....
I could go on forever but I am sure you get the point ...
Goodluck with your decision ...

Unfortunately you can't get an MR without the optional packages, in other words you have to pay for them ... if you do get one you can do what I did, which was to relocate the sport gauges with the CD player..

 

theres a few guys on the forum here that took a huge hit on their wallet trading in their 05 stis for 05 MRs and still say it was worth every penny

 

anyone knows the STI time for 0-60?

 

most magazines report it to be about .1 or .2 seconds slower to 60 than the Evo because it has another shift...

 

thats all i needed to hear

 

You pay the state tax from where you reside.

 

Many mags have reported on the spoiler and hood scoop vibrations.... not sure if DaWorst just got into STi's with extra stiff ones or what The difference in interior space is huge. If I have the passenger seat in the WRX comfortable for me (and I am only 5'8" tall) nobody can sit behind me in the back seat, but in the EVO it isn't a problem.

Keith