Seeing that timeline makes me sad, about 6 years since a solid victory is sad.

 

Don't let one person's opinion, from an internet forum no less, be the basis for your decision.

Go drive either car yourself, and pick whichever one suits YOU better.

I have no doubt you have requested similar responses on an STI forum in some way or another, so take everything you hear with a grain of salt.

Almost everyone on the Evo forum is going to tell you to buy an Evo, while conversely, almost everyone on an STI forum is going to tell you to buy an STI. In the end, you'll be no closer to your answer than if you skip this madness and go drive the cars for yourself.

If your local dealerships won't allow you to take a test drive, find a local community of owners and see if someone will take you for a ride, as I doubt anyone will just let you drive their car.

I'm not trying to sound discouraging, but nothing we say should have any bearing on your decision.

Buy the car that YOU like better. It's your money. It's your choice!

Good luck!

 

ive made 2 sti owners say.. damn i should have bought an evo. All of my 7 or 8 evo buddies attempt to do the same thing. I often hear people say that they bought their sti because it is a better daily driver, and tey are nto into racing. Im not saying that this is every si owner but most of the ones we have met.

 

One of the main reasons the STi falls on its face after 5500 is the tiny VF39 tubo that comes stock. also the intake manifold is geared for low end grunt so you lose out with that as well. My STi before it got totaled was a freeway animal! it would pull all the way until i hit the rev limiter. I love both of these cars and can speak from experience having owned both of them. I do however like my Evo more than my STi. I have more fun driving the Evo, it feels more like a track orinted car where as the STi feels more like a street car the you would occasionally track (I dont know if that makes sense). well there is my .2...

 

i have driven both cars hard and i have driven both cars around town. now if you want a hard, razor sharp performer right out of the box then get the evo. if you want a compromise i would suggest the WRX (not the sti). let me explain, the evo is a hard core little car that will drive you to work and back but you are going to give up some things in the process like interior, ride quality, and in my opinion looks (yes i said it looks, its just my opinion so save the flaming). now what you make up for with the sacrifice is a car that will nock your socks off every time you hit that perfect apex and punch it on your way to work. now some things you need to think about are, the evo has a 2.0l engine with a decent size turbo from the factory so there is going to be a bit of lag. for instance if you punch the evo at 2,500rpm, you are going to have to wait untill about 3,200-3,500rpm for anything to really get going. now the 06 wrx comes with the 2.5l this year and has a smaller turbo so the power is smoother and more seamless (much better for the average joe crusing around town). also the interior on the wrx is much nicer and the price is also. my buddie was able to pick up an 06 wrx for 23k (before tax and lic) and for 23k its a hell of a car. the STI just doesent seem to have a real place for me, the car is about $32-33k and will do ok stock but does"nt like mods as much as the evo and is a pain in the *** to work on your self. also subaru will void your warantee just as fast as mitsu will for modifying the car. some thing else to consider is the fact that the subaru trans and xfer case are not that much stonger if any. both the evo and the sti will scater drive train parts if you think 7k rpm drops from light to light are fun.

now if you really think you need a hard core handling machine that gives you a smile from ear to ear every time you push it then i would say the evo is the best choise. also some thing to consider is the fact that the evo is detuned from the factory, all you need to do is open her up a bit and hold on. for $2-3k the evo will make 350awhp all day on pump gas. now if that isnt enough for you throw in some 110 octain race gas and turn up the boost to 25psi and watch your toes curl as about 380-400awhp go to the ground turning that corner into a blur, this is just what the stock turbo is capable of.

the choise is yours, i would drive all 3 cars and think about it but like i said if you want the mario of the group (using mario from super mario brithers 2, just does everthing ok) then i would get the wrx. now if you want a race car that tries to pose as a street car and that is capable of doin things you did'nt think wher posible then ge the evo.

 

That guy is a moron....and i think hes got the tranny issues backwards...

 

I own both 05 Sti and 8MR, so once again:

Suspension: MR's bilstein's better than Sti's. And I'm comparing the evo's stock against the pink, 4-step Sti damper+springs

Handling: Pretty much the same. The Subaru's ability to hang the tail out is entertaining but not really useful.

Engine: Like somebody said already, they're about the same with the Sti's engine a little smoother. But you can change the cylinder head of your evo at home if you want, but you have to take the engine out of your Sti to change spark plugs. The evo's block in not AL like the Sti so you can run fairly ridiculous boost without too much mods.

Transmission: Sti has a more efficient transmission and the shift action is nicer. But that's about all the difference there is. I heard from racers (rallying) that the subaru's gearbox is pretty weak but I think they've fixed that.

Build quality: Sti. But it's a close one.

What I'd choose if I can only have one: Evo.

Rally teams or privateers use certain cars based mainly on 1)The deal they can get from the manuacturer/dealer/sponsor 2)Skills of mechanics 3)Complexity of the machine.

The Evo's transmission is more complicated so it's not something any mechanic can work with easily. The Sti's a little less complicated but that can make a difference between ending a rally and finishing one. As for the engine, if you have to take it out anyway, then they're just about the same.

If you rally the car, the evo's FMIC might no be the best choice. A minor off can puncture your IC and that will be it. If you're autox'ing then bits of stuff thrown up by the car in front might not help either.

So, get the evo. The IX if you can. Form what I've heard, it's pretty awesome.

 

Oh, and one more thing; another reason why there's a few more Impreza's in rallying in general is that you can just buy a normal Impreza do the mods you need without any modification to the chassis, I think. Where as if you buy a 2wd lancer, you'll have to modify the rear end near the passenger footwell to fit the read diff.

I know you can buy an RS, but your basic Impreza is still much cheaper. So costs are totally different.

 

Hey! My wife has an Echo and a Prius and they are both great cars! The Prius has 1000 miles on it and she's only filled up 2 times!!!

The STi and Evo are both among the best cars in the world at what they were built for (just like the Prius is...). After driving both, I found the Evo fit me better, so I bought one.

To the poster: If you're frantically deciding and relying on obviously biased strangers to make your major decisions for you, you really aren't ready for the car. If you buy one, you gotta promise not to regret it! It's not our fault!!!

 

That guy is an idiot, talks about an EVO not being a rally car? You actually need 2.0L to be a rally car, not 2.5L. So if he really wants to get down to it, the USDM spec STi isn't a true rally car. Pwnt?

 

Thats it, I've made my mind up to get Evo 9 MR.

 

Sti much better looking? i disagree. look at the front looks like Chubaka!

 

This quote makes me laugh. After round 1, there were 7 evos left and 1 Subaru so just because one guy can make his Subaru fast doesnt mean its a better car to get. It would make more sense to buy the car that has 7 out of 8 in the finals. Also I am sure Al would have got 1st if he hadnt broke in the last round. His MPH was 116 on that round instead of the 136 from the last round. So obviously it wasnt a clean run.

 

?

 

by golly you're right!