Please read my second to last sentence.

As I said before putting money down on a vehicle is the worst financial decision you can make. Run the numbers.

Maybe people shouldn't be buying the car if they couldn't afford the monthly payments without a downpayment.

That way of thinking is accepted because of the instant gratification of a small monthly payment and the inability to save.

Why do you think Interest only mortgages are so popular?

 

I had to help my wife make the same decsion 8 months ago when she was getting a car. Here's pretty much what we found & what made her buy the STi. They are both awesome cars & you wont be disappointed with either. Out of the box the STi is slightly faster & has alot more torque. The interior is nicer & the ride is a little more (slightly) compliant. The STi seems to be a little more reliable, but they are both gonna break if you abuse them. The evo is a better looking car with a little bit larger interior & has way more tuning potential. The evo's drive train seems to work a little bit better & the car is quicker steering. What made her get the STi? the torque was the biggest factor, when the evo's not on the boost it feels like a 1.5 liter, I imagine the MIVEC powerplant takes care of some of that. Another factor was the fact that Mitsu has been having financial problems for years & she didn't want to own an orphan if Mitsu went under. She also liked the more finished interior & better appointed dash of the Sub. So far she has not had any problems & whenever I ask her if she wonders "what if?" in terms of buying an evo she says "HELL NO" Like I said they both rip & are both are license shedders. To be honest the biggest problem with the evo isn't the TC or the clutch....its all the guys who think that their evo's are the fastest & baddest cars on the planet. There are some very smart & knowledgeable evo owners on this board. Unfortunatley there are alot of tools who like to bag on anything, especially wrx/sti's, thats not an evo. They're pretty easy to spot, they usually say stuff like "the evo's more edgy than the subaru" WTF does edgy mean??? They also like to bag on the way the sub's look & say **** thats usually irrelevant or not true. I think for them, their car is a compensator for having a tiny dick. Their identity is so depedent on the car that they have that when another car (the STi) is superior in some ways they have problems dealing with it. Sorry, rant over - sometimes it gets old listening to the same stupid, inane s**t. Either way you're gonna be stoked, have fun.

 

I don't think you get it. Cars are not investments so, naturally, you want to be able to easily afford a monthly payment. Realstate on the other hand is an investment. It will appreciate because God ain't making any more Earth. If given the choice to be struggling with a car payment or a mortgage payment, which would you choose?

 

Good, and honest review.

 

I don't think you get it. You're saying cars aren't investments, but you'll going to put a down payment on it. In essence INVESTING into a deappreciating asset.

To each is own, I just want to explain to the people out there that buying a vehicle like this and throwing so much down on the car is not a wise financial decision. If you're trading in a vehicle with a bunch of equity great, but to actually put cold hard cash down on a car is not smart.

Like I said before though, buying a new car isn't the smartest thing in the world anyways, to each is own and enjoy your cars because I will large payment and all

 

As much as I love Evo's I think this time Im going to buy the crystal gray Sti that has the short shift kit and 6 in dash cd player. I like the sti alot as well and Im not going to be doing alot of modding maybe just a turbo back. Im going to be saving about 100 a month going with the sti so I feel its the smarter choice.

 

I concur with this comment at least

 

good luck with your purchase, join up on www.iwsti.com if you havnt already

 

If you are not going to mod the car and hot lap the car on a regular basis, then the STI is the way to go. But if you are a car freak, like most of us on this board, then there is no way around modding and tracking your car. I chose the EVO because:

1. 4g63 is iron block and closed deck design and can take a lot of abuse
2. More parts available for the engine
3. Easier to work on than the EJ25
4. The steering ratio is to die for. Can't get that in the STI
5. I like FMIC more than TMIC. You get better cooling with a FMIC.
6. Hood scoop on the Sube is annoying and vibrates
7. I hate frameless windows. With time they rattle and do not seal properly.
8. And the BIGGEST one, the gear ratios on the STI SUCK for road racing/hotlapping. Notice how short the gears are in the above video. It will suck for road racing. I drove an 05 STI at Streets of Willow, a short technical track, and I was shifting all the time. I hit the rev limiter multiple times. Aside from the 2.5 L engine, the STI has more low end torque becuse of the very short gear ratios.
9. Better seats on the EVO than the STI
10. A stiff stock suspension that I can use on the track for a while. All the EVO needs is a thicker rear sway bar and it is ready for hotlapping.

You will note that most of my reasons are performance driven and not astethic. Basically, if you want a daily driver then go with the STI, but if you want a track car then go with the EVO.

 

Very well said, I agree

 

I agree. The sti's interior is way way better. See



vs



wait a minute! nope. i still like the evo's interior more. only thing i like on the sti more is the gauges but.. ehh its a gauge, who cares? these are performance vehicles. not beauty contests.

 

LOL! thanks for posting that Kee1pride, I was thinking the same thing. The STi interior is NOT better looking, IMHO.

For those of you who didn't buy an EVO because of how you think cars are doing, you just missed out big time. If you have any understanding of how Japanese conglomorates/Zaibatsus work, you would know that is into a lot of other industries and those industries always help keep a float the ones that are not doing so well. Completely opposite of how U.S industries work, ones that are not doing so well are sold/shutdown.

AndrewSS: The so called "Boxer" sound you are talking about is NOT because of the engine, it is because of the unequal length headers on the WRX/STi. If you swap it for equal length headers (plenty are available in the aftermarket) your car will sound like any other inline 4-6 engine.

The only things the STi has going for it is the stock better lit gauges, the shift light/sound and side impact crash rating.

I can go on forever but it is best I stop...

 

I think the unequal length headers are only on the WRX. The STI has equal length headers and actually sounds different. Same thing if you get equal length headers for your WRX, it won't sound the same anymore.

 

Evo more boost less motor
STI less boost more motor

 

Unless I'm confused as to what exactly constitutes an "equal length header", how could the boxer engine in an STi or WRX have them without relocating the location of the turbo? Isn't the turbo on the passenger side of the engine bay?