OK hello i am a fan of mitsu and espicaly of the lancer/evo i am heading off to college and am redy to get out of mymirage which was my first car and my first project i took it as far as i could now i have 20 big ones to drop on a new ride i was curious what evo i should go with this is all the cash i have right now and it dont want the car to be stock for long so just helpful advice would be nice and the first performence parts i should add would be great help thanks

 

I'm still in love my '05 VIII RS almost 20k miles later. The only car in the world with more tuning potential at that price point is the '06 IX RS. If you're into tuning and can live without all the creature comforts (at least initially) then maybe the RS is best for you.

BTW...put at least half that $20k towards something like mutual funds or low risk stocks like Walmart, McDonalds, Hersheys, Intel, Microsoft, etc. I think putting down $10k should be enough to get into an affordable monthly payment on a car known for holding its value very well.

 

Any Evo would be best for you coming from a Mirage.

Note: if you do get a used one, try to find one as stock as possible. Or just used to 20 big ones for a down payment on an EVO IX. With little money invested, trust me you won't get pass too often.

 

Get a used 03 or 04 VIII imo.

 

college+ EVO=broke... anyone can say they won't mod but that will never happen

 

This is true but some of us don't mind eating ramen and easy mac every day to be able to drive a sick car

 

RS-Aluminum roof, No Large Rear Wing, No Power Locks/Windows, No A/C, No Radio, No ABS, 5 speed, Only Available in Two Colors, White or Red, No Color Keyed Door Handles, No foglights nor HIDs.
GSR-No Aluminum Roof, Large Rear Wing, Power Locks/Windows, A/C, 140 watt CD Player, ABS, 5 Speed, Available in Rally Red, Tarmac Black, Blue By You (2003/4 Model), Electric Blue (2005 model), Weightless White (03/04 model), Wicked White (05 model), Lightning Yellow, Apex Silver, and Graphite Grey(06 model). They Offer SSL as a package which Adds Leather Recaro Seats, A power sunroof, HID Headlamps with foglights, and a 315 watt infinity sound system with a 10 inch subwoofer in the trunk.
MR-Offers Everything in the GSR except SSL package. In Addition to GSR w/o SSL, MR adds a 6 speed transmission, Bilstein Shocks, Vortex Generator to produce more downforce, an aluminum roof, exclusive BBS lightweight wheels and HIDs. They are available in 4 colors, Apex Silver, Rally Red, Graphite Grey Metallic which is exclusive for MRs(05 model), and Wicked White.
Prices are in least to most expensive order-RS, GSR, GSR w/SSL, MR

Whatever fits your description of needs while affordability plays a role is the car you need.

 

I think u should get 05 VIII look in the for sale section here. There u will find many bargains i mean u can get an evo VIII w ssl and all pretty cheap =).....

Mods wise

1st very smart choice Alarm, lo-jack something that will keep ur car safe specially if u are going away for college.

2nd i say get used to the car first and decide what ur goals are with the car.
Some set it up for show some set it up for speed or even a bit of both.

3rd think if u want to keep ur warranty or not if u do don't go crazy on mods,bolt ons should b fine, u can always go back 2 stock when u go to the dealer hehe

 

All the RS' have A/C.

As a college student I'd be looking for low miles and remaining warranty for the lowest price. You may want price brakes and synthetic oil/differential changes before buying. The cars are dead reliable if treated right, but like any hot ***** they are high maintenance.

 

It all depends on what you want your Evo to become.....If you dont want all the bells and whistles then go with the RS and save a few grand to put into the car. Me personally, I went with an 05 Evo with the SSL package and I love the thing. Im not sure if I could live with no A/C and sunroof, but thats just me- DOWNSIDE- its the heavist Evo out there lol. If I had to do it all over again I would have gotten the MR just because of the little extras it comes with plus the 10hp or w/e it has more then EVO VIII. As far as mods go ur going to get a whole bunch of different opinions on here...I guess it comes down to how fast you want to go and how much ur willing to spend. Dont do things twice I say.....Do it right the first time and save ur self the money.. This last summer I only bought an AMS stage 1 kit cuz i knew no matter what i was going to do over the winter, I would still be able to use all the parts that comes with the kit. Drive your car for a while get used to it and see what you want to do...dont just rush into things. Hope it all goes well.

On the way: stroker and GT76r with Alky....I think this will be a fun street car :-)

 

Do your research on a used one and then you should be able to do wanted mods at a more steady pace. If you can get lucky and find a used '03 that hasn't been horribly abused the price would be low enough to buy and still have money left over.