well the time has come to get out of my 06 Civic SI and on with a real tuner... My problem is, i can afford an 06' but i could also afford an 04-05 and have some cash left for mods... Any advice here would be useful. I dontknow from what i have read what the main differences are between the US spec years if someone could elaborate that'd be awsome. I know the 9 raised bonestock bhp a little which isnt much an 05 with minor bolt ons couldnt fix. What about potential problems with the different years, which parts are tending to "go out" and which year is the most worry free lol =) 03 might be an option with a tranny build..

* im not looking to get a 9 sec car out of this, Just looking to have a fun non DD to take out and have a time... wanting around 360awhp numbers which i dont think is too outlandish *

Any advice would be greatly appreciated...

Thanks in advance
BF

 

also from what i hear RS is a great trim level for the money... any differences in power? or is it just options? some1 please elab. on RS vs. GSR vs. IX vs. MR ext please....

And please dont flame me, ive never had the patience to work the search button on any forums lol...

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lancer_Evolution

That takes care of the basics.

 

9 RS if u can find one.
u dont know how used evos been driven. I think its better to pay 3-4k more for brand new RS or close to new one.
i heard RS is lightest of all. So im guessing its fastest?

 

'05 (best and last yr of the EVO8) and up. IX's are the best Evo to date. If you look long and hard you can find a really nice used one. I found my '05 GSR in showroom condition and 7k miles on it. I paid less than 24k OTD!

 

thats why im guessing if you buy used.... its best to buy a "virgin" evo, from an adult buyer you can meet faced to face... as for the RS i love the price but I dont know if i can do with elec. windows, what about GSR with SSL 05? still need help in english distinguishing the main differences!

 

thats why im guessing if you buy used.... its best to buy a "virgin" evo, from an adult buyer you can meet faced to face... as for the RS i love the price but I dont know if i can do with elec. windows, what about GSR with SSL 05? still need help in english distinguishing the main differences!

 

IF you get an RS no ABS! Keep that in mind. Thats what stopped me.

 

2005 VIII, bigger hotside, better clutches, cheaper than a IX. Find one with a mature driver, remember that 30k miles on a carefully driven VIII is better than a 10k miles car driven by a 16 year old thinking he is in The Fast and The Furious.

 

get a used evo9RS w light mods... best bang for the buck BAR NONE!

 

so im hearing some say evo9 RS and some say 05' RS... No ABS that is rather scary... how would you guys go about it? So im guessing RS is the way to go? *still cant get over the windows lol*

 

my vote is for a 05 gsr. personally i have to have power windows, locks, and radio. you can remove the sound deadener yourself for weight. plus with the gsr youll get hid headlights

 

lol... i have an evo IX RS.. and trust me ABS has never even been an issue.. i autocross it every month and no matter how hard i brake, i dont ever lock them up..... and as for the power windows... well, i swapped mine over to power windows.. and now i have exactly what i wanted..

im biased, but i say get the evo IX RS..... unless you dont like winning white or rally red because those are the only 2 colors you can get the RS in......


and as for the motor differences..... the mivec found in the evo IX helps produce more power with the same mods than on the VIII..... if you had an VIII and a IX with the exact same mods, the IX will produce a moderate amount more power than the VIII...... so more power for your money... not to mention the addition of the active center differential(ACD)..... (although it also came on the 2005 VIII's as well).....

so here it is

evo IX= more up front cost, more power for your money, ACD, limited slip front differential, MIVEC, black leather and suade interior standard, more base horsepower........

evo VIII= less up front cost (but unknown knowledge of how vehicle was taken care of by previous owner), less power for money, no MIVEC, LSD and ACD only on 05' models, love it or hate it interior fabric


now either one you choose you will be completely happy with... and evo is an evo... but if you can afford a IX, get a IX

 

The 06 is without a doubt, the best Evo that has ever come out (and by the looks of the upcoming X, the 9 will also be the best Evo for years to come). It comes with Mivec, the largest turbo ever, and ACD (and AYC in japan). Out of the box, the 9 can put 300whp to the ground just buy turning up the boost and re-flashing the ECU. If I could afford the 9, thats where I'd start. Then again, if you just bought an 03 for cheap and dumped $15k into it...think of the possibilities

 

I agree with the above statement.


BTW, I'm biased and proud of it!