This sounds like a broken record, but I currently have a S4 and I am seriously thinking about a Evo. For some reason in the last two years I have bought and sold a 2002 Honda S2000, 2002 C32, and now I have stage 2 S4 I'm ready to sell for a new Evo. My only car I plan on keeping is my RX330. I love my S4, it has a Milltek dual exhaust, Giac X-chip, spring-shocks, and evo intake, but I need more power! You see, I had a 650HP T-51 powered 1997 supra and I miss having a fast car. It seems the S4 is expensive, $6K for a ko4 kit, to "only" get 330-340whp and the car has a glass jaw. I have read around the STi forums and this forum for the past few days and I have made up my mind in choosing a Evo as my next car. I went to the Mitsu dealer today and took a look at a beautiful blue Evo. To my surprise my wife loves the car. Not to my surprise the dealer had a $3K mark-up, but I know I can work with that number. Anyway, am I crazy? I have a great car with the S4, it's qwick, comfortable, and drives pretty damn nice. I'm 30 and my wife and I are expecting, but it seems the boy racer in me will never die. Hopefully by X-mas there will be a evo in my garage.

Sam

 

If you're into tuning, and tuning BIG numbers, the Evo is the way to go. I got mine with the sunroof and wing for 29K before taxes and tags, which I settled for. Silver in color. The STi just feels porky, IMHO. I never liked WRXs to begin with, even though the STi has "cooler" options like the DCCD and what-not, but has a 550 dollar radio OPTION. An Evo will never be considered as classy as an S4, but just as sharp. Quicker....better...faster, cooler? Of course. Just as Alfriedesq.......

 

get the Evo, the S4 is really nice, but, the Evo is cheaper to modify if speed is what you want. A friend of mine has an '01/2 S4 and he is jealous due to the "bang for the buck" figure. Plus is you want to drive something nice, take the Lexus!
Plus you'll have a lot less understeer than you do in the S4.
Just my $.02

 

HA! It seems a lot of us are in somewhat similar circumstances!

Congrats on the baby! I had already sold my 87 911 Cabriolet and traded in my 00 A4, then bought my EVO. Before I could go out and spend a lot of money on mods, we found out we're having our first baby as well. I'm 30 as well, lol. I love my car, and honestly won't touch the brakes or susp any time soon. Just doing BPU type stuff to get about 50 more hp or so (MBC, SAFCII, exhaust).

I think the EVO has tons of potential at good return per $ invested in terms of accel perf. However, it's a real gem in terms of handling and braking, esp coming from an S4. Have you driven one yet? The transient response, lateral grip, and braking are phenomenal. The turn-in is so quick, you think it and it happens. It handles eerily close to my Dad's C4s, but without all the refinement. Of course, it's less than half the price, heh.

Note that the EVO definitely doesn't "feel" like a solid german car. It's loud and rides fairly rough, but to most of us it's worth it.

BTW, you can get an EVO for close to INVOICE, definitely below MSRP. I paid MSRP a few months back (while getting a generous allowance for my trade-in, long story).

Good luck!

FB

 

If you want BIG rwhp numbers I would go back to the supra.

 

What is the "glass jaw" on the S4?
Is it the expensive tuning or is there something else?

 

As I remember it-

Negatives:

1) As mentioned ...expensive to modify
2) Weight distribution w/6cy hung out in front of axle. Even modified the S4 will never be an Evo in the handling department.
3) Chassis not as rigid as an M-Car or Evo
4) Tranny/clutch issues when pushed hard
5) Expensive to repair
6) Isolated driving experience...Ultra fast, but not a "fun" car

Positives:

1) Best interior trim I have seen next to a 7 series BMW
2) Quiet
3) Ultra fast , especially from 85mph up
4) Dated body style, but still sleek and attractive looking
5) Well appointed with options


At the end of the day the S4 is basically a fast luxury car, without the visceral driving experience and raw road feel. This may be a good or bad thing depending on your likes/dislikes.

Just my .02, but I owned two of them, both were paid for... and I still got rid of them. Driving an S4 at slower speeds was about as engaging as driving a regular A4. Well not that bad, but close.

Looking back at all of the different cars I have owned, only the Evo, an E36 M3/4, and my all-time favorite the MCoupe achieve that level of hard core driving experience that = owner nirvana for me personally. Of those three, clearly the Evo has the most potential performance-wise.

If you haven't driven an Evo yet, you should. All it takes is getting behind the wheel for a quick test drive, and you will know.

N10S

 

I recently traded my 2001 S4 for an Evo. I had the exact same mods (Milltek, X-chip, intake). After reaching Stage 2, I was looking at either $1,500 for downpipes or $6,000 for K04's. It just got too expensive. You can achieve the same performance from the Evo for 1/3 the cost. The Evo interior can't compare, but the handling is far superior.

I just completed installing the Vishnu Stage 0 plus downpipe. The car feels like it would smoke my old S4.

Be prepared to upgrade the Evo clutch. The Evo's clutch is the weak link, much like the S4's K03's. Atleast the clutch is cheaper to replace.

 

...as to the child issue... I've got 7 and 11 year old boys. My 11 year old is as tall, or taller than most the members here. I looked at the WRX a while back, and it has no leg room in the back... which ruled out it, and the STI without even looking futher in to them. I can adjust the drivers seat to my comfortable driving position in the Evo, then jump in the back seat behind it with room to spare. I'm 6'1", 245lbs. Plenty of room for a baby seat.

 

Thanks we are really excited. I wish I could have driven the evo, they had two of them at the lot, but they said "no." So I guess i wont be buying from them, plus the sale's man gave a whole bunch of lies from warrenty issues to performance numbers, most of which he was clueless. I hate it when sale's people try to talk shop with people who actually know 10X they know about the car they are selling. Anyway I'm ready to give up the the S4's lux feel for a econo car feel because I have a RX if I want to ride in style. The s4 is a fun car to drive, it's not so isolated with springs and shock and it's much less isolated than my c32. I think someone mentioned about going back to a supra for more power, well that maybe true but I don't like to buy the same car twice and there aren't many, if any supras that have been tampered with in some way. Like I said I have a couple of months to sort things out before I buy the evo, but when I do I plan on taking the high road as far as mods go =) .

Sam

 

Hmmm choices. I was actually making the choice between the audi and the evo.
Got the silver evo. THIS CAR IS AWESOME PERIOD.
I have nevr driven such a refined vehicle like this from the factory with this kind of performance and quality.
Good choice man and have fun modding.

 

Dude, I just reported this post to audiworld. You're a dead man.