I love the Evo and think its one of if not the best car for the $$$. But I think that the m3 is the perfect car. IMO it has everything. Incredable looks,awesome interior,handling,and everyday practicality. I say keep the m3

 

i say buy an EVO if you wanna go fast

 

I hate to admit it, but I'm going to be replacing the Evo with an Estoril Blue M Coupe in a year or two.

Depends on what you want.

The Evo is reliable, but needs constant maintenance to keep it up and running.

Think of it as this: The Evo is the modern-day E30 M3.

 

Well, I've got 12,000 miles on mine now and not one thing has gone wrong with it. Not one. It responds to mods like nothing I've ever played with. The mods are cheap and plentiful, even if you go with the more expensive companies. And if you ever drive it hard on wet roads, you will be convinced that it breaks the laws of physics! Unreal. I have never had so much fun in my life.

 

WTF do you do to your EVO? I have 38K on my EVO and I drive it hard! The only thing I've had to do is change the oil and keep the fuel tank full! I say it requires constant maintenance if you don't know how to drive it!

Test drive the EVO and make up your own mind!

 

I was referring to the tires and the brake pads in addition to the oil changes.

 

if you like modding cars definetly get the EVO, for about 5K you'll make the car mid 12s at 110-112 trap speed, and you'll love the way the car handles, hell it beat the Ferrari 360 Modena in the 600 ft slalom according to Motortrend

Also I don't think you can mod the M3 by much, it comes with everything on, good exhaust, cams, lightweight rims, the car is meant to be kept stock, the engine compare to Ferrari 360 aren't too far from each other considering the M3 only has 6cyl

 

Got it! Tires can cost a little $$ if you get good ones!

 

You can do this for about $2500-$3000 if you plan your mods right and look for deals.

 

I never thought I'd own a foreign car, much less a Mitsubishi. The price/performance ratio was too attracitve. AWD is a real asset. I wasn't too thrilled about the wing, but now I wouldn't go without the wing. After some people who were apprehensive about the car got a ride, they seem to change their minds about whatever they were thinking before the ride (about looks, brand, the wing, etc). It is a harsh ride sometimes, but on a decent road it's awesome. I've gotten props on the car from BMW and Audi owners.
M3 is an awesome and beautiful car- my friend has a laguna seca blue one.

 

EWWWW LSB???

I'd rather have Estoril Blue over pasty LSB anyday

 

Opine this:

Coming from a 2G Eclipse GSX to E46 328i and then to EVO. Gotta say that the E46 definitely has it on interior quality and materials. But as for functionality of the controls, I'd have to say that the EVO is better. Everything is where you want it to be and adjustments are easy. Unlike the BMW which has too money buttons (not that you really need to touch them, but still to many).

But when it comes down to the parts you really care about, the ride and the engine, you really can't go wrong with the EVO. I'm sure you have heard the stories of M3 owners blowing their engines (at least for early production E46 M3s) and repair was not under warranty (this has probably changed). As I understand it, the tolerances were so tight on the M3 engine that any slight deviance and the engine was gone. Even though there has been a fix, I think that the M3 as we know it is gone, next will be a V8 engine.

Point is, when it comes down to it, how do you feel in the are you are driving. For me, I would take either one, depending on my mood, but due to finances, I don't have the M3 option. Hope this helps.

 

Guys, comparing the E46 M3 with an EVO is a bit like comparing apples with pears. You have to remember one thing here, the M3 is a high priced Germany quality built GT car, built with complex solutions and very expensive to tune. The EVO on the other hand is a relatively cheap performance car built to win rallies and uses pretty simple constructions which are easy to maintain and easy to work with between rally stages. If you care for interior appearance and the feel of driving an expensive car outside your favourite club (and you have the $$$) go for the M3, if you are more into pure power, performance and easy/cheap tuning go for the EVO. If you have lots of $$$$$$$ go for an M3 CSL and you get sort of a combination of the two

 

Wow!!! That is fairly expensive. I am looking to buy an Evo in 05 hopefully. I know that is a long way off, but I am in the military and about to be in Iraq till that time, so buying one now seems pointless. I was wondering what is the opinion of buying a used Evo with less than 5K miles on it as opposed to buying used? Also how much are you guys paying for insurance these days? I looked into a quote and it looks like about 170/month roughly for my age (20)

I am looking to keep payments around 250 a month roughly, and I know that will require me to have around 15K-20K for a downpayment, depending on the rates. (shouldn't be a problem) I just think if I could swing a nice one with really low miles, I could save 5k vs. the stealer which would be much more friendly on the pocket book.
TIA, and sorry I am a n00b.

 

Hey Guys,

Thanks for all your input. Well, I did it today. Traded in my M3 (Actually it was a lease car and bought it out of the lease for me) and got an Evo at MSRP. Apex Silver Metallic with sunroof.

Let the Mods begin. It's good to be in a turbocharged car again. The M3 was nice, but I like the Evo better for price and performance. It's definitely not as luxurious as the M3 but I don't really care.

Brrent