Guys, chill out. I wasn't blaming my test drive on him. He wasn't even my salesman. At this dealer only the sales managers, and salesman who have been with the company for quite a while are allowed to go out w/ the Evo. Why? Not sure, it's not an Enzo. But for whatever reason, my salesman isn't in a posistion to go out with me, so he went in place.

Again, it was 85% me, 15% him. Let's not start a flame war over this.

 

As a former STI owner, I know what you mean about having similar driving capabilities..

Which car you choose depends on what you want. I wanted the better autocross car. In that senario, the EVO wins. The STI is quite frankly, the better daily driver. The extra torque and softer suspension definately help on the daily commute.

If you think the EVO is geared short, then you have not driven an STI... your always shifting to another gear. The STI's brakes are good, but even though they run a larger rotor, the EVO's brakes are slightly better, with the EVO being much more predictable than the STI.

The STI's DCCD system is a little weird, and I found over the long run, that I didn't like all that fancy electronic control over where the torque goes. Sometimes while driving, you have to wait for it to figure out what to do (usually in the middle of the corner too, really bad timing and kind of annoying...) and just trust that you can pull yourself out which is not a problem with the front LSD. It is like a larger more capable form of a driving aid when left in auto mode. In manual mode, each setting is a different comprimise of performance. Neat to play with, but not very practical on the street, and in autocrossing it just requires alot more testing time and far more complexity to your setup. IMHO, in autocross, the STI is just harder to drive.

It really comes down to what you want. If you want a bad *** daily driver, then get the STI. If you want the best "drivers" car, then get the EVO.

I traded my STI in for the EVO and I have no regrets.. (still hurts to sit down tho... )

 

infin|ty: Please remember this the next time you go for a test drive:

"The purpose of a test drive is to see exactly what the car you are interested in is all about so burn rubber, brake hard, and turn fast. If you like it, buy it."

That is what a Porsche salesmen told me when I test drove a Porsche Boxter in August of '99. After the salesmen told me the aforementioned, I did exactly that. I later went on to do this in some other cars I test drove. Among these cars were a Mustang Cobra, a Corvette, an SLK, and an M3. I also did the same in the M Roadster I finally decided on buying.

I have told this to all of my friends & family and they literally thank me for it every time. In fact, my cousin was burning rubber a couple of weeks ago in a Mini Cooper S he test drove. He liked it so much he bought it too. Dealers know what a test drive is all about and I have yet to run into someone who has told me otherwise. As long as you keep it within reason, they should not have a thing to say about how you drive the car. If you ever run into a dealership that does not allow this kind of driving, go elsewhere. Plain and simple.

Congrats on being able to buy this car at this point in your life. That is truly a great thing to hear about. Do not think twice about your inability to learn how to drive any stick shift car. Give it a couple of hours in the same car and it will become second nature.

Anyhow, to comment on your original concern, chrisw put it best. I personally am going with the Evo because of the suspension and the time-proven bullet-proof engine. I have done research on both and it seems the Evo has more aftermarket support than the STi. Finally, go with the one you can see yourself with in the long-run and you should be fine.

Goodluck making your decision and let us know what you decide on.

 

To be honest my only real concern is the ride. I have to drive this every day for the new few years atleast, maybe longer. I love the Evo's looks, handling, seats, moonroof, lights, everything. I just don't know how the stiff suspension is going to work out. That's why I need to spend a bit more time in the car. Thanks for the opinions though guys...has been a good help.

 

In terms of sporty cars I've driven lately....

BMW E36 M3, E36 328i and 325i, 330i

Subaru WRX

Audi S4 (2001 bi-turbo)

Mazda RX-8

The Evo has the most punishing ride of all of those cars. Yeah, it also handles better than all of those, but it also makes the most compromise in terms of overall ride comfort for that handling. I'd love to have one to drive on the weekends, but I doubt I could deal with it everyday on New England roads.

 

id give a f*ck about comfort.....the all comfort i need is knowing that im drivin an evo

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by ESCALVANTE
[B]infin|ty: Please remember this the next time you go for a test drive:

"The purpose of a test drive is to see exactly what the car you are interested in is all about so burn rubber, brake hard, and turn fast. If you like it, buy it."

That is what a Porsche salesmen told me when I test drove a Porsche Boxter in August of '99. After the salesmen told me the aforementioned, I did exactly that. I later went on to do this in some other cars I test drove. Among these cars were a Mustang Cobra, a Corvette, an SLK, and an M3. I also did the same in the M Roadster I finally decided on buying.


ESCALVANTE, I think you are giving excellent advice. I think I am going to go test drive the evo your going to buy right before you own it. Lets see in order to get 0-60 times in the 4's you need to drop the clutch at 6000 just as the magazines have done right. Lets do that a couple of times on an evo with 6 miles on it. Better yet lets put a Mustang Cobra sideways coming out of the dealers lot. Or maybe we should run a vette from 60-0 just to test emergency braking. Then when I'm done I will call up 50 friends and have them do the same thing.

Infinity both cars are special machines and are rarely test driving before purchased. For simple reasons, idiots will drive them like they stole them and then say thank you for the joy ride. I read many articles and went with what I felt was best suited for my driving. Since the purchase, CAR magazine has named the evo in Europe runner up for sports car of the year, Automobile and SCC have named it car of the year, and all comparison tests between the sti and evo have been very close but all have called the evo the winner.

Enjoy your ride it will be much more enjoyable then your v6 stang.

 

with just $1200 spend for boltons and dynoflash, my car dynoed at 330bhp... you think you'll get 60bhp for $1200 for the STI? got a feeling it'll cost atleast $2.

 

Why not get some rides in both cars from owners that are experienced in the cars. I am sure both would be willing to drive the cars in a manner to convince you their car is better than the other. In reality it is a personal preference. Both cars are amazing vehicles. I respect both the EVO and the STI for different reasons.

 

actually its 335bhp but details details......

 

I heard a rumor today that Ecutec (spell?) is expected to release its reflash technology for the STI. Cost is $1000 and the STI might get 40hp. However, my guess is that until we see real dyno numbers and confirmed dyno testing by others on stock applications, it is just that, a rumor.


The EVO boards have better smilies than the Subie boards:

You have to love this one for the kill postings I have seen:

 

$1000 for a reflash!!

 

Reflashed and then a personal dynotuned session. if subsequent modificaitons are made and you want to upgrade your reflash to be current with those mods, it is another $350 which includes the dyno tuning. Still a rumor...

 

Did anyone ever get this to work? I downloaded the Divx decoader, but still no luck. If someone has it could they send it to my e-mail as an attatchment! PLease.....

 

You tried this link:??

http://extremegnome.com/vids/

Still works for me ....
(its 16.6megs so to big for email)