Man I need to move down there. I am paying 6k a year in my moms name.

 

Okay, so I'm going to be buying a new car in less than a month and I'm deadlocked in my decision between either of these cars.

One Mitsu dealer that I'm speaking with in Northern, VA is selling Evo's for $200 under invoice and I can get into a Silver Evo with the big spoiler and sunroof for approx $28,800 before tax, tag and title. I've found a Subaru dealer who's selling STI's at invoice, but the car I'm looking at has the upgraded alarm system and wheel locks - so it'll be approx 30K even before tax, tag and title.

These are the pros and cons I see with each car:

Evo
+ves: Lower price, lower insurance rates, better handling and braking, more modable, awesome bucket seats, better looks (IMHO).

-ves: Cheap dash and interior, weak clutch, ****ty Mitsu service at dealers, chance warranty may not be honored by my dealer if something breaks, no torque below 3000 rpms.

STI
+ves: 12 second car bone stock, better quality interior, strong clutch, driver adjustable center differential, more power and torque, better service at subaru dealers.

-ves: Ugly hood scoop, higher insurance rates, less useful back seat (it's cramped), higher price.


(Aside: I'll be switching to one of these cars from my 2000 SVT Lightning. I love the speed and the mountain of torque that my L has. Bone stock I ran a 13.64 @101.4 last weekend in Richmond.)

I appreciate your responses. I could be happy owning either car, but I need some help here. I was previously set on getting the Evo, but some recent posts from members not having their warranty's honored by mitsu (for an aftermarket stereo?!) and issues with the weak clutch and cheap build quality are making me second guess my choice. I plan on using my sports car for drag-strip racing and eventually autoX.

 

I'd say the level of modification you intend to pursue will determine your choice if you are not partial to the styling of one over the other...

also, I've never heard of a stock STI spinning a 12 sec 1/4...

 

I think styling is a major concern, and will probably bethe sticking point when I buy a new car.

I think in general thugh, taking eveyrhting else out of the equation, if you want a car to tinker with using aftermarket parts, go Evo. If the car will remain mostly stock, go with the STI.

 

service is not better at subby dealerships (personal knowledge) and the weak clutch in the EVO has yet to be experienced by me. and also never heard of a stock STi in 12's.

 

well lets see what you got...... since evo can be easily modded to have more torque and power and STILL be cheaper then an sti... you cant count that as a plus for the STI. i got my evo for 28200 but i know the sti i could have gotten for about 29500, so i put $1200 into modding now my evo is quicker then a stock sti... and its better handling and i got 300 buck change plus insurance is cheaper... i do like the sti for its stronger clutch though ... oh did i mention the stock sti's fuel map causes detonation from stock? did i convince you to get an evo yet?

 

haha your jokin... thats funny....

anyways I would go for the evo... AutoX, road racing thats the evos territory... and I have run mine at the drags too and its is an awesome drag car as well...

-non

oh ya by the way I have seen 2 STI's run one ran 13.9(with exhaust) and the other ran 13.7( I believe stock but not sure)

 

if you plan on modifying definetly get the EVO, the engine is stronger, plenty of upgrades available. The STi lacks aftermarket support for engine management (I don't know if something came up recently) due to electronic controlled throttle crap

 

Vishnu just came out with a healthy stage 1 package...I didn't see prcing for it, I would guess @ $2,000 for an exede and exhaust...

 

also never heard of a stock sti run a sub 13

 

Sport Compact Car magazine lists a 13.1 sec 1/4 mile time when they tested the STI, but they got one 12.9 sec run during the testing (but couldn't back it up). Also several members on STI forums have run 12.9/12.8 sec bone stock. Also, when I was in Richmond last weekend, a stock blue STI ran 2 13.6's and one 13.2 @ 104.

I just got off with the Subaru sales guy and he'll let the STI go for 29.5K so that choice gets even tougher.

 

I would go with the Evo just because I know that car is built to last. The STI is a brand new product here in the states, even the engine is new. Had they brought over the 2.0 STI that we all know is a good engine, I may have thought twice. I am not taking a chance on that 2.5. Especially after reading in the Subby forums of people blowing their engines with only like 350-400HP on them

 

Check your pricing, I don't think your invoice for the evo is accurate. Edmunds lists $27,116.

I bought mine in 2003 with spoiler and carbon fiber interior for $27,9xx after tax, tag, title ($1500+ trade in also). They can be had for a steal if you go in knowing what the dealer paid, and right now they are trying to get them off the lots as they are all still 03 models. You should be able to walk with a new EVO for about $26,500 easy (before tax and title, etc).

 

another negative about scoobies is their transmissions usually have more problems....

 

I had the choice between the two. For me money was not a factor because I was trading in my E46 M3 for either the Evo or the WRX sti.

For me, the determining factor was the looks. A car can perform better bone stock but if the looks are not that great, then no matter how fast the car is, it is still uglier compared to the other. The only reason, the sti has more HP stock is because it's their response to Mitsu's response to Subbie's response to the original WRX that came stateside. We all know that the EVO has a lot more HP that can be released with a few more simple mods. Plus, YOU get to choose what mods to put in to make it faster which makes customization more fun in my opinion. Either cars already have the basic platform to make more HP so you won't be losing any modding potential between the two.

Therefore, to me, it boils down to looks, and I have to honestly say that the WRX just looks way too upright and boxy compared to the Evo. The Evo just has a better shape and look to it. That, for me, was the winning vote cast.

Brent