That about sums it up.

 

FWIW: 2006 IX SE

Bought FEB 2019 - 43k miles stock $29k
Sold FEB 2020 - 45k miles stock $32.5k

I figure I broke even after taxes, registration, insurance.

 

If you ask me, an Evo 8 with 75k miles is worth more than $15k. If you ask me what I think a $15k Evo looks like, I'd tell you a Evo 8 RS with 115k+. The car will also have a lot more character and potential than a bone stock, newish WRX. It's going to have a lot more problems, too, but if you have any sort of mechanical inclination they aren't very difficult cars to work on.

Maintaining my Evo has been a literal gift over the last 4 years after owning a 2001 Audi S4 for the 5 prior. After buying the Evo I don't think I'll ever buy another German vehicle unless it's 1) leased, 2) CPO.

 

Low mileage, stock, cheap...pick two

..and "cheap" being less than $20k

I recently picked up a 99% stock WW IX MR with 125k miles in the low 20's. Finding a wicked white IX MR that was complete, stock and in good running condition that wasn't $30k+ was damn near impossible. I think these 9's will hold their value quite a bit better than the 8's just because they were a one year deal.

 

But even if they made the IXs for as many model years as they made the VIIIs, they'd still hold their value better anyway, due to them being more recent (always a plus when it's the same platform) and updated (also a plus, provided the updates were truly improvements, which they were, across the board). But that aside, even though it was only one model year on paper, I don't have the numbers but wouldn't be surprised if there were more 2006s sold in the U.S. than any other CT9A model year, especially since the the 2006 had an extended run anyway with the SE (which was technically the 2007 model year overseas). So it's likely that there weren't three times as many VIIIs sold in the U.S. as IXs. So while they are rarer than VIIIs as a whole, they're probably not rarer than any specific individual model year VIII.

 

https://www.evolutionm.net/forums/ev...03-2006-a.html

About 13K VIII, about 8K IX.

 

Are there production numbers by color? Color seems to really affect pricing for the 9's also.

 

No production numbers by color, but WW is a lot rarer on the 9 and commands a premium, whereas WW is very played-out on the X.

 

I disagree about the Evo having "a lot more problems," unless you are generalizing the fact that a 15+ year-old tuner car (Evo or not) will have more problems than a "newish" one (WRX or not). Obviously it's not a perfect car, but it's proven to be a very solid platform from a reliability standpoint with few weaknesses. The bothersome problems that are associated with this car usually pop up in applications where the car is more heavily modded and/or seeing frequent track use, but that applies to a lot of other cars as well. So for example, a responsible MR owner who has light mods and does spirited canyon driving on the weekends probably doesn't have issues with their fourth gear or all three ACD lights being on.

I agree. The car isn't cheap to maintain but it's not expensive either, plus you're at least paying for real things to be changed (i.e. multiple fluids that have required functions, belts, spark plugs, water pumps) and not just a couple hundred dollars for an oil change and a variety of visual inspections like they do for luxury brands and their service intervals. I don't think any of us enjoy opening up our accounts to drop money on maintenance, but I will say that when doing the 30k/60k services at my go-to shop, I have always left with a sense of satisfaction knowing that my car is going to run really well and be unlikely to give me any headaches. It's been extremely reliable for the last 13+ years of ownership, and the only real issue I ever had was having to replace the radiator at around 100k miles, which was annoying but not too difficult to get done.

Ironically I came close to pulling the trigger on a CPO 2019 Audi A3 that had 1,309 miles and was listed at $23,981 which I'd use as a daily driver, but someone bought it a couple of days ago... but that same day, the pictures for the 2021 Audi A3 sedan came out, so that has been on my mind this week.

 

I remember that thread, I just didn't feel like digging it up. Thanks for finding it.

It supports what I thought was the case -- despite being only one model year on paper, there were quite a few IXs produced in comparison, but clearly fewer IXs than VIIIs, again due to the number of years. But it's crazy that that single model year account for 39% of all U.S. CT9As. Interesting that 2004 had such a small U.S. run.

 

When I was looking for a new car back in 2015 I came across a WW IX MR with 52k on the clock. It was pretty much bone stock except a cat back and a few other odds and ends. It was a younger "kid" that owned it so I was a little skeptical. He was asking $23k I believe and didn't take my offer of $21.5k. A couple weeks later I found my TB IX GSR (full bolt on STM tuned) with 48k on the clock and I think I paid $22k for it with the CE28Ns and stock Enkeis. I've had a shop offer to cut me a $20k check on the spot (turned them down) and the previous owner asks me at least 2-3 times a year if I'm ready to sell it back to him.

1) I have thought about putting mine up for sale at BAT prices..., but I can't bring myself to even list it
2) As a "car enthusiast", I'm glad i didn't pay up on the MR because I ended up with a STM car that was done exactly how I would have done it. Oh, and the 5 speed tranny
3) As a "DIY detailer", I really wish I paid up for the WW MR...

 

What did the previous owner end up driving as a replacement to the Evo that they sold to you?

 

Regret? Yeah, pretty sure that's it.

 

Pretty much what osetsky said; regret.

All jokes aside, he had a Tundra as a daily. He later bought a G35 coupe which he sold for a LS1 swapped and gutted 300zx which he sold and I'm not exactly sure what he's driving now as he hasn't reached out in a while. We've been planning on meeting up at the STM Dyno Day but I haven't been able to make it out there the last couple years.

Essentially, I see what he went through after selling the Evo, which is why I can't bring myself to do the same (yet). This has been a dream car since I was little (2F2F) and I'm now 26 years old with a clean and clear title in hand it wouldn't make sense to sell it unless it was for financial reasons.

 

I used to own a FD RX-7 and until you've owned one of those you will truly know what expensive vehicle maintenance is lol You're not doing timing belts every 60k, but you might be doing an entire short block at 80k or sooner. So far my evo seems like a reliable turbo Corolla by comparison. And oil changes are super easy on these cars so I don't mind doing those every 3k.

Call me weird but I wanted the MR mainly for the HID's and fog lights lol