I agree with Kayaalp, for the driver EVO is a great and rewarding car but for the passenger, is quite uncomfortable. It is very hard for the passenger to fall asleep ( i imagine your wife would want to catch up on her sleep when you drive )

I have tried to nap as a passenger on the EVO, as soon as you rest your head onto the recaro, it feels like there is a 5 year-old kid smacking you in the back of your head repeatedly... no joke.

The driver never notice that because no one drives with their head in contact with the seats...

 

The car is fine on CA freeways. There is no cruise control. But in commuter traffic, you would never be able to use it anyway.

So why does she want to move you both so far away from your jobs? Is the daily wear and tear on yourselves and your vehicles really worth it? Is the loss of 2-4 hours of your personal time (now used to commute to work) really worth the new location? That commute you described sounds an awful lot like ones that my coworkers describe...and they need 2 hours to get to work at 6 in the morning.

I had a job with a MWF commute of 200 miles rt. It was not pretty! I had another job that required me to drive 60 miles RT, through DC traffic. That commute was the worst! Now I have a job with a 20 mile RT commute. It's a breeze. And as a result of the shorter commute I have 2 extra hours of time to myself....since I am not sitting in the car nearly as much each day.

 

i drive about 80 highway miles a day. I fill my tank every other day. So I get around 160-180 miles per tank of gas....sucks

 

That’s a long drive. I live in OC and drive to Long beach every day. Its about 20 miles away, nothing bad takes around 40 min with traffic. I can’t imagine myself driving every day that far. I won’t mind but LA commute is bad. If I were you I would buy an R32 VW. Go and check it out it’s a car made for that. I am not saying that EVO is not it just the roads here in LA freeways are not smooth at all.

 

I drive my kids to school everyday and pick them up. (70 miles round trip X twice per day = 140 miles). The kids love the commute in the Evo. Wife HATES the harsh ride. (You paid 30K for THIS???)

I usually take the Evo in morning and we have a Yukon Denali that we take in the afternoon as the wife comes with on the PM trip.

The passenger’s attitude will definitely determine if your commute is bearable. This car is a drivers delight on most any distance or environment, but hard on the passengers.

Do you plan on modding the car? That should also influence your decision.

 

I agree 100% This is the only other car I would have considered if I was't dead set on getting my EVO. The G35 just plain ROCKS!

Keith

 

when my passengers complain i tell them to stfu.

 

I would recomend either an R32 or and STI. The six speed would be nice on the freeway and both are less harsh on the bumps and potholes. The STI has better seats and the R32 is much more civilized and luxury. Seems the Evo would be a huge waste as an OC-LA commuter car.

My 2 cents

 

And something far quieter wouldn't hurt...

 

See my profile: The G35 is the most overrated, most boring, annoying POS ever unleashed on man.

 

Guys, thanks for all the responses. This has helped clarify my thinking on the matter. Since the relocation is temporary, I will probably hold off getting the Evo just yet, and wait until we are more settled (either back on the westside or possibly up in Pasadena/La Canada). At that point we'll be commuting separately, so passenger considerations won't have to figure in so heavily. I just hope the Evolution is still available by then. Btw I did consider the G35 but it's so damn heavy...

Mitch

 

You will regret it if you don't get the Evo... Every time you get in which ever car you decided to buy you will regret not having bought the EVO...mark my words...

The IS300, the G35 and the BMW and even the SAbb are all nice cars but they are not an Evo and we all know that is what you really want down deep.

As for your girl, I am sure she will support you in whatever decision you make, mine did. She saw how happy I was driving that car and could not say no...

 

Don't know if it will help hearing from a "girl" but I love my EVO!!! The rides a bit stiff, but so's my lifted Cherokee! Love the power, the seats are comfy, my coffee doesn't spill! Been taking weekly trips to OC from San Diego in it. No problems.

 

Well,

I have an evo 8 and I love it. But, it is my commute car. If I could do it again, I would have got a M3/S4/ect. Commuting 80+ miles a day in an evo gets tiresome.

 

Scooter,

Totally sorry bout that man!! My bad!

I was reading about Vivid Racing's bad rep that spanned 30 something pages of the Subaru forums today. scooter, scooby, after that may pages of forums I'm just going to bed and I'll try again tomorrow

I'll try not to mix your name with a mis-placed intercooler anymore (Scoobyrooter? sounds like a personal mobility device from subaru )

Too many hour of forums... and I'm out for the night. midnight here is 1pm back home in SoCal. meh. Sorry again.