DeltaIntegrale

Hello all,
Long time STI fan and now owner here. I purchased my 16 on jan 1 2015 and since I have been for the most point disappointed. I have been in love with subarus since I was 10 or 11 years old and after finally buying one at the age of 19 I feel as if it was not as great as expected and hyped to be.
I previously owned a mazdaspeed3 (first gen) that I put full bolt on parts on and had a blast with (other than in the winter) and I sold it to purchase the Subaru which is my daily. I drive the car every day and constantly adjust the seat and find myself uncomfortable most of the time especially due to how low the dashboard hangs (I have bigger legs and when I have the car adjusted in the right position my leg bangs the lower part of the dash and it is not tolerable). I also find that the car feels bigger and heavier than the mazda yet it does not feel any faster and around town actually feels a lot slower than my old car. That being said I drove a stock evo 8 a while ago at a dealer and loved how the car drove. I got into it and within the blink of an eye felt like the car fit me like a glove and I regret not buying that low mileage example for the bargain of a price the stealership was asking. I have not drove a 9 nor a 10 and want to hear what you guys think I should purchase if I replace the Subaru. Is the 9 that different of an experience from the 8 and is the ten a completely different car? On a side note i wanted to import a evolution 1 or 2 from Canada when they become legal, should I just wait for that? Thank you

Ferp

I've driven every generation of Evo (1,3,4,5,6,6.5,8,9,10) and my favourites are the 9 and the 6 or 6.5. Only exception to those two was a kitted out Evo 4 RS on a track. The 8 and 9 are such a blast to drive, good power delivery. The Evo 9 is definitely the better of the two though. I'm sure MIVEC tuning opens up for a little more possibility as well. Have you ever driven an Eclipse GSX? The first gen Evo's (1-3) don't handle much differently. Definitely better, but not worlds. The 9 is an easy car to drive well but still takes a talented driver to really extract its potential. I'd take the new STI over an Evo X honestly, but they both feel oddly slow even though I know they aren't. If you're all about a great driving experience I'd look at an 05/06 STI or an Evo 9. An Evo 8 is still a great choice, and much cheaper in the States. First gen Evo's will be worth a ton of cash to import, if it's anything like the R32's ended up. They aren't as good as a car either, I think the novelty would wear off and you'd wish you'd bought a 3rd gen.

Jonno99

Before I bought my 9, I test drove the X and an 8. Made an informed decision by reading a lot in here. I didn't read any hype about the 16 X, just that it didn't have recaro's. I bought the 9 at the same price I could have gotten an good X and am very happy.
If you are not happy look for a good 9, a lot of guys in here have changed this way and some back the other, personal choice but don't write off the X, it can be modded nicely

Evo_Goodness

Lol I sold my built sti to go into a moderately built evo 8 first time I drove my evo I was in love has full bolt ons Pistons done FP green intercooler and intake and a few other goodies I got it for a steal with trading in my fully built STI and I could never go back now I was in love the moment I drove the evo and pulled the trigger to trade my sti in...
Surprisingly the dealer gave me a steal on my sti $2500 above what I had left owing on it I put it towards my evo I daily drive my evo but only like 4 miles a day lol I would look for an 8/9.
Plus you just can't beat the aggressive raw look of the evo 8/9 I think the 8 looks a little more aggressively even more so with a nose chop.
Plus working on my evo is so simple it's a dream spark plugs in 20 minutes as appears to 3 hours on my sti lol.
PS I only pulled the trigger on my evo because it had 88k original miles and it came with full paper work and receipts for the work done on it.
Cool of the dealership to have all the paper work that matched it from English racing

DeltaIntegrale

I figured it would be good to mention the vehicle will be drive 400+ miles a week. I would like a reliable 330-340 horsepower. How is maintenance on the X vs the 8 and 9? I am leaning towards a 8 because 9's are to scarce to be a daily for me I would feel guilty. Also Was curious how rare a Black 8 is.

DeltaIntegrale

what year was your subaru

DeltaIntegrale

Saw a abandoned Evo 4 in aruba and since ive been hooked on the classic body style cars. I got quoted 8,000 landed for a evo 1 in decent condition out of japan. That includes shipping (RORO), Vehicle, and all fees. Whichever evo I purchase is getting a set of speedline or OZ rally esque wheels and huge flaps!

Wanted EVO IX

I saw your post and thought I would share my experience. I was in a similar situation a few years back but went with a different car choice. I came over from a Focus ST and I did like the car but got sick of being beat by my friends in the Evo's. One close friend also has a first gen Mazda speed3 and he has a tune and bolt-ons etc and the car was slightly faster than my Focus ST. You have to compare apples to apples though. A well built car will impress be it AWD, RWD, FWD. The Evo from what I read loves mods and will impress you the more you spend, lol.
Before buying my ST I test drove a Evo X 2014 W/ Recaros and was not impressed. In fact the EvoX just didn't have the nuts I thought it would have. So I purchased my ST did a lot of autox with it and was competitive in that car. After 16 months and several warranty issues and more followed, I decided to start looking for an EVO IX. My friends who had their Evos never let me drive them but I knew I wanted to mix it up with them in autox. I set out to buy one, I found a nice EVO IX 6 months ago and had to travel to get it. It all checked out I finally test drove the car with the owner and I didn't want to rip on the guys car out of respect but I did feel the power and knew the car was fast. The car pulled so smooth and hard I was floored. I knew I was taking that car home. It took me almost 6 months to find a Red Evo IX that met my needs. I drove it home texting my friends how impressed I was with the EVO IX. It was nothing like the Evo X at all. The EVO ix is such a drivers car and in your face driving experience. I love that, I never got that feeling in the ST or other cars I've driven. If I had to drive the EVO daily I would be sure the car had a set of Bilstein with Swift springs as so many will recommend.
From what you've said above, you will be driving your car a lot. EVO ix lacks modern comfort features but makes up for it in driver experience and thrill. FYI this forum has a lot of helpful info here and be sure to dig in.

Ferp

The first gen evos certainly have their fans, I'm not one though. My favourite body style was the CP/CN9A cars. I can get an already imported Evo 2/3 with ~150,000km on it for 5-7 grand Canadian. They'll see a price increase though the closer they get to 25 years old.

Evo_Goodness

2005 fully built but even being fully built tuners say keep it under 400whp unless you want to rebuild it every 15k miles that's just stupid subaru motors are just not worth the hassle they really don't take kindly to any kind of power

evo.matt

iTrader: (3)

Evo Xs are more comfortable and handle well. Also making a reliable 330-400whp is probably just as easy as on the 8 or 9. However, I'm still a die hard evo 8/9 fan, so my recommendation is to go with that one.

MWillzz

I'm in the process of returning my full bolt on 2005 STI to stock (20G xtr turbo, 870 injectors, 255 fuel pump, ETS TMIC, 73mm intake, Equal length header, 40mm open dump external wastegate and full 3" catless turbo back). I'm looking to getting myself into an Evo 9 within the next few months(Im ready to make some real power). I was allllll about the STI when I was growing up and the last 4 out 5 years I've owned it. I never thought I'd want anything else, let alone sell it. Over the years I just hated how hard it is to make decent power without building the motor...even with a built motor your days are numbered with the EJ motors. I don't see myself throwing $$$$ into building the motor just to make ok power... ~400hp "reliably." The STI was great to me, never let me down but like I said I'm ready to make some real power. I haven't driven the 8 or 9 yet but from what I've read on here and from what people have said to me, its the car for me.

vr4gasmtt

iTrader: (1)

Find a 9 if you can, as much as I like my 8, I always feel I should have waited a little more and found a 9. Not like theres much difference, but as a daily I think the 9 is perfect. (Bilsteins, slightly updated interior, 9 turbo, and mivec).

The X is definately a lot more "luxury" of them all, but then again an evo isn't necessarily a luxury car.

I'm surprised you didn't like the '16 STi I thought it was better now that it had the chassis upgrade and better steering?

fafaforza

iTrader: (3)

I have a 2003 VIII and just bought a 2015 X as replacement. The X is a lot softer, quieter, heavier feeling, has higher sides, and feels much larger. The doors have a definite thud, and going over bumps and potholes feels more solid. But I decided on the X because of those reasons. To get something sporty with a manual that's also more of a GT car.

If you want an all out race car for the street, an 8 or 9 would be a better choice. But I got a bit tired of not being able to hear the person in the passenger seat.

Can't comment on the seating position because I still have the Lancer seat in the X and a lowered Recaro bucket in the VIII, but I think the elbow rest is lower and the door is generally farther away on the X, where you have a lot of space to stretch out. Thinking of getting a Recaro though.

KidQuick91

was thinking about pulling the trigger on a 16 STi...but I've been wanting to jump into an Evo for a few years now...want an 8, but all the 8's by me for a decent price have high miles -_-