you cannot make an accurate comparison since the test was not done under the same conditions. In a previous road and track article the stock evo ran 0.97...

 

all i need is to purchase the front LSD by quaife , and my car will be set.
i know that the MR will have ACD and 6 speed and some weight reduction. But besides that im very happy with my purchase. Suspension doesnt make a difference since JIC mueller set up will out perform the stock MR .
lighter wheels can be arrange by purchasing after market rims which will also be wider for some nice R-compound tires.
The MR is a nice option for those that havent purchase an Evo, but those that have . Will be a huge lost , not just mark ups but also the value of the car that you will loose on trading it or selling it to a private party. Is not worth it IMO, unless you have money and you dont care about spending some. LOL.

 

This is the decision I have to make. The MR is going to be a LOT more expensive than buying the regular once you factor in everything including markup, etc.. But I may be buying an Evo in the next few months. I have already decided it probably makes the most sense to wait for the 05's, even though it will be a bit of a pain to wait 3-4 months (I totaled my previous car and I wanted to replace it relatively quickly), but whether to get the MR or not is tricky. I'm leaning towards the regular Evo, just because of the price difference, but the MR does seem pretty sweet. However, I've heard it might be better to just stick with the regular if I'm looking to make power since the 6-speed is somewhat unproven, etc... What do you all think?

-mike

 

The only thing I would want on my 03 is the lighter weight and the helical front diff. You can keep your extra gear...it isn't needed. I drove the Evo 7 FQ300 and it was just a waste of space in the gearbox. The ACD and AYC are worthless unless you're running in rally events. They are just two more computers that break often and are very expensive to replace.

So for those of you who want an MR...go ahead. But don't think that it's a huge improvement over a base 03, cause for the same price, we will be right up there running neck and neck with you on any track.

 

If you think you can get 27000 for a stock evo '03 you're crazy. You can find '03s for less than that still on the lots (there are few around here) for 25000 new, and a dealer would laugh at you for stating a number like that on a trade in.

I could care less about an alluminum roof to save a few pounds; I could put my car on a diet in plenty of other ways. Or, I could just go ahead and make enough power to overcome the weight difference (which would make the extra 12 pounds in wheel a moot point also). I allready stated that the six speed with our car is worthless IMO. Quaife will have the LSD soon enough, and the larger turbo can be bought as well. I'm not interested in the bilstines because I'd rather have a coil over kit.

If you want to see a stock evo run 12.9 come on down here to Tampa. We have a local here that is running 12.9 - 13.1 consistantly. Or you could search this site, since I've seen several others post that sort of time.

https://www.evolutionm.net/forums/sh...ght=12.9+stock

Just because you can't do it doesn't mean it can't be done.

I'm not saying there are no after market parts for the MR (or that there are more for the '03). What I said was there are allready plenty of part available for the '03.

 

im just stating what road and track said in their article.

 

it's all well and good to downplay the upgrades to the '05s (especially the MR), but let's face it: if you had the choice between an '03 and an MR (assuming you could afford either one), who can honestly say they wouldn't take the MR??? nuff said.

edit: i've owned a 5-sp ITR and a 6-sp S2000 and i preferred the 6-sp by far.

 

How many MRs are coming to the U.S.? I had heard 1500. If that's the case, you will be hard pressed to find one at your local dealer. So those waiting for an MR, if you don't have at least 40K to spend, look at the RS or regular 8. I assume the MR will sticker MSRP at at least 35K, add tax, etc and you will pay 40. And that's without the guaranteed dealer mark up which will be probably 5 to 10K over sticker. This will be Mitsu's new precious baby and they will not part with them easy, especially at invoice.

The MR will be for the real enthusiast who intends on tracking it and making use of the new gadgets. For most of us, the regular Evo is a better deal and you have modding potential as you choose.

 

Well said SinCityEvo. I can't wait to see what people will actually pay for the MR. All those people out there thinking it will be close to the same price as the regular evo or the RS are in for a big surprise.

 

dude...no one sid that the 05 is where the evo is going to stop...no where in the post did it say that.... And i was talking about base 04 vs base 05. It will be within 6 months...so im not worried.

 

i agree with everything you said. however, i placed a deposit (for an MR ) with a dealer i trust over a month ago. i have the deal in writing and will not be paying any markup. i will be at the track a lot and can definitely make use of the new "gadgets".

don't get me wrong...the'03-'04 evo is an awesome car but like i said, if you were buying an evo for the first time, wouldn't you go for an 05 if you could afford it?

 

I would go for an '05, but not the MR. Actually, if the RS was out last year when I purchased mine, I would have gotten that. I still find it hard to shell out 30k for a car, any car. Any smart consumer knows new cars are not an investment. I've been paying my car a year and the pay off is still higher than market value.

I'd be more interested in a whole new Evo redesign before considering a trade. The MR is a nice step up and a nice option for those in the market for a new Evo. When it comes out, you will have 3 models to choose from.

 

i agree with you tanner and i also am not paying any mark-up either just what the stick says, which in my opinion is a good deal.

 

Question for those that have placed deposits on the MR. Do you know what the MSRP is yet?

 

nope. should know something by july.