Just wondering if any current evox owners could share their story as to why they upgraded from either the 08 or 09 lancer.

I have an 09 GTS 5spd with sun/sound and navi. I love the car but I can't help but drool when I think about an evo x. That extra power, awd, and awesome handling is starting to get extremely enticing. I actually am in a slightly better financial situation right now then I was a year ago when buying the 09, but I'm still trying to figure out exactly what the additional cost of ownership would be if I bought and owned an evoX for the next 3-4 years. I hate to take the big hit on depreciation for my car but figuring I could get 16k for my car and get into an X for 28k, it just might be worth it for me in the long run. I crunched some numbers and came up with an additional $9 a day for the total cost of ownership averaged out for the next 3 years if I drove an X vs the GTS.

Those who upgraded, let me know how you feel about the decision any recommendations you may have.

 

I upgraded from an '08 Lancer to an '08 Evolution.

Why? Probably the same thinking went in to it for me, as it is for you. (And probably goes for everyone else as well).

AWD, awesome handling, awesome power.

All in all, I don't regret doing it, one of the best decisions of my life..

 

hey man, i went from an evo ix to 08gts to 08 evo gsr....talk about losing money in car trading! going from the evo ix to the gts was a huge change and i just couldnt stand it so i got back in the evo.

the problem with having the evo is tires, oil, and general maint are very expensive. if you need to drive alot for work i would suggest staying with the lancer not the evo. when u get the evo you WILL get the mod bug and thats more cost and more maintenance. the performance u can squeeze out of an evo is phenominal but not cheap! in the end i hope you get what u want!

 

Same story.

Owned an 08 Lancer GTS fully loaded and while I loved that car the lack of power left me wanting more. While they do make turbo upgrade kits and other various bolt-ons for the base lancer I knew no matter how much money I pissed away on it it would never be an Evo. I have 0 regrets about upgrading to the X. The power, handling, AWD system ,overall more aggresive looks and 0% Financing sealed the deal for me.

I actually didn't take a big hit at all trading in the GTS either and the car had super high miles. I went to a dealership out of state so I was like found business to them. Also this particular dealership had several X's sitting on their lot for months so I knew they would be willing to deal rather than paying yet another month of interest on them. It was definitely a fight getting what I wanted but I drove home with it.

If you can get the 0% and you can afford the monthly payment increase I say go ahead and pull the trigger. Like the poster above stated though the maintenece on the Evo is much much more than the GTS so be aware. That being said once you get behind the wheel all your doubts will evaporate, mine did.

Good luck.

 

Same goes here.......While the GTS was such a huge jump up from my old '03 lancer es college ride, I just kept wanting an EVO.....
I received a great trade in deal on my '08 GTS and they had one last GSR RR w/ everything but the NAVI and with the rebates and low interest it was a deal.

If you can swing it NOW is the time to get one! MITSU has never had such good incentives on EVO's as they do now, and when the economy starts moving upward again and the '10 EVO's come out you can bet your dollar that they will not be wheeling and dealing like they are now!

If you can do it you won't regret it.

 

^^ Great responses guys.

I really want to do the upgrade and I see myself doing it in the 1 month - 1 year timeframe. I just feel like having an Evo X would be such a kick *** car and would be a much better decision then a high mileage S4 or 335xi if I could even get one for that price. I think 28grand for an evo X would be the best car for the money. I know its gonna be 12-13grand or so on top of my trade-in but I have to realize that I am getting a car that will be worth that much more for the length of time I own it, so its not like that money is just being wasted away. Really the only additional cost of ownership will be maintenance, gas, and insurance. I drive about 17k miles a year so those will start to add up. But again I would be getting a car that I will be happy with for several years and will have AWD for the winters we get up here in Boston. I don't think I would spend all that much on mods, since I dont like to mess around with warrantied components. Maybe some ralliart tails, clear bra, window tint, and possibly an extremely mild exhaust.

With just about everything else in my life I am obsessed with finding the best deals and doing what is financially in my best interest. It's kinda a game a play and is usually very satisfying. Thats why this is a harder decision for me, I need to find a great deal first of all and I need to create some monetary worth of having the extra power and awd. It's also hard to put a value on the added happiness and excitement of the vehicle. I need to know that if I did this upgrade, I would really be satisfied for at least a few years.

What was the mind set you all had when reasoning for the upgrade. Does what I wrote above sound familiar?

 

I am the same way, but I said **** it and bought my IX and never regretted it. It is not so expensive that it is going to put you in the hurt box, so just get it and enjoy it. You might fall down dead next week

If you get bored with it, just start doing mods. It is cheaper than buying a new car. me personally, mine is still stock but I have driven a couple modded ones and it is like having a new car...until you feel the bug to mod again lol. But still cheaper than getting a new car

I know IX =/= X, but it is the same principle

 

i def had the same thought process..... i should tell u that i have averaged 30mpg (according to the mpg on the dash display) in my 366whp awd evo on several commutes from Ft Hood to Belton, roughly 17 mile trip. there was hardley any stop and go and i averaged about 60mph. Evo is no fun in stop and go traffic. if you get the car a tune is a must if you do no other mods. i agree that in the end the satisfaction of enjoying your car is hard to put a price on! with some of the upgrades coming out (fp red, new garret bolt on turbo) you will have more power than cars that cost way way more.

 

Also consider that in a few months the 2010 Evo's will be hitting and dealerships will be extremely desperate to get rid of them! They won't last long.

I plan to get the 2010 Evo, even though the 2008 models can be had for less. I couldn't get the financing for the Evo, so I went for the RA. Next year I will trade up, but I have to spend 12-18 months building credit with this car. This is the first time I have ever financed a car.

 

So I can come up with some more accurate numbers. I wanted to get your thoughts on what the evoX would be worth (trade in value) in exactly 3 years? Assuming I could get into one for 28k, I'm thinking trade in value in 3 years would be 16k... does that sound right?

I think if I held on to my 09 GTS for another 3 years It would probably be worth 7k trade in.

So thats a 12k loss in depreciation if I owned the evo or a loss of 9k more if I held the Lancer.

Owning the evo would mean around 800 more a year in gas, 500 more a year in insurance, and 200 more a year in misc. maintaince. So I'm looking at a total cost of ownership of $7500 more then the lancer for the next 3 years.

Averaged out per day, thats an added premium of $6.85 a day to own an EvoX vs a my lancer.

Seems pretty much worth it to me, did any of you work the numbers like this?

 

2 bills a year to cover tires, brakes, and synthetic oil changes every 3-4k miles is a bit optimistic. $800 a year to cover tires and oil over the cheaper tire wear on the lancer might be more realistic.

 

Yea, but how often will I need new brakes and tires if I purchase the evo new and whats the cost of a basic oil change?

I figure id buy 1 new set of tires ($800) in the 3 years of ownership or 50k miles and replace the brake pads twice ($150 each time). I'm not going to track the car or do launches, just spirted daily drives to and from work. Whats the cost of 4 oil changes a year if done at an everyday garage?

I'm glad you brought this up though, Id like to get my numbers as accurate as possible so I know what to expect.

 

67 bucks an oil change, I just paid 750 for winter treads and 150 to have them mounted, paid another 69 to have the throttle body cleaned at 15k! Oh did I mentioned I just paid another 529 for rims and 105 for mount and balance (summer wheels and tires). I'm on my second summer with stock tires, take it easy on them and you can do the same... I went from an 05 oz to 08 GTS to EVO X GSR, yes I lost my rear end but don't regret doing so, even though I'm currently laid off and collecting unemployment!

 

I needed a car in early 2008 and the Evo X wasn't out yet so I bought a 08 Lancer GTS to hold me over untill the X was release. After the price went down on the Evo X I bought one.

Never looked back...........

 

Same here strife!