First of all. Thank you for serving. I cant believe that every reply doesnt start or end with a thank you.

I went from a VIII to a X with about 2 years off in between. I loved my 03 but I couldnt find an unmodded one when it was time to buy another one, so I got an X for 0%. The X has a much smoother power delivery, its just as moddable,"for most people" and now that its been out for a while i think it looks much better.
If you like to track your car the X again is much smoother than the VIII.
If your a drag racer stick with the 8 or 9. they are a couple hundred pounds lighter and make better drag cars.
Like anything else though, its all a matter of opinion. Take them all for a ride, but if you have the money you'll probably find yourself in the X.
Good luck.
p.s. both my evo's were 5spd. no experience with the MR.

 

i came into the evo world completely un-biased and test drove an 8, a 9, and X at various dealerships and the obvious choice was the X for me, it had everything i needed/wanted and got a great deal on a fully loaded gsr. and when i test drove the X the acd blew my mind, when i WOT it took off and wanted to go faster. sick piece of machine/technology but honestly everyone has their own preference so i would suggest test driving all 3 before you ultimately make your decision.

p.s. thanks for holding it down for us over there, you guys don't get enough credit.

 

get an evo 8 or 9 with low miles and as stock as possible, drop 10g's into it and make it a daily driven 10sec car, and you will be all set..IMO i think the 8 and 9 looks more like an EVO and do not weigh as much.

 

Hum, not as well "equipped," not sure if thats the right way to put it, and I don't think many X owners would appreciate that. But coming from a IX owner I can understand.

What you need to do is drive all three, but I guess that's probably one of the reasons why you are asking owners that went to the X from a previous model. I had an VIII for a couple of years and loved it, and when I went to the X there was no looking back, it was just as capable on the road and more, it is so much more capable in the twisties with the SAYC that it is almost unfair... on top of the simple fact that it is a more refined ride, nicer interior and the new 4B11, a beast. I have driven the MR, I don't own one but I wouldn't hesitate to... unfortunately I drove it after I had already purchased the GSR.

Let us know how it goes! BTW, I have 11 years in and counting... good luck to you!

 

Thank you everyone for being so helpful with this. I will have to go that route and try them all. Now the real question unfolds, go home on leave in November, take the flip from my current car, or pay off my car and put no money down, or just wait until I get back from deployment and take that chance that the 2008s and 2010s will be all back up at MSRP.