First off, hello everyone. Somewhat new to the boards. I've been poking around here and there over the past few months but I believe this is my first actual post.

I'm currently driving a Lancer ES and looking to upgrade to an Evo X soon this year. Being my dream car, I want to have all of the know how and get exactly what I want and for a good price. So I'm concerned about a few things and have a few questions.

Looking at a GSR. MR doesn't really attract me due to the paddle shifters. I want a stick. First off, this car is pricey. Price tag IS good for price to performance ratio. So my question is: Are dealerships willing to negotiate pricing? MSRP is roughly around $33k without the options I want and about $38k with the options that I want. Of course I want to get the car for the lowest price possible and I know the sales person wants to profit from it as well. Being a past customer from buying my '08 Lancer think I could get a few grand knocked off? I know that I'll be getting about $9 for my current Lancer as a trade in along with $500 loyalty cash as well.

Secondly, I want to make sure my car is absolutely taken care of. I want to try my best to prevent scratches, dings, chips, etc from happening. Do the Evo X's typically come stock with clear coating or whatever it's called? I'm not sure the terms for it. Anything else anyone would recommend to keep my car looking the best?

Another concern of mine is that I don't know how to drive a manual yet (I know, "LOLWUT!") But my amazing girlfriend is letting me learn to drive a stick in her '10 Scion TC. How quick do you think I could pick it up, learning from the TC?

Lastly, when I did talk to my local dealership, they said that my Evo would have to be ordered - which I understand. They didn't even have any in stock on the lot. With that being said, would my options on colors, accessories, etc be limited due to limited production and availability?

Sorry, my questions and concerns are very... Open. But I'm just trying to find the right direction as a soon-to-be Evo owner. Any other helpful information coming into the Evo?

Cheers!

 

If money is a concern, have you ever thought about just buying a used Evo for much less?

 

Money isn't really a concern. But I don't want to pay anymore than I have to. Who does? Lol. I have actually looked into a used Evo, but I'm having hard times even finding those.

 

As for the price, I bought mine a few months back, and they negotiated a bit ( though i don't have much experience with it, so if you do, you will probably do fine.)

As for learning manual, the evo x has one of the lightest clutches I have ever driven, and I have taught people in like 3 hours on heavier clutches then this. The scion will be fine to learn on.

As for options, the SS ( i dont think it's called the SSS anymore) and the aero kit are things i would def. go for.

 

personally i would buy a new evo x if you dont have problems with the money. And skip out on the aero kit its not worth it, your more likely going to swap it out for a carbon fiber lip/skirt/rear dress ups. thats what i ended up doing.

 

if moneys a problem dont bother, paint is thin needs extra layer of clear bra apparently .. go for sight and sound package if you can. and i personally wouldnt learn to drive stick on an evo but scion should do the job try and drive on her car as much as possible lol

 

So before taxes, how much did it end up being if you don't mind me asking?

I don't plan on learning IN my Evo. I plan to learn before I go in and buy one. My girlfriend is willing to teach me in her car (It's sad. She knows SO much more about cars than I do. She's a genius when it comes to cars). Plus, my dad has an old Chevy truck that's a stick that I can learn in as well.

As for the packages, I'm DEFINITELY getting the Sight and Sound package. I'm on debate about the Sunroof and Leather package though. It includes this:

Power glass sunroof with sunshade
Leather seating surfaces
Heated seats
Geometric print center console and shifter surround
Center console storage with lid (x2)
Improved sound deadening


The really only main reason that I'm attracted to that package is the sound deadening. My Lancer ES is awful when it comes to outside sound and it BLEEDS my music. Also, I kinda enjoy my sunroof. Don't really care much for leather seats... But heated seats sound comfy. Lol. So what's everyone's thoughts on that?

And the Aero package. Are there any pictures of what it looks like with and without? I'm very picky when it comes to what my car looks like and I don't want anything that looks tacky. I enjoy a nearly stock looking car.

Thanks for everyone's help so far!

 

^

don't get an evo for comfort, while the X is more comfortable then 8s and 9s please don't add weight to the car with foolish things.

I can't stop you but if you want a fast car, DO NOT get a sun roof

 

I wouldn't get an Evo for comfort or for SPEED exactly. I'm still debating the sunroof package though. The ONLY reason I'd 100% get it is for the sound dampening. Can anyone confirm that it's worth the purchase and that it makes an actual difference?

 

Be sure to post here when you're parting out... y'know, after the big crash that totals your Evo.

Thanks!

 

...What?

Looks like I won't be getting the sunroof after all. I don't think it fits the Evo. Kinda sucks because I want some good sound dampening.

 

good good, I think the sound dampening is fine in the standard evo, but then I also think my ix is fine.

the sun roof is alot of extra weight in the worst spot possible...so at least you can live with knowing your car is better for not having one

 

This.

 

You are getting a lot of advice in this thread which is all over the place. My only recommendation would be to test drive both. If there are no dealerships near you that have them with those options, take a road trip. You are spending a lot of money on a car, and there are some things that only a test drive will uncover.

On this forum, you will also find a lot of evo "purists" who hate things like weight, sun roofs, automatic (or semi-auto) transmissions, etc. The fact of the matter is that plenty of us X owners wouldn't even consider an X if it had the same amount of creature comforts as an IX. A lot of IX owners seem to resent that mentality, but it's true. Don't buy a car just to make them happy, you are buying a car for yourself.

Honestly, whether you get a sun roof and/or extra sound deadening all depends on how you are going to use the car. The extra weight can definitely be felt if you are going to take it to the track, but if you are using it as a daily commuter, it will probably be worth it. Personally, I find the sound deadening in my SE to be perfectly fine, but then again I have a sixth gear.

That's another thing you should think about hard - with only 5 gears, the GSR has a healthy amount of engine drone at high way speeds. I would seriously consider a MR edition if sound deadening is something that is on your radar. The TC-SST transmission has a fully manual mode if you want to switch gears yourself, and it's plenty sporty in S-Sport mode. Plenty of reviews say that the S-Sport mode telepathically chooses the right gear at the right time and ends up being faster around a race track then a manually adjusted TC-SST.

The automatic transmission does take away some of the purity of driving an EVO, so if an EVO has been your dream car for a while and want to fully experience the car in all it's rally glory, then the rally-spec 5 speed is the only way to go. But again - I would seriously advise you to test drive both.

 

Thank you highevolved. Some people seem like they're trying to act like elite asshats. Lol

So my main concern about the MR - I thought that it was either being driven in automatic or paddle shifters. Do you get the full fledged manual experience? (Clutch, switching gears, etc?)