Check that. The trade-in is going to be a much bigger b*tch than I thought. Crap. We're working on it.

 

I have a few autocross trophies but nothing like your little collection!

Do you get a little trophy for each event or something?

 

You get trophies for special victories. Like Fastest Time of Day, Fastest Time Street Tire, Fastest Time Prepared, ect. We also did some shoot-outs on road courses, grudge match style.

It helped that I was undefeated in the SCR region. You win a lot more stuff at the end of the year if you never lose Out of 20 races(SCR and CCR), I got 17 1st places, two 2nds and one 3rd. Not too shabby!

 

I would just buy a JIC or Tein coilover kit which would cost less and be far more superior then the MR Bilsteins.

Oh and the vacation in Europe I allready booked for this summer. I like to have my cake and eat it too.

 

While I would completely agree that Tein or JIC are far superior to just plain upgraded shocks on the MR. BUT I won't be racing! What would I need the JIC's for? I don't need camber adjsutment for street use.

While the overall cost may be less, it is easier to get some of the options I want inluded in the purchase price. I'm great at paying bills, I'm bad at saving cash

 

100% True. I know what you mean, it's alot easier to finance those parts then to just throw down cash.

 

For what it's worth, the JIC coil-overs are not too highly regarded by the cognscenti. The Teins are better, but still a lot of ppl would argue that the real deal is one of those special packages put together with Ohlin dampers and matched springs... There are threads about that in this very forum. BTW, even the best aftermarket coilovers degrade the street ride of the car... Sure, you can get brilliant track handling, but your everyday ride will most assuredly suffer.

Now, don't get upset, this degradation of ride might be excellent for you. There are folks who swear by their great race tuned suspensions. Again, it's matter of choice and my choice is to keep the factory ride in my MR.. I like it better that I did the stock ride of my '03 EVO VIII and I definitely like it better than the ride of other EVOs with modified suspensions. I guess to each his own

BTW, where are you going in Europe? I was thinking of Italy this time, but I'm not sure.... One thing I really like to do one of these days is drive on the autobahn and do some laps in the ring....

 

No doubt. Here's what I would be looking at:

$1500+ for rims and tires
$????? for a 6-speed tranny swap
$1500+ for a good suspension
$????? for the HID's
$????? for the wind diffuser

Damn.

 

Don't be so sure.... they might be marginally superior in some respects and for some specialized purpose. "far superior" is a very strong phrase in comparing JIC or Tein dampers over specifically designed Bilsteins...

There you go... Why compromise the great ride of the MR for no reason?

In this area I strongly disagree. For me the freedom from payments and interest is invaluable. I don't even like to borrow money to buy a house although it can make better financial sense to borrow than to pay it off. For cars, car parts and other toys I would not borrow money but again, that's just my choice...

 

The funny thing is, suspension is my bag, baby. Being a racer, it's a love of mine, and my opinion(based on experiences)on suspensions was highly regarded in the B15 community. I'm guessing that the factory ride in the IX MR with the Billsteins will satisfy my suspension love just enough to keep me not modding the suspension, and to keep me from racing the IX. I hope.

 

1. Properly tuned to the track, the JIC and TEIN with matched springs would be much superior to the OEM Billsteins. If they were available, Konis and GC coils would be superior. But, that's mostly because I have racing experience. For daily driving, I would probably still give the win to the OEM Billsteins.

2. I don't want to compromise my MR for ANY reason! lol That's part of the reason I want the MR, it's already ready...already. lol

3. Of course I'll be paying more for the same things long-term..... such as when you use your credit card to pay for a meal, and you leave a $5 tip. Over time, that $5 tip turns into more.
It's not like I'm getting a whole lot of A/M parts included into my payments.....I'm just buying the trim of EVO I want, and it's easier that way. Overall, it's the choice I'd like to make. There are arguments wither way for both sides. What it all comes down to though, is what I can handle. I can handle paying XXX amount a month. And I can handle paying XXX+XX a month. I cannot handle paying XXX a month and save XXX a month for mods, especially not moving in with my girlfriend into a new house. My car modding with no regret days are over. lol It will save me $ in the long run I guess.

 

HID's come with the car.

 

I will be in Croatia along the Adriatic coast. I'll be right across from Italy.

 

They come with the IX GSR and the MR, or all models of the IX?

 

That's cool. I've been thinking about visiting areas like the Balkans or other parts of Eastern Europe... I hear that they are real bargains for tourists.