Hey guys.
I've been lurking for a while, and decided I'd finally pop my posting cherry.

Anyways, I'm pondering seriously the purchase of an Evo. Currently I drive an '03 Nissan 350z (touring). Unfortunately, it's been rather problematic, and the only thing it can haul is ***. I'm going to be going off to grad school, and need something a wee bit more practical.

I've been tossing around an Evo, STi, or Legacy spec.B.

My main concerns are the following: (If you could help me with these, I'd be much obliged)

1) My Z has had several...issues...that drove me absolutely nuts. Issues such as: clicking from the rear axles, failed window motors, failed radios, replacement fuel tank, replacement fuel lines, ect. How is the evo as far as build quality and wear (exlcuding wear items)? I'm somewhat nit-picky, and don't like the idea of every time I go to the dealer, I have a page of issues. (My Z had a 44 page service log to give you an idea).

2) Warranty: The 5yr/60k mi. warranty is a huge plus in my book. However, I've heard stories of Mistu voiding said warranty if you so much as look at the engine funny, ect. I'm not going to be a mod freak (my Z stayed bone stock), but I would like the option of perhaps doing minor things to it. How kind is Mistu really on these sort of things? Could you perhaps offer some suggestions for some "nearly transparent" mods that the dealer wouldn't notice, unless they really knew their stuff?

3) Also, on the subject of warranty: It has been rumored for a while that Mitsubishi is having some financial issues. Would I be FUBAR'ed when it came to warranty if they went under? I'm no finance guy, nor do I play one on TV, so I'm clueless. (4 years of biology will do that to a guy)

4) Maintenence costs: How is the Evo maintenence schedule when it comes to oil changes, ect? Also, what do those typically run? Also, how worth it, in YOUR opinion, is the "Pit pass"?

5) Having driven these cars myself, I have my own opinions. However I'd love to hear YOUR take as to why the evo is more deserving of my $$$ than either of the above mentioned other options.


And yes, I have searched. I found some vague stuff, but being a nerd, I always love specifics. Any and all info you could hook this n00b up with would be greatly appreciated.

-Ghent

 

1)- EVOS has cheap interiors, and cracking and clicking sounds or noises are there, so if u r picky about this 2, then u wont like the EVO. I had a 2003 EVO and couldnt be happier cause i didnt had any mechanical issue, except the wing carbon fiber clear coat was ****ed and the brembos clear coat faded away, but both were replace under warranty with out any problems from the dealer



2)- In regards to warranty, i guess depends on the dealer u take the car for service, some will be jackasses others wont...but if u r planning on modding, then thats a different story, most of the dealers will denied warranty for MBC , cat-less exhaust etc..




3 & 4)- Maintance in EVO's are expensivve and it needs more care than other cars like your Z for example, so u need 2 have in mind thats going to cost u big bucks

Now on with the Pit Pass. When i bought my EVO i got the pit pass program for free, so i had free oil change, and all the other goodies that comes with the program, but the only problem i had was a silly one, but it got me upset cause they were supposed to wash the car and they did, but i had to let them know or tell them that the program includes exterior and interior detailing was included and the firts 3 times i took the car for service i had to wait for them to wash the car....then i stop taking the car to the dealer for service cause they replace my oil filter with one from a Montero and never took the car for service again



5)-Its all a matter of taste or preference....Z are cool cars, but so are EVO's STi's etc,...but what i love most about the EVO was the simple more performance less luxury type of approach...yes the ride is jumpy, yes the car rattles and cliclks, yes is a gas guzzler.....but every time i smoke someoned and/or got into 21 psi of boost, all those feelings just faded away

 

Thank you Seven for your info.
Perhaps to clarify on my being nit-picky...I'm not one to have huge issues with small rattles, and clicks, and buzzes. Those don't bother me. The issues I have problems with are components failing, or being of a quality that means they will have to get replaced, even due to NORMAL usage.

The brake clicking I was refering to in my Z was actually the calipers themselves shifting (and not supposed to). Needless to say, they had to replace the entire rear braking system to fix that.

Keep the replies coming guys. I'd love to hear your thoughts!
-Ghent

 

No problem bro.

I didnt experience components failing or replaced ( except the problem with the wing and calipers and it was a 03 model), but EVO interiors are not "best quality", they do the job fine, but its a cheap interior, everyone knows that

I dont know if Mistu fixed this , but they were some paint issues with some EVO members, but i didnt had any

 

I actually had the privilege of owning both the EVO and the STI.

EVO - (Cons)The body structure as well as interior is a bit flimsy. At high speeds the rear does seem to "float" a bit. Cheap interior
(Pros) Very responsive handling. More so than the STI in my opinion. Very easy to mod than the STI. I look at the STI and i'm still flustered trying to decide what to do with it. Easier to achieve very high horsepower ranges. More responsive throttle. Nicer exterior in my opinion anyway.

STI - (Cons) handling not as refined as EVO when making high speed turns. Exteremely more complicated to modify. Especially if you were to add cams in internal work in the future.
(Pros) Much more luxurious interior. Cheaper than the MR. Decent top end. Safer than the EVO (many more airbags) and much more rigid body structure.

Maintenance wise, they're both very similar. I take my car to the dealers for maintenance usually and it costs about $60 bucks to do oil changes, rotations, basic maintenance for every 3000 miles. Both of them are very reliable. I had the evo for about 15k miles, granted that's not many miles at all, but didn't have any wear and tear problems whatsover. The STi is still relatively new, so we'll see how that goes.
Reliablilty is always compensated however when you start modding the cars. At that point, it's hard to discern which car is more reliable. Really depends on what you did to them and how it was done.

THe warrenty really depends on the dealer's interpretation I feel. My STI dealer actually covers certain modifications under warrently (ie. if I use APS or Subaru Performance Parts, etc).

Both cars are absolutely great cars....it almost comes down to which you you'd like to look at more. BTW, I used to be a biology major too!

 

The Evo won't win awards for interior, but I think the IX is a bit nicer. My IX SSL has leather seats and door panel trim as well as carbon fiber in the dash. Again, nothing to write home about, but Im coming from the Mustang world so I think its quite nice. Plus I'm more into keeping the car light and high performance than luxury.

As far as the noises.... my IX is dead quiet. No rattles or noises of any kind. Perhaps they have made improvements since 2003.

As far as maintenance, my brother as worked for Mitsu for 7 years and says that as long as you keep your oil changed they are very very low maintenance. He says he basically never sees them in the shop. I talked to several other long time Evo owners before buying mine, and the consensus was pretty much that they are very well built reliable cars. In fact, nobody I've talked to has had to have their cars in the shop.

 

FWIW, my IX has zero rattling issues - no buzzes or anything of the kind..