Hey there, I found out about these forums not too long ago, and bought an EVO IX GSR in January.

First things first, I had no prior driving experience before buying the car and got my license on August 2006. I'm 23 right now, I guess you can say that I wasn't really into driving until lately.

Before you start flaming me however, I have read a lot on the internet (on this forum and on other pages) and listened to people talk about EVO and how it should not be my first car. Well, I decided to buy it anyways and am learning how to drive on it. That's just personal choice and self-confidence.

So far it's going good except a minor scratch on the paint. Plus it still feels a bit weird launching the car into 1st gear.

I also have two questions for you guys:

1-)I heard a lot about the car and its clutch being ceramic and that it is prone to damage. Can someone clear this out for me? What's there to look out for? What should I do to avoid it?
2-)The gear has not been the most friendly, it wouldn't slide easily and I had to apply some force to change gears. Last night this has stopped, but it felt weird because it almost was cut like a knife: One minute it still was there but after that no more. Now it slides easily when I change gears between except for 5th and 6th gears. Do you guys think anything is wrong with it or is it perfectly normal?


Please keep in mind that this is my first car and I use it as a dd, so I'm completely inexperienced about cars.