Hello all, I thought I would introduce myself. I currently drive a Nissan Altima SE-R which is just professional enough to drive customers and clients in for work, but I am looking to get a new Evo IX or used Evo VIII soon for a second car.

I know there are a hundred posts out there about the relative merits of the VIII vs. the IX, or the relative merits of the RS/IX SE/MR - I guess I just haven't yet made up my mind. I am open to advice though. I probably won't be taking it to the track, but I am looking to fix it up and just basically have fun driving "just a little bit" too fast in one of the sexiest cars on the road (in my opinion, anyway).

I looked at the STi, but even though there is a Subie dealer only two miles away from my house while the Mitsu dealer is 45 miles away, I just like the looks of the Evo so much better.

Anyway, I wanted to introduce myself, and I hope to be participating in the forums to learn as much as I can from everyone.

 

welcome good luck and enjoy.

 

hi welcome.. i'd try to get a 9 or se, sounds right for u.

 

wassup man. welcome to the forums :-) and also great choice on the evo :-) i would suggest the SE or the IX as well. the rs is bare bones and mainly for those wanting to race... and the mr well... i find it bloody pointless with its bad tranny and big sticker.

 

You have to ask yourself what is most important to you?

Is cost an issue? How much modding do you plan to do? A little here and there, or are you turning it into a complete project car with all the bells and whistles? Well you dive it often?

The MR will be the most expensive of course, and it will be IMO the best daily driver. But since it seems that you are keeping the Altima, I wouldn't imagine you driving the EVO MR all the time. Is the EVO MR worth it, IMO the EVO MR is the best EVO model and if money is not a problem then why not get the best, but if money is somewhat an issue, then I would think you would be perfectly happy saving a little money and getting a GSR, SE, or even a RS. The RS in my opinion is one of the greatest automotive deals out there, it's by far the least expensive EVO and has all the performance potential. Yes you do sacrifice somethings, but most of the time you really won't miss them and things like a radio and speakers can easily be added to the car. I have a RS, and I installed a radio 1st week of ownership and other than that I really don't need much else, although I admit I wish I had power door locks and keyless entry sometimes, but it's not a huge deal and probably wouldn't be for you since you have another car as your daily driver.

The SE is very nice compromise between the GSR and MR, but the SE does miss out on one of the major reasons people get the MR, and that is the 6-Speed gearbox. Do you plan to drag race, if so, the 5-Speed is the best option for this, the MRs shorter gearing, means more shifts through the 1/4 mile. All the EVO IX models pretty much have the same power and make power the same.

If money is a really big issue, than get a used 05 VIII with low miles, the 05 model is very good car that I think sometimes gets a little overshadowed by the IX, but the 05 model is perfectly capable of putting down some impressive numbers with very little money spent.

You just got to know what you are looking for, I mean if you only want to spend at most $30,000 on a car, then get the IX RS. But if you do plan to drive the EVO a lot and want more creature comforts, then perhaps a used 05 EVO MR would be a better fit, than overspending by two or three thousand dollars to get a IX GSR or SE.

 

First off, thanks all for the welcomes. I appreciate it.

3000ways, thank you for the detailed explanation. I read a lot of the threads out there on the different models before posting, so I realize some of the differences, but your explanation helps me a lot.

I do have one issue though if I am going to get a new Evo IX. There is only one dealer in Michigan that actually HAS any Evo's in stock (Southgate Mitsubishi), and they have only five left, all MR's. Two silver, one black and two graphite gray. I like the graphite gray quite a bit myself. I don't mind spending the money for an MR, since even though I do have another car for business, I am quite sure I'll be driving the Evo every chance I get!

I guess I need to get the money together and then make a decision when I am ready. I can say for sure that from what I saw at the Auto Show, I am not very interested in the Evo X... Although I'm not sure what the consensus is out there. I haven't read up on that part of the forums yet.

 

jab, can you elaborate on the bad tranny part? I have been reading all kinds of threads on here but haven't seen much about that...

Since I'm not much into the quarter mile straight dragging, I was thinking that the 6spd gearbox won't be so bad for me, but maybe I'm wrong?

 

2 of my friends that dont drag have had problems with the 6 speed. and ive also heard it from others as well. Mitsubishi is having to void a lot of warranties to get out of fixing them and the few they cant void they are replacing. i wouldnt get the mr if i was you... i would go through southcoast and pay 29k for a IXSE thats what i did after research into each one

the IX doesnt come with some of the "prettyness" of the SE and plus your going to want hid's... if you do them yourself its a pain in the *** if you pay someone else its expensive... easier to get them stock on the SE. plus the red stitched recaro's are very pretty.

The RS is just bare bones very light but not very comfortable to be in (not speaking ride quality speaking nice things inside)

The MR is pretty much the same as the SE with coilovers and a faulty 6speed tranny. which for 4 grand you can get the 600 dollar suspension upgrade and still have 3400 left over for the down payment or whatever you want it for.

The se im completely happy with, except for the audio system. that was the first thing to go heh. also you will want an autostart / alarm in your evo very quickly due to jealous ****** out there. I have no complaints with my SE at all, i definately reccomend it... and for the money its the best bet.

 

I agree The SE is a great value. If you can get a good deal on a MR I wouldnt shy away from it either unless you dont know how to drive a standard or are planning on lots of drag racing or are planning on over 500whp.

My 6 speed is smooth as butter and it is incredibly fun to drive. I've done some reading on the broken 6 speeds and many of the cases are the result of incorrect fluid (other than stock, BG Syncroshift, etc) or aftermarket clutches with overly high clamp force. Many of these broken 6 speed cars, the owners admitted seriously abusing them for many track hours (road and 1/4 mile). I've also been in some cars that had not been driven well and exhibited tranny problems - 5 speeds and 6 speeds with grinds etc. The 6 speed is weaker than the 5 speed but to call it faulty might be a stretch. There are many MR's out there that dont have tranny problems at all.

Suggested guidelines.

Use stock fluids and change them according to use. The 6 speed uses different fluid than the 5 speed. If you do track time then you should change the fluid frequently

If you are going to run an aftermarket clutch dont run a 6 puck race clutch with the 6 speed tranny. If you must hold alot of power get a twin disc that applies less pressure on the tranny / engine.

 

I bought the MR strickly for the tranny. 6sp is so much better. than again i owned an STi so I'm used to it. To say that the 6sp is faulty or not worth it you don't know what your talking about.

Pure fact of the matter is this... 6sp or 5sp if you abuse it, it shall break, it is just a matter of time.

 

I have a 6spd manual in my Altima SE-R. It's the first 6spd I have ever owned, and I guess I haven't really noticed much difference. Just one more gear to go through when on the highway (or at least when going over 65mph wherever that may be lol), so I guess I wouldn't definitely buy the MR just so that I would have 6 gears instead of 5. I do drive a manual well and (do my best) not to rag on the clutch or tranny when I drive. We can never resist pushing our machines at times, but I try to be conscious of it all the time I guess.

I definitely see jab's point about the SE vs. the MR. My main problem is that the only Mitsu dealer in Michigan has only MR's left and I'm quite sure they would push them before being cooperative in helping me get an SE from out of state. Although that could also work to my advantage I suppose. I always love having firepower in negotiations...

I'm not planning on building something from the ground up, so I think the RS isn't really for me, but I am definitely torn between the IX/SE and the MR. More research... Thanks all for the good, solid advice.

 

i don't see what the big deal is with the 6spd. only time you use it is on the highway

 

Since, you're getting second car. Get RS :-d