+1 on stronger 5 speed

 

also they shorten the gears alittle bit to give it better acceleration

 

I was in the same boat as you a little while ago. I bought a 2003 Evo 8 GSR. It was great. It had the HID's which I fell in love with, was balck in color, and had the 5 speed transmission.

The car was totaled and I bought a 2004 RS to replace it. I liked it because of the lack of power everything, the front limited slip, etc. However, the car was red.

Last December, I sold the RS and bought a 2006 Evo 9 SE. Now, I have my HID's back. I felt like I was driving blind without them in the RS. I also got the car in black, which is my favorite car color. It comes with "black diamond" BBS wheels, which are the same as the MR wheels, but with a glossy-black color coating on some parts and the rest is polished. Very nice looking OEM wheels. The interior features of the SE are also a nice touch. It's got carbon-fiber-looking trim along the dash, which you have to look at really closely to tell it's fake. Still, it adds some flavor to the plain monotone plastic interior. It has a black adonized steering wheel, instead of the brushed aluminum. Another nice touch. The Recaros are also a bit different. The have red stitching which adds some nice accent and makes the car look a bit more "limited edition" or something. The roof is alluminum, so there's no chance of getting a sunroof with the SE. My 2003 GSR had it, but I didn't use it very often. I'm sure the car is a bit less top-heavy in the corners, but the butt-dyno hasn't produced any real world numbers yet on that.

The SE is a good car. Probably the best overall for the 2006 lineup. At least in my opinion. Perhaps you could say it's kinda like the Evo 6 TME? Of course, there's no real performance enhancements over the GSR, though.

 

full disclosure: i have a MR.

you have a history of selling your old evos when a new one comes out. i would expect that in a couple of model years you will sell your IX to get an X. with that in mind, resale is a real consideration.

i expect that the MR would be more appealing to a wider audience primarily because of its 6 speed which sounds more exotic. it's a good selling point. evo connoisseurs may choose the 5 speed, but chances are you'll probably sell that MR to someone that isn't already an evo indoctrinated fan.

long story short: MR.

 

The only reason I sold my 03 was because I got it for 21K about a year and a half ago with about 10k miles on it. Just sold it for 24K. Bought my 04 with some mods just about a couple months now. Got it for 23K with about 7k miles on it. So, I'm thinking I can sell it for about 27k. Now, i can get a new IX. My brother who owns an STI told me to go for the MR since I am getting a new EVO, but the price difference of about 4K is just a little hard to take. I am kinda leaning towards the SE only because I think that I might have problems with the Dealer here honoring the warranty(tranny?). I do autoX here once in a while and a few Car shows maybe but more autoX.

 

Can I determine from the VIN# if the vehicle is an SE or RS etc.? If I can, Where can I check this?

 

uummm i think 4th or 5th number but have to check mits of what number is what type

 

#'s 5 and 6 in the VIN will tell you. If it's a "H3" then it's an Evo RS. If it's an "H8" then it's either an Evo 9 RS, an Evo 9 SE, or an Evo 9 MR.

Here's the total VIN breakdown for 2006 MMNA vehicles.

1. Country of Mfg.
1 = USA (DCX)
4 = USA (MMNA)
J = Japan (MMC)
2. Make
A = Mitsubishi
Z = Made for Mitsubishi by DCX
3. Vehicle Type
3 = Passenger Car / Pickup w/curtain air bags
4 = Multi−Purpose Vehicle
7 = Pickup without curtain air bags
4. Other Information
A = Driver & Passenger Air Bags
H = Raider
L = Outlander
M = Montero, Endeavor
5. & 6. Car Line & Series
B2 = Galant DE
B3 = Galant ES/SE/LS medium
B4 = Galant ES/LS high
B5 = Galant ES/LS premium
B7 = Galant GTS
C2 = Raider 2WD LS
C3 = Raider 2WD DuraCross
C4 = Raider 2WD XLS
D2 = Lancer Sportback LS (Canada)
D6 = Lancer Sportback Ralliart (Canada)
J1 = Lancer DE / ES (Canada/Puerto Rico)
J2 = Lancer ES / SE
J6 = Lancer Ralliart
J8 = Lancer OZ−Rally
K2 = Eclipse GS
K3 = Eclipse GT
K4 = Eclipse Special Action
H3 = Lancer Evolution RS
H8 = Lancer Evolution IX / IX SE
H8 = Lancer Evolution MR
M2 = Endeavor LS FWD
M3 = Endeavor LS−RT FWD
M4 = Endeavor Limited FWD
N2 = Endeavor LS F4WD
N3 = Endeavor LS−RT F4WD
N4 = Endeavor Limited F4WD
T2 = Raider 4WD LS
T3 = Raider 4WD DuraCross
T4 = Raider 4WD XLS
W3 = Montero XLS (Puerto Rico)
W5 = Montero Limited
X3 = Outlander LS (FWD)
X4 = Outlander SE (FWD)
X8 = Outlander Limited (FWD)
Z3 = Outlander LS (F4WD)
Z4 = Outlander SE (F4WD)
Z8 = Outlander Limited (F4WD)
7. Type
1 = 5−door wagon/SUV (Montero, Outlander, Endeavor)
2 = Pickup (Raider Extended Cab)
4 = 3−door hatchback (Eclipse)
6 = 4−door sedan (Lancer, Galant)
8 = Pickup (Raider Double Cab)
9 = 5−door wagon
8. Engine
C = 2.0L DOHC MIVEC (4G63)
E = 2.0L SOHC (4G94)
F = 2.4L SOHC (4G69)
K = 3.7L SOHC (EKG) (DCX)
N = 4.7L SOHC (EVA) (DCX)
S = 3.8L SOHC (6G75)
T = 3.8L SOHC MIVEC (6G75)
9. Check Digit
10. Model Year
6 = 2006
11. Assembly Plant
E = Normal (USA)
J = Nagoya
S = Warren (DCX)
U = Mizushima
12. − 17. Plant Sequence Number

 

it was a joke dude chill haha

and unfortunately we apparently arent all rich.. on top of wanting a car to perform out like crazy .. casual drivers :]

 

All evo9's(minus MR)comes with Mcpherson struts, i believe

 

correct

 

I think I'l have to wait a little longer now. I'm a little over my head with this new IX thing. Maybe I should just keep my 04. But the SE really looks nice. I found out that shipping here would cost around $2,800. For those who have had the opportunity to drive both, can you feel the difference in power?

 

personally i thought the ix was slow as... but after modding it im like wow i love this