Before anyone says it, I know where the search button is and I have used it alot before this post....

Well here it goes....
I have an 04 WRX, Cobb stage 2, TBE, and some suspension. I love the car, but my first love was Mitsubishi. Now. Alot of my bills are almost payed off and my wife said I should get a new car anyway. I love the Subaru community, NASIOC, clubwrx, and a few others. I am a part of a new subaru club, and I try to attend all the rallies in my area. But I love the EVO as well. So I guess thats the first question, will I be happy with the EVO? I know I will but I want to hear what ya'll have to say about owning one. Second question, what is the general modifcation path? TBE and reflash? cams? Intakes? whats good and whats not. Third, I know the 2003 is not a generally mod friendly version, but can anyone tell me why? And fourth, what do you pay for insurance?

I have more questions but I guess if I get any help I'll pm the posters. Thanks and I hope EVOm is as friendly as the suby sites.

 

you will never regret it. the evo is VERY friendly to mods and on an evo9, u can make buttloads of power with just a tbe and a reflash. get an evo9 if possible. its totally worth it. i own an evo 8 and almost traded in my car for a 9 but i just decided to spend the money i wouldve been upside down on the trade for a turbo kit and its great. beware of warrtalon tho.

 

the 03 has a smaller hotside on the turbo no front lsd and also no lsd. some other minor stuff is diffrent but those are the biggies. i liek the 03 cuz they all have hids and sunroof's

 

I think you definitely could have searched harder but here is my opinion

a 9 would be your best bet for the money

get a tbe, mbc, licp, fuel pump, o2 housing, and a tune and say hello to no less than 320whp

aside from that I had an 05 sti and I do not regret trading for the evo

 

Im fairly new to the Evo as well, Ive only owned mine for 4 months now but I love it. Its such a blast to drive especially when we get fresh snowfall here in vermont lol.

As for modding, the first things i bought were a catback exhaust, mbc, and walbro fuel pump. Some of the more experienced evo people might suggest a different modding order, and I wonder if maybe I should have bought a tbe rather than the catback.

also, why do you say the 2003 is not mod friendly?

 

sorry for double post, my computer screwed up lol

 

thanks for all the replies guys, keep them coming!

 

I am also new to the evo family and I have to say its been a blast!!! I have a 2003 evo and started modding a week after I got it. The issue that I am faced now is upgrading to bigger hotside but I am pretty happy with how the car is running right now. You won't be dissappointed.

 

ive had my 05 evo about 2 yrs now..and i love it!

ive never drove a sti,wrx..but i know PLENTY of people who have made the switch and are happy.

ive never had any problems with my evo..even after all the mods,track,street racing etc..i couldnt be happier

1.yes you will fall in love
2.chaotichoax,he had a pretty good mod path
3.smaller HS and other minor things
4.i pay $142 with state farm.22yrs old.with hospital fee etc..and a clean record( well state farm thinks so at least )

go test drive a evo..or im sure your subaru buddies know a evo guy..ride in it and see what you think..never know you may hate it..

 

I went from WRX to STi and now Evo. You'll never regret with Evo.

 

03 are mod friendly, but you dont get as much power as in the 06 w/ mivec...All you really need in the 03 iss a front lsd..

 

thanks for all the replies, anyone run into any problems while owning your EVO?

 

If something breaks expect mitsu to void your warranty quicker then the raising price of oil.

Well if you buy it new anyway. If you buy it use you pretty much dont have a warranty in mitsu's eyes.

 

well that sucks about the warrenty.... Subaru is ok about some things... I guess it depends on the dealership too though huh?

 

Get an Evo, you will not regret it! As much as I respect the Sti, it doesn't have the balance, turn-in or tunability of the Evo. I think the Sti is easily the better car in the dirt but most of us drive on the street or the track so that isn't really an issue.

I would go for an Evo IX as the factory has made most of the changes for you so with an ECU flash and turbo back exhaust, you will make 400HP at the crank. I setup like this runs about $2,000. Aside from that, you only need a few other simple mods to really enjoy it or you can go nuts.

Insurance can be nasty as many insurance companies have it rated in their highest insurance group. Even with that being the case, I pay $70mo while my GT3 costs me $120mo so there are other factors aside from the "insurance grouping" that appear to dictate the rates. Also cheaper to insure then any of the M or AMG cars that I have owned. Rates will obviously be different for you based on insurance company, age, and driving record.

As to the specific reasons the earlier cars are not as mod friendly as a IX, because the factory changed the Cams, turbo, and more for you. That aside, if you really going to go wild, an VIII might be a better deal in the end as you would replace a lot of that again but if you are happy with 400HP, look no further. Another advantage to the IX is MIVEC variable intake cam timing.

After logging 1300 miles on mine in 3 days, the only things that bother me are the clutch check valve and the fairly long throw of the shifter. Both are very easy to correct. Maybe one other thing, at 7000' with the AC on, it is a pain to launch in first gear as you really have no power until you get the revs up. But such is the nature of a high output 4 banger so no big deal.

Good luck with your choice!