+1
I would get the Evo IX or the E46 M3. The Mustang and Supra are good cars but not my first pick. The Supra is a old car verry sexy though


only person I know with one is constantly fixing something on it. Same thing with me and a Skyline. They are older and people i know that have them are constantly fixing them and cars with twin turbos are not the cheapest and most reliable. They are I think just as or more to fix and mod as the M3.
I am not a big fan of Mustangs, good cars though. I have a few friends that have them and they don't need that much up keep just the regular oil change and Tires.

Cheap and you can get alot of power for verry little $$$. Still not what I would get.
I Love the M3 so much awesome car,

ya parts and aftermaket parts are $$$$ but a great car even if you leave it stock.

if I had one (one day soon I hope) It will have a AA Turbo kit on it for sure.
Now the Evo's are I think the best bang for your buck for sure.

None of the other cars are that good in snow and rain. I live in a place that gets a good amount of snow and with out AWD it wouldn't be fun. Turbo lag is not bad on the IX much better than all the other Evo's and the Getting more HP is not alot of $$$. Get a MR and have the leather Interior looks good not cheap.
So what I am saying is get the Evo. If you really want that RWD factor get one of the other cars my first choice is the M3 it beats all the other one's Stock and is a much better car.
It's your choice and hope your happy with what ever you get.

I tried the M3 smg....nice car...sold it after a year....why?....you are stuck with whatever HP the factory provides...and if you try to tingle with it you will pay dearly...thats why you see allot of 500whp evos, cobras, and supras, but you dont see allot of 400whp e46 M3s.

Honestly, I would leave moding M3s to the wealthy. I mean no offense but if anyone is shopping for 30k car that they want to mod SERIOUSLY like an enthusiast, then they shouldnt consider the M3 as an option. Buy it only if exhaust is the most you want to do to it performance wise. But have in mind that with what the market is offering these days, the e46 m3 does not cut it anymore. Hell, the M3 probably will never be faster than your stage 2 srt-4 in the straight, unless you spray and then you pay.

My recommendations...either a Cobra ... bolt on a twin turbo kit from hellion, have a 900whp on STOCK BOTTOM and call it a day.

Or take the the Evo , it has AWD and not tail happy like the Cobra. Straight line performance is WAY better behaving than any RWD that I have seen. The lag is no issue with the stroker, trust me. My car is very strong under 3000rpm, I have no complaints. Plus, If you want to have an edge, just keep your car in the power band above 4000 rpm depending on your set up.


Forget about the Supra...toooo old...its going to get older on you sooner than you think. Their prices used make them even your worst choice.


Just my opinion

Given your budget, look for a BONE STOCK Evo VIII that hopefully hasn't been abused. All other cars require deep pockets to make fast and reliable....as the saying goes...the faster you go, the faster **** breaks.

Subaru STI, all the power and fun of an EVO, reliable to the end of time, nice interior... just don't look at the outside. (yea Subarus are the ugly)

What is this your I read alot of magazines synopsis? Did you even drive some of these cars are all we just playing games?

There are only two choices on your list IMO. The Cobra and the EVO! Handle like %hit is a relative term you will never push the car to its limits on the street and if you do your going way to fast. It is no EVO in the handling dept. though.

Straightline speed the Cobra owns everything in that list 5k in mods have resulted in 130-140mph traps depending on the shot of nitrous you want. PM me for a link with a 5k bolt on Cobra vs a 25K fully built EVO the cobra is right there up to 125mph.

Sound the Cobra is by far the best, TQ etc, no one will ever dog you for having a Cobra they are respected by just about every car lover out there. Depending where you live expect the typical import comments if you buy a EVO down in the south, or at least here, everyone asks why did you get rid of the cobra for that?

The big thing between the two is cost. I've owned both and I miss my Cobra regularly, but I still have the EVO FWIW. Cobras can be made so fast for so cheap up to a point. A full build will cost more in the Cobra and to be honest I haven't been impressed with the full Cobra builds either. EVOs great fun, handle great, tight, quick, and reasonably fast with bolt ons. Launching can cost you big money if your not careful.

Good luck EVO or Cobra!

ur gonna have to bump up the price b/c u rarely ever see the cars u listed for 20-25k
its more around 30-35k, used evo for around 26-7
are u daily driving the car, and what are ur overall goals for it? u live in maine right, awd and snow =sick

I suggest the cobra for that price range. Lots of power, aggresive looks and not in the same level as the Mustang GT. You could always make it handle great for not much dough. Maximum Motorsports is just one of the thousand company that sells suspension upgrades for it.

Depends on what you're looking for in a vehicle. Living in ME, I think an Evo or STI is your best choice for all weather fun, practicality, etc. But if you want highest HP per $, go with the Cobra. A good friend of mine has an 03 and dyno'ed 388 to the wheels BONE STOCK - and they respond great to mods too.

So, are you looking for a great all-around car, a track car, a highway killer? IMO your 4 choices serve very different purposes - I would think about exactly what you want in a vehicle and your answer should be pretty simple.

I have driven a stock 94 and 97 TT Supra, a 2003 EVO VIII, 2005 EVO MR, 2005 EVO VIII, 2004,2005,2006 STi (more than one of each), a 2004 SVT Cobra Convertible, 2001 E46 M3, 2003 E46 M3 Convertible... I have seat time in all of them.

if you wana pay just 20g i say get a wrx but a new one with a 2.5 motor though you will still have a car that has a crappy tranny that will break. sti interior is "nicer" but w/e i think they are about the same and there is more room in an evo. try to get busy in the back of an m3,cobra, or supra prob not gonna happen. back seats is were its at!!

cobra + light mods = low 12 or high 11

I just got out of a e36 chasis BMW M3 stock motor with an active autowerkz twin screw supercharger and full suspension. They do respond well to mods especially the OBD1 cars.The car was a dream to drive you can push them very very hard without problems as long as you don't over rev them. A good friend of mine has a Supra with the 2jz motor in it he's dumped a crazy amount of money in it and it has 1,100+ whp and roughly 10k miles on it. He's having it retuned at Gothim Racing trying to get more out of it. Personnally I liked driving the M3 better the smoothness and the way it feels and handles was just excellent!! Then I drove a modded 2005 Evo at Alamo Autosports and was like wow I have to have one. The next week I sold the bimmer and got an Evo. I think Evo is best bang for the buck. I've had it for 3months and still have perma-grin!!

Evo Ix

Id say either evo or supra

EVO IX. this is an evo forum afterall.. awd, 4G63 +1.