Well personally I though that the STi is way less comfortable then the Evo. More interior noise and the ride is rougher.

If you're going for comfort, I'll probably say the IS350 or G37. The IS has paddle shifter so it's only semi-automatic.

If you're looking for performance, I would say either the Evo or STi.

 

Do you know how coilovers work? The suspension will never be any softer than it is stock. My coilovers are VERY stiff. Back to the OP, if your main concern is comfort in terms of long trips then you better stick with teh stock suspension or you'll be dodging bumps the whole trip lol Plus, in terms of long distance trips, it's a bit of a pain to not have cruise control. I've taken mine on several 6+ hour trips though, it's not that bad

 

I was thinking the same thing. Every coilover for the evo I know of is as at least as stiff as stock even on its lowest setting.

 

The fact that you are leasing an RX8, then complaining about the price of a G37, then asking us if luxury car dealerships will "haggle" with you, tells me that you cannot afford any of the cars new that you have listed. If you go to a BMW or Infiniti dealer and try to haggle, you will get laughed at, especially being a college student. If you got any sort of options on the cars you are looking at...

-Subaru Impreza WRX STi - $35k
-R32 - $33k+
-G37 - $38k
-IS350 - $40k
-1 Series BMW - $36k+

Plus, if you can't afford any of these cars, then there's no way in hell you can afford the required maintinence or the insurace associated with them, especially being a young driver.

If you want a car with a compliant suspension, don't get the Evo, I've heard they ride pretty stiff. Of course, I have a mustang on a very stiff suspension and I love it, and have taken 6+ hour road trips with no problem.

For your apparent price range and need for a nice car, I'd recommend a pre-2005 IS300. They look great, have a huge aftermarket, and will probably ride very nice on stock suspension. It's also still a luxury brand, so the 'ladies' at your school will still love you.

 

Well I have an aftermarket turbo, upgraded injectors as well so my MPG suck. Its very loud, but it keeps me awake. I bring a little green treat with me so i dont get bored if you know what i mean.

 

Noise isn't that bad, and gas mileage isn't either. I recently made 341whp and still get over 20 mpg on the interstate

 

dont get an evo...u wont wanna be leaving it on campus or anywhere with college kids around for that matter...lot of haters!!! i leave mine at home n drive it when i go back

 

The Evo would be a decent choice for you. Your concerns are right, it's not going to be as smooth as your RX-8 on long drives, but it's nothing to cry about, especially if you're as young as you are. I've never gone on a four to five hour drive, but I've gone for three-hour drives on a several occasions, and I'm never really uncomfortable at any point. I've driven my parents (both in their mid-50s) on one to two hour drives and they never seemed to complain. There's no cruise control, but it's not a huge deal. But you will probably get better gas mileage for those long drives (assuming you don't step on the throttle uncontrollably whenever anything on wheels happens to go ahead of you), based on what I've read about RX-8s and their fuel consumption.

Regarding the other vehicles you were considering:

STI: This will be a bit more comfortable as a long-distance cruiser (not drastically though), plus it has cruise control. I remember being happy when I drove my friend's STi from Vegas back to Orange County, thanks to its cruise control. If you're not too concerned with modding and ripping up corners, then the STI would be a pretty good choice. It might always fall behind the Evo when modding and handling are discussed, but on its own, it's still a very good car. But if it were up to me, I'd look into an '05 specifically, since I hate the '06 and '07 facelift while not being that huge of a fan of the new '08s and what they offer.

R32: I'm not sure which model you're talking about, but I drove the previous-generation R32, and that thing is pretty fun. I don't think it's worth the money though (especially since it's so far behind both the Evo and STI in terms of pure performance), plus VWs tend to be problematic. I believe the recent Car & Driver comparison between the Evo X, STI and R32 had the R32 as being the harshest ride out of the three, which is unexpected, hence making it not worth the premium for such mediocre performance.

G37: Much more expensive, plus it's a two-door coupe... and less practical than your car, though it has much more usable power and probably better mileage too. But I'd still rather get a 335i instead of this.

IS350: Probably the most comfortable option out of everything you listed, but like the G, it's going to be a little on the pricey side. These are TINY on the inside, much smaller than you'd expect.

1-Series: I've been following this car, recent reviews are talking about how fun the car is to drive and how it's pretty much almost as fast around a track as an M3. But it's still pricey, small (good when parking, bad when transporting people or belongings) and really weird-looking. Yes, so are Evos and STIs, but we're talking about a pricey luxury brand. I'd expect a little more.

Where do you go to school? UCR?

 

Thank you everyone for your kind response! Especially Deez!
Although some of you may question my financial status.. I do have infact the budget to own a 35k+ vehicle. Just not a 42k+ G37... And I kind of dont find it reasonable to pay 30,000++ for a 2 year old Evolution! But my soul keeps coming back it..wanting MORE!
Yes I leased my RX8 because at the time I didn't care for power and opted for styling...I liked to have 4 seats for my friends and a nice looking ride. My school had no real "racer types" except an Si and someone with an STi.
I attend UC Merced..if you know anything about it, its a new UC campus and its in the middle of nowhere literally. I should have gone to Pepperdine But I like it hehe.

The R32 I was looking at is blue MKV with the only transmission...the DSG. They are not bad in terms of price because its not "hot" and selling that fast like the previous gen. I was thinking of 335i too but its 44k+ and I would only be able to lease it. IS350s are nice too but that auto only thing is bugging me! And mods are limited .. (to my knowledge). The STi has such a sexy exhaust note and many people do not like its looks but I do! Its also cheaper but from my knowledge it is expensive to mod and the gains aren't "spectacular".

I don't street race or anything but I like to visit the drag strip sometime (Lulz RX8 drag) and I went to Willowsprings once. How much do you think I can get a low mileage EVO IX for? I can wait until APril or whenever for the EVO X MR also (Tranny looks good albeit being semi-auto dsg sst thing). I have a friend who also owns an RX8 (Me and him use similar accnt names on RX8 forums) but he got into an accident and bought a Boxster.

Im rambling lol

 

If you don't want to pay that much, stop looking at the MR!
UC Merced would've been my next guess. One of my old bosses from student housing at UC Irvine works there now. Pepperdine is pricey though, being in the Malibu area and all.
I'd rather get a new GTI and save the money or spend some of it on mods rather than get an R32. The R32 is definitely better overall out of the box, but it's just not worth the huge premium over the GTI. Just a reflash should get you to be similarly quick in the straights, plus it already handles VERY well for a FWD car.
While it's not the best idea from a financial standpoint, leasing a BMW will save you a lot of headaches since you'll return it before the warranty is up anyway, which is usually when most big problems begin to pop up. I used to work at a car dealership and we typically had a lot of used BMWs, and a lot of them required some elbow grease before putting them up for sale.
Yeah, it sucks. It's still a great-looking car, but it's just not all that to me anymore, especially since it's no longer the front-runner of the V-6 sedans since its 306 hp rating has been matched and eclipsed. And like you said, that auto doesn't make you feel better about it either. But they are quick, I think a guy from this forum switched from an Evo to an IS350 and was doing mid-13s (like, 13.5-13.6 range) stock. Plus the fun gets killed by whatever programs it has (VDIM or whatever).
I still love how those cars look. I saw a lowered blue '05 WRX with the older gold five-spoke STi wheels outside of Autozone last week, and I really wanted one at that very moment... obviously not as a replacement, but as another car. It's not really expensive to mod... it's just more expensive to get the same gains compared to an Evo. But it gets even worse when you are going for big gains, say, 350+ hp... then it is DEFINITELY going to be much more expensive.

 

Is it possible to get a non MR for lower than 30k? I mean with low mileage not in the 20,000s .. I really do not know how chicks feel about the Evo though haha I remember when I asked my ex if she liked a white Evo IX in the parking lot, she thought it was ugly and looked like it was going to fly off lol. Do you guys like the exhaust note of the car? I dont find it "special" but it certainly doesn't sound like it would drone like my RX8... None of the nearby dealers are willing to let me actually take a long test drive in the Evo. I even took my mother with me but they refused because of the "limited quantity and high demand".

I hope to God Mitsubishi dealers aren't as stupid as the Mazda....I remember I had an ECU problem and Mazda never fixed it because they could not find the source of the problem...I mean a reflash would of been nice.
If I don't mod the Evo will the warranty still be voided ? I heard people getting refused by the dealers because of "abuse"..
Subaru seems to have somewhat of a better service, my friends lightly modded STi was still under warranty at his dealer. I will most likely revisit each car again and take them for at least a 15 min drive. Turbo's feel more exciting than the NA's I'm used to. God Im going back and forth, its driving me insane. I like this car then I lean to another because of some other reason.

Anyone here nearby Merced? It would be rare lol I think SF is like 70miles + from Merced... Also I stalled once while testing the Evo, I am afraid I will burn the clutch if I keep getting so danged jittery!

 

Yes you can find a MR with less than 20k for less than 30k, you just gotta shop till you drop man. And for picking a car, after you drive them, the car will pick you, i promise you that. And it will most likley be the evo, but either way man goodluck.

 

If you want a car to mod, play with, and go to the track get the evo IX. If you are buying a car to drive daily, like it sounds like you need, this is my list in order as to what I'd buy. The evo is awesome, but its more of a toy. Good luck on your choice. Let us know what you end up getting....

1 Series BMW
IS350
G37

 

About the MR... you may be in luck, I'll PM you about that. Anyway, don't worry about what girls think about the Evo. Some will like it, some won't (but may change their mind once they take a ride). Besides, if a girl dislikes the Evo enough to say something, then she's probably too materialistic anyway, because she shouldn't care what YOU drive if she's YOUR lady. But in '06 when I was with this blonde girl that summer, the first time we went out, she saw the lights go off when I unlocked the Evo with the remote, and she said, "Wow, you have a nice car!" (But then again, her ex had a WRX, so she was progressing ) But about the exhaust note, it's nothing special, but it's decent. I see no reason to complain about it or want to change it (except for more power). Even the stock exhaust is loud enough to be heard and noticed within reason.
Not to give a general answer, but it really depends on the dealer. The Mitsubishi "Super Stores" under the same ownership (South Coast/Costa Mesa, Huntington Beach, Long Beach and Victorville) generally seem to be pretty cool. Granted not every story is always a happy one, but overall they seem to be at least fair. But I'd heard some horror stories about various Mitsubishi dealerships in certain areas, so it's hard to say. But if you were to stay completely stock (or pretty close to it), it would be a little difficult for a dealer to legitimately deny warranty work unless you made a very obvious mistake (driver error, neglecting maintenance, etc.).

 

Ah thanks Deez..I will be awaiting the MR offer haha Yeah it looks like Im almost certain to pick up an Evolution if I find the "right" one... I really hope the students on my campus don't mess up the car! Most of the asian guys would probably know what it is.. Haters .. I don't think anyone on the campus even owns one lol I MIGHT have seen an STi though.
I have a question about the handling:
Since the US Evo's do not come with the AYC or w/e (Was it S-AWC?), does it reduce handling much compared to the JDM and the Euro market Evo's? I know that the Evo X has the Yaw Control giving it that crazy high lateral g's. I am not too worried about it but I was just curious since most of the videos I watch on Youtube are based on the JDM Evo.

Yeah the Evo does feel like a toy somewhat compared to the more refined vehicles you listed. Ah I am only in college, I dont really NEED the refinement (Unless I am trying to pick up chicks). Man I am making up excuses for myself to get the evo haha I went to the Mitsubishi dealer in Huntington Beach area.. All I gotta say is NEVER GOING BACK THERE!