You should test drive both, and definitely hit the freeway to compare what that will be like. As someone else said, you will likely do some tranny work regardless.

If you are having issues finding low-mileage/low-abuse IXs, you should check the Northwest as I know of a few people that are looking to offload and I know they know they aren't teens and they know how to care for their cars. One person in particular that I know is selling goes by the alias 'dbsears' so you should look him up. What better way to get a feeling for the car than doing a nice little road trip to bring her home?

Best of luck! You will likely be very happy with whichever you go with.

 

if u dont intend to mod the car
get the MR
if u intend to mod it
get the one with 5 speed manual
and depends on your driving
do u do alot of highway driving
if so
u would love the gear ratio of the MR
otherwise
i heard the MR tranny can handle hp of around 400
if u intend to go beyond that, then dont get the MR

 

what should i look for or becare with if the car is making a little under 400? or at 400

 

I would definitely modify it. Prolly turbo upgrade, exhaust, fuel and a tune. so 400whp neighborhood on pump gas.

I want an evo so damn bad, I guess I just need to be a little more patient and wait for that great deal.

 

MR is heavier than others but still great

 

i love my MR but if i could do it over again, i'd get the ssl package...thought i would've been able to track her now and then, but she's just my daily! MR's are not bad though - test drive it and c if you like it!

 

The MR's tranny shifts THAT much nicer. It's worth it. If you're gonna be smart about how you drive it, there should be no problem whatsoever.

 

SE > MR

6 Speed = More $$$ to replace broken tranny parts or change the clutch

 

Why would it be more expensive to replace? Clutch's I believe are the same in both cars correct?

 

He's just fabricating reasons to justify his bias.

Conclusion: Either trim is a Win Win situation.

 

Nice read for my noob self.

 

you could always swap in a 5speed

 

I'm amazed how quickly people are willing to put in their $0.02 about the MR that don't actually have the MR. I have an '05 Evo 8 MR. like some of the other MR owners have said, the "brittle" 6-speed is overstated.

Some people should really just learn to shift better. Yes, if you ram it into every gear, all the time, haphazardly, something will eventually break - but if that's the case you probably have bigger things to worry about.

I've been driving my evo spirited for about 48,000 miles now. every winter, the evo has doubled for weekend winter/gravel rally duty in the FLR region. and the transmission has held up - no issues. it's also been through about 1/2 a dozen track days, autocrosses, and rallycrosses.

On the track, i think you can actually make an argument that having an extra gear allows you to be in the right gear, all the time... will it stand up if you are building a dedicated rally/track car - remains to be seen. the alum roof is a nice touch, though i've never been able to tell the difference. Also the bilstein dampers are amazing for DD - though they will blow out over time.

FWIW i can't think of/am hoping that no evos are out there in a garage somewhere. People that buy this car, buy it to drive it. The best you can hope for is that they maintained it properly. And i think that's what counts. If someone tells you they have a "garaged, mostly highway miles evo", it's probably me, and it's probably been through a few winter gravel seasons

let us know what you end up with!

 

[QUOTE=supasixfo;7069820]I'm amazed how quickly people are willing to put in their $0.02 about the MR that don't actually have the MR. I have an '05 Evo 8 MR. like some of the other MR owners have said, the "brittle" 6-speed is overstated.

^^ I second that,
500 to the wheels and 25+ launches on my daily driven 06 MR....
also the tranny shifts 10x smoother and the bilstiens.... nuf said

 

buy an SE