Hey guys. So, I'm thinking about trading in my 2003 350z for an evo. Currently have my eye on a 2006 evo IX. I'm not familiar with the car at all. Are there any things that I should be looking for when checking these cars out? I called my insurance company and for some reason the evo is over $100 more on insurance per month. Because it's stock boosted?

So one main reason I'm wanting an evo is because I want to drive about 3 hours to my dads new place which is out in the woods. Little bumpy paved road and then a big inclined gravel hill. I figure the evo can handle it no problem. However, how is the reliability of the evo 9 overall?

I've heard that the MR is the best trim of the evo, is this true? I know it has a 6 speed transmission but that's about it. How strong is it?

How are these cars to work on? Fairly easy? I did take a look under the hood of one and seemed to be more room than my Z and potentially easier to work on.

Any advice would be helpful. Thanks!

 

The "Stickies" above ^^^ will provide insight to all the questions you are asking.

 

These cars are reliable, my car has been through hell and back several times, through corn fields, farmer lanes at wide open throttle etc. Definitely pursue this, you won't be disappointed. Drive an Evo, that'll surely settle it the 350z is gutless in comparison.

6 speeds like to have problems when people put serious power down 500-600+hp but then again there are people who make sick power on the 6 speeds. As a daily driver, I'd be all over it.

 

Not exactly, it's because people have done stupid things in them over the years. Insurance is based on statistics and claims.

Reliability is pretty solid. 4RETECH has over 313k miles on his Evo VIII. A number of other guys are well into the six-digit mileage. Personally I've owned two Evos, and my current Evo IX SE that I had since it was brand new six or seven years ago is running strong. Only 61k miles, but it's been trouble-free. Stick to the maintenance and you're golden. I rarely hear about anything breaking, outside of people who neglect to do maintenance or just beat on the cars recklessly.

Well, it's the HIGHEST trim of the Evo, so in a lot of ways, yes. The six-speed is fine, but if you're planning to mod the car a bit and/or go to the track a lot, you may be better off with any of the five-speed models to avoid any headaches. That's not to say that the six-speed is brittle or anything, as there are a lot of MR owners who have a good amount of hp and go to the track a lot and have had no issues. But the five-speed is a little more durable and can handle a little bit more.

Personally, I chose a IX SE because it was the best model in my eyes. The MR is the highest trim level as I mentioned, but it's also a bit more expensive than all of the others, plus I was iffy on the six-speed, especially because the EPA ratings for gas mileage were actually worse... you'd think that an extra cog and a taller top gear would make it better, but I guess it's cancelled out and worsened since it's slightly heavier. (I think the real-world mileage is pretty much the same though, even if the EPA ratings are lower.) I did like the fact that it had HID, an aluminum roof, Bilsteins and BBS wheels, but I personally couldn't justify the price difference over the standard IX when the performance was so similar. Was it worth $36k? Sure. But was it worth the $6k over the price of the standard IX? Not sure.

The SE came out mid-year, but it was pretty much identical to the overseas 2007 Evo IXs (which weren't "officially" sold here, they were just labeled as 2006s since there was a safety regulation put in place for 2007 that the Evo didn't meet). I chose it because it had the five-speed, was priced between the regular IX and the MR, added a lot of the goodies I liked about the MR that weren't available on the regular IX (HIDs, aluminum roof and BBS wheels) along with some other stuff (deeper front lip that I liked a lot better than the standard one and a different color of the BBS wheels). So I made the jump.

Don't get me wrong, the MR is a great car, I just chose not to get it. It's probably a slightly better daily driver, as the six-speed does shift a little bit more smoothly, plus it has a couple extra things, like the extra gauges, nicer shift knob, nicer E-brake, etc. And the Bilsteins make the ride a little bit more comfortable. Not by a HUGE amount, but the fact that people who don't have MRs tend to look for used MR Bilsteins might be an indicator.

I personally haven't worked on my car -- I get free oil changes from my dealership (came with the purchase) and generally take the car in for the major services, but it seems simple enough. I was in the garage when I had the 60k done (fluids, serpentine belt, timing belt, water pump, plugs, coolant flush, etc.), and it didn't seem like that big of a hassle for someone who knows what they're doing.

 

Oh yeah, not that it really matters to most Evo owners, but I track my gas mileage. It's not too bad. Here are my numbers:

https://www.fuelly.com/driver/deeezn...ncer-evolution

Cliffnotes - lifetime average of 21.8 mpg, best mpg was 30.4 (but that wasn't common). I hit 29 twice, 28 once, 27 once, but most all highway drives are going to be somewhere between 24-26 mpg. City driving, you're looking at 18-19 mpg. Boosting, a lot less mpg. Haha.

 

Read these:

https://www.evolutionm.net/forums/ev...oking-evo.html

https://www.evolutionm.net/forums/ev...nce-guide.html

 

^^ listen to D Nutz above. to be honest i didnt even read it all but he is knowledgeable.

basically once you drive the evo you will realize it is better than the Z in every way shape and form. period.

please go read the stickies, use the search (and google for EvoM) there is a TON of information thats been covered a thousand times. You should get to know the car more than "i need it for a steep gravel hill 3 hours away"

either way best of luck on your search, I am sure it will not disappoint

 

I don't know if I'm doing something wrong but the search never works right for me. I can put in "exhaust", and threads that don't reallt relate to exhaust pop up.

But anyways, if you can get the search to work right for you, there have been a number of members and number of threads for people who have done the Z to Evo switch.

 

haha oh yeah. I mean I love the evo's, and have for a long time. Given I'm only 21 years old (probably a huge factor on insurance). I love my Z but to boost is so expensive and it's not very practical.

Evo seems to have everything that I want
AWD
Back seats
Trunk space
Boost
Easy to work on
Girl magnet

haha. But really. What's a good way to tell between trims when looking online? Like base / SE? I only thought it was base and MR until I looked on here lol.

 

haha i dont know about that. You want a girl magnet buy a german car. though everytime i go to W. VA it is a different scene....

plenty of descriptions on here. theres a thread with all the trims. RS SE MR GSR etc. RS is light "race" version, MR is 6 speed, GSR is standard, SSL is sunroof, xenons, sub, SE is different trim and wheel color etc. All basic, but personal preference. good is your friend. No time now, see if I can find the thread later.

cheers

 

Um I did just what you are planning to do. If I could do it all over again I would have kept the 350z without thinking twice. My z was the most reliable car I have owned the EVO on the other hand has been a nightmare. One problem after another, and I baby the car. I know it all depends on who owned it prior and I will admit my car was treated like crap from the previous owner but still I would take the z back any day of the week.

 

Visually? Assuming that the owner didn't swap out the parts (or add on aftermarket ones), here are the obvious ones...

IX (sometimes called the GSR) - Enkei wheels, wing
IX SSL - sunroof
IX RS - no wing, black mirrors and door handles
IX SE - deeper front lip, Diamond Black BBS wheels
IX MR - Anthracite BBS wheels, vortex generator
IX MR with Appearance Package (sometimes called the MR SE) - deeper front lip, Diamond Black BBS wheels, vortex generator

There are more differences, but those are the main ones that you'll see from the outside.

 

As for the chic magnet most girls I know think the evo looks like a jetta. They loved the z however.

 

It's not a girl magnet, but it gets its fair share of attention. I got my very first Evo at the tail end of my fifth year of college, and one girl I had just met and was taking to a party was like, "WOW, you have a nice car!" I did end up sleeping with her not long after that, but I'm pretty sure at least part of that was attributed to me. And then I remember some other girl a little while later said something like, "You have an EVO!?!" Her too. But it helped that her brother had an Evo once upon a time. But that was in my younger days when I was single.

Of course there are going to be some people who don't know what it is and don't care, or just look at it like a regular Lancer. Realistially speaking, it's not anything breathtaking, so it's going to be hit or miss. A car like the Z, which has an obvious sports car appearance, is more likely to get approval (or at least not be viewed negatively as Evos do sometimes), but it's not going to get any attention really.

Sorry to hear about your experience, but that may not apply to the OP who is wondering if he should go from a Z to an Evo IX. Your situation, while unfortunate, was more about you keeping YOUR Z instead of buying the EXACT VIII that you ended up with. Sucks though, but that Evo must've been really, really abused and/or neglected.

 

LOL girl magnet.. more like dude magnet